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3.15 AVERAGE
3.15 AVERAGE
Umm....I'm not sure what to make of this. RoseBlood has many, many things wrong with it. However, I actually enjoyed reading this.
I will give a quick summary of the plot first and go into more depth. So the book starts out with Rune on her way to RoseBlood, an opera focused high school in France. Rune doesn't want to go because of her "curse".* This opera school is located, conviniently, at the same opera house where The Phantom of the Opera is set. Of course, when Rune arrives at the opera house, she finds that things are not as they seem. A mysterious stranger seems to be stalking her every move and catastrophe follows in Rune's wake. Later on in the story, Rune meets Thorn. Thorn turns out to have unexpected connections to the fictional Phantom of the Opera. The story then goes on from there in weird and crazy ways.
I guess I should start off by saying that even though this took me over a month to read, it was not that bad. School just got in the way of everything. I ended up really enjoying Howard's novel, surprisingly enough. The writing was pretty enough and the plot moved quickly.
I also liked the Phantom elements. I wouldn't go so far as to call this a Phantom retelling but it was interesting. I feel like the Phantom was pretty spot on. I know a lot of people hated the portrayal of the Phantom in this book but I liked it. His personality fit with what Howard was going for. I wanted a bit more Phantom but I'm not mad with what I was given. Erik was a cool character. Just remember that this is not a retelling per say. RoseBlood is mostly a Phantom of the Opera inspired sequel, not a retelling.
Although there were a lot (and I mean a lot) of YA tropes, I didn't end up hating it. RoseBlood is a pretty good paranormal book as long as you don't go in with a lot of expectations. That being said, there were more things I did not enjoy about this book than what I ended up liking.
One thing I did not like about this book was the amount of tropes it had. What do I mean by tropes? I mean those annoying themes that seem to be in every YA book out there. I could totally describe this book just with tropes and still be summarizing it perfectly. Here, I'll even prove it: A beautiful, quirky, unique girl with an even more unique name meets a mysterious, sexy, tragic boy. This boy intrigues her but she can't exactly explain why. It feels like they are connected somehow even though they have never met. This beautiful boy (with beautiful golden skin and/or brown eyes) wants nothing to do with our special snowflake but that doesn't stop her. Our protagonist investigates this boy more and more only to find herself sucked into a mysterious, dangerous world. The perfect bad boy constantly saves our heroine from the dangers of this world. Through this, the two discover that they have Feeeeelllliinnngsss for each other because sparks fly everytime they touch. Pretty soon the two claim undying love for each other and swear to give up everything because they were meant to be together. Although the two lovers met only a few days (Or weeks if the author is feeling frisky), they are obviously soul mates. The boy and/or the girl also make sickningly sweet declarations of their undying love to the other person. The girl then gets so sucked into the boy's world and the mysteries that she completely forgets about her friends until they become useful to the plot. During this time she also finds out that she is "special" and actually part of the fantastical world that just seems to be out to get her. After one attempt at her new powers, the girl can control them just as well as someone that has been practicing for years (only because she is "special"). The girl and the boy are finally free to have awkward, lovey dovey staring contests after they beat the super evil bad guy.
Any of that sound familiar? Well, not only is that the plot for RoseBlood , but it is also the same plot for a lot of paranormal YA books out there. It is just like Twilight, City of Bones, Obsidian, Fallen, Tiger's Curse, and many other books. Just because I liked most of them doesn't mean I like seeing the same plot regurgitated again and again with different character names and different creatures. I really despise that about this book.
Another thing I was not a fan of was the amount of show vs tell. Howard provides pages upon pages of detailed descriptions about people, background or even rooms. It was way too much telling for me. For example, we get a twenty page chapter of Thorn's tragic past. I likes that chapter but it deviated too much from the main plot. Also, when the Phantom's backstory is explained, it is done in a rushed way. We are told what has happened, not shown. I didn't feel any empathy for him (and I think I was supposed to). Howard rushed the ending too much
Finally, there was not enough France or opera in this book. For a book set in an opera house in France, there was not a lot of French culture or even opera culture. Sure, Howard name drops a lot with mentions of Versailles and the Eiffel Tower. There was nothing beyond that, however. The students didn't even speak French! For Pete's sake, the best operas aren't even I English. It would have made more sense if the students were forced to speak only French.
