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3.15 AVERAGE
3.15 AVERAGE
First I would like to say that I have not read the original Phantom of the Opera, so I read this book sorta blind without reading the original book that it's based on. Nonetheless, I do know what the Phantom of the Opera is, I know little of it to know what it's sorta is about.
RoseBlood was one of those books that you read and finish feeling incredibly satisfied after completing it. I do however feel like the book was in some parts slow, like during the beginning, and at times is was fast paced. But I loved it nonetheless. The Writing of the book was incredible, I feel like A.G. Howard has such a way with words and I felt totally in love with the descriptions of the environments of the books. I felt that the tone and mood of the book were so fitting to the book and its plot that I felt incredibly submerged in the world of RoseBlood. I have read the Splintered series and I must say that this book left me craving for a series on RoseBlood because I was not disappointed.
So I will include spoilers to make some of my points clear in my review. If you have not read the book please don't read further unless you don't mind spoilers.
____________
I will start with some of the characters in the book.
Rune's friends I felt that some did not have such a significant role in the story as they should have, except for being with her as support in the rave scene and in some scenes in her school life. Sunny was the only character that I felt a connection to as Rune's friend. Quan, Audrey, and Jax felt like filler characters to me. But I don't feel like this is a negative thing on the book, I just wished that some of the characters were fleshed out more like Sunny was.
I really hoped that Roxie's and Kat's relationship would have also been somewhat explored. I understand that they're not the plots main romance couple. But I found Roxie's loyalty and unrequited love for her best friend to be something that made the world surrounding the book to be interesting and since Kat was a descendant of Christine I feel like her role as a character could have been more discussed. But I still enjoyed the book even without their relationship further developed (Perhaps that could be for another short novella of some sort?).
I have to say that Thorn has got to be one the most well-written characters in the book. I cannot express how attached I became to the character. Thorn has got to be one of the strongest representation of the book. I adored the concept of twin flames replacing the concept of star-crossed lovers (which is by now overused xD)
Some of the environments in this book are also so well described that I could picture them within my mind. The Chapel and garden have got to be some of my favorites settings in the book.
I have never felt so much sympathy for a "villain" in a book. Erik has got to be one of the most broken and hurt characters in the book (next to Thorn and Jipetto). His loss of his loved one, Christine, and their child really made it hard for me to dislike him and resent him for trying to take Rune's voice to revive his daughter. I feel like he was more misunderstood and I really enjoyed and felt for him as I read the book.
The concept of psychic vampires is new to me but I love it either way. The concept of the main characters surviving on energies is incredibly interesting and Howard did an incredible job writing
about it.
I will leave at that, I don't want to make my review any longer than it is. So I encourage you to pick up a copy (either bookstore or library) and just start reading it, you will not regret it!
RoseBlood was one of those books that you read and finish feeling incredibly satisfied after completing it. I do however feel like the book was in some parts slow, like during the beginning, and at times is was fast paced. But I loved it nonetheless. The Writing of the book was incredible, I feel like A.G. Howard has such a way with words and I felt totally in love with the descriptions of the environments of the books. I felt that the tone and mood of the book were so fitting to the book and its plot that I felt incredibly submerged in the world of RoseBlood. I have read the Splintered series and I must say that this book left me craving for a series on RoseBlood because I was not disappointed.
So I will include spoilers to make some of my points clear in my review. If you have not read the book please don't read further unless you don't mind spoilers.
____________
I will start with some of the characters in the book.
Rune's friends I felt that some did not have such a significant role in the story as they should have, except for being with her as support in the rave scene and in some scenes in her school life. Sunny was the only character that I felt a connection to as Rune's friend. Quan, Audrey, and Jax felt like filler characters to me. But I don't feel like this is a negative thing on the book, I just wished that some of the characters were fleshed out more like Sunny was.
I really hoped that Roxie's and Kat's relationship would have also been somewhat explored. I understand that they're not the plots main romance couple. But I found Roxie's loyalty and unrequited love for her best friend to be something that made the world surrounding the book to be interesting and since Kat was a descendant of Christine I feel like her role as a character could have been more discussed. But I still enjoyed the book even without their relationship further developed (Perhaps that could be for another short novella of some sort?).
I have to say that Thorn has got to be one the most well-written characters in the book. I cannot express how attached I became to the character. Thorn has got to be one of the strongest representation of the book. I adored the concept of twin flames replacing the concept of star-crossed lovers (which is by now overused xD)
Some of the environments in this book are also so well described that I could picture them within my mind. The Chapel and garden have got to be some of my favorites settings in the book.
I have never felt so much sympathy for a "villain" in a book. Erik has got to be one of the most broken and hurt characters in the book (next to Thorn and Jipetto). His loss of his loved one, Christine, and their child really made it hard for me to dislike him and resent him for trying to take Rune's voice to revive his daughter. I feel like he was more misunderstood and I really enjoyed and felt for him as I read the book.
The concept of psychic vampires is new to me but I love it either way. The concept of the main characters surviving on energies is incredibly interesting and Howard did an incredible job writing
about it.
