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3.15 AVERAGE
3.15 AVERAGE
This book is ambitious and makes a good effort, but frustratingly comes up short. The idea of a Phantom of an Opera story set at an opera boarding school is pretty cool, and I appreciate the connections to the original Phantom story (as a theatre fan). The fact that it’s a boarding school that seems kind of isolated–it appears to be out in the French countryside, and students only leave campus for weekend Paris trips–is fantastic in creating a lot more tension and upping the spooky atmosphere. All the characters are basically trapped, which is perfect for a story where it seems the building itself is dangerous.
The cast is surprisingly diverse for a book set in a French opera boarding school: I was happy to see one main character is Asian-American (and dating a white girl!), and another is Latina. However, the author falls into some tired tropes with both characters. The former’s name sounds really made-up to me (and to my Taiwanese-American husband), and I was disappointed to see his eyes described as “almond-shaped.” The latter has a tragic backstory and is the only student in the book from a low-income family. I appreciate the effort, but I wish there had been some more effort in those characters.
Overall, I thought the book was okay. It often veered into melodrama–which, given the story, could have been really fitting, but instead was so over-the-top it pulled me out. Rune as a character was so irritating: it’s hard to pull for someone whose power causes her to sing complicated arias PERFECTLY with zero practice. Even the downsides of her power was kind of eye roll inducing: oh no, she sings perfect arias and then collapses! Oh no, she’s so overcome she kisses (apparently only attractive) boys wildly and can’t control herself! Even the reason behind that (and the source of her powers, I guess?) is kind of overwrought. The parts of the story told from Thorn’s point of view were the most ridiculous. The story would have been served better if we had experienced the mystery along with Rune, instead of knowing so much about Thorne and the Phantom.
Full review: http://mrskaoreads.com/book/roseblood/
The cast is surprisingly diverse for a book set in a French opera boarding school: I was happy to see one main character is Asian-American (and dating a white girl!), and another is Latina. However, the author falls into some tired tropes with both characters. The former’s name sounds really made-up to me (and to my Taiwanese-American husband), and I was disappointed to see his eyes described as “almond-shaped.” The latter has a tragic backstory and is the only student in the book from a low-income family. I appreciate the effort, but I wish there had been some more effort in those characters.
Overall, I thought the book was okay. It often veered into melodrama–which, given the story, could have been really fitting, but instead was so over-the-top it pulled me out. Rune as a character was so irritating: it’s hard to pull for someone whose power causes her to sing complicated arias PERFECTLY with zero practice. Even the downsides of her power was kind of eye roll inducing: oh no, she sings perfect arias and then collapses! Oh no, she’s so overcome she kisses (apparently only attractive) boys wildly and can’t control herself! Even the reason behind that (and the source of her powers, I guess?) is kind of overwrought. The parts of the story told from Thorn’s point of view were the most ridiculous. The story would have been served better if we had experienced the mystery along with Rune, instead of knowing so much about Thorne and the Phantom.
Full review: http://mrskaoreads.com/book/roseblood/
This is the kind of novel that requires you to have patience for details in the beginning. It is intricate and detailed in its description and layout but that is only to aid you for further on in the novel.
Nearer to the middle the story truly unfolds and it will capture you and have you see an entirely new concept and depth to the Phantom of the Opera.
And as for the ending? Brilliant. Twists you couldn't image that keep you reading to the very end.
Nearer to the middle the story truly unfolds and it will capture you and have you see an entirely new concept and depth to the Phantom of the Opera.
And as for the ending? Brilliant. Twists you couldn't image that keep you reading to the very end.
4.5
Recensione: http://wefoundwonderlandinbooks.blogspot.it/2018/02/recensione-roseblood-di-ag-howard.html
Recensione: http://wefoundwonderlandinbooks.blogspot.it/2018/02/recensione-roseblood-di-ag-howard.html
RoseBlood is no where near as good as I was expecting. The summary made it one of my most anticipated reads, but sadly it is too basic for me. The idea of it and the vibe are on point, but there is too much in the plot that I've seen way too many times. For example the no cell phone reception, the teenage girl with power or whatever she can't control, the clique of mean girls, and etc. By about halfway through I was just bored by the whole thing.
Words can't even describe how much I love this book. I picked it up on a whim because I'd heard it was a Phantom of the Opera retelling. It did not disappoint! There was an unexpected twist about halfway through that I didn't see coming. The writing was beautiful and kept me enthralled the whole time. This was the first A.G. Howard book I read, and I think I will pick up her Splintered trilogy really soon. I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone.
I don't know this book took me so long to read, but despite that I loved it!!
This was so weird but in many ways wonderful. I also enjoyed it much more than I thought I would. Full Review to come...
When I first heard about Roseblood it was one of those books that I was excited about, everyone was excited about it and the cover was so beautiful and for me, it did not disappoint.
