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olav_grey's review against another edition
3.0
I've always been a 40k observer from a distance and The Bloodied Rose was my first REAL step into the universe outside of some of the video games. And that first step was extremely depressing, bleak and not my favorite way to escape reality.
The writing was really good, the story was pretty basic but a great first step into 40k and the Sisters of Battle but personally it was just all so bleak and depressing I found it a real struggle to retun to when I finished a chapter. Sadly it's going on the DNF shelf because I just didn't enjoy myself. Maybe at a later date I'll revisit this but for right now, no.
The writing was really good, the story was pretty basic but a great first step into 40k and the Sisters of Battle but personally it was just all so bleak and depressing I found it a real struggle to retun to when I finished a chapter. Sadly it's going on the DNF shelf because I just didn't enjoy myself. Maybe at a later date I'll revisit this but for right now, no.
seven_of_ten's review
4.0
Short and fun read, it’s nice to see the sister’s of battle getting a little love. And it being good quality at that.
gr3yfoxhound's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
trackofwords's review
4.0
This picks up the story of Sister Superior Augusta after the events of the short story Mercy - having returned to the Convent Sanctorum of the Order of the Bloody Rose to rest and induct the newest member of the squad, Augusta and her Sisters are unexpectedly ordered back to Lautis, the site of their recent confrontation with the orks. The Sisters sent in to secure Lautis have gone silent, and Augusta’s mission report questioned, so she is tasked with returning and finishing what she started.
It continues the strong start made with Mercy, but while the short story only really had scope for action and aggression this slightly longer story (it’s a 140-page novella) provides the time and space to explore a little more of the characters themselves and the wider context of their Order. There’s the occasional moment of convenient plotting here and there, and as the action ramps up any subtlety goes out the window, but that’s not really a bad thing in context of this sort of story. Overall it’s tremendously entertaining, and a great example of how satisfying the Sisters of Battle can be when they’re written well.
Read the full review at https://www.trackofwords.com/2018/11/08/the-bloodied-rose-danie-ware/
It continues the strong start made with Mercy, but while the short story only really had scope for action and aggression this slightly longer story (it’s a 140-page novella) provides the time and space to explore a little more of the characters themselves and the wider context of their Order. There’s the occasional moment of convenient plotting here and there, and as the action ramps up any subtlety goes out the window, but that’s not really a bad thing in context of this sort of story. Overall it’s tremendously entertaining, and a great example of how satisfying the Sisters of Battle can be when they’re written well.
Read the full review at https://www.trackofwords.com/2018/11/08/the-bloodied-rose-danie-ware/
mal_eficent's review
5.0
A genuinely fun read, with brilliant pacing that showed off a flare for the dramatic and a proper understanding of how to build tension.
I really enjoyed how information was revealed as the story went on. My 40k knowledge is rudimentary at best, so being faced with a puzzle (especially a blood soaked, Chaos ridden one) that had the characters baffled was brilliant. It’s one of the few 40k stories I’ve read that doesn’t feel like I needed a codex with me while I was reading it. The story felt like a normal horror story, simply set within the horrors of the 41st millennium.
It’s also the first one where the character’s devotion to the Emperor doesn’t bore me to death. They were passionate, but they were also actual people. With personalities. They were afraid. If that isn’t a sign I need to stop reading anything with loyal Astartes in it, I don’t know what else is.
I really enjoyed how information was revealed as the story went on. My 40k knowledge is rudimentary at best, so being faced with a puzzle (especially a blood soaked, Chaos ridden one) that had the characters baffled was brilliant. It’s one of the few 40k stories I’ve read that doesn’t feel like I needed a codex with me while I was reading it. The story felt like a normal horror story, simply set within the horrors of the 41st millennium.
It’s also the first one where the character’s devotion to the Emperor doesn’t bore me to death. They were passionate, but they were also actual people. With personalities. They were afraid. If that isn’t a sign I need to stop reading anything with loyal Astartes in it, I don’t know what else is.
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