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3.15 AVERAGE
3.15 AVERAGE
What I Liked:
Rune and Thorn. The characters (and some of the strange side characters) were the best part of this POTO retelling and I loved both of the main characters points of view. Rune felt like a real girl that has to deal going to a boarding school in a different country, I connected with her character and loved the fact that she was down to earth and did not make stupid choices. And Thorn was such an unique character, it was interesting to read about his past and I loved reading from his point of view.
The Romance. Despite some of the aspects that I did not care for I still enjoyed the novel and the romance was the main reason I kept reading. I was rooting for the main love interests and I would love to read more with the couple.
The writing/plot. I'm a fan of Howard's writing style (from her Alice in Wonderland retelling) because it is unique and I never know what to expect from chapter to chapter. I was disappointed with some aspects of the plot but I appreciate the inventiveness and creativity with the story line.
What I Did Not Like:
Plot. Howard combines The Phantom of the Opera with paranormal elements and as fan of the original novel it was not my favorite mixture. I think it would have been stronger as a separate plot without the retelling aspect. And I struggled with some of the parts that felt like there was too much information in a short amount of pages.
Pacing. I struggled with the pacing of the first half and I had to push myself to keep reading.
I recommend checking out this novel for the interesting story but as a die hard phantom fan it was a bit disappointing.
Rune and Thorn. The characters (and some of the strange side characters) were the best part of this POTO retelling and I loved both of the main characters points of view. Rune felt like a real girl that has to deal going to a boarding school in a different country, I connected with her character and loved the fact that she was down to earth and did not make stupid choices. And Thorn was such an unique character, it was interesting to read about his past and I loved reading from his point of view.
The Romance. Despite some of the aspects that I did not care for I still enjoyed the novel and the romance was the main reason I kept reading. I was rooting for the main love interests and I would love to read more with the couple.
The writing/plot. I'm a fan of Howard's writing style (from her Alice in Wonderland retelling) because it is unique and I never know what to expect from chapter to chapter. I was disappointed with some aspects of the plot but I appreciate the inventiveness and creativity with the story line.
What I Did Not Like:
Plot. Howard combines The Phantom of the Opera with paranormal elements and as fan of the original novel it was not my favorite mixture. I think it would have been stronger as a separate plot without the retelling aspect. And I struggled with some of the parts that felt like there was too much information in a short amount of pages.
Pacing. I struggled with the pacing of the first half and I had to push myself to keep reading.
I recommend checking out this novel for the interesting story but as a die hard phantom fan it was a bit disappointing.
I do not know how to rate this one, friends. There were things I really enjoyed, and also things I didn't like so much about it. I'm currently attempting to sort out which side wins.
But, for now, suffice it to say that I think Howard put a truly interesting spin on the classic Phantom of the Opera.
But, for now, suffice it to say that I think Howard put a truly interesting spin on the classic Phantom of the Opera.
You have to suspend your disbelief as a reader way too much with this one. I had a suspicion this book would be stupid when I bought it, but I ignored that instinct. Never again. (I legit can't believe I spent money on this drivel.)
Also, this author needs to hire someone to name her characters. For real. Every single name in the book was beyond belief stupid. So anyway...this YA trope filled cliched X.x.edgelord.x.X book with RED FREAKING FONT was too dumb for me. DNF at 30%, and the author should take a long hiatus, some writing classes, and drink more cocktails so they don't take themselves so seriously. Geez. And I wanted to be nicer in my reviews...
Also, this author needs to hire someone to name her characters. For real. Every single name in the book was beyond belief stupid. So anyway...this YA trope filled cliched X.x.edgelord.x.X book with RED FREAKING FONT was too dumb for me. DNF at 30%, and the author should take a long hiatus, some writing classes, and drink more cocktails so they don't take themselves so seriously. Geez. And I wanted to be nicer in my reviews...
I couldn't finish this book. I tried and I tried but I can't.
Look at the cover of this book! It's beautiful! The idea of a retelling was awesome! But the author letter that came in the Owlcrate should have been the first warning. The first page was a massive red flag. Everything after that is a mess.
