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3.15 AVERAGE
3.15 AVERAGE
This book was fantastic! I'm so glad I subscribed to Owlcrate and received it. Loved everything about it! Sad that there isn't more.
This was a charming enough read. It took a while for me to get into, because I had to wade through a chapter of Rune's whining. but I ended up liking it more than other reviews made me think I would. The mystery was intriguing, and the idea of music being a conduit for giving and taking life force was thought provoking.
So this isn't so much a retelling of "Phantom of the Opera" as it is more of a sequel, although there are moments that parallel the original novel, like the main female character getting musical visitations through the walls at night and having a rival musician. I did like that this book didn't rely too much on these parallels for its storytelling and had its own lore and style.
This story also has immense implications about the ending of the original "Phantom of the Opera." We're led to believe that Erik gives up Christine because he learns that he can't force someone to love him fully, and jus stops on making that dream happen. In this story, we learn that he's really trying to resurrect his love in some way, and that he's also given over one toxic relationship for another (that with Etalon, his apprentice), meaning that he hasn't really learned much of a lesson about what it means to love a person. But when you really think about it, this makes a lot of sense, given his background and character.
Aside from the main character having a rather complaining personality and not much else to show for her character, I'd say one of my bigger complaints is that the book didn't really make me buy the setting as much as it could. I didn't really feel like I was in France, but that I was at some American boarding school that happened to be vaguely in France. Other than snippets of French, I didn't pick up on any culture or landmarks that anchored me in that country. I also wasn't sure I bought the concept of RoseBlood Academy, but I guess I'm willing to suspend my disbelief?
So this isn't so much a retelling of "Phantom of the Opera" as it is more of a sequel, although there are moments that parallel the original novel, like the main female character getting musical visitations through the walls at night and having a rival musician. I did like that this book didn't rely too much on these parallels for its storytelling and had its own lore and style.
Aside from the main character having a rather complaining personality and not much else to show for her character, I'd say one of my bigger complaints is that the book didn't really make me buy the setting as much as it could. I didn't really feel like I was in France, but that I was at some American boarding school that happened to be vaguely in France. Other than snippets of French, I didn't pick up on any culture or landmarks that anchored me in that country. I also wasn't sure I bought the concept of RoseBlood Academy, but I guess I'm willing to suspend my disbelief?
I have no idea what to say. I didn't hate this book. It was like a traffic accident-I could not look away. Then again, it was so over the top, I couldn't take it seriously. Sigh. I don't know. Let's go with: it's not the worst thing I have ever read.
For May 2017 Book Club
For May 2017 Book Club
DNF at 20 pages...
I'm sorry but it was SO cliche and predictable and the writing was really not my thing.
I'm sorry but it was SO cliche and predictable and the writing was really not my thing.
This review was originally posted on Latte Nights Reviews.
A Phantom of the Opera retelling? *grabby hands* I went crazy for this book's cover and then the synopsis! I was all for it, you guys! But then... I started reading the actual book and... I got bored. It was a snooze-fest for me. I tried and tried to keep reading, but it was impossible. Finally, I admitted defeat and marked it was DNF.
When I started the book, I was actually very intrigued by Rune and what she could do when she would hear some type of melody from anything. I wanted to learn more about her and her voice so I kept reading. When Thorn was introduced, I was all giddy, waiting for them to meet. Well, I couldn't even get to them meeting because everything moved at an extremely slow pace. I kept drowsing off, confusing the characters because I couldn't care for any of them. I simply wasn't liking anything. Nothing held my interest.
I got to the 29% and I was planning on reading some more to see if it could get better, but a blogger saved me from wasting my time! She shared her thoughts on her blog and I immediately read the review, which pretty much said what I thought: I wasn't going to get any better.
One thing that bothered me was that until the 29% mark, there was barely any dialogue! It was mostly just reading Rune's thoughts. I love when I get to spend time reading a character's thoughts but this took it to a whole other level. I haven't read any other book by this author, but I've heard this is her writing style, and it's definitely not for me. Maybe it could be a perfect read for you, though!
Overall, RoseBlood really disappointed me. I was looking forward to reading this retelling, but it kept boring me to no end.
I received an eARC from the publisher for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.This review was originally posted on Latte Nights Reviews.
A Phantom of the Opera retelling? *grabby hands* I went crazy for this book's cover and then the synopsis! I was all for it, you guys! But then... I started reading the actual book and... I got bored. It was a snooze-fest for me. I tried and tried to keep reading, but it was impossible. Finally, I admitted defeat and marked it was DNF.
When I started the book, I was actually very intrigued by Rune and what she could do when she would hear some type of melody from anything. I wanted to learn more about her and her voice so I kept reading. When Thorn was introduced, I was all giddy, waiting for them to meet. Well, I couldn't even get to them meeting because everything moved at an extremely slow pace. I kept drowsing off, confusing the characters because I couldn't care for any of them. I simply wasn't liking anything. Nothing held my interest.
I got to the 29% and I was planning on reading some more to see if it could get better, but a blogger saved me from wasting my time! She shared her thoughts on her blog and I immediately read the review, which pretty much said what I thought: I wasn't going to get any better.
One thing that bothered me was that until the 29% mark, there was barely any dialogue! It was mostly just reading Rune's thoughts. I love when I get to spend time reading a character's thoughts but this took it to a whole other level. I haven't read any other book by this author, but I've heard this is her writing style, and it's definitely not for me. Maybe it could be a perfect read for you, though!
Overall, RoseBlood really disappointed me. I was looking forward to reading this retelling, but it kept boring me to no end.
I received an eARC from the publisher for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.This review was originally posted on Latte Nights Reviews.
I'm absolutely in love with retellings, continuations, and the like. This book really delivered in ways that I wasn't expecting.
The story: So I really like the way Howard wove the real world with the story elements. I appreciated that she included many of the real-world components that led to the original Phantom story. She created a version of the story that I had never thought of and she did it well. While she combined multiple... ideologies, it never seemed forced. I just really love the way that she wove it all together. It was amazing and in many cases heartbreaking.
The characters: I've always liked the way Howard wrote her characters. This is no exception. Rune was real and frankly, while she handled things better than I probably would in her shoes, her reactions to things felt real. The Phantom was delightfully twisted, dark, and heartbreaking. That has always been the core of his character and he retains that in this version. As for Thorn... I loved him to be honest. I was always excited for him to be around and it kind of feels like the author felt that way as well. While the writing was fine, there always seemed to be just a bit more when it was Thorn's turn to be center stage. I'm not upset by that... just something to note.
Overall, it was a really good book, and I'm glad I finally got to sit down and read it. I think if you like these sorts of stories or anything Phantom related, you'll probably like this. I know I sure did.
The story: So I really like the way Howard wove the real world with the story elements. I appreciated that she included many of the real-world components that led to the original Phantom story. She created a version of the story that I had never thought of and she did it well. While she combined multiple... ideologies, it never seemed forced. I just really love the way that she wove it all together. It was amazing and in many cases heartbreaking.
The characters: I've always liked the way Howard wrote her characters. This is no exception. Rune was real and frankly, while she handled things better than I probably would in her shoes, her reactions to things felt real. The Phantom was delightfully twisted, dark, and heartbreaking. That has always been the core of his character and he retains that in this version. As for Thorn... I loved him to be honest. I was always excited for him to be around and it kind of feels like the author felt that way as well. While the writing was fine, there always seemed to be just a bit more when it was Thorn's turn to be center stage. I'm not upset by that... just something to note.
Overall, it was a really good book, and I'm glad I finally got to sit down and read it. I think if you like these sorts of stories or anything Phantom related, you'll probably like this. I know I sure did.
As a huge fan of Phantom of the Opera, I enjoyed RoseBlood so much. I really loved the story. It was such a unique twist on the original story by Gaston Leroux. I basically never wanted the story to end.
I don't want to give too much away from this book but I can't press enough how orginal this story was. There are elements from the original Phantom of the Opera, of course, but A.G. Howard definitely made it her own, with a twist. There was something rather dreamlike about this book, I couldn't help but being hooked by Rune and Thorn's story.
RoseBlood is written in both Rune and Thorn's point of view. I loved the chapters of Thorn the most because him and the Phantom and the connection to Rune and what they are was wrapped in a lot of mystery and intrigue, which is something I love.
The romance almost ended me, especially at the end when I didn't think things would end well at all. I'm glad the author didn't decide to go with a love triangle like in Leroux's version with Raoul/Christine/Erik. It was perfect as it was between Thorn and Rune. So many feels!
As much as I loved Rune and especially Thorn, I've got to say that my favorite character was Diable, the cat. I seriously adored him. He'd probably hate being adored but I couldn't help it.
The setting of this story was also really great. I could almost picture RoseBlood with its dark atmosphere, all the mystery. This book had swoonworthy romance, a lot of twists and the writing... Oh my gosh, the writing! It was so freaking gorgeous. RoseBlood is yet another favorite book of mine by A.G. Howard.
I don't want to give too much away from this book but I can't press enough how orginal this story was. There are elements from the original Phantom of the Opera, of course, but A.G. Howard definitely made it her own, with a twist. There was something rather dreamlike about this book, I couldn't help but being hooked by Rune and Thorn's story.
RoseBlood is written in both Rune and Thorn's point of view. I loved the chapters of Thorn the most because him and the Phantom and the connection to Rune and what they are was wrapped in a lot of mystery and intrigue, which is something I love.
The romance almost ended me, especially at the end when I didn't think things would end well at all. I'm glad the author didn't decide to go with a love triangle like in Leroux's version with Raoul/Christine/Erik. It was perfect as it was between Thorn and Rune. So many feels!
As much as I loved Rune and especially Thorn, I've got to say that my favorite character was Diable, the cat. I seriously adored him. He'd probably hate being adored but I couldn't help it.
The setting of this story was also really great. I could almost picture RoseBlood with its dark atmosphere, all the mystery. This book had swoonworthy romance, a lot of twists and the writing... Oh my gosh, the writing! It was so freaking gorgeous. RoseBlood is yet another favorite book of mine by A.G. Howard.
DNF at page 304 with the unmasking scene that told me what I already knew. Skimmed the rest because I was so infuriated by the stupidity that I just wanted to have it over with, only to have more stupid heaped on after that point when .
If not for the flowery purple prose writing style that I'm weak for and the really flashy cover/chapter headers, this book would definitely get one star instead of two. All style and no substance. That's it, that's RoseBlood; pretty, mostly-irrelevant quotes at the start of every chapter and all.
When I have to close a book, put it down, clutch at my face, and groan multiple times during my reading experience... well, that tells you something, doesn't it?
Here, allow me to sum up how a scene in this book featuring our two leads might go:
"OOOOH THORN IS SO HOT LOOK AT HIS MUSCLES THAT HE HAS FOR SOME REASON DESPITE BEING A GLORIFIED LAB ASSISTANT/VIOLINIST WHO DOESN'T DO ANY DISCERNIBLE EXERCISE BESIDES GARDENING! LOOK AT HIS POINTLESS HALF MASK THAT BORDERS ON PARODY! I WISH I COULD UNDERSTAND MY HORRIFIC ENERGY-SUCKING POWERS AND THE BASTARDIZED CULMINATION OF VAMPIRES, SINGING, AND TWIN FLAMES THAT ARE ALL SMASHED TOGETHER ALONG WITH PHANTOM OF THE OPERA MOTIFS."
Now, if that sounds like a good time to you, great, but as someone who actually gives a singular damn or two about the themes of Leroux's novel and the themes of subsequent decent spin-off properties... it doesn't sit well with me.
Furthermore, this book can't seem to decide if it wants to be for children or adults. One minute we're in every other high school drama you've ever experienced where the mean popular girl is coming for our quipping heroine (incidentally the quips that clearly both Rune and Howard think are really clever made me wince every time) and the next we're talking about Thorn having his throat mutilated in a human trafficking ring with underaged boys. I guarantee if I read this book when I was in grade school, the target audience, as indicated by the Amulet books publisher, the latter would have disturbed me a lot.
RoseBlood has a serious problem with withholding certain pieces of information for an extremely long time and then exposition dumping it on you all at once in the last third of the book. There was never a time when this sort of reveal happened where I went, "Aha! That makes sense with what information I had leading up to this." How could I possibly predict or even retroactively make sense of the idea of the.
In one instance it was unnaturally revealed to the reader (again, more than halfway through the book, when, as a general rule, you shouldn't be presenting brand-new information) in prose form that.
Speaking of information withheld until the end, the energy transfer whatever-the-hell is described as being this ball of light for the whole time and then suddenly towards the end the idea that there's also biting involved gets tacked on. Hello? Did I miss something?
Unclear time skips and then later reflecting on events that happened during the time skip instead of just telling things chronologically is also a continual issue. Maybe Howard is clumsily trying to take cues from Leroux with this bizarre choice. Or maybe I'm giving too much credit in even theorizing that.
I'm just going to come out and say it, I don't think I have the energy to go into too much detail about why I didn't really like anything to do with Rune/her family/her friends. To sum up, I didn't care about any of these people despite the book's best effort. Her friends and enemies alike at school are walking stereotypes with the exception perhaps of Sunny. The family was kiiiind of peripherally interesting but didn't get as much screentime, so to speak. Rune herself was too special snowflake-y and even managed to have some cringey "woe is me, I'm a monster" monologuing in a story that features a centuries-old murderer.
Side note, first person POV in YA always sets off red flags for self-insert BS. It's like the book has me in a stranglehold and is mashing my face against Thorn's. Ew.
Second side note, what was with the extremely weird stabs at Rune's Romani blood/Romani people in general (and the book doesn't use the word Romani, it uses that other word that from what I understand is an outdated, offensive exonym)? That just felt incredibly unnecessary and out of left field and it wasn't the sort of dumb thing I could just brush off like the existence of animal familiars for the.
Every time that RoseBlood stopped dead in its tracks to mansplain the plot of [b:The Phantom of the Opera|480204|The Phantom of the Opera|Gaston Leroux|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327867727l/480204._SY75_.jpg|2259720] to me, I felt like I was getting a really babified version:
"In the Phantom book, a similar roof played a pivotal and romantic role in the story line. It's where Christine met with Raoul and they claimed their undying love. They were spied upon by the Phantom, who then unleashed a series of events to punish them and make Christine his forever."
Like... you're not wrong, but isn't this brief overview general knowledge? Or are you trying to make sure that people who have never touched POTO aren't confused by the inclusion of this roof?
As with [b:The Phantom of Manhattan|109513|The Phantom of Manhattan|Frederick Forsyth|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1312056743l/109513._SY75_.jpg|2768892], the few times that RoseBlood actually deigns to focus on the main characters from the original instead of playing with its thoroughly uninteresting cast, it can be semi-enjoyable. The description of Erik's deformity and voice are very nice. He's an intimidating, powerful figure and it seems a little weird to me that.
Christine is a little shakier since she's not present in the sense that she's still alive. Instead we have references from other characters about her, mostly in a positive light but sometimes in a condescending "oh she was so naive" way that made me, known Christine stan, squint. I don't really know how I feel about the inclusion of actual historical figure Christina Niilson. Strange, mostly.
The only one who got it worse than Christine from the main trio was Raoul. I could be mistaken, but I think that quote I mentioned earlier is the only time his name appears. I know that it's generally acceptable among phans to either shit all over le vicomte or leave him out, but it never ceases to madden me when there's this presumption that he isn't relevant to the story. I'll say it, I don't hate Raoul. Is he an obnoxious little baby sometimes in Leroux's Phantom? Yes, but that doesn't make him any less of a key player.
And speaking of missing key players, we're not going to deign to mention the daroga despite all the waxing poetic about Persia when detailing Erik's backstory, huh? Just going to use that space to heap on descriptions of a that we only visit once in the story? Okay. Okay.
So, to sum up, gorgeous design of the physical book and the sometimes pretty writing aside, this is crap and I hated it.
Spoiler
it was revealed Rune is Christine's reincarnation and THEN even further after THAT it's revealed Thorn/Etalon is also Christine's reincarnation. Because that makes senseIf not for the flowery purple prose writing style that I'm weak for and the really flashy cover/chapter headers, this book would definitely get one star instead of two. All style and no substance. That's it, that's RoseBlood; pretty, mostly-irrelevant quotes at the start of every chapter and all.
