A review by jaedyn
The Rose Bargain by Sasha Peyton Smith

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense 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? Yes

4.25

Summary of review:

I so thoroughly enjoyed this book! The story was whimsical and exciting, and the ensemble of characters was so lovable it hurt. 

If you enjoy uncanny fae, riddles, strong female friend groups, soft love interests, and alternative universe Londons, this is the book for you!

The world and writing:

Smith’s prose is easy to read, making this the perfect book if you want to sit back and enjoy a gripping and romantic story. 

I thoroughly enjoyed the social structure and how the world was set up. However, don’t think too hard about it or it may start to crumble; but you could argue that about all fantasy.

I will say, though, that this book did feel like an American writing a romanticized version of England, which I found out it was. I don’t think you could find a Brit who would write a story about an upper-class protagonist trying to overthrow the Queen and country for the sake of equality. Nevertheless, I ate it up!

One thing I adored about this book is how it got darker and darker as it progressed. The Fae queen’s mannerisms became more uncanny as more was revealed about how the bargains work. I think we have been craving uncanny, horror-like fae and the publishing world is picking up on that!

Whilst there was little that I didn’t enjoy about this book, some of Smith’s writing felt a bit too modern, which took me out of the story. The turn of phrases felt removed from the period but this could be because Smith is American and I picked up on that! But this is just me being nit-picky.

Onto the characters:

I really enjoyed Ivy, she was a solid protagonist to carry you through the story, however, I wish that her relationship with the other characters was a bit stronger. The book is structured so that every few chapters you get the POV of another girl who is competing, and I feel like these were necessary to flesh out the characters, who would have fallen flat otherwise.

Additionally, I would have enjoyed more interactions between Ivy and her love interests! A couple more chapters would have hit the spot. 

Her love interests are adorably sweet! Even the “bad boy” read as charming and soft-hearted. I enjoyed this change of pace from the usual fae brutes we read about.

What I loved most about the ensemble cast was the fact that we had solid relationships between the female characters! We follow Ivy alongside 5 other girls within the competition, who build relationships as the trials continue. This was such a change of pace as I was fully expecting some 2012 girl-on-girl hatred and I was happily proven wrong. 

One thing I will note is that within the group there was a woman of color who was also queer. Whilst of course there is nothing wrong with this, this is something I have noticed within books by white authors; they will group the marginalized communities into one character. Notably, there are two WOC and two queer women within the competitors, and I don’t want to erase that here. My statement is more of a discussion that needs to be had about the publishing industry as a whole.

Overall, the author did manage to balance a massive cast incredibly well with limited POV changes. I for one have POV fatigue and was glad to have the majority of the book from Ivy’s perspective (although I think that might change a little in book two).

The Story

Before the book begins, Smith writes a note to the readers explaining how this book came to be during a tough time in her life. I’m not sure if this author’s note will be in the final copies of the book, however, it added to my experience. 

The story is indulgent, whimsical, and romantic. It’s not earth-shattering or world-view-changing, but it takes the reader on a fairytale journey that is exciting nonetheless. The plot was semi-predictable but I was hooked. Frankly, it has been a while since I read a book that was this fun! 

Conclusion: 

I massively enjoyed this book and even stayed up through the night to complete it! The turn the book made was exciting and I can’t wait to read the next one!!!