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kelsmomo's review against another edition
3.0
Anna lives in a world filled with magic--but only those who can pay the circle's price have access to it. Anna's family is well off and yet Anna is deemed barren--in fact any spell cast in Anna's presence goes awry! Without magic Anna is not accepted in the world of pomp and circumstance. All that begins to change with the circle takes a special interest in Anna. What is so different about her? What trouble may she cause?
In the beginning, this book seems like a cross between The Dark Days Club, and A Shadow Bright and Burning-- but hold tight because it holds its own.
In the beginning, this book seems like a cross between The Dark Days Club, and A Shadow Bright and Burning-- but hold tight because it holds its own.
ameyzeigler's review against another edition
4.0
Set against the backdrop of the Hungarian revolution, Eves spins a tale of magic, love and rebellion.
chrissie_whitley's review against another edition
2.0
Sporting a messy plot and a really uneven main character, Blood Rose Rebellion was a chore and I struggled to finish it. While the premise is interesting, and the setting should have potential, the ideas never really found their momentum and the main character, Anna Arden, remained static throughout.
Anna Arden apparently born without magic into a magical Victorian era, has been forbidden from entering Society because of this. Despite her higher class by birth, she's Barren—void of magical ability. She is selfish and self-centered in a way most MC's of high rank are, but she remains so throughout the book. She's frustrating and doesn't seem to have the ability to grow or learn from her mistakes. Even halfway through the book, Anna does the typical and overused, "I’m going to do this thing because I’m a strong young woman, even though it’s probably dangerous and stupid to go alone...I’ll show them."
The settings—Victorian England and then Hungary—should, by all rights, be interesting and atmospheric, but she hardly ventures out in England, offhandedly mentions Queen Victoria's magic, and, once in Hungary everything gets murky and misplaced—a mashup of other fiction seems to lend itself to the backdrop of the Hungarian countryside.
Anna takes forever to even consider something that it obvious, and all the predictable ideas are trotted out for the parade that is the build-up and ending. I have no interest in finishing this series. They just have interesting ideas and beautiful covers.
Anna Arden apparently born without magic into a magical Victorian era, has been forbidden from entering Society because of this. Despite her higher class by birth, she's Barren—void of magical ability. She is selfish and self-centered in a way most MC's of high rank are, but she remains so throughout the book. She's frustrating and doesn't seem to have the ability to grow or learn from her mistakes. Even halfway through the book, Anna does the typical and overused, "I’m going to do this thing because I’m a strong young woman, even though it’s probably dangerous and stupid to go alone...I’ll show them."
The settings—Victorian England and then Hungary—should, by all rights, be interesting and atmospheric, but she hardly ventures out in England, offhandedly mentions Queen Victoria's magic, and, once in Hungary everything gets murky and misplaced—a mashup of other fiction seems to lend itself to the backdrop of the Hungarian countryside.
Anna takes forever to even consider something that it obvious, and all the predictable ideas are trotted out for the parade that is the build-up and ending. I have no interest in finishing this series. They just have interesting ideas and beautiful covers.
kearstynt's review against another edition
2.0
This book started out well, but both the plot and character development ground to a halt mid-way through the book. Plot devices that should take up a handful of paragraphs got stretched over tens of pages and the author seemed determined for the characters to have the same conversations over and over in different parts of Europe. It would've been a much better book if whoever edited it took out all the redundancies and cut to the chase a little faster. The idea of the book is great; it's a pity that the execution ended up dragging on and on and on.
danizay's review against another edition
4.0
What a great debut novel! Looking forward to reading the rest of the series!
flaviathebibliophile's review against another edition
4.0
Having never read anything by Rosalyn Eves before picking up this book, I had no idea what to expect except that Blood Rose Rebellion would contain actual historical facts and places, and that there would be magic which the real world never possessed. I have to say that I was intrigued by this mixture, since I have read a lot of high fantasy over the years, and the only other historical YA + magic books that I came across are the Diviners series by Libba Bray, and The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell. None of those books took place during the Victorian era, however, which is one of my favourite eras, and I was very excited to see how Eves would portray and alter it in this first book of her series.
I can tell you now, that for someone who loves the Victorian era, and knows some details about it due to school, and research done simply out of pure curiosity, Eves really impressed me. I really appreciated that there was no modern colloquial phrasing which might have broken the spell on me, and that the dialogue and narrative were believable for that era. The manner in which fashion, people, culture, and locations were described was also credible for the Victorian era! It is quite evident that Eves has done her research, and I am a reader who always appreciate s when authors are thorough like this (particularly when it comes to history).
The magic system in Blood Rose Rebellion also quite intrigued me. It is unlike anything else that I recall coming across in my many years of reading, and I have to say that I am curious to find out more about it in the sequel, Lost Crow Conspiracy, and any book/books that follows/follow. I was not too surprised to find that the heroine, Anna, is different from all of the people around her, but I will admit that appreciated the manner in which this was handled in the book. Anna, as a character, was also likeable, which is a good thing, considering that she is narrating the book from the first-person perspective. I liked some of the other characters a little more and would have loved a peek into their thoughts as well.
