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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
this reminded me a bridgerton x the bachelor! in a fantasy world!
i was surprised at the dark turn this went in...and the ending? i can't wait for the next book!
i was surprised at the dark turn this went in...and the ending? i can't wait for the next book!
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
2 stars ꣑ৎ
If I were asked to describe this book I’d say it’s a page-turner (mainly because it’s fast-paced), but confusing and inconsistent. I was confused the whole time I was reading it, but what kept me going was how easy to read it was, and knowing there’s more to find out as the story unfolds in which Sasha Peyton Smith did a good job of keeping me curious and leaving just enough mystery to make me want to keep reading.
The Rose Bargain made some surprises, that’s why I give it 2 stars. I mainly picked up this book because of its FairyLoot Exclusive Edition cover. It was gorgeous, and the description sounded really good, so I had high expectations. while I appreciate the concept of the story, it fell short and nowhere near [b:The Cruel Prince|26032825|The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air, #1)|Holly Black|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1574535986l/26032825._SY75_.jpg|45959123]. It’s just another fantasy book that includes faeries, magic, and bargains. I liked the setting and the pacing of the story, it was enough to be a page-turner.
However, the writing style really threw me off. It was inconsistent—one moment they’re talking like nobles and royalties from the 1800s, and then the next, they’re talking like people from our time. I appreciated the simplicity of the language, but it didn’t match the historical setting. These characters are supposed to be nobles and royalty in the 1800s, yet their dialogues didn’t reflect that.
“Stay out of my way, and I’ll leave you be. Get in my way, and you’ll regret it.” I salute. “Got it, boss.” Who uses “boss” to refer to a lady in the 1800s? That line really gave me the irk especially knowing Ivy, a lady herself, said it. I’m not trying to criticize Ivy, but using the term “boss” here felt out of place given the story’s setting.
“Are you a Bram girl or an Emmett girl?” Surely, no one puts their thoughts like that in 1800s. Reading it was like seeing a twitter poll.
Bram stands. “Anyway, just thought you’d like to know your favorite brother is engaged. I’ll let you sleep. You look like absolute shit. Hungover?” At first, Prince Bram spoke like a royalty from the 1800s—until he didn’t. As I said, inconsistent.
I also hoped that Sasha Peyton Smith provided more detailed descriptions of each character’s appearance because honestly, I couldn’t picture how Ivy looked, especially the other girls—greer, olive, faith, marion, and emmy. It’s sad to think that the author focused more on the appearance of Prince Bram and Prince Emmett, while giving Ivy and the five girls much less attention. Descriptions of their outfits weren’t enough, because imo there’s no sense in describing outfit details if the author failed to describe what they look like (and please don’t come at me saying she did specify what hair colors they have).
When it came to Ivy’s romance with Prince Bram and Prince Emmett, I didn’t feel any connection or emotion toward either relationship. Sure, she had some funny banters with Prince Emmett here and there, but whenever she’s with either the two of them, she thinks and acts all lovey-dovey. It’s giving forced romance, but make it slow burn if that makes sense. What confused me most was Ivy's relationship with her sister, Lydia. One moment she describes their bond as unbreakable, then the next, she loathes her. I understand the love-hate dynamic between siblings, but theirs felt dramatic and lacked sufficient context. While Ivy often speaks about Lydia with deep admiration, it seems to me that she feels inferior to her. I was also expecting something big about Lydia’s three so-called “great” betrayals, but they only felt childish, and made Ivy come across as unreasonable to me. Instead of being concerned about the sister she claims to love, Ivy hates her because, apparently to her, Lydia abandoned her, left her to handle all the marriage-related responsibilities, and couldn’t answer certain questions. I did feel great satisfaction when Lydia expressed her true thoughts and feelings to Ivy though. It was a confrontation I didn’t know I needed. Personally, I wouldn’t want someone like Ivy as my sister or friend. I don’t hate her, but I don’t like her either. The only thing I appreciated was the relationship between the girls as the story progressed. They didn’t feel like competitors at all. Instead, there were more heartwarming moments between them than not.
It did surprise me that the girls and Prince Emmett have their own chapters, letting me see their perspectives. I really hoped they were much longer than that though. While the characters came off a bit flat and their dialogue often felt disconnected from their intended personalities, these didn’t impact the overall flow of the story, because said flow wasn’t coherent to in the first place. The Rose Bargain was confirmed to have a sequel, and no matter how disappointed I was, I’ll read it. Hopefully, it will be more detailed and won’t let me down.
⋆˙⟡ “That’s another thing I’ve learned in this exceptionally long life of mine. It doesn’t matter if you accept things or not. They happen anyway.”
If I were asked to describe this book I’d say it’s a page-turner (mainly because it’s fast-paced), but confusing and inconsistent. I was confused the whole time I was reading it, but what kept me going was how easy to read it was, and knowing there’s more to find out as the story unfolds in which Sasha Peyton Smith did a good job of keeping me curious and leaving just enough mystery to make me want to keep reading.
