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lydiamacclaren's review against another edition
3.0
A wonderfully strange and whimsical story that harkens to the same insanity of Alice in Wonderland . This story by indie author Anske offers an intriguing tale of a sinister garden that has you question the sanity of the main character but still manages to retain a childlike and heartwarming center that pulled me along through the circular plot. That would be my criticism to the story, the tale itself could have been bolstered by a more varied plot line and stronger arcs within the story. I was not dissatisfied by the story, but felt that if it its structure had been streamlined it would have been a hands-down favorite book.
I stumbled across this story and Ksenia Anske and I look forward to reading more of her stories, she is an intriguing author who offers a new perspective to stories and storytelling, and this book was a delightful introduction to her as an author.
I stumbled across this story and Ksenia Anske and I look forward to reading more of her stories, she is an intriguing author who offers a new perspective to stories and storytelling, and this book was a delightful introduction to her as an author.
saintkatherine's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely the most fantastic book I've ever read.
love_aud's review against another edition
5.0
Anske writes so brilliantly and so vividly. Lilith is an amazing 12 year old that I wish I could've been. So brave and insightful. This story will definitely stay with me for a very long time and as one reader pointed out on the back cover: I will never look at a house, dog or rosebush the same way again.
ujsp's review against another edition
5.0
Was such a great book. So refreshing to read something like this after so long! I wud most definitely recommend this especially if you are a 'girl stuck in a woman's body' ;)
mynameismarines's review against another edition
3.0
This is a hard star rating for me because it falls in that often cited category of, "I wanted to love this book more than I did." First, it is clear to me that Ksenia Anske is a talented author, and I'd definitely read more of her work. She's got an amazing imagination, and that is where this book never faltered. The world was vivid and the story had a very unique quality to it. I've seen comparisons to Tim Burton movies and that seems like the closest comparison.
I struggled with the characters. Lilith and Panther are both hard to swallow because of their quirks. There really wasn't anyone here for me to relate to or empathize with. Lilith does struggle with being believed, and part of me felt for her, but the other part of me doubted her as well. Was what we were reading real? I'll let you discover that for yourself.
Part of the problem with the characters, though, was the fault of some very repetitive writing. This story would've benefited greatly from being parsed down. They were so many long passages of Lilith trying to convince Panther to investigate with her, in nearly identical language. For being under the gun, these characters sure did stand around and talk a lot.
Another issue was that the action was quite literally in Lilith's backyard. It felt like Anske tried to trump up the tension, but what it produced was more of that repetition. We found Lilith trapped inside or with an adult or bound to some commitment, thus keeping her away from the action, over and over again. In that way, the pattern of Lilith sneaking out, being caught, facing off with her grandfather, and disturbing her parents developed early and kept on throughout the story. Within this work of great imagination, a formula developed and undermined the experience.
This problem of pacing made it hard to drag myself through the middle to end of this book. Even at the end, Lilith is surround on all sides and it's closing in around her... still closing in around her... no idea why it's closing in this slow but here it comes... etc.
It was an interesting read, and I don't regret dedicating time to it, but I felt it definitely could've benefited from some tightening up. I can't wait to read what Anske comes up with next.
I struggled with the characters. Lilith and Panther are both hard to swallow because of their quirks. There really wasn't anyone here for me to relate to or empathize with. Lilith does struggle with being believed, and part of me felt for her, but the other part of me doubted her as well. Was what we were reading real? I'll let you discover that for yourself.
Part of the problem with the characters, though, was the fault of some very repetitive writing. This story would've benefited greatly from being parsed down. They were so many long passages of Lilith trying to convince Panther to investigate with her, in nearly identical language. For being under the gun, these characters sure did stand around and talk a lot.
Another issue was that the action was quite literally in Lilith's backyard. It felt like Anske tried to trump up the tension, but what it produced was more of that repetition. We found Lilith trapped inside or with an adult or bound to some commitment, thus keeping her away from the action, over and over again. In that way, the pattern of Lilith sneaking out, being caught, facing off with her grandfather, and disturbing her parents developed early and kept on throughout the story. Within this work of great imagination, a formula developed and undermined the experience.
This problem of pacing made it hard to drag myself through the middle to end of this book. Even at the end, Lilith is surround on all sides and it's closing in around her... still closing in around her... no idea why it's closing in this slow but here it comes... etc.