As for the opera part, it was awful how little opera is mentioned. Yes, we are told of operas and of how wonderfully Rune sings. That's just it, though, we are told not shown. I have read a few books where the song seems to jump off the page it is so passionately shown (like the A French Girl in New York series, in my opinion). France and the opera should have come alive in this novel. They didn't. I also find it hard to believe that at an OPERA SCHOOL the rehearsals didn't consume their life. I mean, it doesn't make sense that the students weren't entirely focused on OPERA. Like, where was the opera? They didn't even take different language classes, music theory, voice classes and every other essential opera class. Nope. RoseBlood students took science and history instead. It makes no sense and it pisses me off. Opera is an art, not a trend.
So, aside from being horribly cliche and horribly researched, should you still read this? Eh. If you don't mind paranormal romances (i don't particularly mind them) and you like The Phantom of the Opera then, yeah, go for it. Just because this won't go on my favorites shelf doesn't mean it was awful. It was fun to read and I liked the Phantom elements. I realize that I didn't go into a lot of details about the Phantom elements but there's so much to this book. I just can't fit all my thoughts here without making this review too long and boring. I encourage you to read more reviews before buying this to see if you might like it.
* I put curse in quotation marks for two reasons. One, because being compelled to sing like an angel is not that bad. And two, this curse is problematically associated with gypsies. That word is a racial slur against the Romani people. Of course, I'm sure that when A.G. Howard wrote about g*psies, she was picturing Esmeralda from the Disney version of Hunchback of Notre Dame. I don't think it's a good excuse, though, especially when that word is commonly associated with being "tainted" and "cursed" in this novel. That is in no way true of the real Romani people and should not be excused away.
Before Reading: I totally just want to read this because I LOVE the Phantom of the Opera! I cannot wait!!!!
I will give a quick summary of the plot first and go into more depth. So the book starts out with Rune on her way to RoseBlood, an opera focused high school in France. Rune doesn't want to go because of her "curse".* This opera school is located, conviniently, at the same opera house where The Phantom of the Opera is set. Of course, when Rune arrives at the opera house, she finds that things are not as they seem. A mysterious stranger seems to be stalking her every move and catastrophe follows in Rune's wake. Later on in the story, Rune meets Thorn. Thorn turns out to have unexpected connections to the fictional Phantom of the Opera. The story then goes on from there in weird and crazy ways.
I guess I should start off by saying that even though this took me over a month to read, it was not that bad. School just got in the way of everything. I ended up really enjoying Howard's novel, surprisingly enough. The writing was pretty enough and the plot moved quickly.
I also liked the Phantom elements. I wouldn't go so far as to call this a Phantom retelling but it was interesting. I feel like the Phantom was pretty spot on. I know a lot of people hated the portrayal of the Phantom in this book but I liked it. His personality fit with what Howard was going for. I wanted a bit more Phantom but I'm not mad with what I was given. Erik was a cool character. Just remember that this is not a retelling per say. RoseBlood is mostly a Phantom of the Opera inspired sequel, not a retelling.
Although there were a lot (and I mean a lot) of YA tropes, I didn't end up hating it. RoseBlood is a pretty good paranormal book as long as you don't go in with a lot of expectations. That being said, there were more things I did not enjoy about this book than what I ended up liking.
