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jenacidebybibliophile's review
4.0
Disclaimer: This ARC copy was sent to me by the publisher, Random House Children’s, via NetGalley for an honest review.
Opinion: As soon as I requested this book on Netgalley.com, I had my fingers crossed for DAYS in the hopes that I would be accepted to read and review it. After seeing quite a bit of hype about the release of this book on Goodreads and Bookstagram, I read the description and immediately felt the gut-wrenching yearning to get my hands on an ARC copy! Not only did I get that ARC copy, but I became absolutely enthralled as soon as I started reading.
In Anna Arden’s world, the high society figures referred to as Luminate wield magic and power. Anna, even though her family is of high society and nobility, was pronounced barren at her Confirmation at the age of eight. But one thing Anna can do is unintentionally break the spells that others cast, which is exactly what she does on the most important night for her sister. Without knowing what to do with her, Anna’s family sends her off to Hungary with her grandmother. In the hopes that Anna will return a proper and civilized lady, Anna sets off to a new life. But things in Hungary turn from bad to worse as a rebel tracks Anna down, begging her to use her ability to break spells to destroy the binding – which restricts the use of magic to only Luminate. Soon Anna finds herself stuck in the middle of a rebellion, unsure which side to stand with and against.
Sometimes with such a hyped up book, I worry that once I start reading I will lose interest or it won’t be as amazing as everyone claims. I can happily admit that this story turned out to be WONDERFUL! I loved the imagery that the author used, especially how she turned our world into a place with magic and strange creatures. The idea that Anna is barren and cannot wield magic like the rest of her family and fellow Luminate jumpstarts the quest for Anna to find out who or WHAT she is. The reader follows Anna through different countries where she meets people of different walks of life, and becomes entangled in wanting to assist the rebels in Hungary. Anna finds herself in a compromising position: help break the binding and let magic be free to anyone that possesses the ability, or to side with her fellow Luminate and let magic be “given” to nobility and those “deserving”.
I personally liked the character of Anna, but I felt that she lacked a bit of substance. I didn’t quite make a connection to her and to the emotions that the author was trying to portray…as a matter of fact, I don’t really recall making a strong connection with any of the characters. I felt curious about what might happen to them and hoped that they wouldn’t die, but I wasn’t too chocked up about it when some of them actually did die. The relationship between Anna and Gábor starts out cold and prickly but soon turns into the romance of this book. Because Anna is Luminate and Gábor is Romani (gypsy), their love is forbidden and would be frowned upon. I found it interesting that at the end of the story, their relationship suddenly doesn’t seem to be THAT forbidden. This felt rushed and thrown together to me. What will her parents say?? Where were they?
This story has a very unique blend of historical and fantastical elements. The characters do a lot of traveling in the world, which obviously brings the use of different languages. After Anna travels to Hungary, the language barriers start to rise. There is A LOT of words that get thrown around that most of us won’t be knowing, so it makes reading a little confusing. I was getting lost at times when Gábor would say “gadzhe” or when the names of a castle or town would be said. Little did I know that there was a glossary of the words and of Luminate orders in the back of the book… *sigh*.
Those tiny things aside, I loved this story and where the author took it. Though the ending felt a little rushed to me, I think that such an extravagant story is always going to be hard to wrap up into one book. I am VERY excited to read book 2 when it is released and to see where the author is going to take Anna. I really recommend this story to anyone that loves a YA story that involves fantasy and adventure!
Opinion: As soon as I requested this book on Netgalley.com, I had my fingers crossed for DAYS in the hopes that I would be accepted to read and review it. After seeing quite a bit of hype about the release of this book on Goodreads and Bookstagram, I read the description and immediately felt the gut-wrenching yearning to get my hands on an ARC copy! Not only did I get that ARC copy, but I became absolutely enthralled as soon as I started reading.
In Anna Arden’s world, the high society figures referred to as Luminate wield magic and power. Anna, even though her family is of high society and nobility, was pronounced barren at her Confirmation at the age of eight. But one thing Anna can do is unintentionally break the spells that others cast, which is exactly what she does on the most important night for her sister. Without knowing what to do with her, Anna’s family sends her off to Hungary with her grandmother. In the hopes that Anna will return a proper and civilized lady, Anna sets off to a new life. But things in Hungary turn from bad to worse as a rebel tracks Anna down, begging her to use her ability to break spells to destroy the binding – which restricts the use of magic to only Luminate. Soon Anna finds herself stuck in the middle of a rebellion, unsure which side to stand with and against.
