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A review by kristinaj13
Never the Roses by Jennifer K. Lambert
challenging
emotional
reflective
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
5.0
This book blew my mind!
Brief summary: The world of Never the Roses leaves all but royalty in tremendous, lifelong debt...including sorcerers. Oneira, her name assigned when she was bought from her parents and enrolled in the best magical schools, has been serving a queen in defense of her kingdom ever since her debt was purchased from school many decades before. Her role? To attack neighboring kingdoms in their dreams. She has killed countless people, military and innocents during her servitude. But now, she is free; having purchased her freedom with blood money from side jobs.
In her freedom, she seeks to escape from the world of man and die. She finds a serene escape in the forest where even the road is forgotten. She is cozied between the mountains and the sea. Her solitude is healing as she learns to garden, to prepare her own food, and along the way, is joined by magical creatures.
But she becomes bored and seeks out her former rival, Stearanos (stee-rah-nos). In stealing a book on cultivating the rarest rose known to man, she has complicated her life while also starting it anew.
Review:
I love this book! The narrators (Chloe Campbell and Shane East) absolutely made the book better than I could have imagined! In chapter transitions wherein the POV switches across a dream, the transition almost overlaps with one character's thoughts nearly overlaying the thoughts of the other.
I loved the elements of a morality play inherent in this book as well as the question overall of whether one can be redeemed from the evil they have previously done. Other questions asked include how the privilege of choice changes a life and whether everyone is worthy of love.
I would recommend this audiobook to anyone who loves a fantasy with teeth, one that encourages the reader to question their beliefs and assumptions, and those who get lost in the pages. Thank you to #NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook to provide an honest review.
Brief summary: The world of Never the Roses leaves all but royalty in tremendous, lifelong debt...including sorcerers. Oneira, her name assigned when she was bought from her parents and enrolled in the best magical schools, has been serving a queen in defense of her kingdom ever since her debt was purchased from school many decades before. Her role? To attack neighboring kingdoms in their dreams. She has killed countless people, military and innocents during her servitude. But now, she is free; having purchased her freedom with blood money from side jobs.
In her freedom, she seeks to escape from the world of man and die. She finds a serene escape in the forest where even the road is forgotten. She is cozied between the mountains and the sea. Her solitude is healing as she learns to garden, to prepare her own food, and along the way, is joined by magical creatures.
But she becomes bored and seeks out her former rival, Stearanos (stee-rah-nos). In stealing a book on cultivating the rarest rose known to man, she has complicated her life while also starting it anew.
Review:
I love this book! The narrators (Chloe Campbell and Shane East) absolutely made the book better than I could have imagined! In chapter transitions wherein the POV switches across a dream, the transition almost overlaps with one character's thoughts nearly overlaying the thoughts of the other.
I loved the elements of a morality play inherent in this book as well as the question overall of whether one can be redeemed from the evil they have previously done. Other questions asked include how the privilege of choice changes a life and whether everyone is worthy of love.
I would recommend this audiobook to anyone who loves a fantasy with teeth, one that encourages the reader to question their beliefs and assumptions, and those who get lost in the pages. Thank you to #NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook to provide an honest review.