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A review by krystalreadz
White Rose Painted Red by Elena Lawson
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This was really good. Reading the blurb I thought this was going to be more toxic than it was which was good for me. So many why-choose series with this kind of scenario (girl indebted to group of dudes for some reason) tend to be really toxic and manipulative toward the FMC. Not here, at least for 2 out of the 3 guys.
Aurora comes into her own. Seven helps her embrace the darker parts of herself born from her trauma. Eli gives her someone soft enough to take care of her - something she never really got in life. By the end she’s strong enough to fight Atticus back, using her voice and power.
Eli and Seven are a dream. They have their issues but man do they care about Ro. The bat scene with Seven.. good loooord it was so good. It really showed how crazy he is but then you know why he did what he did and you see how much he can still care for people. Eli is just a softy dealing with so many regrets making him think he’s not good enough but how he shows up for Ro and her showing up for him confirms he is enough.
Atticus needs fucking therapy and a Xanax. Seriously. The paranoia is a problem. He is so short sighted, quick to temper, and close minded. He’s a manipulative POS and I’m glad Ro put him in his place. It’s the least he deserves. I do hope there is REAL groveling in the next book. Not a few moments of kindness and another apology and bam all is good. I need him to crawl for this girl.
Some things that bothered me were the booktok reference, the constant sleep token references, and the abrupt ending. The booktok and sleep token references made it too close to reality for my liking and it just felt a little too on the nose. I do prefer this type of ending over a betrayal or possible death type cliffhanger, but at the same time it feels like it just stops. Given what happened, there isn’t going to be resolution but I think it could have wrapped up better and give a better sense of finality to part 1.
Aurora comes into her own. Seven helps her embrace the darker parts of herself born from her trauma. Eli gives her someone soft enough to take care of her - something she never really got in life. By the end she’s strong enough to fight Atticus back, using her voice and power.
Eli and Seven are a dream. They have their issues but man do they care about Ro. The bat scene with Seven.. good loooord it was so good. It really showed how crazy he is but then you know why he did what he did and you see how much he can still care for people. Eli is just a softy dealing with so many regrets making him think he’s not good enough but how he shows up for Ro and her showing up for him confirms he is enough.
Atticus needs fucking therapy and a Xanax. Seriously. The paranoia is a problem. He is so short sighted, quick to temper, and close minded. He’s a manipulative POS and I’m glad Ro put him in his place. It’s the least he deserves. I do hope there is REAL groveling in the next book. Not a few moments of kindness and another apology and bam all is good. I need him to crawl for this girl.
Some things that bothered me were the booktok reference, the constant sleep token references, and the abrupt ending. The booktok and sleep token references made it too close to reality for my liking and it just felt a little too on the nose. I do prefer this type of ending over a betrayal or possible death type cliffhanger, but at the same time it feels like it just stops. Given what happened, there isn’t going to be resolution but I think it could have wrapped up better and give a better sense of finality to part 1.