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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
No. No thank you. This was rushed, not at all detailed, and confusing. Super confusing. Not to mention anti-feminist, although I know that wasn’t intentional, it still wasn’t ever corrected. The plot had as many holes as a Swiss cheese block, and the characters didn’t have any flaws or personalities. The romance also wasn’t well developed and was rushed. The writing was horrendously inconsistent, at times formal and beautiful, and at others, it sounded a lot like a gangster from 2020. There were parts I enjoyed, but those were few compared to the flaws. I definitely regret reading this. RTC.
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Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
It's time for some "Let's hear Lilly tear apart this #OwnVoices book by a debut author!" Uh- that sounded better in my head. *Ahem* anyway, first arc, first book that I've voluntarily annotated, which ended up actually helping me a lot as whenever I write my review I can't remember a single thing about the book. This book was... interesting to say the least. It had lots of issues, not so many good things about it, so I'm just going to break it down.
Starting off with the issue of pacing, this was fine. The pacing was definitely one of the few things I enjoyed about this book, and that was only sometimes. So, the pacing was very slow in the beginning. Almost nothing happened, Yzabelle found Fatyan, she tried to control her magic, failed and failed and failed. Boring. When we got to the middle-ish, that's when I started enjoying it. It was exciting, but it also wasn't too rushed. That's when she controlled her power. So I was like, "Okay, maybe this is starting to get going!" Then we reached the second half. I think that Pinguicha got a little bit cocky here and just started writing it so it was as exciting as could be because it was the word "rushed" at its worst. If the book wasn't confusing before, it sure was then. Not to mention that there wasn't any detail, but we'll go into that later.
Alright, there was another problem with the pacing because we can't just have one. Nuh-uh. So the problem was this book is super religious, and it got off track talking about religion quite a bit which caused it to be slow sometimes. Our main character, Yzabelle, has extreme beliefs, and she's very distraught about whether God approves of her, and whether He thinks that being gay is a sin. She can end up thinking about that for a whole ten pages. That's not even pacing. I do get that religion is a big element of this book and this story, I'm not saying it shouldn't be there, I just think that it could be simplified a little bit to make sure the plot keeps on moving.
Moving on from pacing, we're going to go into the detail of this. Meaning the world building, the characters, the magic system and the detail in general.
So, the world building was less than mediocre. You should always go into writing your books as if the reader knows nothing about the area and the world that you're sending them into. Part of the reason for that is because your reader is me and I know very few things. But I know nothing about Portugal, which is where this book set and I was having a obnoxiously hard time trying to figure out this place and what it was like, because it was never talked about in detail. If you could just hold your horses and give us a quick summary of the area, that would be great. Sadly that's not what happened and this ended up being very disappointing.
This book screams "Character development? Excuse me? What's that?" Let's start with Fatyan. She's as lively and realistic as a brick wall, for starters. I can't even name a personality trait I would give her. So nevermind that's not going to work. Okay, Yzabelle. Everyone in the book described her as "Saintly". She literally wasn't described as anything else throughout the book. She didn't have any flaws from start to finish. Absolutely no development. Fatyan even said, and I quote "Sometimes talking to you is like talking to a wall." When your characters acknowlage the fact that your main character has no personality... I don't even know what to think about that.
The magic system was horrible. That's pretty much what I have to say here. Number one, DESCRIBE the magic to us. DESCRIBE what powers someone might have. What's the flaw to the magic? What's a reason that someone might not want to use their magic? There is absolutely no reason that one of the people with magic couldn't have taken over the world. If you have magical powers, how is a wimpy king going to stop you? That made reading this kind of pointless.
I have a big problem with the detail. Everything is described poorly, I didn't know what anything looked like, and I'm not sure if I could find an entire simply descriptive sentence in this book. I love my detail, and I love imagining my own little world, and this did not provide.
So, I want to talk about the romance in this book. I thought the LGBTQ+ rep was really good, and the meaning of it, the fact that God loves and accepts members of the LGBTQ+ community, and the fact that you don't choose who you love, that's so important. I thought that was beautiful.
However, I felt that the romance was rushed and I didn't see much chemistry between them, and I guess I just didn't understand why they liked each other immediately. Wow. I just realized how much insta love there was in this book that I didn't pick up on. Well.
Time to talk about our good ol' Swiss cheese plot. Number one, there wasn't A plot in this book. There were two. The first one was Yzabelle was trying to learn how to use her magic. The second one was defeating Yusuf and feeding the kingdom. And if you know me very well, you know that two plots makes Lilly angry. Two plots makes Lilly smash. Wow I don't think I'd make a very good Hulk, but you get my point
-------------
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
It's time for some "Let's hear Lilly tear apart this #OwnVoices book by a debut author!" Uh- that sounded better in my head. *Ahem* anyway, first arc, first book that I've voluntarily annotated, which ended up actually helping me a lot as whenever I write my review I can't remember a single thing about the book. This book was... interesting to say the least. It had lots of issues, not so many good things about it, so I'm just going to break it down.
