Stain

by A. G. Howard

After Lyra—a princess incapable of speech or sound—is cast out of her kingdom of daylight by her wicked aunt, a witch saves her life, steals her memories, and raises her in an enchanted forest . . . disguised as a boy known only as Stain. Meanwhile, in Lyra’s rival kingdom, the prince of thorns and night is dying, and the only way for him to break his curse is to wed the princess of daylight—for she is his true equal. As Lyra finds her way back to her identity, an imposter princess prepares to steal her betrothed prince and her crown. To win back her kingdom, save the prince, and make peace with the land of the night, Lyra must be loud enough to be heard without a voice, and strong enough to pass a series of tests—ultimately proving she’s everything a traditional princess is not.

• ISBN13: 9781419731419
• Publish Date: 15 January 2019 (first published 10 January 2017)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Abrams
• Imprint: Amulet Books
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 528
• Language: English
• URL: https://abramsandchronicle.co.uk/book/9781419731419-stain/

Reviews

[alindstadtcorbeax]

Star Rating: —> 5 Stars


Oh my Godddddddd this was so infreakingcredible I want to shout from the rooftops about it. Like knock door to door, "excuse me, sir? ma'am? you absolutely need to read this book. Take my word for it. It's ridiculously good; pinky promise. Just do it."

It should work. I mean, i'm credible AF. But seriously though guys, this gave me the best gothic fairytale vibes EVER. It was SUCH an amazing plot with amazing characters and world building and magicccccc and I CAN'T SHUT UP ABOUT ITTTTTTTTT.

Just read this one, kids.

[cornerfolds]

Read more of my reviews at Cornerfolds.com!

It's no secret around my blog that A.G. Howard is one of my absolute favorite authors. I fell in love with the Splintered series in 2014 and have loved everything she has written since. I also adore fairytale retellings! When I heard about Stain, I knew there was a good chance it would be one of my top reads of 2019, and I'm pretty sure I was right.

This haunting story is about Lyra, princess of the kingdom of daylight, and Vesper, prince of the kingdom of night. Each is a misfit in their own land, but are promised to each other in order to bring peace between the kingdoms. Lyra cannot speak, but has the voice of a songbird, and cannot go in the sun without being burned, while Vesper has daylight in his blood. After Lyra's father dies, her aunt schemes to take back the throne and casts Lyra into the Ashen Ravine, the place between the day and night kingdoms, where she's raised with no memory of her true identity.

I loved Lyra so incredibly much! Contrary to what you might think, Lyra is not a character who would feel a pea beneath a pile of mattresses. She is strong and scarred and powerful. This book begins with Lyra's childhood and I loved every minute spent with her, watching her grow into a strong woman willing to do anything to protect those she loved. Then there's Vesper, the handsome, mysterious, swoon-worthy prince of night and Lyra's betrothed. Their romance is extremely slow burn, but oh so worth it in the end! It easily could have fallen into instalove territory, but A.G. Howard did an incredible job of making it work without that terrible trope.

Of course there was a whole host of other fantastic characters. Two of these are Crony and Luce, a witch and wingless, shape-shifting sylph who raised Lyra for most of her childhood in the Ashen Ravine. I enjoyed them both, especially Luce, who had such an interesting backstory and a sly, snarky personality. But my favorite was Scorch, a fiery Pegasus and Lyra's unlikely friend in the Ashen Ravine! Their friendship was possibly one of my all-time favorites. The villainous evil queen and her daughters were delightfully evil - the exact kind that you cannot wait to see meet their demise!

While I absolutely fell in love with the characters, my favorite part of Stain was the world building. This book is long and I can definitely understand why after encountering such an intricate, well-written world. The mythology was thoroughly fleshed out and made everything feel that much more real. I felt like I could picture it all in my head! There were so many different creatures and magical details that all came together in a way that really worked. The kingdom of night was definitely my favorite. I would love to see some fanart of that stunning land of night and ice and thorns.

