REVIEW: RoseBlood by A.G. Howard

In this modern day spin on Leroux’s gothic tale of unrequited love turned to madness, seventeen-year-old Rune Germain has a mysterious affliction linked to her operatic talent, and a horrifying mistake she’s trying to hide. Hoping creative direction will help her, Rune’s mother sends her to a French arts conservatory for her senior year, located in an opera house rumored to have ties to The Phantom of the Opera.

At RoseBlood, Rune secretly befriends the masked Thorn—an elusive violinist who not only guides her musical transformation through dreams that seem more real than reality itself, but somehow knows who she is behind her own masks. As the two discover an otherworldly connection and a soul-deep romance blossoms, Thorn’s dark agenda comes to light and he’s forced to make a deadly choice: lead Rune to her destruction, or face the wrath of the phantom who has haunted the opera house for a century, and is the only father he’s ever known. 

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NOTE: I reviewed this book on Goodreads during my hiatus, so it is not a recent review, but I wanted to post it onto my blog.

MY THOUGHTS
Oh boy. I loved LOVED the Splintered series! I was so excited to hear that A.G. Howard was writing another book! But I so very disappointed by this book. It was a strange read, as I was expecting, but the characters were dull and the plot was annoyingly cliche.

The book mostly follows Rune, a girl who is being sent to RoseBlood, a boarding school for opera students in Italy. Rune has an opera talent, one that she hates. She can't help but sing, but she gets ill every time she sings. At her school, she is bullied right away from peers and others. And she keeps seeing a masked man, one that she might have a connection with. She'll figure out (very slowly) how everything is coming full circle and realize the truth behind her ability.

Okay, so like her Splintered series, this book is not an actual retelling of the original story. Rune is familiar with the Phantom of the Opera tale and this takes place after the events in the original story. Despite my issues, I do think that A.G. Howard portrayed the tale in a unique way. Maybe not good unique, but certainly interesting. There was a lot of info-dumping though because apparently, Rune couldn't figure things out for herself.

Speaking of Rune, boy was she dull! She was a complete Mary Sue! I don't know anything from her personality, if she even had one. Just that she sings and that she has a tragic past. And she makes so many stupid decisions. There's a masked man following me around, leaving creepy clues for me to follow! I better follow the creepy clues! What the hell?! And her compulsion to sing! I understand that her singing can break glass, but couldn't she sing in the untended garden or something? [highlight to view spoiler] I seriously don't understand why she had to burst into the auditorium and interrupt the try-outs! She knew they were happening, she knew people would be pissed off! Again, go sing in the frexing garden where no one is and there is no glass she can break! [end of spoiler] Maybe I don't understand how opera works, but I still think she could've done things differently.

Now, the romance was the worst part. Thorn was our love interest and while he had an interesting backstory, he was also dull and I don't care how tragic his backstory is, that does not give him an excuse to be a creep. We get to see multiple chapters from his perspective, which was annoying. He is the Phantom's "son" and does his bidding. Which means he's cruel to Rune (for stupid reasons) but he lwves her so much because soulmates. He also stalks Rune throughout the entire book, watching her sleep and all that jazz. Rune even knows this and she's so chill because soulmates. I don't believe in soulmates, not one bit, and I didn't believe it in this book.

I mentioned how there was a big info-dump? Rune literally has to get everything explained to her all at once, not until the last hundred pages. Yes, it takes that long to get the party started. While I found some things unique, a lot of things were just ridiculous. [highlight to view spoiler]For some reason, I am stuck on the Aunt. So, she was the one who was bullying Rune? WHAT THE HELL?!! So, you want your niece to leave the school, I'll place a dead bird in front of her! I'll destroy her uniforms! Are you five???? Also, didn't Rune get into the school because of her Aunt? Rune mentions several times that there was a waiting list to get into the school and she was number one because her Aunt works there. If you didn't want your niece to go to the school can't you just, I don't know, not put her in the number one spot![end of spoiler]

Honestly, this book had so many cliches that I felt like I could tick off a bunch of YA paranormal tropes. Boarding school? CHECK. Dead parent? CHECK. Creepy romance? CHECK. "True love"? CHECK. Tragic backstory? CHECK. Attractive but misunderstood love interest? CHECK. Mean Girl? CHECK. Makes sudden friendships (even though life doesn't work that way)? CHECK. I could go on and on. I think the only cliche that isn't in there is a love triangle.