Starting off with the issue of pacing, this was fine. The pacing was definitely one of the few things I enjoyed about this book, and that was only sometimes. So, the pacing was very slow in the beginning. Almost nothing happened, Yzabelle found Fatyan, she tried to control her magic, failed and failed and failed. Boring. When we got to the middle-ish, that's when I started enjoying it. It was exciting, but it also wasn't too rushed. That's when she controlled her power. So I was like, "Okay, maybe this is starting to get going!" Then we reached the second half. I think that Pinguicha got a little bit cocky here and just started writing it so it was as exciting as could be because it was the word "rushed" at its worst. If the book wasn't confusing before, it sure was then. Not to mention that there wasn't any detail, but we'll go into that later.
Alright, there was another problem with the pacing because we can't just have one. Nuh-uh. So the problem was this book is super religious, and it got off track talking about religion quite a bit which caused it to be slow sometimes. Our main character, Yzabelle, has extreme beliefs, and she's very distraught about whether God approves of her, and whether He thinks that being gay is a sin. She can end up thinking about that for a whole ten pages. That's not even pacing. I do get that religion is a big element of this book and this story, I'm not saying it shouldn't be there, I just think that it could be simplified a little bit to make sure the plot keeps on moving.
Moving on from pacing, we're going to go into the detail of this. Meaning the world building, the characters, the magic system and the detail in general.
So, the world building was less than mediocre. You should always go into writing your books as if the reader knows nothing about the area and the world that you're sending them into. Part of the reason for that is because your reader is me and I know very few things. But I know nothing about Portugal, which is where this book set and I was having a obnoxiously hard time trying to figure out this place and what it was like, because it was never talked about in detail. If you could just hold your horses and give us a quick summary of the area, that would be great. Sadly that's not what happened and this ended up being very disappointing.
This book screams "Character development? Excuse me? What's that?" Let's start with Fatyan. She's as lively and realistic as a brick wall, for starters. I can't even name a personality trait I would give her. So nevermind that's not going to work. Okay, Yzabelle. Everyone in the book described her as "Saintly". She literally wasn't described as anything else throughout the book. She didn't have any flaws from start to finish. Absolutely no development. Fatyan even said, and I quote "Sometimes talking to you is like talking to a wall." When your characters acknowlage the fact that your main character has no personality... I don't even know what to think about that.
The magic system was horrible. That's pretty much what I have to say here. Number one, DESCRIBE the magic to us. DESCRIBE what powers someone might have. What's the flaw to the magic? What's a reason that someone might not want to use their magic? There is absolutely no reason that one of the people with magic couldn't have taken over the world. If you have magical powers, how is a wimpy king going to stop you? That made reading this kind of pointless.
I have a big problem with the detail. Everything is described poorly, I didn't know what anything looked like, and I'm not sure if I could find an entire simply descriptive sentence in this book. I love my detail, and I love imagining my own little world, and this did not provide.
So, I want to talk about the romance in this book. I thought the LGBTQ+ rep was really good, and the meaning of it, the fact that God loves and accepts members of the LGBTQ+ community, and the fact that you don't choose who you love, that's so important. I thought that was beautiful.
However, I felt that the romance was rushed and I didn't see much chemistry between them, and I guess I just didn't understand why they liked each other immediately. Wow. I just realized how much insta love there was in this book that I didn't pick up on. Well.
Time to talk about our good ol' Swiss cheese plot. Number one, there wasn't A plot in this book. There were two. The first one was Yzabelle was trying to learn how to use her magic. The second one was defeating Yusuf and feeding the kingdom. And if you know me very well, you know that two plots makes Lilly angry. Two plots makes Lilly smash. Wow I don't think I'd make a very good Hulk, but you get my point
I have to admit, I was not sure things would end well, but Pinguicha really pulled through and gave us that happy ending. Yzabel and Fatyah are so soft!!! I love them!!!
I'm absolutely stunned by the sheer amount of growth Pinguicha managed to fit in this novel. It never felt like certain parts of her growth was rushed, and Yzabel has plenty (plenty) of steps backwards, for all the steps she takes forward.
The magic of A CURSE OF ROSES is not quite as lovely as it might seem (flower magic should be fun...right?) as the food Yzabel touches or tries to eat all turns to flowers. At the start of the novel, she has so much going against her--she's can barely eat, her fiancé isn't letting her feed the people of Portugal, and she's got a lot of internalized religious baggage that isn't helping her either.
But over time, we see this change, and we end up falling in love with Yzabel, Fatyah, giant, lumbering wolf-dogs, and a whole cohort of nuns. The story is certainly loaded at times, as we can't shy away from the darker sides of Yzabel's magic, but I love how Pinguicha wraps it up. It absolutely brightened my day when I finished reading.
Pinguicha also does a fantastic job of creating a layered and complex heroine who is kind and good and nice--closer to saint than villain. I know villains are super fun to explore, but A CURSE OF ROSES still crafts complex and intricate motivations and fears and desires into Yzabel's character and I would highly recommend to anyone looking for this type of character.