A.G. Howard really did an incredible job at creating a beautiful, gothic retelling that's an entirely new take on a classic. The writing was lush and felt like a fairytale. There were twists that I never saw coming and, although the beginning is a bit slow while detailing Lyra's childhood, I never became bored. And, like any good fantasy book, this one has a wonderful, detailed map that I'd love to have as a poster!

Stain was everything I was hoping it would be and more! The world and characters were incredible, and very quickly fell in love with the beautiful writing. Although this book does have a nicely wrapped up ending, I would definitely love to see more stories written in this fantasy world! If you're a fan of retellings or YA fantasy in general, you don't want to miss this book!

[Katie King]

No. Just no.

And they easily could have cut 75+ pages. *Should* have.

[Liz (Bent Bookworm)]

~*Full review here on The Bent Bookworm!*~

Guard your throats and hide your eyes. He’s not dead, you fools. Legends never die.

^It’s pretty much this dramatic, but thankfully Rune does not share Christine’s affinity for swooning.

Roseblood is a modern gothic novel. And by gothic I mean “portentously gloomy or horrifying.” Not to insult anyone’s intelligence or anything, but I think a lot of readers were expecting something else and when they got over-the-top-gothic-romance they felt kind of let down. Now to me, that sort of book is like a dark chocolate truffle – I don’t read them that often, but when I do I thoroughly enjoy them! This book was exactly what I was expecting after The Architect of Song.

Characters:

First of all. All her weird abilities/paranormal stuff aside – I LOVE RUNE. SHE KNITS TO KEEP HERSELF CALM AND THE BIGGEST MARK OF HER AFFECTION IS HER MAKING SOMETHING FOR YOU. Ahem. Please excuse all the yelling but the girl is my sister from another mother, I swear. She gets it. She’s a maker, and I love her. Even if she makes some seriously DUMB choices partway through the book. Because of course agreeing to be blindfolded and driven away to a rave is the epitome of smart decision making…oh to be so young and optimistic again. Rune’s problem is unique in the books I have read (not the reasoning behind it that’s eventually revealed, but I’m not giving spoilers). and at times seems a little bit…silly. But I can feel her pain and the embarrassment it causes her.

Then there is Thorn, who is very attractive and has the saddest back story ever and of course melts our collective heart with his wounded hero-ness. He’s not perfect, which is nice – he’s made some rather crappy choices in life and even though he tries to make amends and be a good person there are all those dark shadows. I like to consider myself immune to wounded heroes, but the truth is…I’m just not.

World-building:

Ahhhh! The setting is the definition of atmospheric. Rune’s boarding school is set in an old theatre, complete with lonely hidden rooms and dingy passages, old gardens and older chapels. I adore it. I want to live in the gardener’s hut. *wink wink* You’ll have to read it to find out about the hut…Oh, did I mention it’s set in Paris, France? So jealous. I want to visit Europe sooooo badly.

Plot:

I never lost my interest, all the way through this story. Considering I read this in the middle of one of the worst reading slumps I’ve had in a couple of years, that’s quite an accomplishment. The plot is a little predictable, as most romances/gothics are, but I didn’t think it was so much so as to make it unenjoyable! Also, while this is more of a sequel, of sorts, to the original Phantom of the Opera, there are enough similarities to leave few surprises for someone familiar with the original. Thankfully though, Rune is not the hapless, vapid Christine. I liked the way it was resolved and I really wish there was going to be a sequel!

5/5 stars, 3/5 flames because phew, Rune and Thorn do get the blood flowing just a little bit! If you need a chocolate-truffle-brain-candy sort of book, I highly recommend Roseblood and another of A.G. Howard’s books, The Architect of Song! Oh, and this book would be a PERFECT atmospheric read for Halloween, especially if you’re participating in the Halloween Read-A-Thon. 😉

[Briana @ Pages Unbound]

I haven't read anything else by A. G. Howard, but I've heard a lot about her "lyrical prose." Because of this, I had high expectations, but I'm not sure they were met. I admit that I think a lot of prose in YA literature is unsophisticated (Sorry! I do still love YA!), so Howard's stands out as pretty solid. Yet she has a tendency to pile on adjectives in a way I don't personally find either interesting or convincing. I love descriptions of nature from authors like L. M. Montgomery because I can believe that Montgomery knew a lot about plants and spent a lot of time outside observing and loving nature. Howard, on the other hand, is the type of author who seems to think that calling a rose lush, vibrant, breathtaking, etc. (all in the same sentence) is a substitute for making me think she really knows or particularly cares about roses. I don't really have issues with her prose, but I wouldn't say it's a primary draw of the novel.

I found the plot semi-interesting as I was reading, but ultimately cliche. Or a bit ridiculous. I admit I may have laughed at some points. I guess I was expecting something different after seeing many readers rave about Howard's Splintered series, but I feel I got a very typical YA book in RoseBlood, starting with the protagonist with unique magical power going to an elite boarding school abroad (which, of course, she does not want to attend) and going downhill from there. The climatic reveals were often the most cliche and funniest (but I won't get into spoiler territory). Finally, I thought the fantasy elements were not very cohesive. It was like reading a book where you think the world is mostly normal. But then there are unicorns. But also elemental magic. Oh, but reincarnation. And also some gods. But maybe vampires, as well. (These are just examples and not actually what happens in the book.) I just wanted a better overarching view of how the world works and how all these things go together.

The characters may be the best part of the novel. (And the cat.) While Rune does have a lot of YA protagonist tropes going on, I think she's interesting and ultimately likable. She's overly dramatic at times, but one can see where she's coming from, and she tends to have a good heart. The other characters at the school have a range of personalities: mean girls, swoonworthy guys, girls with thieving tendencies. Watching Rune's friendships blossom was very nice. The only oddity is that this elite French school apparently accepts only American students. I guess I was hoping for some more international diversity, since that seems like a large point of anyone bothering to study abroad.

I do not, however, think the Phantom aspects of the novel were particularly well-done. Now, I admit that adaptations of classic literature mean that authors can take liberties with their inspiration. I think that Howard did her research and knows a lot about The Phantom of the Opera--book,movie, musical, etc. I just didn't buy her interpretations of the Opera Ghost character or her insistence that he and Christine actually had a really amazing relationship of true love that only ended because of youth and Christine's naivete. I mean...the Opera Ghost, in the novel and even the romanticized movie, was clearly manipulative, abusive, etc. so the true-love narrative is a bit cringe-worthy to me.

I also think it's hard for RoseBlood to really have any mystery or Gothic feel when Howard is giving readers two points of view, Rune's and Thorn's. The thing that makes Gothic novels actually suspenseful is the not-knowing. What's happening? Who's causing it? Is any of it even real, or is the protagonist imagining things? The space between thinking something truly supernatural is going on or thinking that there must be a "reasonable" explanation is where you hook readers. RoseBlood has none of that because Howard basically tells us what's going on the whole time by giving us the phantom's side of the story intertwined.

My ultimate thoughts about the book are a little complicated. Parts were great and other parts were not. I think my overarching feeling is satisfied indifference. I think this is a solid YA book. It's fun, entertaining, and has a romantic love interest. It also has a cute cat. I just don't think it's particularly original.

[girlinthepages]

Full Disclaimer: I was hooked on this book from the moment I heard it was being released because I spent a pivotal portion of my pre-teen years obsessed with The Phantom of the Opera. The movie version with Emmy Rossum came out when I was in middle school and I was introduced to it by my choir teacher and my obsession was born (it wasn't hard considering the protagonist's name is CHRISTINE and then there was me, aspiring little alto, CRISTINA). A few years later my mom took me to see the live stage production in Las Vegas that was done in the special theater in the Venetian that was literally made for the show (falling chandelier on the audience and all!) and I was even more enamored. Now I will admit that I haven't yet read the entirety of the original story by LeRoux (it's on my never-ending TBR) but I was THRILLED to get Roseblood as a Christmas gift from Max to reignite my Phantom obsession.

