Reviews

Bryony and Roses by T. Kingfisher

donnaratcliff's review

5.0

A totally, delightful and fun read

sm_almon's review

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I'm running out of superlatives to apply to T. Kingfisher's books... this Beauty and the Beast-inspired fantasy romance is exquisite, and the darker elements of this story -

that rose is a really nasty one!

- add excitement and drama to the romance as well.  A more mature female main character and her entertaining relationship with her siblings enhanced my enjoyment of this story as well.  I loved this book and can't wait to continue my journey through the Kingfisher backlog.

kusine's review

dark funny mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

jellievayas's review

3.0

Not my favorite of Kingfisher's novels, but still a nice retelling of beauty and the beast

tiffany_sostar's review against another edition

4.25

I liked everything about this book except that Bryony is 17. She reads like mid-20s and that would have been better. 

liza_loo_who's review against another edition

adventurous funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

milavis's review

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

symbra9's review

adventurous funny hopeful mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

A magical and fun read that I loved. Full of gardening and humor with enough seriousness to take it all seriously. The ending was perfect!

chia_s's review

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

rene_gade's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

I love this book too much and can't wait until I forget the details so I can reread. The humour is there and the female main character is funny, resourceful, and has realistic flaws that don't make you roll your eyes and want to bash her over the head with a rutabaga. It is a lovely and fresh retelling of a classic story without reducing the characters to caricatures. The

naming of the first victim as Beauty was a bit too on the nose but in the moment I squealed happily

. I came to really love

House and I got a bit teary when it started falling apart while still trying to help them

. The secondary characters were a bit lackluster and I'm not sure why they were there as the inclusion didn't add to the story in a significant way. 
The ominous moments were written quite well and the love story was more show not tell which was nice. Looking back I suppose it's not very clear as to why

they would fall in love

but it still felt believable. 
Critiques: I wish the story would have leaned into the dark aspects a bit more bc they were so well done and teased. There is also no major character development as both main characters were pretty well rounded to begin with.
 I LOVE LOVE LOVE the fact that

Beast remains a beast in the end and that Bryony isn't specifically gorgeous

. I felt that really conveyed the point of the classic tale. While I was hoping for some more romance I understand that in this case it might not be everyone's cup of tea. I would suggest not trying to figure out the mystery and to just go along for the ride!