A CURSE OF ROSES weaves a story of yearning, magic, and growth that fantasy fans won't want to miss.
Content Warnings:
I'm absolutely stunned by the sheer amount of growth Pinguicha managed to fit in this novel. It never felt like certain parts of her growth was rushed, and Yzabel has plenty (plenty) of steps backwards, for all the steps she takes forward.
The magic of A CURSE OF ROSES is not quite as lovely as it might seem (flower magic should be fun...right?) as the food Yzabel touches or tries to eat all turns to flowers. At the start of the novel, she has so much going against her--she's can barely eat, her fiancé isn't letting her feed the people of Portugal, and she's got a lot of internalized religious baggage that isn't helping her either.
But over time, we see this change, and we end up falling in love with Yzabel, Fatyah, giant, lumbering wolf-dogs, and a whole cohort of nuns. The story is certainly loaded at times, as we can't shy away from the darker sides of Yzabel's magic, but I love how Pinguicha wraps it up. It absolutely brightened my day when I finished reading.
Pinguicha also does a fantastic job of creating a layered and complex heroine who is kind and good and nice--closer to saint than villain. I know villains are super fun to explore, but A CURSE OF ROSES still crafts complex and intricate motivations and fears and desires into Yzabel's character and I would highly recommend to anyone looking for this type of character.
A CURSE OF ROSES weaves a story of yearning, magic, and growth that fantasy fans won't want to miss.
Content Warnings:
Spoiler
religious-based self harm, religious-based eating disorders, internalized homophobia
I was invited to review this book by Entangled Teen, definitely a different story from the ones I am usually reading, but I love challenges and so I took it and dig in.
This book has a lot of trigger warnings, so it might not be for everyone, saying that, I never review a book based on my own beliefs. This book was written by a Portuguese author is a retelling of a Portuguese legend about Santa Isabel. The story revolves around Yzabel of Aragon, and the legend of the miracle of roses. There is a lot of religious elements throughout the story. Then we have Yzabel and Faty's relationship (F/F), which is very important, as Faty helps Yzabel in more ways than one.
Overall, I did enjoy the story, I got a lot of inputs regarding different topics and learned a lot from them. I think it was very well written, the story flows and it leaves you with a smile. Definitely worth reading. Great debut for Diana Pinguicha.
This book has a lot of trigger warnings, so it might not be for everyone, saying that, I never review a book based on my own beliefs. This book was written by a Portuguese author is a retelling of a Portuguese legend about Santa Isabel. The story revolves around Yzabel of Aragon, and the legend of the miracle of roses. There is a lot of religious elements throughout the story. Then we have Yzabel and Faty's relationship (F/F), which is very important, as Faty helps Yzabel in more ways than one.
Overall, I did enjoy the story, I got a lot of inputs regarding different topics and learned a lot from them. I think it was very well written, the story flows and it leaves you with a smile. Definitely worth reading. Great debut for Diana Pinguicha.
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Eating disorder, Homophobia, Self harm
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Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Read full review on 11/27/2020 here
A Curse of Roses does a beautiful job of creating a slow burn romance mixed with the trauma that the indoctrination of the Christian church can cause for LGTBQ+ people. While the priests were telling Yzabel one thing, her feelings and even her betrothed were telling her another. The romance between Yzabel and Fatyan is so gentle and patient that it took me off guard. There are moments that Yzabel is a completely unaware idiot. During those, Fatyan never pushes her in any direction she isn't willing to go. With that aside, the relationship between Denis and Yzabel is what impressed me the most. Denis does not push Yzabel, ever. Finally, being able to experience a culture outside of my own was fantastic.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Read full review on 11/27/2020 here
A Curse of Roses does a beautiful job of creating a slow burn romance mixed with the trauma that the indoctrination of the Christian church can cause for LGTBQ+ people. While the priests were telling Yzabel one thing, her feelings and even her betrothed were telling her another. The romance between Yzabel and Fatyan is so gentle and patient that it took me off guard. There are moments that Yzabel is a completely unaware idiot. During those, Fatyan never pushes her in any direction she isn't willing to go. With that aside, the relationship between Denis and Yzabel is what impressed me the most. Denis does not push Yzabel, ever. Finally, being able to experience a culture outside of my own was fantastic.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Not a terrible book, but not something that I would recommend. I read and it was okay. Nothing insane that would make me rush to suggest it to all of my friends.
I loved this book, from beginning to end. A large portion of the book had me on the edge of my seat, and I couldn't put it down! Pinguicha will transport you into a world of magic, and you'll never want to leave.
This review is coming late, but I really enjoyed A Curse of Roses! It's #OwnVoices, gay, and witchy!
The main character, Yzabel, has to confront her religious and personal beliefs when she falls in love with a woman. These parts were really well written and resonated with me.
The main character, Yzabel, has to confront her religious and personal beliefs when she falls in love with a woman. These parts were really well written and resonated with me.
adventurous
dark
emotional
sapphic? check. kingdoms? check. and the best part of all? her betrothed is ok with her and him being friends but also being married.