Now, to be fair while Roseblood draws a lot of inspiration from The Phantom of the Opera, it's not as much of a retelling as it is a sequel. The Phantom is definitely present, but the focus is more on Rune (our "Christine" character) and Thorn, the Phantom's adopted son. Rune has a very twisted and tragic family background that eventually leads her mother to send her to an opera boarding school in France, as she's at a loss of what to do with a daughter is literally made ill by singing, yet has no choice but to purge songs from her body. At the conservatory Rune's musical affliction and tainted background lead her to a series of creepy encounters with Thorn and into the Phantom's plans.

Perhaps the best thing about this novel is Howard's writing. Whatever your thoughts are on the plot or characters, it's undeniable that the atmosphere and aesthetic are on point. It's dark and gritty and glamorous and the writing evokes just as colorful and vivid imagery as the cover does. It's also appropriately eerie, and while definitely not a "horror" book, I found there to be some deeply unsettling imagery at times, such as bleeding roses found in an unmarked baby's grave and empty IV tubes found in an abandoned chapel...see? Unsettling. (but no complaints here as it definitely worked with the story).

Without giving too much away regarding the plot, Roseblood is a novel that exists in the realm of several genres, including contemporary, romance, and paranormal. There's the contemporary elements of Rune settling in at her new boarding school, attempting to navigate the social circles and competitive atmosphere and exploring the grounds and halls of the mysterious opera house. For anyone who loves a good YA boarding school tale, this will definitely satisfy that craving. Yet as the book progresses, it delves more and more into the realm of the paranormal, with legends coming to life, ancient artifacts coming into play, magical raves drawing innocents into the underbelly of Paris, and, of course, labyrinths and underground lairs (because what would a Phantom story be without an underground lair and moat?) I enjoyed the paranormal twists as it's one of my favorite genres, however I do think that perhaps it could have done with one or two less paranormal elements and still been a strong story. At times there were so many paranormal things going on it was a bit hard to keep straight (I think the auras could have been left out, personally).

The novel is told in dual POVs, alternating between Rune and Thorn. While at times this POV shift was a little jarring, I appreciated that it allowed Howard to give not only her protagonist Rune a unique and eerie history, but it allowed her to flesh out a full backstory for the Phantom as told through Thorn's memories, going far more in depth than what you'd expect about his childhood and relationship with Christine. I appreciate how she wove in her retelling of the Phantom's background with other historical figures and occurrences, such as Saint Germain. It's a fantastically unique take on the Phantom.

One thing I will say is that this book took me a while to finish. It's not a fast paced plot but rather much more of a slow burn that favors rich, detailed setting over action or even dialogue. While at times this did end up succumbing to some info dumps, I found the story so compelling that I was willing to overlook these instances in favor of the unique information. This isn't a book to read if you're looking for a speedy bump to your Goodreads goal, but rather a story to be savored.

Overall: For a Phantom fan like me, Roseblood will delight with its Gothic atmosphere and unsettling details conveyed through rich and decadent descriptions. While it's admittedly an unconventional take that veers largely into paranormal elements, I still enjoyed the creativity and unique take on the tortured genius of the character of the Phantom. I adored this book and found only minor flaws that didn't inhibit my enjoyment of the book. And you're 100% right if you assumed that I've been listening to the Phantom soundtrack nonstop since I started reading Roseblood and through writing this review.This review was originally posted on Girl in the Pages

[whisperingchapters]

This review was originally posted on Latte Nights Reviews.


A Phantom of the Opera retelling? *grabby hands* I went crazy for this book's cover and then the synopsis! I was all for it, you guys! But then... I started reading the actual book and... I got bored. It was a snooze-fest for me. I tried and tried to keep reading, but it was impossible. Finally, I admitted defeat and marked it was DNF.

When I started the book, I was actually very intrigued by Rune and what she could do when she would hear some type of melody from anything. I wanted to learn more about her and her voice so I kept reading. When Thorn was introduced, I was all giddy, waiting for them to meet. Well, I couldn't even get to them meeting because everything moved at an extremely slow pace. I kept drowsing off, confusing the characters because I couldn't care for any of them. I simply wasn't liking anything. Nothing held my interest.