IN CONCLUSION
When I first started this review, I gave this book 2 stars but I am having such a hard time finding positives. There are so few. I am so disappointed in this book. I am such a fan of Splintered and I hope that A.G. Howard's next book will be in the vein of Splintered, not this. Do I recommend this book? Definitely not! But it looks like readers will either love it or hate it, so good luck to you!

I hereby give this book

1 Star

Meaning: I did not like it

REVIEW: The Forbidden Wish by Jessica Khoury

She is the most powerful Jinni of all. He is a boy from the streets. Their love will shake the world... 

When Aladdin discovers Zahra's jinni lamp, Zahra is thrust back into a world she hasn't seen in hundreds of years -- a world where magic is forbidden and Zahra's very existence is illegal. She must disguise herself to stay alive, using ancient shape-shifting magic, until her new master has selected his three wishes.

But when the King of the Jinn offers Zahra a chance to be free of her lamp forever, she seizes the opportunity—only to discover she is falling in love with Aladdin. When saving herself means betraying him, Zahra must decide once and for all: is winning her freedom worth losing her heart?

As time unravels and her enemies close in, Zahra finds herself suspended between danger and desire in this dazzling retelling of Aladdin from acclaimed author Jessica Khoury.

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MY THOUGHTS

I've read all of Jessica Khoury's books, and enjoyed them, but this one is by far my favorite. Honestly, I loved this book! It's such a fantastic retelling and really, I loved everything about it! I'll try to write this review without flailing.

Zahra's been trapped in her lamp for hundreds of years, ever since she betrayed her best friend and an entire kingdom was lost because of it. Then she is awakened by Aladdin. She's awakened into a world where Jinni, like herself are considered monsters and she has to remain hidden. As she waits for Aladdin to make his wishes, she begins to fall for him, which becomes a problem. Not only because in order to be free, she has to betray him, but the last time she loved someone, an entire kingdom was destroyed.

This may be a retelling, but the story was still very imaginative. You can still see parts of the original tale, but Khoury really did build her own world and it was fantastic! I loved how the Jinn were represented and how there was a history included in the story. Honestly, I was so immersed in this story and this world that I couldn't put it down.

I loved Zahra and I loved her perspective. She interesting in general because she's a powerful Jinni that's hundreds of years old, but she's also tough and just downright amazing. She's also obviously troubled by her past and struggling with how much she wants to be freed, so she's not without her flaws, but she was still so strong and I felt like her character growth shone in this book.

I usually am annoyed with romances in most books. It's just so hard for me to actually like the romance in a book! But in this book, I loved it. I shipped it! There was no cheesiness, insta-love, and other common factors in YA. The romance was slow and felt real, as odd as that sounds for a fantasy book.

IN CONCLUSION

Overall, this was an amazing book! I thought it was an imaginative retelling and I absolutely couldn't put it down! I loved everything! The characters, the world, the writing, the romance, everything! I strongly recommend this book! And now I'm just going to cry a little because this book is a stand alone and, boy, do I want a sequel.

I hereby give this book...

5 Stars!

Meaning: A new favorite!

REVIEW: Wendy Darling--Stars by Colleen Oakes

From the Best-Selling Author of Queen of Hearts comes a dark and mesmerizing twist on the beloved Children's Classic, Peter Pan.

Wendy Darling has a perfectly agreeable life with her parents and brothers in wealthy London, as well as a budding romance with Booth, the neighborhood bookseller’s son. But while their parents are at a ball, the charmingly beautiful Peter Pan comes to the Darling children’s nursery and—dazzled by this flying boy with god-like powers—they follow him out of the window and straight on to morning, to Neverland, a intoxicating island of feral freedom.

As time passes in Neverland, Wendy realizes that this Lost Boy’s paradise of turquoise seas, mermaids, and pirates holds terrible secrets rooted in blood and greed. As Peter’s grasp on her heart tightens, she struggles to remember where she came from—and begins to suspect that this island of dreams, and the boy who desires her—have the potential to transform into an everlasting nightmare. 

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I received an ecopy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

MY THOUGHTS
I love retellings of all kinds so when I saw this one on Netgalley, I was immediately curious! It took a little bit to get into this one, but the ending was very exciting and I enjoyed this book.

Wendy Darling is in love with the bookseller's son, Booth, but she can't be with him. Booth isn't of her class and it's forbidden. Wendy is about to sneak out to see him, when instead, a strange boy flies into the nursery. He promises adventure and a tantalizing world. Wendy and her brothers travel with him to Neverland and at first it seems to be an amazing adventure, but it turns out to be dangerous...