One thing I did not like about this book was the amount of tropes it had. What do I mean by tropes? I mean those annoying themes that seem to be in every YA book out there. I could totally describe this book just with tropes and still be summarizing it perfectly. Here, I'll even prove it: A beautiful, quirky, unique girl with an even more unique name meets a mysterious, sexy, tragic boy. This boy intrigues her but she can't exactly explain why. It feels like they are connected somehow even though they have never met. This beautiful boy (with beautiful golden skin and/or brown eyes) wants nothing to do with our special snowflake but that doesn't stop her. Our protagonist investigates this boy more and more only to find herself sucked into a mysterious, dangerous world. The perfect bad boy constantly saves our heroine from the dangers of this world. Through this, the two discover that they have Feeeeelllliinnngsss for each other because sparks fly everytime they touch. Pretty soon the two claim undying love for each other and swear to give up everything because they were meant to be together. Although the two lovers met only a few days (Or weeks if the author is feeling frisky), they are obviously soul mates. The boy and/or the girl also make sickningly sweet declarations of their undying love to the other person. The girl then gets so sucked into the boy's world and the mysteries that she completely forgets about her friends until they become useful to the plot. During this time she also finds out that she is "special" and actually part of the fantastical world that just seems to be out to get her. After one attempt at her new powers, the girl can control them just as well as someone that has been practicing for years (only because she is "special"). The girl and the boy are finally free to have awkward, lovey dovey staring contests after they beat the super evil bad guy.
Any of that sound familiar? Well, not only is that the plot for RoseBlood , but it is also the same plot for a lot of paranormal YA books out there. It is just like Twilight, City of Bones, Obsidian, Fallen, Tiger's Curse, and many other books. Just because I liked most of them doesn't mean I like seeing the same plot regurgitated again and again with different character names and different creatures. I really despise that about this book.
Another thing I was not a fan of was the amount of show vs tell. Howard provides pages upon pages of detailed descriptions about people, background or even rooms. It was way too much telling for me. For example, we get a twenty page chapter of Thorn's tragic past. I likes that chapter but it deviated too much from the main plot. Also, when the Phantom's backstory is explained, it is done in a rushed way. We are told what has happened, not shown. I didn't feel any empathy for him (and I think I was supposed to). Howard rushed the ending too much
Finally, there was not enough France or opera in this book. For a book set in an opera house in France, there was not a lot of French culture or even opera culture. Sure, Howard name drops a lot with mentions of Versailles and the Eiffel Tower. There was nothing beyond that, however. The students didn't even speak French! For Pete's sake, the best operas aren't even I English. It would have made more sense if the students were forced to speak only French.
As for the opera part, it was awful how little opera is mentioned. Yes, we are told of operas and of how wonderfully Rune sings. That's just it, though, we are told not shown. I have read a few books where the song seems to jump off the page it is so passionately shown (like the A French Girl in New York series, in my opinion). France and the opera should have come alive in this novel. They didn't. I also find it hard to believe that at an OPERA SCHOOL the rehearsals didn't consume their life. I mean, it doesn't make sense that the students weren't entirely focused on OPERA. Like, where was the opera? They didn't even take different language classes, music theory, voice classes and every other essential opera class. Nope. RoseBlood students took science and history instead. It makes no sense and it pisses me off. Opera is an art, not a trend.
So, aside from being horribly cliche and horribly researched, should you still read this? Eh. If you don't mind paranormal romances (i don't particularly mind them) and you like The Phantom of the Opera then, yeah, go for it. Just because this won't go on my favorites shelf doesn't mean it was awful. It was fun to read and I liked the Phantom elements. I realize that I didn't go into a lot of details about the Phantom elements but there's so much to this book. I just can't fit all my thoughts here without making this review too long and boring. I encourage you to read more reviews before buying this to see if you might like it.
* I put curse in quotation marks for two reasons. One, because being compelled to sing like an angel is not that bad. And two, this curse is problematically associated with gypsies. That word is a racial slur against the Romani people. Of course, I'm sure that when A.G. Howard wrote about g*psies, she was picturing Esmeralda from the Disney version of Hunchback of Notre Dame. I don't think it's a good excuse, though, especially when that word is commonly associated with being "tainted" and "cursed" in this novel. That is in no way true of the real Romani people and should not be excused away.
Before Reading: I totally just want to read this because I LOVE the Phantom of the Opera! I cannot wait!!!!
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Got through the first chapter and then had to return it. There's only so much cheese I can eat, I mean, read.
Rune Germain a talented singer with such a seraphic voice, always ended up draining her own energy after she finished her performance. her mother suspected that it was only because Rune couldn’t overcome her stage-fright after she lost her father. seeking for a mentor that could help in solving her problem, her mother sends her to a French school of arts named Roseblood, located in an opera house rumored to be the very opera that inspired Gaston Leroux’s story, The Phantom of The Opera. every part of the school old building makes her nervous, especially after she finds out that there’s a man with a mask following her everywhere.