The Rose Bargain made some surprises, that’s why I give it 2 stars. I mainly picked up this book because of its FairyLoot Exclusive Edition cover. It was gorgeous, and the description sounded really good, so I had high expectations. while I appreciate the concept of the story, it fell short and nowhere near [b:The Cruel Prince|26032825|The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air, #1)|Holly Black|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1574535986l/26032825._SY75_.jpg|45959123]. It’s just another fantasy book that includes faeries, magic, and bargains. I liked the setting and the pacing of the story, it was enough to be a page-turner.
However, the writing style really threw me off. It was inconsistent—one moment they’re talking like nobles and royalties from the 1800s, and then the next, they’re talking like people from our time. I appreciated the simplicity of the language, but it didn’t match the historical setting. These characters are supposed to be nobles and royalty in the 1800s, yet their dialogues didn’t reflect that.
“Stay out of my way, and I’ll leave you be. Get in my way, and you’ll regret it.” I salute. “Got it, boss.” Who uses “boss” to refer to a lady in the 1800s? That line really gave me the irk especially knowing Ivy, a lady herself, said it. I’m not trying to criticize Ivy, but using the term “boss” here felt out of place given the story’s setting.
“Are you a Bram girl or an Emmett girl?” Surely, no one puts their thoughts like that in 1800s. Reading it was like seeing a twitter poll.
Bram stands. “Anyway, just thought you’d like to know your favorite brother is engaged. I’ll let you sleep. You look like absolute shit. Hungover?” At first, Prince Bram spoke like a royalty from the 1800s—until he didn’t. As I said, inconsistent.
I also hoped that Sasha Peyton Smith provided more detailed descriptions of each character’s appearance because honestly, I couldn’t picture how Ivy looked, especially the other girls—greer, olive, faith, marion, and emmy. It’s sad to think that the author focused more on the appearance of Prince Bram and Prince Emmett, while giving Ivy and the five girls much less attention. Descriptions of their outfits weren’t enough, because imo there’s no sense in describing outfit details if the author failed to describe what they look like (and please don’t come at me saying she did specify what hair colors they have).
When it came to Ivy’s romance with Prince Bram and Prince Emmett, I didn’t feel any connection or emotion toward either relationship. Sure, she had some funny banters with Prince Emmett here and there, but whenever she’s with either the two of them, she thinks and acts all lovey-dovey. It’s giving forced romance, but make it slow burn if that makes sense. What confused me most was Ivy's relationship with her sister, Lydia. One moment she describes their bond as unbreakable, then the next, she loathes her. I understand the love-hate dynamic between siblings, but theirs felt dramatic and lacked sufficient context. While Ivy often speaks about Lydia with deep admiration, it seems to me that she feels inferior to her. I was also expecting something big about Lydia’s three so-called “great” betrayals, but they only felt childish, and made Ivy come across as unreasonable to me. Instead of being concerned about the sister she claims to love, Ivy hates her because, apparently to her, Lydia abandoned her, left her to handle all the marriage-related responsibilities, and couldn’t answer certain questions. I did feel great satisfaction when Lydia expressed her true thoughts and feelings to Ivy though. It was a confrontation I didn’t know I needed. Personally, I wouldn’t want someone like Ivy as my sister or friend. I don’t hate her, but I don’t like her either. The only thing I appreciated was the relationship between the girls as the story progressed. They didn’t feel like competitors at all. Instead, there were more heartwarming moments between them than not.
It did surprise me that the girls and Prince Emmett have their own chapters, letting me see their perspectives. I really hoped they were much longer than that though. While the characters came off a bit flat and their dialogue often felt disconnected from their intended personalities, these didn’t impact the overall flow of the story, because said flow wasn’t coherent to in the first place. The Rose Bargain was confirmed to have a sequel, and no matter how disappointed I was, I’ll read it. Hopefully, it will be more detailed and won’t let me down.
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-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:
Complicated
Yeah I like actually loved this. I picked it at the store by chance, and I couldn't put it down when I started reading.
It's literally perfect. And I didn't even know I wanted to read something like this.
However towards the end, the last 100 pages or so, I wasn't really that satisfied with all that happened. And it's gonna sound weird but it got too fantasy ish for me.
I love Ivy, very nice main character. So fucking funny. But yeah, I enjoyed the book more in the beginning before things escalated for real. I always find the yearning and ache and "no we shouldn't" better than when they actually confess their love.
I'm giving it 4.75 starts now, because I'm not sure I can give it 5. But maybe I should, it was a delight to read.
It's literally perfect. And I didn't even know I wanted to read something like this.
However towards the end, the last 100 pages or so, I wasn't really that satisfied with all that happened. And it's gonna sound weird but it got too fantasy ish for me.
I love Ivy, very nice main character. So fucking funny. But yeah, I enjoyed the book more in the beginning before things escalated for real. I always find the yearning and ache and "no we shouldn't" better than when they actually confess their love.
I'm giving it 4.75 starts now, because I'm not sure I can give it 5. But maybe I should, it was a delight to read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Violence, Vomit
adventurous
dark
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:
No
I enjoyed the world of this book. The mix of 1800a England with mythology and magic was very interesting. I probably won’t read any sequels but I thought the love story was compelling and the characters lovable.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
adventurous
funny
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes