Cover Image: Rosemarked

Rosemarked

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3.5 stars

This is a slow, incredibly unique fantasy with great worldbuilding. I really enjoyed this book, especially the disease and poisons elements, and the fact that the main characters were a warrior and a healer. I liked their dynamic, too. I thought this was a stand alone, but I'll probably read the next book to see how their relationship develops. This has a lot of great elements too that makes me want to continue: the politics, the war, the different tribes of people, and the memorable characters. I'd definitely recommend it if you want a fantasy that isn't too fast, loud, or violent. This has a good balance of all that, but with slow moments too.

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This might not be as action-packed as other teen fantasy novels but I still enjoyed it. I liked the alternating POV chapters featuring a healer and soldier, and the plague angle with survivors either fully cured or destined to succumb a second (fatal) time was different. It was also refreshingly free from lots of teen angst so it felt a little more 'grown up' than some teen novels. Looking forward to the next one.

(ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley)

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Did not finish. I really wanted to love this book. especially with all the hype that it was getting but this book just wasn't doing it for me. I felt like it was a bit all over the place and scatterbrained.

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I'll start by saying I wasn't sure how much I'd like this book, if at all. But the premise was intriguing enough that I decided to give it a shot.

Now, if you're expecting a fast-paced, action-packed story, you may be disappointed. If you appreciate the slow build-up with a few tense moments tossed in, you'll enjoy Rosemarked.

Zivah is a healer. The youngest in her village/town and seemingly the most dedicated. After an unfortunate encounter with infected soldiers, she herself falls to the Rose plague. But worst of all, she becomes Rosemarked. This means that she will die within a year from the disease. She also has markings on her skin that identify her as such. Oh, she's also a carrier and therefore, still contagious. She is exiled to a cottage outside the village.

Dineas is a member of a warring tribe. He, too, came down with the Rose plague. But his results were far better. He became umbertouched. Meaning that he's immune to the disease.

Together, they combine to collect intel on the Amapran leaders and their plans. They don't like each other at first, but as the journey progresses, it's obvious they become more tolerant of each other. And possibly, actually develop a friendship.

I really enjoyed the "healing magic" aspect. It was something different in a fantasy. Plus, Zivah's knowledge of such added some great elements to the plot. And then there's the fact that she has to deal with her imminent death. But even more important is the way Dineas is dealing with his past. He's clearly suffering from PTSD and for the most part, I think it was handled well. I would have liked to see more of both emotional journeys.

There are several things I wanted and expected to happen. I feel like at some point in the continuation they might. I found the "twist" to be not so surprising. Nothing feels resolved, but as there's a second book it isn't so surprising. I do hope that the next installment will provide more answers and resolutions.

I saw this compared to An Ember in the Ashes and I can see that. But, fans of The Winner's Curse trilogy might enjoy it too. I feel like that may be a better comparison, too! I will definitely continue on with the series.

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What a super fun and sweet romance fantasy. I loved how the author played with memory in this book and the romance between the two main characters was wonderful. This book was featured in our November box as well.

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Rosemarked, the first book in a new fantasy series, introduces a plague ridden world where the authoritarian rule of the Amparans tyrannizes the people they subjugate. The story is told by Zivah, a Daran healer, who has contracted the rose plague when she treats infected occupying Amparan soldiers, and Dineas, a Shidadi soldier rebelling against Amparan rule. He has survived the plague and is now umbertouched or immune, but she is highly contagious and can expect a shortened life span. Because Zivah saved the life of the Amparan commander, she is invited to live in the Capital to heal other plague stricken Amparans. When the Darans ally with the Shidadi, the two are engaged as spies in order to find a weakness in the Amparan forces. Dineas infiltrates the Amparan military to learn the empire's plans for dealing with the rebels and then reports to Zivah in the Capital. As they join together to fight a mutual oppressor, Zivah and Dineas develop a deep affection for each other. The detailed world building and complex characters will engage readers in this tension filled page turner. The unresolved ending sets up the sequel Umbertouched, which will be released in 2018.

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This book had me hooked from the beginning! I read it in two days because I just could not bring myself to put it down. The character building is just so intense and I love the story that the author builds in this new world.

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It's a bit difficult to categorize a book like "Rosemarked." It has flavors of high fantasy in its world building but no magic (or apparent magic), while taking place in a land that is reminiscent of ancient Rome without being historical fiction. There is some romance, but not the sickly type, and the stakes are literally life or death. The characters also go through a crisis of identity, but they wrestle with issues not typically seen in a young adult novel. My preconceived notions eventually unraveled, and "Rosemarked" proved to be a story filled with subtlety and gray areas, with a fascinating struggle with morality and personal purpose.

The book follows the journey of a young healer, Zivah, and a tribal warrior, Dineas, who come together in an uncomfortable alliance to save their homeland from invasion by the Amparan empire. Both bear the scars of the deadly Rose Plague, while Dineas carries the additional wounds of torture under the empire's heavy hand. The story is told in chapters with alternating perspectives, which is similar to Blackburne's previous duology ("Midnight Thief"). Although this is a common devise in other YA novels, I found it became somewhat complicated by a later development in the book (no spoilers here) and therefore more intriguing. I resonated a bit more with Dineas' voice, which is filled with sarcastic wit and humor, but Zivah's internal turmoil, although more subtly parsed out, was more real to me and aligned with many of of my own experiences with longterm uncertainty.