No, it was not the best book that I have read all year but sometimes you need a trashy paranormal romance story to keep you entertained and this is what Roseblood did for me.
I am also not a massive Phantom of the Opera fan, so I did not really know the story at the beginning but I did not find this to be a problem when getting into the plot. I also really enjoyed the French and boarding school setting that was present throughout the book and found this quite different from other YA books and it made it more enjoyable.
I also really loved Thorn as a character and he was definitely one of those protagonists that you just can't help but fall in love with. Although Thorn was good, I didn't really find many of the characters to be well developed especially at school but I guess they were not really central to the story but it would be nice if they were more developed.
I also have not read a paranormal romance in a while so it was quite nice to read some again especially as Roseblood was so unique. Overall, I did like Roseblood and I did think that it was quite a good book.
The Verdict:
Roseblood is a unique take on Phantom of the Opera which was weird and had me entertained throughout especially as someone who hasn't read paranormal in a long time.
When I first heard about Roseblood it was one of those books that I was excited about, everyone was excited about it and the cover was so beautiful and for me, it did not disappoint.
No, it was not the best book that I have read all year but sometimes you need a trashy paranormal romance story to keep you entertained and this is what Roseblood did for me.
I am also not a massive Phantom of the Opera fan, so I did not really know the story at the beginning but I did not find this to be a problem when getting into the plot. I also really enjoyed the French and boarding school setting that was present throughout the book and found this quite different from other YA books and it made it more enjoyable.
I also really loved Thorn as a character and he was definitely one of those protagonists that you just can't help but fall in love with. Although Thorn was good, I didn't really find many of the characters to be well developed especially at school but I guess they were not really central to the story but it would be nice if they were more developed.
I also have not read a paranormal romance in a while so it was quite nice to read some again especially as Roseblood was so unique. Overall, I did like Roseblood and I did think that it was quite a good book.
The Verdict:
Roseblood is a unique take on Phantom of the Opera which was weird and had me entertained throughout especially as someone who hasn't read paranormal in a long time.
I finally finished!!! God that was the biggest struggle of my life, I'm exhausted, I need sleep.
Full Disclaimer: I was hooked on this book from the moment I heard it was being released because I spent a pivotal portion of my pre-teen years obsessed with The Phantom of the Opera. The movie version with Emmy Rossum came out when I was in middle school and I was introduced to it by my choir teacher and my obsession was born (it wasn't hard considering the protagonist's name is CHRISTINE and then there was me, aspiring little alto, CRISTINA). A few years later my mom took me to see the live stage production in Las Vegas that was done in the special theater in the Venetian that was literally made for the show (falling chandelier on the audience and all!) and I was even more enamored. Now I will admit that I haven't yet read the entirety of the original story by LeRoux (it's on my never-ending TBR) but I was THRILLED to get Roseblood as a Christmas gift from Max to reignite my Phantom obsession.
Now, to be fair while Roseblood draws a lot of inspiration from The Phantom of the Opera, it's not as much of a retelling as it is a sequel. The Phantom is definitely present, but the focus is more on Rune (our "Christine" character) and Thorn, the Phantom's adopted son. Rune has a very twisted and tragic family background that eventually leads her mother to send her to an opera boarding school in France, as she's at a loss of what to do with a daughter is literally made ill by singing, yet has no choice but to purge songs from her body. At the conservatory Rune's musical affliction and tainted background lead her to a series of creepy encounters with Thorn and into the Phantom's plans.
Perhaps the best thing about this novel is Howard's writing. Whatever your thoughts are on the plot or characters, it's undeniable that the atmosphere and aesthetic are on point. It's dark and gritty and glamorous and the writing evokes just as colorful and vivid imagery as the cover does. It's also appropriately eerie, and while definitely not a "horror" book, I found there to be some deeply unsettling imagery at times, such as bleeding roses found in an unmarked baby's grave and empty IV tubes found in an abandoned chapel...see? Unsettling. (but no complaints here as it definitely worked with the story).
Without giving too much away regarding the plot, Roseblood is a novel that exists in the realm of several genres, including contemporary, romance, and paranormal. There's the contemporary elements of Rune settling in at her new boarding school, attempting to navigate the social circles and competitive atmosphere and exploring the grounds and halls of the mysterious opera house. For anyone who loves a good YA boarding school tale, this will definitely satisfy that craving. Yet as the book progresses, it delves more and more into the realm of the paranormal, with legends coming to life, ancient artifacts coming into play, magical raves drawing innocents into the underbelly of Paris, and, of course, labyrinths and underground lairs (because what would a Phantom story be without an underground lair and moat?) I enjoyed the paranormal twists as it's one of my favorite genres, however I do think that perhaps it could have done with one or two less paranormal elements and still been a strong story. At times there were so many paranormal things going on it was a bit hard to keep straight (I think the auras could have been left out, personally).