This book is obviously a retelling of Peter Pan. For a long while, there weren't a whole lot that felt like they were definite retellings. Sure, there were differences, but it felt more like Peter Pan being told from Wendy's POV. Still, I thought it was very well-done!

I liked Wendy as a character. She's not as strong as a character as I'm used to, but she's also a woman in the early 1900's, so she would be much different from what we're used to. I liked how she cared for her brothers. Though, John is a complete jerk, Wendy still cares (even though he doesn't deserve it). She also tried to care and protect Michael.

The romance with Booth didn't wow me. I guess I felt like the romance way too strong. I admit that I might've felt more if I saw the romance come to play, but the book obviously has to begin with their heavy feelings for each other already there.

I mentioned that the book didn't feel like it was a definite retelling for awhile. It was also very slow-paced in the beginning as well. Well, in the last parts of the book, the book gets very interesting and much more fast-paced. I love how it twisted the original story and how the book ended! Yes, there's a cliffhanger, but I loved how it gives us a strong basis of what the next book will include!

IN CONCLUSION
Overall, this turned out to be a great retelling! It took a bit to get really exciting, but I loved how it turned out. The ending makes me really want to read the sequel! I recommend this to fans of retellings and I am definitely continuing this series!

I hereby give this book

3.5 Stars

Meaning: I liked it, but it wasn't quite amazing.

REVIEW: The Ugly Stepsister by Aya Ling

When Kat accidentally rips apart an old picture book, she's magically transported into the world of Cinderella--as Katriona, one of the ugly stepsisters! Life turns upside down now that she’s a highborn lady and must learn how to survive the social season, including how to get through the door in a huge metal hoop skirt. To get back, she'll have to complete the story, right to the end of happily ever after. But the odds are huge: the other stepsister is drop-dead gorgeous, the fairy godmother is nowhere to be found, and the prince, despite being insanely hot, openly dislikes balls. Can she ever return to the modern world?

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I received an ecopy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

MY THOUGHTS
I'm a bit of a sucker for fairytale retellings, so I snatched this one up right when I saw it! I thought this was a very interesting take on a well known tale and I got sucked in (ha ha) right from the start! This book can now go down as one of my favorite retellings!

Kat is told to clean out the attic and comes across an old stash of picture books, when she accidentally rips one of the books, she gets sucked into the story. Now she has to play out the tale of Cinderella, all the way to the happy ending. But she's not Cinderella, she's one of the stepsisters and nothing seems to be following the story. Since when does Cinderella have another family? Where is the fairy godmother? And why is the prince taking an interest in Kat?

This book was actually very unexpected for me, because it's a retelling but not a strict retelling. I actually enjoy this, even though it made things more difficult for Kat, because it maakes the story completely new and it just all-in all surprised me. There were other things that I weren't expecting, like the child labor, but it did oddly add more to the book. It made the setting feel more real, not all rainbows and butterflies, and also added more to Kat's character.

Kat is actually a very relateable heroine. One might think she's just another one of those YA girls that think they're ugly and awkward, but not. She's not an ugly girl, and she thinks she's more average, but she's cast as "the ugly stepsister" because of how she thinks of herself. I say she's relateable because a lot of girls, me included, feel awkward and whatnot. I also say she's relateable because she likes to read!! I love characters who read! One other thing important about Kat is that she will stand up for what's right and against what's wrong, hence the child labor thing, and all throughout the book she tried to finish the story to get home to her family, even if she was finding her own happiness.

As for romance, I actually really liked it. It was a bit confusing,, because you want things to happen, but you don't think they will or things will work out differently, but there was no insta-love or other cheesiness that you would expect and I actually really liked the guy.

Now, I wasn't the biggest fan of the ending. I'm being vague, but I knew it would end that way, sort of, but it doesn't mean I didn't like it. It also included a trope I hate in books. <highlight to view spoiler>I hate it when characters lose their memory of the entire book!! If you're going to go that route, why not have Kat see a guy at school who is like the prince or something?<end of spoiler>

IN CONCLUSION
Overall, this was a brilliant retelling and it was very different! I think my only major problem that I had was the ending, but I'll just pretend that it didn't end that way.
Anyway, if you're a retellings fan, pick this one up!

I hereby give this book

4 Stars

Meaning: It was amazing!