Sometimes with such a hyped up book, I worry that once I start reading I will lose interest or it won’t be as amazing as everyone claims. I can happily admit that this story turned out to be WONDERFUL! I loved the imagery that the author used, especially how she turned our world into a place with magic and strange creatures. The idea that Anna is barren and cannot wield magic like the rest of her family and fellow Luminate jumpstarts the quest for Anna to find out who or WHAT she is. The reader follows Anna through different countries where she meets people of different walks of life, and becomes entangled in wanting to assist the rebels in Hungary. Anna finds herself in a compromising position: help break the binding and let magic be free to anyone that possesses the ability, or to side with her fellow Luminate and let magic be “given” to nobility and those “deserving”.
I personally liked the character of Anna, but I felt that she lacked a bit of substance. I didn’t quite make a connection to her and to the emotions that the author was trying to portray…as a matter of fact, I don’t really recall making a strong connection with any of the characters. I felt curious about what might happen to them and hoped that they wouldn’t die, but I wasn’t too chocked up about it when some of them actually did die. The relationship between Anna and Gábor starts out cold and prickly but soon turns into the romance of this book. Because Anna is Luminate and Gábor is Romani (gypsy), their love is forbidden and would be frowned upon. I found it interesting that at the end of the story, their relationship suddenly doesn’t seem to be THAT forbidden. This felt rushed and thrown together to me. What will her parents say?? Where were they?
This story has a very unique blend of historical and fantastical elements. The characters do a lot of traveling in the world, which obviously brings the use of different languages. After Anna travels to Hungary, the language barriers start to rise. There is A LOT of words that get thrown around that most of us won’t be knowing, so it makes reading a little confusing. I was getting lost at times when Gábor would say “gadzhe” or when the names of a castle or town would be said. Little did I know that there was a glossary of the words and of Luminate orders in the back of the book… *sigh*.
Those tiny things aside, I loved this story and where the author took it. Though the ending felt a little rushed to me, I think that such an extravagant story is always going to be hard to wrap up into one book. I am VERY excited to read book 2 when it is released and to see where the author is going to take Anna. I really recommend this story to anyone that loves a YA story that involves fantasy and adventure!
luna_rondo's review
2.0
Man, I wanted to like this, but it was just so boring and info-dumpy. I'd be curious to read the sequel and see if it gets better.
erica_andthebooklings's review
4.0
This book deserves a much higher rating. All the 1 star ratings from arc reviewers I think reflects the fact that the publishing company sent arcs to the wrong reviewers. This was an excellent book set in a rich reimagining of nineteenth century Europe. The magic system is grounded in real folklore and a believable Victorian era society. It's not for lovers of Sarah J Maas-style YA fantasy - it's for the historical fiction lover. Also, I should looking out for info dumps because that was a major complaint and didn't find any so there's that. The story is so heavily influenced by the society and culture of the characters and the author did a fantastic job of providing relevant historical information.
betsyrisen's review
5.0
I wrote a long review which I accidentally deleted, so to sum up:
I needed a YA trilogy. This one had magic and Hungary in it. I can't believe how this woman who is not Hungarian has Hungarians pegged so completely.
"There were Grandmama’s stories, of course, of a paradoxical people who could “weep from one eye and laugh with the other,” a people who laughed when they mourned and wept when they were joyful." I mean come on.
As to the actual story, I can't even begin to discuss it because (while I should have anticipated this due to the setting of the book, suprise Petofi Sandor was just too much for me). On to book two...
I needed a YA trilogy. This one had magic and Hungary in it. I can't believe how this woman who is not Hungarian has Hungarians pegged so completely.
"There were Grandmama’s stories, of course, of a paradoxical people who could “weep from one eye and laugh with the other,” a people who laughed when they mourned and wept when they were joyful." I mean come on.