The novel is told in dual POVs, alternating between Rune and Thorn. While at times this POV shift was a little jarring, I appreciated that it allowed Howard to give not only her protagonist Rune a unique and eerie history, but it allowed her to flesh out a full backstory for the Phantom as told through Thorn's memories, going far more in depth than what you'd expect about his childhood and relationship with Christine. I appreciate how she wove in her retelling of the Phantom's background with other historical figures and occurrences, such as Saint Germain. It's a fantastically unique take on the Phantom.
One thing I will say is that this book took me a while to finish. It's not a fast paced plot but rather much more of a slow burn that favors rich, detailed setting over action or even dialogue. While at times this did end up succumbing to some info dumps, I found the story so compelling that I was willing to overlook these instances in favor of the unique information. This isn't a book to read if you're looking for a speedy bump to your Goodreads goal, but rather a story to be savored.
Overall: For a Phantom fan like me, Roseblood will delight with its Gothic atmosphere and unsettling details conveyed through rich and decadent descriptions. While it's admittedly an unconventional take that veers largely into paranormal elements, I still enjoyed the creativity and unique take on the tortured genius of the character of the Phantom. I adored this book and found only minor flaws that didn't inhibit my enjoyment of the book. And you're 100% right if you assumed that I've been listening to the Phantom soundtrack nonstop since I started reading Roseblood and through writing this review.This review was originally posted on Girl in the Pages
Now, to be fair while Roseblood draws a lot of inspiration from The Phantom of the Opera, it's not as much of a retelling as it is a sequel. The Phantom is definitely present, but the focus is more on Rune (our "Christine" character) and Thorn, the Phantom's adopted son. Rune has a very twisted and tragic family background that eventually leads her mother to send her to an opera boarding school in France, as she's at a loss of what to do with a daughter is literally made ill by singing, yet has no choice but to purge songs from her body. At the conservatory Rune's musical affliction and tainted background lead her to a series of creepy encounters with Thorn and into the Phantom's plans.
Perhaps the best thing about this novel is Howard's writing. Whatever your thoughts are on the plot or characters, it's undeniable that the atmosphere and aesthetic are on point. It's dark and gritty and glamorous and the writing evokes just as colorful and vivid imagery as the cover does. It's also appropriately eerie, and while definitely not a "horror" book, I found there to be some deeply unsettling imagery at times, such as bleeding roses found in an unmarked baby's grave and empty IV tubes found in an abandoned chapel...see? Unsettling. (but no complaints here as it definitely worked with the story).
Without giving too much away regarding the plot, Roseblood is a novel that exists in the realm of several genres, including contemporary, romance, and paranormal. There's the contemporary elements of Rune settling in at her new boarding school, attempting to navigate the social circles and competitive atmosphere and exploring the grounds and halls of the mysterious opera house. For anyone who loves a good YA boarding school tale, this will definitely satisfy that craving. Yet as the book progresses, it delves more and more into the realm of the paranormal, with legends coming to life, ancient artifacts coming into play, magical raves drawing innocents into the underbelly of Paris, and, of course, labyrinths and underground lairs (because what would a Phantom story be without an underground lair and moat?) I enjoyed the paranormal twists as it's one of my favorite genres, however I do think that perhaps it could have done with one or two less paranormal elements and still been a strong story. At times there were so many paranormal things going on it was a bit hard to keep straight (I think the auras could have been left out, personally).
The novel is told in dual POVs, alternating between Rune and Thorn. While at times this POV shift was a little jarring, I appreciated that it allowed Howard to give not only her protagonist Rune a unique and eerie history, but it allowed her to flesh out a full backstory for the Phantom as told through Thorn's memories, going far more in depth than what you'd expect about his childhood and relationship with Christine. I appreciate how she wove in her retelling of the Phantom's background with other historical figures and occurrences, such as Saint Germain. It's a fantastically unique take on the Phantom.
One thing I will say is that this book took me a while to finish. It's not a fast paced plot but rather much more of a slow burn that favors rich, detailed setting over action or even dialogue. While at times this did end up succumbing to some info dumps, I found the story so compelling that I was willing to overlook these instances in favor of the unique information. This isn't a book to read if you're looking for a speedy bump to your Goodreads goal, but rather a story to be savored.
Overall: For a Phantom fan like me, Roseblood will delight with its Gothic atmosphere and unsettling details conveyed through rich and decadent descriptions. While it's admittedly an unconventional take that veers largely into paranormal elements, I still enjoyed the creativity and unique take on the tortured genius of the character of the Phantom. I adored this book and found only minor flaws that didn't inhibit my enjoyment of the book. And you're 100% right if you assumed that I've been listening to the Phantom soundtrack nonstop since I started reading Roseblood and through writing this review.This review was originally posted on Girl in the Pages