Reviews

The Circus Rose by Betsy Cornwell

tamararex's review

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2.0

I had an incredibly hard time getting into this book. The plot and characters were fine, but the writing style was not for me. It was a very quick read due to it being basically half poetry, but the switch between poetry and prose really took me out of the story.

jaysaysnope's review against another edition

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dark hopeful mysterious sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

1.75

Impossible not to compare this to TENDER MORSELS, a very good Snow White and Rose Red retelling by Margo Lanagan that I read in high school. The lyricism in this is a nice way to differentiate between the sisters, but because Rosie’s are so much shorter than Ivory’s, Rosie hardly feels like a character to me.
The romance with Bear/Yuliya comes quite literally out of nowhere, like, okay I guess that’s happening now.
The best part was the polycule that we never actually get to see in functioning order. SIGH. 

labibliodeana's review against another edition

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3.0

Cuando salió este libro supe que tenía que hacerme con el, la sinopsis me llamaba mucho la atención y la portada es una maravilla.
¿Por dónde empiezo? pues diciendo que es un retelling del cuento de Blancaniebles y Rojaflor de los hermanos Grimm
Es una historia muy bonita con unos toques de fantasía y misterio que me encantaron, perfecta para leer entre lecturas densas, se lee súper rápido, además tiene un lenguaje inclusivo, mucha representación LGTBQ+ y un buen uso del neutro, aunque al principio me costó acostumbrarme pero luego súper bien.
Los capítulos son largos pero a su vez están divididos en las narraciones de Nivea y Flama. Las narraciones de Nivea eran de una longitud media y las de Flama muy cortas ya que eran como poesía, y es lo que menos me gusto, pero porque yo no soy muy amante de ese género.
Bueno y el final.... SORPRENDENTE durante las últimas 100 páginas no pude soltar el libro en ningún momento.

whimsicallyjaded's review

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4.0

World building is phenomenal. Rosie and Ivory are both incredible characters. The first half of the book is MESMERIZING. Very magical and whimsical AND thought provoking!

I thought that the main conflict was a little muddy and not clear, but maybe that was the point?

And there were also some loose ends I wanted tied up as well. I felt like I needed more MEANING to some things, you know? Like why is this one thing happening? Show me the significance!

Other than that! A fun read, I want to read it again to see if I will uncover anything else. Definitely recommend to people looking for a poetic, circus-y, whimsical, retold fairytale!!

trudyjeanne7's review against another edition

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fast-paced

2.0

jdbs00's review

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3.0

3.75, acabo de vivir un nuevo tipo de evento traumático.

*⁠・⁠゜゚↝

no creo que haga una reseña más a profundidad, así que:

El circo de la rosa trata sobre dos hermanas que están tratando de mantener su circo a flote mientras un culto religioso intenta desmoronarlo. Toca temas como la homofobia, discriminación y la familia.

Tiene una cuota pequeña, pero exacta de romance. La pareja principal me gustó mucho, amo como se desarrolla todo. Pero aunque en general es un libro muy lindo, también se siente superficial.

Es corto y es muy pasajero, así que podría funcionar si es que tienen poco tiempo o si no quieren leer algo tan pesado. Se podría decir que me sacó del bloqueo lector, pero habría sido un mejor libro si es que no hubieran puesto ese plot twist. Era innecesario por la forma en como llevan la historia, así que voy a ignorarlo.

emmasdilemma's review

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4.0

Such a cute story that reminded me of the story this was based on that I read in my childhood. Very gay and lyrical not only that but a quick read that gives you everything you could ask for.

absynthetix's review

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1.0

Impressively terribly written, tbh.

SpoilerBut please don't fuck in the library.

kait_unicorn's review

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4.0

Great queernormative worldbuilding that also gets the tension of religious oppression even when sweeping laws have changed. Very relevant to our times! Also, the metaphor for trans liberation!

faerylullaby's review

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mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Really cute read, goes by quick. Writing style is interesting as it flips between prose and regular storytelling. Fairly quick read too!