As to the actual story, I can't even begin to discuss it because (while I should have anticipated this due to the setting of the book, suprise Petofi Sandor was just too much for me). On to book two...
bookishneverland's review
3.0
This book started out so well. I was truly enthralled by Anna and her family's interactions and felt Anna's need to fit into the Luminate Society. However, by the end of the book, I found her to be the most inconsistent character. Her character development was not a thing and it seemed to me she only cared about anyone when it suited her. Only when people did as she asked did she care and it was extremely frustrating. Overall I enjoyed the book but truly hope the characters have much more development in Lost Crow Conspiracy.
colecordium's review
5.0
I am REALLY intrigued by this book that takes place in MY HOME COUNTRY. Like WHAT?
Review:
If you’ve seen me on any kind of social media – instagram, twitter, goodreads – this past year and a half, you probably saw that Blood Rose Rebellion was my number one most anticipated book for 2017. A magical story, inspired by my oh-so-not magical country? Sign me the hell up! So when Rosalyn messaged me about an ARC copy, I jumped on the chance.
Blood Rose Rebellion is a first book of a new fantasy trilogy, set in 19th century Hungary, during the reign of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Anna Arden is exiled to Hungary after disastrous magical events, much to her dismay. She is accompanied there with her grandmother, Lady Zrínyi, to spend time with their Hungarian family. There, Anna meets a group of Romani people, on the verge of rebellion.
In this world, the Luminates, is a magical group all with different abilities. This is the upper-class society Anna grows up, with only one flaw: she is a Barren, meaning she doesn’t have any power in a place where magical power is everything. Only the rich people have access to magic, so obviously this leads to a rebellion from the poor, who demands that magic should be free for everyone. For this, they need Anna, who could be the key to free magic from the rich.
What I really needed to overcome were my own prejudices to enjoy this book. Romani people these days are nothing like the travelers they were in the past and I am glad that this book helped me overcome some of those prejudices. While it wasn’t written in any Romani people’s point of view, it was good to know more about them.
While I found the writing to be a bit slow and not as action packed, I still enjoyed it very much. I really loved that for once I didn’t need a glossary or any dictionary to understand the foreign words. After all it is my own native language. I happen to know Rosalyn spent time here in Hungary, and I loved that my little country inspired this story.
All in all, it was a great start of an intriguing trilogy. If you like magic, romance, and history, which I am a huge fan of, then Blood Rose Rebellion is just what you are looking for.
Review:
If you’ve seen me on any kind of social media – instagram, twitter, goodreads – this past year and a half, you probably saw that Blood Rose Rebellion was my number one most anticipated book for 2017. A magical story, inspired by my oh-so-not magical country? Sign me the hell up! So when Rosalyn messaged me about an ARC copy, I jumped on the chance.
Blood Rose Rebellion is a first book of a new fantasy trilogy, set in 19th century Hungary, during the reign of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Anna Arden is exiled to Hungary after disastrous magical events, much to her dismay. She is accompanied there with her grandmother, Lady Zrínyi, to spend time with their Hungarian family. There, Anna meets a group of Romani people, on the verge of rebellion.
In this world, the Luminates, is a magical group all with different abilities. This is the upper-class society Anna grows up, with only one flaw: she is a Barren, meaning she doesn’t have any power in a place where magical power is everything. Only the rich people have access to magic, so obviously this leads to a rebellion from the poor, who demands that magic should be free for everyone. For this, they need Anna, who could be the key to free magic from the rich.
What I really needed to overcome were my own prejudices to enjoy this book. Romani people these days are nothing like the travelers they were in the past and I am glad that this book helped me overcome some of those prejudices. While it wasn’t written in any Romani people’s point of view, it was good to know more about them.
While I found the writing to be a bit slow and not as action packed, I still enjoyed it very much. I really loved that for once I didn’t need a glossary or any dictionary to understand the foreign words. After all it is my own native language. I happen to know Rosalyn spent time here in Hungary, and I loved that my little country inspired this story.
All in all, it was a great start of an intriguing trilogy. If you like magic, romance, and history, which I am a huge fan of, then Blood Rose Rebellion is just what you are looking for.
leahka89's review
3.0
I really enjoyed the setting of the story and also the basic premise. I had trouble with Anna, our MC, who made foolish decision after foolish decision and could not see answers that were right in front of her. The big reveal of what she was turned out to be lack luster since it was easy to guess less than halfway through the book.
