You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.15 AVERAGE
3.15 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book is a reimagining of Phantom of the Opera in part, but that isn't all it is. Rune has gone through a lot and she has an unusual connection with music that can be wonderful or tragic. When starts getting closer to the mysterious Thorn, she has to decide if anything she is feeling or experiencing is real -- or if she is just as insane as other people think she is.
I enjoyed the book, but it was really slow for me to get into.
I enjoyed the book, but it was really slow for me to get into.
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I had a hard time connecting with the characters so that made the plot mid for me. The plot hangs on the characters and I found them very one note. Part of the problem was I kept comparing this to other retellings and I just did not like this one as much
While I've always been a big fan of retellings and reimaginings of fairytales and classic stories, I thought that RoseBlood was way too weird for my taste, and an altogether really bad book in terms of A.G. Howard's writing for the book. That being said, while Howard definitely made a pretty bad first impression on me with RoseBlood, I'm still looking forward to reading her new book, Stain.
My rating/score: 1 out of 5 Stars on Goodreads rating system, and 1 out of 10 on my own personal scoring system.
My rating/score: 1 out of 5 Stars on Goodreads rating system, and 1 out of 10 on my own personal scoring system.
dnf at 10%. my god. egregious use of the g-slur for cutesy reasons. so much navel gazing. the weirdest possible way that anyone could retell phantom of the opera -- and I don't mean that kindly.
This book was really well done! A. G. Howard put a lot of research into this book. If your a "Phan" of the original Phantom of The Opera you can see this, but especially if you read the author's note after. This story had lots of layers, and gothic, creepy ones at that!! The romance was so unique, in the way that it all came about. Trying to be careful not to give away any spoilers here.
"I know you," I say, dreamily, "I was never able to see your face in the memories or visions. But somehow, I know you. You feel like home to me."
Rune was a wonderful protagonist. She was an amazingly strong person, who had been through some really hard things in life, but still came out of them a kind, caring friend, daughter and especially to Etalon...who she finds needs her as much as she needs him. Etalon had survived so much, but Rune awoke something in him that his mother taught him, and that he had forgotten. But even with everything he'd been through, he had such a kind heart. He enjoyed saving hurt creatures in the wild and nursing them back to health and then setting them free. He had a very compassionate heart.
I'm so glad I read this. It's the type of book that will stay with you for a while. DON'T LET THIS ONE PASS YOU BY!!!
"I know you," I say, dreamily, "I was never able to see your face in the memories or visions. But somehow, I know you. You feel like home to me."
Rune was a wonderful protagonist. She was an amazingly strong person, who had been through some really hard things in life, but still came out of them a kind, caring friend, daughter and especially to Etalon...who she finds needs her as much as she needs him. Etalon had survived so much, but Rune awoke something in him that his mother taught him, and that he had forgotten. But even with everything he'd been through, he had such a kind heart. He enjoyed saving hurt creatures in the wild and nursing them back to health and then setting them free. He had a very compassionate heart.
I'm so glad I read this. It's the type of book that will stay with you for a while. DON'T LET THIS ONE PASS YOU BY!!!
Music has a way of speaking to your soul, but that has never been more true than in A.G. Howard's Roseblood.
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
Rune Germaine's relationship with music, namely operatic arias, has caused quite a bit of tension in her life as she is drained of energy after unexpected performances prompted by hearing operatic melodies she's compelled to sing. Hoping to channel this energy and find some control over it, Rune's mother has enrolled her in RoseBlood, a French arts conservatory that her aunt runs out of the opera house that is rumored to be connected with The Phantom of the Opera. During her time at RoseBlood Rune befriends Thorn, a secret and elusive violinist who is connected to her in inexplicable ways. As Thorn helps Rune to transform and control her musical abilities his ulterior agenda to assist the phantom, the only father he knows, in destroying Rune so that his experiment has the potential of succeeding comes to light and Thorn must decide to either help the phantom or save Rune.
As someone only vaguely familiar with the basic outline of Phantom of the Opera, this rendition of it incorporates the most notable elements and elaborates to take the tale into newer territory. The descriptions, particularly evoking the atmosphere, were well-written, but the characters, though distinct, weren't overly developed and presented primarily as stereotypes to help move the narrative along to the next, practically unbelievable, event. Though the story has its interesting moments and touches of magic in an attempt to deepen the world and story, the way the narrative was pieced together with the perspectives of Rune and Thorn was a bit haphazard in its execution as it abruptly would shift perspectives without adequate transition between the two and the progression of the tale was much too campy without cause to be so.
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
Rune Germaine's relationship with music, namely operatic arias, has caused quite a bit of tension in her life as she is drained of energy after unexpected performances prompted by hearing operatic melodies she's compelled to sing. Hoping to channel this energy and find some control over it, Rune's mother has enrolled her in RoseBlood, a French arts conservatory that her aunt runs out of the opera house that is rumored to be connected with The Phantom of the Opera. During her time at RoseBlood Rune befriends Thorn, a secret and elusive violinist who is connected to her in inexplicable ways. As Thorn helps Rune to transform and control her musical abilities his ulterior agenda to assist the phantom, the only father he knows, in destroying Rune so that his experiment has the potential of succeeding comes to light and Thorn must decide to either help the phantom or save Rune.
As someone only vaguely familiar with the basic outline of Phantom of the Opera, this rendition of it incorporates the most notable elements and elaborates to take the tale into newer territory. The descriptions, particularly evoking the atmosphere, were well-written, but the characters, though distinct, weren't overly developed and presented primarily as stereotypes to help move the narrative along to the next, practically unbelievable, event. Though the story has its interesting moments and touches of magic in an attempt to deepen the world and story, the way the narrative was pieced together with the perspectives of Rune and Thorn was a bit haphazard in its execution as it abruptly would shift perspectives without adequate transition between the two and the progression of the tale was much too campy without cause to be so.
3.5 stars. So this book is a perfect example of a trashy, yet entertaining teen book. The romance was hilariously cringe-y and somewhat stalker-y and I totally spent the first half of the book mocking the characters in my mind. But honestly, the atmospheric qualities of the writing and commitment to Leroux's original were poignant throughout the book, and I actually enjoyed reading it, especially toward the end. The writing is amateur, to say the least, and I found myself editing in my head. However, Howard is great at creative writing regarding imagery and Gothic vibes, which I appreciated. Also, there is a ghost kitty with a hilarious and adorable personality (cat-ality?), and the protagonist knits, so this book gets an extra .5 stars because I loved that the author included those little details.
mysterious
medium-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
I just really couldn't bring myself to keep reading. The plot is very slow and there's not much character development. It feels like an early 2000s YA novel, which is fine, but I'm not still in my teenage angst emo phase.