Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
hopeful
reflective
TL;DR: Saint story repurposed as a tense struggle to accept queerness, but the narrative feels shallow away from that issue
I can see and respect what A Curse of Roses is doing without entirely being sold on it. I really do like the idea of using a miraculous legend as the basis for a fantasy book as holy magic often feels like an overlooked idea, but I did feel like I was missing some cultural familiarity with some specific elements of the world. I'm not convinced I grasped the full nature of things happening as much I should have. There is a real earnestness to the exploration of religious and internalised homophobia, but it feels like the only issue to receive depth: Yzabel is already saintly with regards to handling poverty and the marginalisation of women, so her particular prejudice surrounding her sexuality (while understandable from a psychological perspective) is a little jarring. This is worsened, however, by the strange place of Islam in the text: Fatyan is such an opportunity to explore religious and cultural difference, but she is generally sidelined and even seemingly presented as Christian, while most other characters from that background are villainous. I doubt it was malicious, but it just seems like this book wasn't willing to fully explore the world it set up, and that is ultimately a shame.
4/10 in personal rating system
I can see and respect what A Curse of Roses is doing without entirely being sold on it. I really do like the idea of using a miraculous legend as the basis for a fantasy book as holy magic often feels like an overlooked idea, but I did feel like I was missing some cultural familiarity with some specific elements of the world. I'm not convinced I grasped the full nature of things happening as much I should have. There is a real earnestness to the exploration of religious and internalised homophobia, but it feels like the only issue to receive depth: Yzabel is already saintly with regards to handling poverty and the marginalisation of women, so her particular prejudice surrounding her sexuality (while understandable from a psychological perspective) is a little jarring. This is worsened, however, by the strange place of Islam in the text: Fatyan is such an opportunity to explore religious and cultural difference, but she is generally sidelined and even seemingly presented as Christian, while most other characters from that background are villainous. I doubt it was malicious, but it just seems like this book wasn't willing to fully explore the world it set up, and that is ultimately a shame.
4/10 in personal rating system
adventurous
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
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:
No
"Birds took flight from their perches in the trees,rustling branches and leaves like a whirlwind. beneath her feet, the ground seemed to yawn and shift, trying to throw her off balance. She picked up her skirts, ran faster, and the tug pulled harder,burned brighter."
Pinguicha creates an innovative Portuguese fairytale retelling in A Curse of Roses. It's almost a play on King Midas's plight but much more brilliant. A Curse of Roses also offers another feature that may be unexpected because it's not something i've come across in my readings before. This fairytale retelling is not only Own Voices but it also is LGBTQ+ friendly. I am so glad that the community is gaining even more stories that people will be able to enjoy!
A Curse of Roses is a tale about a princess named Yzabel who is deemed "cursed" because everything she eats turns to flowers. Her country is struck with famine and the red plague, making her feel utterly useless and a waste to humanity. She gives as much food to the poor as she is allowed to by her betrothed. Making things difficult and strained between the two. Yzabel must find a way to break the curse and the only one who may be able to help is the alluring beauty Fatyan. An enchanted Moura who is also cursed with her own fate. Can they save each other?
I really enjoyed this one. I am going to give it a 4 out of 5. It seemed as though it could have been very predictable at every turn of events but Pinguicha really surprises her readers by giving them hope, love, and a stronger bond with the characters she wove a tale about. I think I am going to do some more research on this Portuguese fairytale because i'm very interested in seeing the differences. This one was fascinating and enthralling, complete with furry and feathery friends. You will not be disappointed by these star crossed lovers and the wonderful words of wisdom that may impact your own life's choices.
I highly recommend this wonderful book to any of you interested in own voices authors and learning fairytales from around the world.
Pinguicha creates an innovative Portuguese fairytale retelling in A Curse of Roses. It's almost a play on King Midas's plight but much more brilliant. A Curse of Roses also offers another feature that may be unexpected because it's not something i've come across in my readings before. This fairytale retelling is not only Own Voices but it also is LGBTQ+ friendly. I am so glad that the community is gaining even more stories that people will be able to enjoy!
A Curse of Roses is a tale about a princess named Yzabel who is deemed "cursed" because everything she eats turns to flowers. Her country is struck with famine and the red plague, making her feel utterly useless and a waste to humanity. She gives as much food to the poor as she is allowed to by her betrothed. Making things difficult and strained between the two. Yzabel must find a way to break the curse and the only one who may be able to help is the alluring beauty Fatyan. An enchanted Moura who is also cursed with her own fate. Can they save each other?
I really enjoyed this one. I am going to give it a 4 out of 5. It seemed as though it could have been very predictable at every turn of events but Pinguicha really surprises her readers by giving them hope, love, and a stronger bond with the characters she wove a tale about. I think I am going to do some more research on this Portuguese fairytale because i'm very interested in seeing the differences. This one was fascinating and enthralling, complete with furry and feathery friends. You will not be disappointed by these star crossed lovers and the wonderful words of wisdom that may impact your own life's choices.
I highly recommend this wonderful book to any of you interested in own voices authors and learning fairytales from around the world.
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
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
Graphic: Eating disorder, Homophobia, Self harm, Lesbophobia
it's 5 am and i was supposed to be asleep hours ago but this book really would not let me go. made me cry so much. this is a story that will stick with me for a long time
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I don't know why I didn't particularly get on with this. It had everything I look for, including good writing(!), but for some reason it didn't hit the spot for me.
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Not for me..
This book had me drawn in with the cover, the synopsis — it seemed like something I would adore. But unfortunately I did not. The novel was incredibly boring. The world building and magic explanations were pretty much nonexistent. The characters were one dimensional and flat, and none except the protagonist were ever really expanded on. She was also really dumb so it got hard to read her POV.
Things were rushed, chaotic. The setting was lovely and I enjoyed the fact it was a WLW novel, but the relationship was instalove and somewhat strange. And again, beyond it being a Portugal-esque kingdom setting, the setting isn’t really touched on.
The idea of it, the magic, the plague, her curse being a gift, was all very enticing but the execution was just a massive flop. The writing itself isn’t really bad, in fact at times it was lovely. But everything else was just overwhelmingly boring and lacking that it just overshadowed any of the good.
This book had me drawn in with the cover, the synopsis — it seemed like something I would adore. But unfortunately I did not. The novel was incredibly boring. The world building and magic explanations were pretty much nonexistent. The characters were one dimensional and flat, and none except the protagonist were ever really expanded on. She was also really dumb so it got hard to read her POV.
Things were rushed, chaotic. The setting was lovely and I enjoyed the fact it was a WLW novel, but the relationship was instalove and somewhat strange. And again, beyond it being a Portugal-esque kingdom setting, the setting isn’t really touched on.
The idea of it, the magic, the plague, her curse being a gift, was all very enticing but the execution was just a massive flop. The writing itself isn’t really bad, in fact at times it was lovely. But everything else was just overwhelmingly boring and lacking that it just overshadowed any of the good.