It was an interesting read, and I don't regret dedicating time to it, but I felt it definitely could've benefited from some tightening up. I can't wait to read what Anske comes up with next.
laughinglibra84's review against another edition
3.0
Lilith Bloom was an interesting character to follow with the quirky atmosphere of a talking whippet and finding moving, living, breathing houses wherever she went. The problem was that her family didn't believe her on both accounts. Despite the opposition from them, she fights a rose garden that has seemingly spurred into life on her grandfather Alfred Bloom's property. As the story unravels, the reader gets more of the picture. Overall, the story was good, but there were elements of the story that didn't work for me. Since Rosehead is one of Ksenia Anske's more popular stories, I encourage readers to check it out. It seems more aimed for a teenage/young adult audience, but I know there are adults who will enjoy this too.
ksgoetz's review against another edition
5.0
Disorienting and amazing
Throughout the book it is difficult to tell if we can trust what Lilith, out narrator, says, making for a disorienting and thrilling read. And incredibly interesting plot written in the most engaging way possible with the most unique cast of characters. Love, love, love Rosehead.
Throughout the book it is difficult to tell if we can trust what Lilith, out narrator, says, making for a disorienting and thrilling read. And incredibly interesting plot written in the most engaging way possible with the most unique cast of characters. Love, love, love Rosehead.
mjesmer's review against another edition
I gave up on this book about two-thirds though as it got too weird and complicated and I just lost interest. It was an interesting concept but too hard to follow.
midnightcomets's review against another edition
5.0
5/5 stars
"Sherlock Holmes said that the most stimulating case is when all the chances are against you"
WHAT WAS THAT?
DO YOU UNDERSTAND HOW MANY DAYS I HAD WITHOUT JOINING A NEW FANDOM?
I read many books, ones I liked or even loved but a lot of time passed (since Lady Midnight I think) since I actually became obsessed with a book. Ksenia Ankse's imagination runs wild, creating a magnificent world where nothing is as it seems, a plot that was as wild and beautiful as roses. This book blew my mind in the most amazing way, I laughed, cried, smiled and wiped my damp eyes, I screamed until my throat hurt and my heart fell on the floor like seeds that after all the heartbreak became flowers, created by the happy ending.
Lilith Bloom is not your ordinary twelve year old girl. She's much more. She's a dreamer and a believer, she's more clever than her parents and all adults in this story and she loves. She loves everyone, despite what she thinks she feels about them. She has seen some pretty strange things in her life. The thing is...nobody believes her, thinking she's suffering from mental illness.
"Much not. I'm a grown woman stuck in a little girl's body which is rather unfortunate"
That's who she is. Mature but not a pessimist, with hope filling her heart. And when the time comes, she proves her maturity, by sacrificing herself for everyone else, proving that not only she isn't loony but she also is much more than what everyone thought she is. There's a quote in this book that only by itself makes it a masterpiece:
"Lilith had little time to understand the meaning of these three words. Life, love, death. She did know that there was no life without death but also no life without love. Did that mean that there was no love without death, though? That you had to die to realize how much you loved someone?"
After all this ranting, all this smiling and all this fangirling about Lilith's relationship with her pet dog that has the ability to talk or her kisses with the mute boy, Ed, who taught her more than anyone else could, there's only one thing left in my mind. Tim Burton HAS to discover this and make a movie immediately.
totally recommended
~Mary
"Sherlock Holmes said that the most stimulating case is when all the chances are against you"
WHAT WAS THAT?
DO YOU UNDERSTAND HOW MANY DAYS I HAD WITHOUT JOINING A NEW FANDOM?
I read many books, ones I liked or even loved but a lot of time passed (since Lady Midnight I think) since I actually became obsessed with a book. Ksenia Ankse's imagination runs wild, creating a magnificent world where nothing is as it seems, a plot that was as wild and beautiful as roses. This book blew my mind in the most amazing way, I laughed, cried, smiled and wiped my damp eyes, I screamed until my throat hurt and my heart fell on the floor like seeds that after all the heartbreak became flowers, created by the happy ending.
Lilith Bloom is not your ordinary twelve year old girl. She's much more. She's a dreamer and a believer, she's more clever than her parents and all adults in this story and she loves. She loves everyone, despite what she thinks she feels about them. She has seen some pretty strange things in her life. The thing is...nobody believes her, thinking she's suffering from mental illness.
"Much not. I'm a grown woman stuck in a little girl's body which is rather unfortunate"
That's who she is. Mature but not a pessimist, with hope filling her heart. And when the time comes, she proves her maturity, by sacrificing herself for everyone else, proving that not only she isn't loony but she also is much more than what everyone thought she is. There's a quote in this book that only by itself makes it a masterpiece:
"Lilith had little time to understand the meaning of these three words. Life, love, death. She did know that there was no life without death but also no life without love. Did that mean that there was no love without death, though? That you had to die to realize how much you loved someone?"
After all this ranting, all this smiling and all this fangirling about Lilith's relationship with her pet dog that has the ability to talk or her kisses with the mute boy, Ed, who taught her more than anyone else could, there's only one thing left in my mind. Tim Burton HAS to discover this and make a movie immediately.
totally recommended
~Mary
ec_tyche's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0