I think this book could have really knocked it out of the park, but unfortunately the execution fell flat. I am doubtful that I will continue the series as it releases.
I think this book could have really knocked it out of the park, but unfortunately the execution fell flat. I am doubtful that I will continue the series as it releases.
forsakenfates's review
3.0
This was a difficult book for me. It had many positive aspects but many negative ones as well. I'm going to start with the negative, then move to the positive to end on a good note.
First off, the writing seemed all over the place to me. I really struggled to place myself in the story and the character's world and this was largely due to the writing style not matching the story. It is hard to explain but I do not think the writing was consistent with the depth of the story and the world if that makes sense. That being said, the writing quality did improve as the book went on and that was nice to see. On top of the lackluster writing, the plot was lacking the action typical of this genre that gets me into the book and hooked on the story. The plot was interesting sure, but I was not that invested in what was going to happen. And the way this book ended I have no idea how there are going to be two more books in this series. With a chapter or two more, this book could have tied everything up and been a fine standalone fantasy novel. The epilogue left a little bit open as to when the consequences of the end of the book are but not enough that I'm dying to read the next installment. One final thing I want to mention is something that conspired between two characters that really bothered me. We have multiple instances of distant cousins kissing, while this take place in the 1800s and that may be something that was more normal back then, it still left me uncomfortable every time it happened. These characters are most likely not endgame for Rosalyn Eves, but I still do not think it was necessary to the story.
As for the positive aspects of this book, the magic system is by far the best part of this book. We have this fascinating magic system that I really wish we had more backstory and information about. There definitely was not enough world building done to fully explain the magic system and how the binding worked and how things were before the Circle. But this idea of a magic reservoir that people dip into when they go to cast a spell is unique and I even enjoyed the little bit of information we got about the different castes within the magic system. There are a lot of different powers that I wish we had gotten to delve further into. Maybe that will happen in subsequent books but not sure based on how this one ended. I'm not sure I will continue with this series, I may pick up subsequent books but I have no need to do so as I do with other first books in series.
*Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book!*
First off, the writing seemed all over the place to me. I really struggled to place myself in the story and the character's world and this was largely due to the writing style not matching the story. It is hard to explain but I do not think the writing was consistent with the depth of the story and the world if that makes sense. That being said, the writing quality did improve as the book went on and that was nice to see. On top of the lackluster writing, the plot was lacking the action typical of this genre that gets me into the book and hooked on the story. The plot was interesting sure, but I was not that invested in what was going to happen. And the way this book ended I have no idea how there are going to be two more books in this series. With a chapter or two more, this book could have tied everything up and been a fine standalone fantasy novel. The epilogue left a little bit open as to when the consequences of the end of the book are but not enough that I'm dying to read the next installment. One final thing I want to mention is something that conspired between two characters that really bothered me. We have multiple instances of distant cousins kissing, while this take place in the 1800s and that may be something that was more normal back then, it still left me uncomfortable every time it happened. These characters are most likely not endgame for Rosalyn Eves, but I still do not think it was necessary to the story.
As for the positive aspects of this book, the magic system is by far the best part of this book. We have this fascinating magic system that I really wish we had more backstory and information about. There definitely was not enough world building done to fully explain the magic system and how the binding worked and how things were before the Circle. But this idea of a magic reservoir that people dip into when they go to cast a spell is unique and I even enjoyed the little bit of information we got about the different castes within the magic system. There are a lot of different powers that I wish we had gotten to delve further into. Maybe that will happen in subsequent books but not sure based on how this one ended. I'm not sure I will continue with this series, I may pick up subsequent books but I have no need to do so as I do with other first books in series.
*Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book!*
celsius273's review
3.0
ARC received from NPL Teen Book Giveaway
Started off nice, but then started to drag. The magic is fresh and intriguing, but there's a lack of excitement. Full review to come closer to release date - March 28th 2017
Started off nice, but then started to drag. The magic is fresh and intriguing, but there's a lack of excitement. Full review to come closer to release date - March 28th 2017