I will leave at that, I don't want to make my review any longer than it is. So I encourage you to pick up a copy (either bookstore or library) and just start reading it, you will not regret it!
This book was...fine.
It was slow at some points, and sometimes hard to get through. But, I think if you're not familiar with the phantom of the opera story, this might be more interesting. It all just felt really predictable to me and I didn't love it.
It was slow at some points, and sometimes hard to get through. But, I think if you're not familiar with the phantom of the opera story, this might be more interesting. It all just felt really predictable to me and I didn't love it.
For whatever reason, I am sleeping on this one and me picking this up right now is the best thing of the week! Roseblood definitely gave me the spooky vibe I need for October and it is filling my heart content to the fullest
LOL I lied, here is a review.
When I saw that there was going to be a retelling of ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ I was over the moon. I love POTO and the movie version with Gerard Butler and Emmy Rossum, so I definitely went into this with high expectations. Sadly this book failed to live up to it. I advise to go into this with an open mind.
FULL REVIEW HERE!
When I saw that there was going to be a retelling of ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ I was over the moon. I love POTO and the movie version with Gerard Butler and Emmy Rossum, so I definitely went into this with high expectations. Sadly this book failed to live up to it. I advise to go into this with an open mind.
FULL REVIEW HERE!
3.75 stars. I fell in love with A.G. Howard when I first read Splintered. She has a way of writing about pre-imagined fantasy lands that inserts enough of her own story to be original while making me believe that her stories are just a sequel to the original.
I discovered RoseBlood a few months before it came out, and during the wait, I became slowly more hyped. The first scene featuring Rune and her mother provided enough mystique that I wanted to find out what was going on. The plot slowly but steadily thickened until reaching a crescendo (insert laughter for bad music/book pun) where I just couldn't put the book down. Etalon and Runes relationship is absolutely wonderful!
I barely have anything bad to say about this book. The only problem I found was that the occasional section got a bit slow to read.
I really suggest this book, especially to Phantom of the Opera fans.
I discovered RoseBlood a few months before it came out, and during the wait, I became slowly more hyped. The first scene featuring Rune and her mother provided enough mystique that I wanted to find out what was going on. The plot slowly but steadily thickened until reaching a crescendo (insert laughter for bad music/book pun) where I just couldn't put the book down. Etalon and Runes relationship is absolutely wonderful!
I barely have anything bad to say about this book. The only problem I found was that the occasional section got a bit slow to read.
I really suggest this book, especially to Phantom of the Opera fans.
While I was excited going into this novel, I found my excitement waning quickly the further I read. I got half way through the book before I felt like the first act was finally ending and the action was finally going to begin. Despite this, I feel like the action never fully started. Whether or not this was a stylistic choice, I'm not sure, but I did not enjoy it.
I can't say I liked Rune or Thorn as characters either. While I can't put my finger on exactly why I didn't like them, I didn't find them overly annoying or lacking in emotion, I just know I found them lacking all around.
The biggest reason I would give it a low rating is the way in which Howard attempted to use POV. While Rune's parts are told from first person, Thorn's is told from third person. I found this to be rather annoying and wished many times that she had stuck to one or the other for both characters.
I'm not overly familiar with original The Phantom of the Opera work, which I feel also contributed to my lack of sustained interest in the plot and the characters. I feel like Howard referred the original book and the theories surrounding it a little to much for me, specifically because I am not familiar with the work. I found myself not truly caring about the history surrounding the original work and the recurring nature of it in the novel was just annoying for me.
I suppose if nothing else, this book has made me want to read the original Phantom book. Perhaps after I read the original Phantom novel, I may find I enjoy this novel more, but for now, all I can say is that I did not really enjoy this book and while it may be a fantastic book to other readers, I am not able to join them in that group.
I can't say I liked Rune or Thorn as characters either. While I can't put my finger on exactly why I didn't like them, I didn't find them overly annoying or lacking in emotion, I just know I found them lacking all around.
The biggest reason I would give it a low rating is the way in which Howard attempted to use POV. While Rune's parts are told from first person, Thorn's is told from third person. I found this to be rather annoying and wished many times that she had stuck to one or the other for both characters.
I'm not overly familiar with original The Phantom of the Opera work, which I feel also contributed to my lack of sustained interest in the plot and the characters. I feel like Howard referred the original book and the theories surrounding it a little to much for me, specifically because I am not familiar with the work. I found myself not truly caring about the history surrounding the original work and the recurring nature of it in the novel was just annoying for me.
I suppose if nothing else, this book has made me want to read the original Phantom book. Perhaps after I read the original Phantom novel, I may find I enjoy this novel more, but for now, all I can say is that I did not really enjoy this book and while it may be a fantastic book to other readers, I am not able to join them in that group.
Another A.G. Howard book? AUTOMATIC ADD!
I want to thank NetGalley and Abrams for providing me with a copy of this book to read and review.
I'm a huge fan of Howard's Splintered series. She has a fantastic way of retelling stories. I was super excited when I heard she was doing one surrounding Phantom as that is one of my all time favorite musicals (the music in particular is just amazing). Of course I wanted to read this one and see how her spin was added.