When I have to close a book, put it down, clutch at my face, and groan multiple times during my reading experience... well, that tells you something, doesn't it?
Here, allow me to sum up how a scene in this book featuring our two leads might go:
"OOOOH THORN IS SO HOT LOOK AT HIS MUSCLES THAT HE HAS FOR SOME REASON DESPITE BEING A GLORIFIED LAB ASSISTANT/VIOLINIST WHO DOESN'T DO ANY DISCERNIBLE EXERCISE BESIDES GARDENING! LOOK AT HIS POINTLESS HALF MASK THAT BORDERS ON PARODY! I WISH I COULD UNDERSTAND MY HORRIFIC ENERGY-SUCKING POWERS AND THE BASTARDIZED CULMINATION OF VAMPIRES, SINGING, AND TWIN FLAMES THAT ARE ALL SMASHED TOGETHER ALONG WITH PHANTOM OF THE OPERA MOTIFS."
Now, if that sounds like a good time to you, great, but as someone who actually gives a singular damn or two about the themes of Leroux's novel and the themes of subsequent decent spin-off properties... it doesn't sit well with me.
Furthermore, this book can't seem to decide if it wants to be for children or adults. One minute we're in every other high school drama you've ever experienced where the mean popular girl is coming for our quipping heroine (incidentally the quips that clearly both Rune and Howard think are really clever made me wince every time) and the next we're talking about Thorn having his throat mutilated in a human trafficking ring with underaged boys. I guarantee if I read this book when I was in grade school, the target audience, as indicated by the Amulet books publisher, the latter would have disturbed me a lot.
RoseBlood has a serious problem with withholding certain pieces of information for an extremely long time and then exposition dumping it on you all at once in the last third of the book. There was never a time when this sort of reveal happened where I went, "Aha! That makes sense with what information I had leading up to this." How could I possibly predict or even retroactively make sense of the idea of the
Spoiler
continually-referenced centuries-old baby kept barely alive in the basement that the book keeps hinting at until the last 150 pages where it just dumps that info on you? I would've appreciated some indication that this was even a possibility with, I don't know, Erik attempting to do the same thing to keep Christine alive or Thorn doing it with one of his animals or SOMETHING. ANYTHINGIn one instance it was unnaturally revealed to the reader (again, more than halfway through the book, when, as a general rule, you shouldn't be presenting brand-new information) in prose form that
Spoiler
Rune, Thorn, Erik, and some miscellaneous side characters are "psychic vampires." Around five pages after this revelation, Thorn explains the same information AGAIN to Rune through dialogueSpeaking of information withheld until the end, the energy transfer whatever-the-hell is described as being this ball of light for the whole time and then suddenly towards the end the idea that there's also biting involved gets tacked on. Hello? Did I miss something?
Spoiler
Rune made out with two dudes to suck their life energy or whatever it is out, did she also chomp on their lips?Unclear time skips and then later reflecting on events that happened during the time skip instead of just telling things chronologically is also a continual issue. Maybe Howard is clumsily trying to take cues from Leroux with this bizarre choice. Or maybe I'm giving too much credit in even theorizing that.
I'm just going to come out and say it, I don't think I have the energy to go into too much detail about why I didn't really like anything to do with Rune/her family/her friends. To sum up, I didn't care about any of these people despite the book's best effort. Her friends and enemies alike at school are walking stereotypes with the exception perhaps of Sunny. The family was kiiiind of peripherally interesting but didn't get as much screentime, so to speak. Rune herself was too special snowflake-y and even managed to have some cringey "woe is me, I'm a monster" monologuing in a story that features a centuries-old murderer.
Side note, first person POV in YA always sets off red flags for self-insert BS. It's like the book has me in a stranglehold and is mashing my face against Thorn's. Ew.