As you can see from other reviews, this book is filled with unnecessary over-description. It's awful. Every piece of scenery is described with far too many words and there are AT LEAST two similes per page. I love language tools: similes, metaphors, alliteration, you name it! But it's too much. It's beating a horse that was dead before you even tried to start riding it.
Not to mention the constant use of the racial slur g*psy, usually in the context of making the Romani people sound cursed and evil.
I'm just over it.
Look at the cover of this book! It's beautiful! The idea of a retelling was awesome! But the author letter that came in the Owlcrate should have been the first warning. The first page was a massive red flag. Everything after that is a mess.
As you can see from other reviews, this book is filled with unnecessary over-description. It's awful. Every piece of scenery is described with far too many words and there are AT LEAST two similes per page. I love language tools: similes, metaphors, alliteration, you name it! But it's too much. It's beating a horse that was dead before you even tried to start riding it.
Not to mention the constant use of the racial slur g*psy, usually in the context of making the Romani people sound cursed and evil.
I'm just over it.
can I please rewind the last four hours of my life so I can choose NOT to read this book?
Took a bit to get into, but once it got going it was fun.
I adored the creativity in this book! I can see how this is not everyone's kind of book. I loved all of the nods to the original book as well as the musical. I enjoyed the characters of Rune, Erik, and Thorn. This book was very well researched, and I tip my hat to the author. If you enjoy Phantom of the Opera, you will enjoy this.
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher. This in no way impacted on my view.
Unfortunately, this review is not going to be positive. I first read Howard's Splintered a few years ago, and wasn't a fan, but was hoping Roseblood would be better - it wasn't. Basically, I found the story long and boring, and, tbh, should've DNFed it and not wasted any more of my time.
Roseblood is a retelling of The Phantom of the Opera, one of my favourite musicals, with a twist. It's somewhat of a sequel, with the original phantom still playing a large part, but the main characters are Rune and Thorn. Rune arrives at Roseblood school, hoping she would manage to get over her affliction when it comes to operatic music, when, really, there's an ulterior motive for her being there. The Phantom has drawn her to the school, because he believes her to be a reincarnation of Christine, and he wants her. Thorn, the adopted son of the Phantom, has a central role to play in this, but he falls in love with Rune, for himself.
I'm sorry, but I can't really say anything positive for this book. The writing was confusing at times, and unnecessary at others. So much was drawn out, as if it would make it more dramatic, but it only made it tedious. You could see all the twists and turns a mile off. Nothing was exciting, and it would have saved me a lot of grief if I dropped the book when I had the chance.
The romance was cringy, and I didn't see the attraction between them. It was more forced than natural, and sometimes creepy. Rune was an awful MC, and I sometimes found myself wishing that the Phantom succeeded in his wish.
All in all, there was nothing I liked about this book, and I couldn't recommend this at all, without feeling bad. I don't think I'll read anymore of Howard's books in the future.
Unfortunately, this review is not going to be positive. I first read Howard's Splintered a few years ago, and wasn't a fan, but was hoping Roseblood would be better - it wasn't. Basically, I found the story long and boring, and, tbh, should've DNFed it and not wasted any more of my time.
Roseblood is a retelling of The Phantom of the Opera, one of my favourite musicals, with a twist. It's somewhat of a sequel, with the original phantom still playing a large part, but the main characters are Rune and Thorn. Rune arrives at Roseblood school, hoping she would manage to get over her affliction when it comes to operatic music, when, really, there's an ulterior motive for her being there. The Phantom has drawn her to the school, because he believes her to be a reincarnation of Christine, and he wants her. Thorn, the adopted son of the Phantom, has a central role to play in this, but he falls in love with Rune, for himself.
I'm sorry, but I can't really say anything positive for this book. The writing was confusing at times, and unnecessary at others. So much was drawn out, as if it would make it more dramatic, but it only made it tedious. You could see all the twists and turns a mile off. Nothing was exciting, and it would have saved me a lot of grief if I dropped the book when I had the chance.