I was not disappointed. And what a perfect time to read it, as Halloween approaches. I expected suspense, I expected creepy, and, of course, I expected romance, And I got all three! I wasn't expecting the supernatural aspect of this story, but it added another layer the Phantom. It made the story all the more haunting (as if Phantom wasn't haunted enough).
It's not so much a retelling as a story that is built upon another story. Set in the modern world, where the past and present collide. I won't get into how Phantom is able to be part of the modern world (as that will ruin the twist of the supernatural aspect), But I will say his character is just as obsessed as he is in the true story. Rune makes for a great heroine with her amazing musical talent. Her friends offer a nice backing for her, though I would have liked to see a bit more depth to them. And the idea of a school housed in an opera house, in France nonetheless, is very different in it's concept.
I will admit to having some confusion in parts of the book. The writing was good, the plot moved, but I feel there were areas where I truly wasn't sure what was going on as the author tried to describe the scene.
Overall it was enjoyable and a fast read considering it's length.
I'm hoping to see more from this author in the future.
I want to thank NetGalley and Abrams for providing me with a copy of this book to read and review.
I'm a huge fan of Howard's Splintered series. She has a fantastic way of retelling stories. I was super excited when I heard she was doing one surrounding Phantom as that is one of my all time favorite musicals (the music in particular is just amazing). Of course I wanted to read this one and see how her spin was added.
I was not disappointed. And what a perfect time to read it, as Halloween approaches. I expected suspense, I expected creepy, and, of course, I expected romance, And I got all three! I wasn't expecting the supernatural aspect of this story, but it added another layer the Phantom. It made the story all the more haunting (as if Phantom wasn't haunted enough).
It's not so much a retelling as a story that is built upon another story. Set in the modern world, where the past and present collide. I won't get into how Phantom is able to be part of the modern world (as that will ruin the twist of the supernatural aspect), But I will say his character is just as obsessed as he is in the true story. Rune makes for a great heroine with her amazing musical talent. Her friends offer a nice backing for her, though I would have liked to see a bit more depth to them. And the idea of a school housed in an opera house, in France nonetheless, is very different in it's concept.
I will admit to having some confusion in parts of the book. The writing was good, the plot moved, but I feel there were areas where I truly wasn't sure what was going on as the author tried to describe the scene.
Overall it was enjoyable and a fast read considering it's length.
I'm hoping to see more from this author in the future.
I tried but this story was not developed well. It could have been so much more but it just wasn't...
2.5 stars - and I had a hard time deciding if I wanted to round up or down. In the end I chose to round down because the story took too long to get moving. There was no way this book needed to be 400+ pages. I actually really liked the ending, but it was a trudge to get there.
Rune is a talented operatic singer, but when she finishes an aria she becomes ill....at least that's what the book summary on Goodreads says. In the book she sings exactly once and gets sick. Every other time is a flashback to events before the book begins. As a result, I found it hard to believe she was as "sick" as she claimed to be. She also makes several stupid decisions, putting herself in unnecessary danger. And one of the things that annoyed me the most about her? The repeated mention of socks. It seemed like every chapter Rune talks about the socks she was knitting. I could see mentioning them once or twice, but mentioning them 12 (yes 12, I went back and counted!) times grated on my nerves. We get it, you knit socks. Can we move on please???
I liked the inclusion of Thorn's narrative and his backstory. However I did NOT care for him as a love interest. He was a peeping Tom who watched her sleep. Pretty creepy. Even weirder is that Rune doesn't mind this behavior???? Also - the "soulmates" trope is used way too often for my liking.
I will say that this book had a lot more paranormal elements than I was expecting, and that was kind of a turnoff for me. I'm not the biggest fan of paranormal stuff. (Not sure if that counts as a spoiler but I'm including it as one because there is nothing paranormal mentioned in the description of the book.)
Rune is a talented operatic singer, but when she finishes an aria she becomes ill....at least that's what the book summary on Goodreads says. In the book she sings exactly once and gets sick. Every other time is a flashback to events before the book begins. As a result, I found it hard to believe she was as "sick" as she claimed to be. She also makes several stupid decisions, putting herself in unnecessary danger. And one of the things that annoyed me the most about her? The repeated mention of socks. It seemed like every chapter Rune talks about the socks she was knitting. I could see mentioning them once or twice, but mentioning them 12 (yes 12, I went back and counted!) times grated on my nerves. We get it, you knit socks. Can we move on please???
I liked the inclusion of Thorn's narrative and his backstory. However I did NOT care for him as a love interest. He was a peeping Tom who watched her sleep. Pretty creepy. Even weirder is that Rune doesn't mind this behavior???? Also - the "soulmates" trope is used way too often for my liking.
I will say that this book had a lot more paranormal elements than I was expecting, and that was kind of a turnoff for me. I'm not the biggest fan of paranormal stuff. (Not sure if that counts as a spoiler but I'm including it as one because there is nothing paranormal mentioned in the description of the book.)