I got to the 29% and I was planning on reading some more to see if it could get better, but a blogger saved me from wasting my time! She shared her thoughts on her blog and I immediately read the review, which pretty much said what I thought: I wasn't going to get any better.

One thing that bothered me was that until the 29% mark, there was barely any dialogue! It was mostly just reading Rune's thoughts. I love when I get to spend time reading a character's thoughts but this took it to a whole other level. I haven't read any other book by this author, but I've heard this is her writing style, and it's definitely not for me. Maybe it could be a perfect read for you, though!

Overall, RoseBlood really disappointed me. I was looking forward to reading this retelling, but it kept boring me to no end.

I received an eARC from the publisher for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.This review was originally posted on Latte Nights Reviews.

[pagingserenity]

I received this book for free from NetGalley, courtesy of ABRAMS Kids in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. This review was first published at Paging Serenity.

RoseBlood is a modern spin-off of The Phantom of the Opera. The story is centered around Rune, a teenage girl with an extraordinary talent for opera. Rune is uprooted from her Texas home and sent to school in France, more specifically, a school that is housed in an old opera house that has ties to the Phantom of the Opera.

I thought RoseBlood was a pretty good read. It starts off a bit slow and Rune a little getting used to in the beginning, but overall I enjoyed reading her story. That being said, I feel like something is missing from it. It was a well-crafted novel, but there’s just this element that could have made it even better.

I really like the twist to the original story of The Phantom of the Opera. It was a really different and fresh take on an old story that incorporated its history as an explanation. But I felt like the plot was kind of unbalanced. In the beginning, it was a slow build and then things started to get more interesting in the middle of the novel. After that it was a really exciting read, only to end in a tacked on conclusion. The rest of the novel was full of descriptions and focused on Rune discovering things but at the end, the last chapter especially, it was just bam bam bam. It was like, okay no time left, just tell everyone instead of showing them.

The characters themselves were fun to read about. Their psychology and reasons for their actions is quite interesting once you solve the mystery of their backgrounds. The romance was interesting for another reason. You had your typical high school romances and then you had the concept of soul mates. I’m just going to stop there before I spoil anything.

In conclusion, I enjoyed reading RoseBlood. It was a refreshing take on The Phantom of the Opera and well written action with a shroud of mystery. But it was missing a spark that could have made it even better. For the most part I liked Rune and the romance, but felt like the plot was unbalanced and a little let down by the conclusion.

[Angie]

I received an ARC through NetGalley.

RoseBlood was not what I was expecting at all. Both in good and bad ways. Rune is being sent to a music conservatory after she puts a boy in a coma. Yeah, that sounds weird and it is. But Rune has this gift which might also be a curse. She's overcome by music and has to belt it out no matter what, and sometimes she hurts those around her when she does it. Obviously, Rune hates this and wants nothing to do with opera music. Until she meets Thorn, the opera ghost, who helps her overcome her "musical sickness" and uncovers some deep family secrets.

RoseBlood was just weird. The paranormal aspects simply didn't work for me at all. It was interesting to have the original Phantom of the Opera be an immortal incubus. It makes sense. But everything else does not. At all. Rune being compelled to sing whenever she hears an aria, and then promptly being sick afterward? Makes no sense. Rune being an incubus? Also makes no sense. Family trying to kill Rune because she's an incubus (but so are they, probably)? Definitely doesn't make sense. I really could have done without the paranormal additions.

What I did like about RoseBlood was how the author fleshed out Erik and Christine's story. Well, the "real" Erik and Christine, rather than the ones in the original story. I found all of that really interesting, sad, and kind of disturbing. I also liked Thorn's backstory, which was quite tragic. But the story happening in the present didn't hook me like that, which is unfortunate.

RoseBlood was one of my most anticipated releases and it sadly let me down. I love Paranormal Romance in general, but the paranormal elements here felt forced and random. I also couldn't get behind Rune and Thorn's romance. It was just kind of there and expected. Nothing grand or heart-fluttering about it.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

[nightingalereads]

I enjoyed reading it, but I wasn't nearly as invested in this story as I was with Splintered.