And lastly, I would just like to talk a little bit more about the setting. As someone who loves the Victorian era, I of course love reading about Victorian England. However, I was very pleased to find that a good portion of the book actually takes place in Eastern Europe! The mention of Hungary in the book’s synopsis is actually one of the things that drew me to this series the most. A lot of the classical literature that I have read from the Victorian era doesn’t really leave British shores (and I will not count Bram Stoker’s Dracula because I found his representation of my home country, Romania, to be kind of …ethnocentric? If that’s even the right term.)
The only other YA book set in the Victorian era that left England (that I can recall) was Stalking Prince Dracula by Kerri Maniscalco, and I loved that it took place in Romania, and close to my birthplace too! Anyway, what I am trying to say is that, more historical YA set in the Victorian era should wander away from England a little more, and address some of the other places and events in the world, as Blood Rose Rebellion has done quite well. And I am eager to see what Eves will share with us in the sequel, Lost Crow Conspiracy (which I will be reviewing very soon).
I can tell you now, that for someone who loves the Victorian era, and knows some details about it due to school, and research done simply out of pure curiosity, Eves really impressed me. I really appreciated that there was no modern colloquial phrasing which might have broken the spell on me, and that the dialogue and narrative were believable for that era. The manner in which fashion, people, culture, and locations were described was also credible for the Victorian era! It is quite evident that Eves has done her research, and I am a reader who always appreciate s when authors are thorough like this (particularly when it comes to history).
The magic system in Blood Rose Rebellion also quite intrigued me. It is unlike anything else that I recall coming across in my many years of reading, and I have to say that I am curious to find out more about it in the sequel, Lost Crow Conspiracy, and any book/books that follows/follow. I was not too surprised to find that the heroine, Anna, is different from all of the people around her, but I will admit that appreciated the manner in which this was handled in the book. Anna, as a character, was also likeable, which is a good thing, considering that she is narrating the book from the first-person perspective. I liked some of the other characters a little more and would have loved a peek into their thoughts as well.
And lastly, I would just like to talk a little bit more about the setting. As someone who loves the Victorian era, I of course love reading about Victorian England. However, I was very pleased to find that a good portion of the book actually takes place in Eastern Europe! The mention of Hungary in the book’s synopsis is actually one of the things that drew me to this series the most. A lot of the classical literature that I have read from the Victorian era doesn’t really leave British shores (and I will not count Bram Stoker’s Dracula because I found his representation of my home country, Romania, to be kind of …ethnocentric? If that’s even the right term.)
The only other YA book set in the Victorian era that left England (that I can recall) was Stalking Prince Dracula by Kerri Maniscalco, and I loved that it took place in Romania, and close to my birthplace too! Anyway, what I am trying to say is that, more historical YA set in the Victorian era should wander away from England a little more, and address some of the other places and events in the world, as Blood Rose Rebellion has done quite well. And I am eager to see what Eves will share with us in the sequel, Lost Crow Conspiracy (which I will be reviewing very soon).
rallythereaders's review against another edition
1.0
Also posted on Rally the Readers.
* A copy was provided by the publisher for review.
1.5 Stars
I’ve been in the reading slump from hell since the beginning of the year, and I really, really, really hoped that Blood Rose Rebellion would prove to be the slump-breaker. Alas, it was not.
I started feeling iffy about this book very early on, and I should’ve just listened to my intuition and called it a DNF. I hate not giving books a fair chance, though, and by the time I realize that a book isn’t for me, I’ve already invested so much time in it that I might as well just finish it. That’s what happened here.
I had some rather big issues with the book’s protagonist, Anna. The novel quickly makes it clear that she’s yet another special heroine. Anna’s family belongs to the elite Luminate class, those who have access to magic. Despite her family’s lineage, Anna is Barren, unable to wield magic. She does, however, exhibit an ability to break spells, and jealousy drives her to inadvertently break her older sister Catherine’s spell demonstration during Catherine’s grand entrée into Luminate society. Anna losing it just because Catherine’s spell reveals they were crushing on the same guy, Freddy, irked me quite a bit, especially since Freddy, who doesn’t even have a large role in the book, proves to deserve neither girl’s heart in his limited page time. Anna then proceeds to continue mentioning Freddy every once in a while when he should have been long forgotten.
Anna also assesses every guy she meets as a potential love interest, including her distant cousin. Even when she finally settles her attention on one of them, it still feels insta-love-y. The romance here was a complete no-go for me. I also found Anna condescending, as well as self-pitying over her lack of magic. Although she sheds some of her superior attitude by the book’s end, it’s not gradual enough to really illustrate any character growth.
In addition to never clicking with Anna, the novel’s pacing made this a long, slow read. After the disastrous debut, Anna is shipped off from England to her grandmother’s native Hungary, where rebellion is stirring. Emphasis on the stirring, because nothing actually materializes for quite some time. The rebellion aspect is one of the book’s highlights; the revolutionaries are fighting for an independent Hungary and to break the Binding, the spell keeping magic in the hands of the upper class Luminate. It’s an interesting mix of history, politics, and fantasy, but it takes some time for the revolution to ignite. In the meantime, Anna waffles over whether or not to use her power to break the Binding, which for me was not compelling reading.