I want to say that I really love this book! the story and the plots are amazing, I was enchanted by it. the atmosphere it brings really got into me, I don’t know whether it was because of the rainy season inside this book or because the story that sets in an old house surrounded by a garden, a river, and a woods. I really enjoyed the gothic vibes, it was something that I’ve been craving for. I also love every characters (including Rune’s complicated way of thinking).
however, there are something that I found a bit lacking, the narrative that sometimes too long, and the ending part that a bit too short it seems like it was made in hurry. other than that, everything is amazing.
I recommend this book to you who love a gothic story with a great atmosphere, and who love a modern story that feels classic!
I want to say that I really love this book! the story and the plots are amazing, I was enchanted by it. the atmosphere it brings really got into me, I don’t know whether it was because of the rainy season inside this book or because the story that sets in an old house surrounded by a garden, a river, and a woods. I really enjoyed the gothic vibes, it was something that I’ve been craving for. I also love every characters (including Rune’s complicated way of thinking).
however, there are something that I found a bit lacking, the narrative that sometimes too long, and the ending part that a bit too short it seems like it was made in hurry. other than that, everything is amazing.
I recommend this book to you who love a gothic story with a great atmosphere, and who love a modern story that feels classic!
This book was up my ally in the Phantom of the Opera theme, and at times I really enjoyed this book. I loved many things about it, however at times it got a little boring and that was hard to get past. Enjoyable book for the most part, but just some of the time I didn't have to race to get back to reading it. The characters were fun, but not to where I couldn't wait to read more about them. Overall a decent read.
DNF. Ugh. Really excited to read this but the writing was lazy and sloppy, plus I'm in a book hangover from A Court of Mist and Fury.
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I fell in love with the concept of this book the moment I heard about it. I adore The Phantom of the Opera, and I couldn't imagine a classic tale I'd rather have re-told and spun into a YA novel.
Unfortunately, the magic and paranormal elements of this story just stretched the limits of believability a bit too far for me, and I did not enjoy it as much as I'd hoped. I truly hope some of you like this book, because this author is amazing, and I'd love to discuss your thoughts in the comments.
My Review: TWO STARS
I want to start this review by discussing the things I felt that A.G. Howard did really well in this novel. The beginning was strong. I immediately liked Rune and was pulled into her story. The setting of the school in France was enchanting and there were some beautiful world building details that were very reminiscent of the classic Phantom novel.
In all of Howard's books she seems to explore the theme of sanity vs insanity. How people perceive and determine other's sanity. How we perceive our own sense of sanity. And how delicate the balance between the two can be. She didn't go as in-depth on that theme in this novel as she does in the Splintered series, but she still touches on it in a way that is important and thought-provoking.
My biggest problem with this book was that the magic and the paranormal elements just weren't believable. They felt kind of chaotic, like there wasn't a distinct magic system with set rules, which is so important in fantasy novels. It made everything feel almost too convenient and random. Though that type of style is very much A.G. Howard and worked BRILLIANTLY in an Alice and Wonderland retelling, it just didn't translate well into a Phantom retelling.
At the begging of the story I was really drawn into Rune and Thorn's connection with one another. I adored Thorn's backstory and felt that that it added a lot to the story for me personally. As the story progressed though, their relationship felt more creepy than captivating. I didn't feel the chemistry between the characters and their relationship almost bordered on incestuous at times.
I HATE giving this book a less than superior rating, because I so wanted to love it, and I very much like A.G. Howard as an author. Perhaps, I'm just too attached to the original Phantom story, but this was just a little too strange for me.
Cover Rating: FIVE STARS
This is a definitely a book to keep on the book shelf. The physical copy is quite simply stunning. From the incredible cover art, to the red ink, to the interior cover paper, it is beyond gorgeous.
Swoon Worthiness: TWO STARS
This book started out strong. I was feeling Thorn as a love interest. He was so mysterious and after reading his backstory, I was totally hooked. But as the story progressed he just felt creepier and creepier to me instead of dreamier and dreamier.
