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A review by gaymoonreader
Blood Rose Rebellion by Rosalyn Eves
3.0
I would love to say that I absolutely loved this novel. But ultimately, this book fell kind of flat to me. Now it has a lot of potential. I think it started out pretty strong, and it was an interesting concept. I was really intrigued by the world and the magic system. That’s what originally intrigued by this novel, and it was why I wanted to read it. However, while the concept was super interesting, the execution of it wasn’t the best in the novel.
Let me explain. The magic system was pretty much mixing Catholicism with a little bit of magic. There was a government that was controlling the magic use and who was allowed to use it or even have it. Similar to your first communion, your confirmation evaluates how in tune you are with magic and how much you even have. I loved this concept because not only was it displaying the flaws in government control, and it was a different take on magic, different from anything I had read before. And while I did love the magic system, I had a problem with it being more like background noise. It just isn’t even part of the main focus. Next to all the drama that unfolds in this novel, it just wasn’t a big deal or even something that was explained a lot or touched upon, really. That was just really disappointing to me.
But I would say the main reason I just had such a problem with this was that nothing actually happened over the course of this novel. This is over four hundred pages with a plot that didn’t really go anywhere. It felt like a lot of filler. Pretty much the entire thing was nothing but filler. It felt like there was a lot of build up with no end result. Like we were waiting for this fantastic ending that just never came. The ending was very disappointing to me.
I also had a problem with the characters. I think that our main character Anna does go through some character development, but I had a huge problem with her character. The thing with this society is women are viewed as inferior, just something to look at it or to do tricks, and people who don’t have magic (like Anna) are treated like heretics in that society. Anna spends almost the entire book trying to do what is proper in society’s eyes. She tries to find a husband and tries to fit into society while ignoring those who want to fight back against this government and against this tyranny. Those who want a better world, and it just seemed like she didn’t care. This book just didn’t challenge that portrayal of women hardly at all, and as a feminist, that was something I had a big problem with.
I also just was not a fan of the romance. I didn’t get Anna’s appeal to Gabor. Like was it just that he’s a gypsy? Like I just don’t understand. His character, like many of the characters in this story, was just very one dimensional, and I did not feel any chemistry between them. I just never understood why she was so drawn to him and because of that, I just could not get behind the romance in this story.
One thing I did enjoy was the writing, however. I loved the simplistic style that Rosalyn had, and it did make it a little bit easier to get through the book. While it didn’t have the vivid descriptions and imagery I was expecting, I did enjoy how it made the book easier to read.
Overall, this book was just not for me. I didn’t like the plot or the characters. But I did enjoy her writing style. I’m not saying you all would not enjoy this. I think this book was just not my cup of tea. If you think this synopsis sounds interesting, then go for it, but I personally just did not enjoy this novel.
Let me explain. The magic system was pretty much mixing Catholicism with a little bit of magic. There was a government that was controlling the magic use and who was allowed to use it or even have it. Similar to your first communion, your confirmation evaluates how in tune you are with magic and how much you even have. I loved this concept because not only was it displaying the flaws in government control, and it was a different take on magic, different from anything I had read before. And while I did love the magic system, I had a problem with it being more like background noise. It just isn’t even part of the main focus. Next to all the drama that unfolds in this novel, it just wasn’t a big deal or even something that was explained a lot or touched upon, really. That was just really disappointing to me.
But I would say the main reason I just had such a problem with this was that nothing actually happened over the course of this novel. This is over four hundred pages with a plot that didn’t really go anywhere. It felt like a lot of filler. Pretty much the entire thing was nothing but filler. It felt like there was a lot of build up with no end result. Like we were waiting for this fantastic ending that just never came. The ending was very disappointing to me.
I also had a problem with the characters. I think that our main character Anna does go through some character development, but I had a huge problem with her character. The thing with this society is women are viewed as inferior, just something to look at it or to do tricks, and people who don’t have magic (like Anna) are treated like heretics in that society. Anna spends almost the entire book trying to do what is proper in society’s eyes. She tries to find a husband and tries to fit into society while ignoring those who want to fight back against this government and against this tyranny. Those who want a better world, and it just seemed like she didn’t care. This book just didn’t challenge that portrayal of women hardly at all, and as a feminist, that was something I had a big problem with.
I also just was not a fan of the romance. I didn’t get Anna’s appeal to Gabor. Like was it just that he’s a gypsy? Like I just don’t understand. His character, like many of the characters in this story, was just very one dimensional, and I did not feel any chemistry between them. I just never understood why she was so drawn to him and because of that, I just could not get behind the romance in this story.
One thing I did enjoy was the writing, however. I loved the simplistic style that Rosalyn had, and it did make it a little bit easier to get through the book. While it didn’t have the vivid descriptions and imagery I was expecting, I did enjoy how it made the book easier to read.
Overall, this book was just not for me. I didn’t like the plot or the characters. But I did enjoy her writing style. I’m not saying you all would not enjoy this. I think this book was just not my cup of tea. If you think this synopsis sounds interesting, then go for it, but I personally just did not enjoy this novel.