It’s almost always impossible for me to read past a main character I don’t connect with at all, and unfortunately, Anna’s character and narration just didn’t work for me. The magic and the way it was tied to the social order had potential, but the majority of the book focused on Anna’s ultra special special-ness and a romance that was pretty standard YA fare.
* A copy was provided by the publisher for review.
1.5 Stars
I’ve been in the reading slump from hell since the beginning of the year, and I really, really, really hoped that Blood Rose Rebellion would prove to be the slump-breaker. Alas, it was not.
I started feeling iffy about this book very early on, and I should’ve just listened to my intuition and called it a DNF. I hate not giving books a fair chance, though, and by the time I realize that a book isn’t for me, I’ve already invested so much time in it that I might as well just finish it. That’s what happened here.
I had some rather big issues with the book’s protagonist, Anna. The novel quickly makes it clear that she’s yet another special heroine. Anna’s family belongs to the elite Luminate class, those who have access to magic. Despite her family’s lineage, Anna is Barren, unable to wield magic. She does, however, exhibit an ability to break spells, and jealousy drives her to inadvertently break her older sister Catherine’s spell demonstration during Catherine’s grand entrée into Luminate society. Anna losing it just because Catherine’s spell reveals they were crushing on the same guy, Freddy, irked me quite a bit, especially since Freddy, who doesn’t even have a large role in the book, proves to deserve neither girl’s heart in his limited page time. Anna then proceeds to continue mentioning Freddy every once in a while when he should have been long forgotten.
Anna also assesses every guy she meets as a potential love interest, including her distant cousin. Even when she finally settles her attention on one of them, it still feels insta-love-y. The romance here was a complete no-go for me. I also found Anna condescending, as well as self-pitying over her lack of magic. Although she sheds some of her superior attitude by the book’s end, it’s not gradual enough to really illustrate any character growth.
In addition to never clicking with Anna, the novel’s pacing made this a long, slow read. After the disastrous debut, Anna is shipped off from England to her grandmother’s native Hungary, where rebellion is stirring. Emphasis on the stirring, because nothing actually materializes for quite some time. The rebellion aspect is one of the book’s highlights; the revolutionaries are fighting for an independent Hungary and to break the Binding, the spell keeping magic in the hands of the upper class Luminate. It’s an interesting mix of history, politics, and fantasy, but it takes some time for the revolution to ignite. In the meantime, Anna waffles over whether or not to use her power to break the Binding, which for me was not compelling reading.
It’s almost always impossible for me to read past a main character I don’t connect with at all, and unfortunately, Anna’s character and narration just didn’t work for me. The magic and the way it was tied to the social order had potential, but the majority of the book focused on Anna’s ultra special special-ness and a romance that was pretty standard YA fare.
mandylorian's review against another edition
2.0
It’s not that there was anything *wrong* with this book, but I just really didn’t get into it. I honestly was more interested in the side reading I did about Hungarian language and history than the actual story. I’m happy that it introduced me to a culture that I honestly had not spent much time thinking about before and would love to learn more. But I felt like it would almost have been a better story without the magical aspect, just a historical fiction about the interactions between different people groups in Hungary during a time of unrest and revolution. Not a bad book, but just not for me.
rachel_katherine's review against another edition
2.0
I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Blood Rose Rebellion is an alternate historical fantasy following sixteen-year old Anna. Anna is from an upper class magical society called Luminate, but she's barren and can't wield any sort of magic. After kissing the boy her sister is to marry, and destroying her sister's party by somehow breaking her spell, she's sent to Hungary with her grandmother where she kisses almost every boy she meets, and meets some Romanians who can wield magic.
There's a ton of potential for this book, and the idea of a historical magical 1800's Europe is really awesome! However, the characters are lack any sort of personality, the plot is super slow, Anna makes stupid decision after stupid decision, and there's too much info-dumping.
Blood Rose Rebellion is lackluster and formulaic. Some tropes you will see here are: love triangle/shapes, special-snowflake syndrome/the chosen one. Overall, I'm just unimpressed.
Blood Rose Rebellion is an alternate historical fantasy following sixteen-year old Anna. Anna is from an upper class magical society called Luminate, but she's barren and can't wield any sort of magic. After kissing the boy her sister is to marry, and destroying her sister's party by somehow breaking her spell, she's sent to Hungary with her grandmother where she kisses almost every boy she meets, and meets some Romanians who can wield magic.
There's a ton of potential for this book, and the idea of a historical magical 1800's Europe is really awesome! However, the characters are lack any sort of personality, the plot is super slow, Anna makes stupid decision after stupid decision, and there's too much info-dumping.
Blood Rose Rebellion is lackluster and formulaic. Some tropes you will see here are: love triangle/shapes, special-snowflake syndrome/the chosen one. Overall, I'm just unimpressed.