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jaylanelson20's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Backstory: When RoseBlood first came out and hit the shelves I purchased it, so excited to read another one of AG Howard’s books! When I finally got the chance to actually sit down and read it, I wasn’t in the mood for that type of story. The timing was off, and it felt like I couldn’t get my mind straight on the beginning. Rereading the first couple of pages 2-3 times was rough! So I put it down and I picked it up about 4 times since then. Now it’s been SIX WHOLE YEARS and I’ve finally finished this book and boy was it worth it!
Artwork: I can not help but stare at the cover of this book! As an artist myself I find myself buying books based on covers knowing full well that I shouldn’t do that unless I plan to read it for sure! But I just can’t help myself! AG Howard’s books have always been so beautifully done and if I only buy her books just for the artwork, so be it! I think the artist did an AMAZING job in capturing Runes identity and the dark aesthetic feeling of the book itself into the cover ❤️
My review: As I stated before, it took me years to finally get to this book but I’m so glad I did! I started it in November of 2022 so it took me 3 months to finally finish the book, not because it wasn’t good but due to personal and work related reasons it took me a while to keep picking it back up. This book is both aesthetically dark and hauntingly beautiful! I love the phantom of the opera musical and this book definitely brought back memories when I first saw the film! The fact that the author could create a more personal and human experience to the opera ghost makes you fall in love with his character and yearn for peace within his soul.
Runes loving personality towards anyone she meets is awing, the fact that she tries to see the good in most of the other characters instead of what they’re trying to do against her makes her so naive but also shows compassion. I love Rune and Thorns connection even though it seems a bit fast. Their connection to one another drew me even more into the story.
This book is beautifully written and is safe for those not looking for /or that are against strong language and smut. But can have some trigger warnings due to human trafficking, and mentioning of drugs (is not explicit when mentioning drugs or drug use)
Overall thought: I loved this book, I don’t necessarily see myself rereading this one as much as I would other books I have but I’m thrilled to have it with my collection on my shelf and am extremely happy i had the chance to read it!
Artwork: I can not help but stare at the cover of this book! As an artist myself I find myself buying books based on covers knowing full well that I shouldn’t do that unless I plan to read it for sure! But I just can’t help myself! AG Howard’s books have always been so beautifully done and if I only buy her books just for the artwork, so be it! I think the artist did an AMAZING job in capturing Runes identity and the dark aesthetic feeling of the book itself into the cover ❤️
My review: As I stated before, it took me years to finally get to this book but I’m so glad I did! I started it in November of 2022 so it took me 3 months to finally finish the book, not because it wasn’t good but due to personal and work related reasons it took me a while to keep picking it back up. This book is both aesthetically dark and hauntingly beautiful! I love the phantom of the opera musical and this book definitely brought back memories when I first saw the film! The fact that the author could create a more personal and human experience to the opera ghost makes you fall in love with his character and yearn for peace within his soul.
Runes loving personality towards anyone she meets is awing, the fact that she tries to see the good in most of the other characters instead of what they’re trying to do against her makes her so naive but also shows compassion. I love Rune and Thorns connection even though it seems a bit fast. Their connection to one another drew me even more into the story.
This book is beautifully written and is safe for those not looking for /or that are against strong language and smut. But can have some trigger warnings due to human trafficking, and mentioning of drugs (is not explicit when mentioning drugs or drug use)
Overall thought: I loved this book, I don’t necessarily see myself rereading this one as much as I would other books I have but I’m thrilled to have it with my collection on my shelf and am extremely happy i had the chance to read it!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent and Medical content
Minor: Drug use, Blood, Trafficking, and Animal cruelty
caseynathan's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
This review contains spoilers, but hoenstly, it’s better than reading this book.
I love POTO, I really do. And typically I love most adaptations of the work. But this…this was rough. Not only does Rune remind me of every self-insert Fanfiction protagonist ever, but she is dreadfully boring. Also, “Thorn”, the son that Erik adopted from a sex trafficking ring, is possibly the blandest white boy of the month to ever exist. And I love a good white boy of the month. Even the vampire plot line, I could have forgiven. But I draw the line at the big *twist* at the end. For the book, we are led to believe that Erik and Christine reunited, but she died tragically and he’s been preserving her body to put Runes voice back into since part of Christine’s soul lives in her now. But no, it’s not Christine’s body being preserved, but the infant corpse of Erik and Christine’s premature baby girl.
What the fuck?
I had to reread it several times to understand what I had just read. In the end, Rune and Thorn get a happy ending because Erik has a change of heart and decides that the boy he adopted is more important to him than the dead daughter he’s been preserving so he just fucks off to Canada? I don’t even know.
The most interesting part of the book was the throwaway lesbian romance that blossomed between the two mean girls. Wish I read a book about that.
Also, the author insists on using the word “gypsy” throughout to describe the Romani people? The whole thing felt incredibly uncomfortable especially when it continued to be paired with words like “curse” and “blood.”
What the fuck?
I had to reread it several times to understand what I had just read. In the end, Rune and Thorn get a happy ending because Erik has a change of heart and decides that the boy he adopted is more important to him than the dead daughter he’s been preserving so he just fucks off to Canada? I don’t even know.
The most interesting part of the book was the throwaway lesbian romance that blossomed between the two mean girls. Wish I read a book about that.
Also, the author insists on using the word “gypsy” throughout to describe the Romani people? The whole thing felt incredibly uncomfortable especially when it continued to be paired with words like “curse” and “blood.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Cultural appropriation, Death of parent, Grief, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Slavery, and Trafficking
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