Unfortunately, the magic and paranormal elements of this story just stretched the limits of believability a bit too far for me, and I did not enjoy it as much as I'd hoped. I truly hope some of you like this book, because this author is amazing, and I'd love to discuss your thoughts in the comments.
My Review: TWO STARS
I want to start this review by discussing the things I felt that A.G. Howard did really well in this novel. The beginning was strong. I immediately liked Rune and was pulled into her story. The setting of the school in France was enchanting and there were some beautiful world building details that were very reminiscent of the classic Phantom novel.
In all of Howard's books she seems to explore the theme of sanity vs insanity. How people perceive and determine other's sanity. How we perceive our own sense of sanity. And how delicate the balance between the two can be. She didn't go as in-depth on that theme in this novel as she does in the Splintered series, but she still touches on it in a way that is important and thought-provoking.
My biggest problem with this book was that the magic and the paranormal elements just weren't believable. They felt kind of chaotic, like there wasn't a distinct magic system with set rules, which is so important in fantasy novels. It made everything feel almost too convenient and random. Though that type of style is very much A.G. Howard and worked BRILLIANTLY in an Alice and Wonderland retelling, it just didn't translate well into a Phantom retelling.
At the begging of the story I was really drawn into Rune and Thorn's connection with one another. I adored Thorn's backstory and felt that that it added a lot to the story for me personally. As the story progressed though, their relationship felt more creepy than captivating. I didn't feel the chemistry between the characters and their relationship almost bordered on incestuous at times.
I HATE giving this book a less than superior rating, because I so wanted to love it, and I very much like A.G. Howard as an author. Perhaps, I'm just too attached to the original Phantom story, but this was just a little too strange for me.
Cover Rating: FIVE STARS
This is a definitely a book to keep on the book shelf. The physical copy is quite simply stunning. From the incredible cover art, to the red ink, to the interior cover paper, it is beyond gorgeous.
Swoon Worthiness: TWO STARS
This book started out strong. I was feeling Thorn as a love interest. He was so mysterious and after reading his backstory, I was totally hooked. But as the story progressed he just felt creepier and creepier to me instead of dreamier and dreamier.
This book was really well done! A. G. Howard put a lot of research into this book. If your a "Phan" of the original Phantom of The Opera you can see this, but especially if you read the author's note after. This story had lots of layers, and gothic, creepy ones at that!! The romance was so unique, in the way that it all came about. Trying to be careful not to give away any spoilers here.
"I know you," I say, dreamily, "I was never able to see your face in the memories or visions. But somehow, I know you. You feel like home to me."
Rune was a wonderful protagonist. She was an amazingly strong person, who had been through some really hard things in life, but still came out of them a kind, caring friend, daughter and especially to Etalon...who she finds needs her as much as she needs him. Etalon had survived so much, but Rune awoke something in him that his mother taught him, and that he had forgotten. But even with everything he'd been through, he had such a kind heart. He enjoyed saving hurt creatures in the wild and nursing them back to health and then setting them free. He had a very compassionate heart.
I'm so glad I read this. It's the type of book that will stay with you for a while. DON'T LET THIS ONE PASS YOU BY!!!
"I know you," I say, dreamily, "I was never able to see your face in the memories or visions. But somehow, I know you. You feel like home to me."
Rune was a wonderful protagonist. She was an amazingly strong person, who had been through some really hard things in life, but still came out of them a kind, caring friend, daughter and especially to Etalon...who she finds needs her as much as she needs him. Etalon had survived so much, but Rune awoke something in him that his mother taught him, and that he had forgotten. But even with everything he'd been through, he had such a kind heart. He enjoyed saving hurt creatures in the wild and nursing them back to health and then setting them free. He had a very compassionate heart.
I'm so glad I read this. It's the type of book that will stay with you for a while. DON'T LET THIS ONE PASS YOU BY!!!
My rating would be lower except that this book made me feel so nostalgic because I love Phantom of the Opera, and the romantic scenes were amazing! The writing, though, felt a little subpar