Second side note, what was with the extremely weird stabs at Rune's Romani blood/Romani people in general (and the book doesn't use the word Romani, it uses that other word that from what I understand is an outdated, offensive exonym)? That just felt incredibly unnecessary and out of left field and it wasn't the sort of dumb thing I could just brush off like the existence of animal familiars for the
Spoiler
psychic vampiresEvery time that RoseBlood stopped dead in its tracks to mansplain the plot of [b:The Phantom of the Opera|480204|The Phantom of the Opera|Gaston Leroux|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327867727l/480204._SY75_.jpg|2259720] to me, I felt like I was getting a really babified version:
"In the Phantom book, a similar roof played a pivotal and romantic role in the story line. It's where Christine met with Raoul and they claimed their undying love. They were spied upon by the Phantom, who then unleashed a series of events to punish them and make Christine his forever."
Like... you're not wrong, but isn't this brief overview general knowledge? Or are you trying to make sure that people who have never touched POTO aren't confused by the inclusion of this roof?
As with [b:The Phantom of Manhattan|109513|The Phantom of Manhattan|Frederick Forsyth|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1312056743l/109513._SY75_.jpg|2768892], the few times that RoseBlood actually deigns to focus on the main characters from the original instead of playing with its thoroughly uninteresting cast, it can be semi-enjoyable. The description of Erik's deformity and voice are very nice. He's an intimidating, powerful figure and it seems a little weird to me that
Spoiler
his eventual defeat just involves being talked down... I guess you could argue that that happened in the original novel, too, but, hmmmChristine is a little shakier since she's not present in the sense that she's still alive. Instead we have references from other characters about her, mostly in a positive light but sometimes in a condescending "oh she was so naive" way that made me, known Christine stan, squint. I don't really know how I feel about the inclusion of actual historical figure Christina Niilson. Strange, mostly.
The only one who got it worse than Christine from the main trio was Raoul. I could be mistaken, but I think that quote I mentioned earlier is the only time his name appears. I know that it's generally acceptable among phans to either shit all over le vicomte or leave him out, but it never ceases to madden me when there's this presumption that he isn't relevant to the story. I'll say it, I don't hate Raoul. Is he an obnoxious little baby sometimes in Leroux's Phantom? Yes, but that doesn't make him any less of a key player.
And speaking of missing key players, we're not going to deign to mention the daroga despite all the waxing poetic about Persia when detailing Erik's backstory, huh? Just going to use that space to heap on descriptions of a
Spoiler
vampire night clubSo, to sum up, gorgeous design of the physical book and the sometimes pretty writing aside, this is crap and I hated it.
This book was... Meh... The first half of the book felt super slow, I didn't particulary care for the characters or events. But then the second half of the book became interesting, if you ignore the blatant insta-love excused by the twin-flames/soulmates theory. The backstory was a bit to conviently revealed during a series of three scenes, right after each other, in which the main character learns the half truth, feels betrayed and is fine again (in like, 10 pages) through two characters who randomly feel liking telling the truth all out of the sudden and a series of conviently found letters. The plot of the last 200 pages was pretty entertaining, but a little too easily resolved for my liking. We are made to believe the main characters have to overcome this huge obstacle, yet this takes like twenty pages?
All things considered this was not a bad book. It started a bit cliche and slow, but the ending wasn't all that bad. Just too easy.
All things considered this was not a bad book. It started a bit cliche and slow, but the ending wasn't all that bad. Just too easy.
In the spirit of honesty, this is a DNF.
I tried. I tried really hard. The book grabbed me at first and I was very excited (I mean, come on--YA retelling of PHANTOM?? How could I not be?? And that cover...!).
And then it just got weird. And really long--as in, describing something in the plot and going on for pages when a paragraph or two would've sufficed. I did skip to the end to see how things played out...and the weirdness persisted.
I'm not sure whether I'm more disappointed in myself for not loving it (seriously--I really, REALLY wanted to) or in the book for not being what I hoped for...
I tried. I tried really hard. The book grabbed me at first and I was very excited (I mean, come on--YA retelling of PHANTOM?? How could I not be?? And that cover...!).
And then it just got weird. And really long--as in, describing something in the plot and going on for pages when a paragraph or two would've sufficed. I did skip to the end to see how things played out...and the weirdness persisted.
I'm not sure whether I'm more disappointed in myself for not loving it (seriously--I really, REALLY wanted to) or in the book for not being what I hoped for...