The romance was cringy, and I didn't see the attraction between them. It was more forced than natural, and sometimes creepy. Rune was an awful MC, and I sometimes found myself wishing that the Phantom succeeded in his wish.
All in all, there was nothing I liked about this book, and I couldn't recommend this at all, without feeling bad. I don't think I'll read anymore of Howard's books in the future.
I don't ask much of a book. It doesn't have to be perfect for me to enjoy it. I can plow through wonky world building if I like the characters, I can tolerate annoying characters if the world is fascinating enough, and I can deal with questionable plots if I love the writing itself.
This book has none of that. The writing is ornate and melodramatic, with words pulled out of the thesaurus sprinkled with words like "pecs" and "chill". A large part of this book is written in first person, from the perspective of an 18 years old American girl and the writing doesn't really fit her. The characters are cliche and the same teenagers from every forgettable TV movie. The mean popular girls, the nerdy protagonist, the beautiful mysterious boy, the hot teacher, the good teacher, the bitch teacher. There are some POC but I feel they're more for ticking the "representation matters" box. The world building is mediocre fanfiction level. There is just no good way to convey the modern Victorian aesthetic in the real world. None. Dramatic abandoned theatres, Victorian uniforms and red bleeding roses may look cool in a symphonic metal music video, but can't really be fitted in any other setting, in my opinion. The whole premise is weird and far-fetched and with such a wonky base, there was no way for this book to convey a serious story. It's not credible and the hardships the characters face are laughable.
Way too many clothes descriptions. Way. Too. Many. Unless the character is walking on glass, I don't need to know what shoes they're wearing; I don't need to know the specifics of an outfit unless it's actually important to the plot. I have an imagination of my own. It's incredible how much the pace suffered because of the large chunks of description.
The character of the Phantom was the only interesting one. However, like many (probably all of them, sadly) Phantom of the Opera adaptations, this book does romanticize the relationship between Erik and Christine, in probably the most disturbing way I've read so far. It's just... Not Good.
I wish I could say something good about this book. I know it takes work and time to write a book and I hate to be so negative about it. But everything that could've been wrong with this novel was. It was a weird idea executed pretty terribly and it had me roll my eyes at every page. It sounded interesting, but was ultimately disappointing.
This book has none of that. The writing is ornate and melodramatic, with words pulled out of the thesaurus sprinkled with words like "pecs" and "chill". A large part of this book is written in first person, from the perspective of an 18 years old American girl and the writing doesn't really fit her. The characters are cliche and the same teenagers from every forgettable TV movie. The mean popular girls, the nerdy protagonist, the beautiful mysterious boy, the hot teacher, the good teacher, the bitch teacher. There are some POC but I feel they're more for ticking the "representation matters" box. The world building is mediocre fanfiction level. There is just no good way to convey the modern Victorian aesthetic in the real world. None. Dramatic abandoned theatres, Victorian uniforms and red bleeding roses may look cool in a symphonic metal music video, but can't really be fitted in any other setting, in my opinion. The whole premise is weird and far-fetched and with such a wonky base, there was no way for this book to convey a serious story. It's not credible and the hardships the characters face are laughable.
Way too many clothes descriptions. Way. Too. Many. Unless the character is walking on glass, I don't need to know what shoes they're wearing; I don't need to know the specifics of an outfit unless it's actually important to the plot. I have an imagination of my own. It's incredible how much the pace suffered because of the large chunks of description.
The character of the Phantom was the only interesting one. However, like many (probably all of them, sadly) Phantom of the Opera adaptations, this book does romanticize the relationship between Erik and Christine, in probably the most disturbing way I've read so far. It's just... Not Good.
I wish I could say something good about this book. I know it takes work and time to write a book and I hate to be so negative about it. But everything that could've been wrong with this novel was. It was a weird idea executed pretty terribly and it had me roll my eyes at every page. It sounded interesting, but was ultimately disappointing.