Blood Rose Rebellion by Rosalyn Eves

Blood Rose Rebellion (Blood Rose Rebellion, #1)

by Rosalyn Eves

"A magical tale unlike anything you've read before." Bustle

"[A] richly imagined 19th-century historical fantasy." EW, A-

The thrilling first book in a YA fantasy trilogy for fans of
Red Queen. In a world where social prestige derives from a trifecta of blood, money, and magic, one girl has the ability to break the spell that holds the social order in place.

Sixteen-year-old Anna Arden is barred from society by a defect of blood. Though her family is part of the Luminate, powerful users of magic, she is Barren, unable to perform the simplest spells. Anna...Read more

Reviewed by Ashley on

3 of 5 stars

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What I liked:

* Very cool setting! It starts in London and moves to Hungary. Plus we see a few other places along the way (Austria).

* It was really interesting how magic was intertwined with the class system. The rich get magic, the poor do not.

* I loved the main character, Anna. What I loved most about her was how she needed some time to decide for herself what was ‘right’. She had people pulling her in different directions, trying to use her for different reasons. She struggled with figuring out what SHE felt she should do. I loved watching her go through that.

* Revolution!! It was really easy to hate people in control, which was kind of fun.

What I didn’t like:

* I didn’t love the writing. It just didn’t excite me that much, or I didn’t click with it. It wasn’t bad, I think it just didn’t quite sync with me.

* On a similar note, I didn’t get super invested in any of the characters (other than the MC, who I quite liked). There’s a romance, but it was kind of bland. There were a few other side characters, but I just didn’t feel for them. There are even a few deaths, but I felt NOTHING. I just couldn’t get invested. I wasn’t made to care about them.

* There were a few bits towards the end where I was like, ehh this is a bit weird.

Blood Rose Rebellion is a pretty cool book to read if you’re looking for magic intertwined with historical fiction, European cultures, and rebellion against some major dickwads!

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Reading updates

  • 5 January, 2017: Started reading
  • 8 January, 2017: Finished reading
  • 8 January, 2017: Reviewed