While the start of the book was a bit slow for me, the narrative eventually reached a pace that kept my attention through the end. Some of the twists and turns were a bit predictable, but others were a surprise and kept me reading to see how things would pan out. I enjoyed seeing how Zivah and Dineas' initial black-and-white views developed to more balanced yet conflicted views, with the other characters' presence playing a strong role. In particular, I loved seeing Dineas' growing camaraderie with his fellow soldiers and Zivah's friendship with Mehtap. Mehtap ended up becoming one of my favorite characters in the book, although I wish there was a bit more fleshing out to her character.

The world of Ampara and Monyar is expansive, beautifully illustrated by the map included in the book, but in the narrative I wanted to learn more about the different people, their migrations, their cultures, and their influences outside of physical description. I was curious to learn more about some of the shared heritages revealed in the story, but the author often left these as asides rather than delving into them.

Rosemarked was one of my favorite reads of 2017, and I can't wait to see how Zivah and Dineas' adventure continues in the sequel!

Thank you for the opportunity to preview this book.

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A tale of political intrigue and espionage told in the alternating voices of two teens living under an oppressive regime. Zivah is a gifted healer who has trained her entire life to reach the level of a master. As she celebrates her achievement, a battalion of the occupying Amparan Army falls ill with rose plague, the contagious disease that kills most who contract it within a few days. A lucky few survive for a few more years, but they are “rosemarked“ with red blotches, contagious and forced to live apart from the general population. The luckiest few survive the disease and become “umbertouched”, covered with dark spots that indicate the person is completely cured and immune to further infection. Zivah herself falls to the disease, rosemarked and destined for a lonely and uncertain future. But she is remembered by the Amparan general whose life she saved; he rewards her with an offer to live in the capital and train with the medical experts there. As she ponders that offer, she meets Dineas, a young warrior from the rebel Shihadi tribe, who has escaped from the Amparan prisons. Umbertouched after his bout with rose plague, he is now on a quest for vengeance against the Amparan leaders. The two teens, so different in temperament and outlook are brought together by their tribal leaders to fight against the empire. Together, they travel to the capital to spy on and sabotage the rulers. They come to rely heavily on each other and a strong attraction begins to form as they work on their dangerous mission. Rosemarked is the first book in a new political fantasy/adventure series. The novel is slow to start but builds in intensity as the teens go deep undercover to strike against the oppressive regime. The novel explores such themes as social and racial prejudices, medical ethics and the fight of a conquered people against oppression. There is solid character development with heroes and villains who are nuanced and fully fleshed out individuals, each with positive and negative traits that humanize them and make them believable. Recommended for fans of tales such as The False Prince or Ember in the Ashes. The cliffhanger ending will leave readers waiting eagerly for the next volume.

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I did not expect this book to be diverse, but it was quite a pleasant surprise when I discovered it! I really did like this book. The characters and the world was well written and the plot was engaging and always interesting. I can't wait to read more of Livia's work!

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A healer who cannot be healed is joined by a soldier shattered by war, together they will take on infiltrating the Empire... When Zivah catches the deadly rose plague her life as a healer is cut off from her, in order to recapture her life and practice her art she will become a daring spy. After being tortured and thrown out with the garbage, Dineas will undertake a mission that will mean abandoning who he has become to change the future.

It took me quite a while after I finished this book to wrap my head around it... I requested it spur of the moment having NOT read the books marketing compares it to (The Lumatere Chronicles and An Ember in the Ashes), based solely on the emotional impressions the blurb gave me... I.E. MY GUT said to give it a go.

One of my main questions is... What genre is it?!
It is set in an alternate world, of a medieval nature, with an Empire honing in on other people's land. There is NO MAGIC, nor any fantasy or paranormal aspect or creature. It's not historical in nature but you can tell the writing was informed by a knowledge of world history. Due to the herblore and rampant plague I call this combination of world building fantasy realism.

It takes the realistic details of a fantasy world and plays them out without any of the actual fantastical elements. A pretty neat, almost slice of life sort of world if a fantasy world were real. Due to there being NO fantasy elements, there is conflict but it is a tone and pace to life in the real world rather than the bookish one. In fact, ALL of the drama, twists and conflict is more akin to realism or real life. So while there were two pretty mega twists they are "small beans" if you compare them to your typical fantasy story.

If magical realism is a favorite of your then this has a complimentary feel...

Can a "sort of" fantasy story be good without fantastical elements?!
YES! While the premise of an Empire dominating the area is not a new one, the details make it pop as well as the realistic nature of the story. Dineas' use of crows as messengers was pretty special! I LOVE the use of animals in stories, even common ones like birds! And his weaponlore positions him as the man who can infiltrate the army.

I was really quite taken with Zivah's knowledge of herblore and her use of poisons. She's been trained as a healer and uses all of her skills to help Dineas in his role as spy. These two elements are at the core of the story and plays out in spectacular "realistic" fashion. It is definitely a unique balance as you do have to suspend disbelief that his birds and her herbs can have this affect (look at the author's credentials!) but if you do then it makes events super compelling.

The plot though is well developed for both characters. Dineas must earn trust in the army and Zivah works in quarantine to find out about the outbreak in her area. And where those cross over there is a little something special brewing...

Obviously with two main characters, one of each sex, this is a romance, right?
Right, BUT do not expect the story to get swept aside for the romance! These two have NO REASON to fall in love. They each have some pretty bitter feelings toward life and love is NOT going to suddenly make everything they've gone through better. Again it was amazingly true to life without those hopeless tropes that make readers view romance in such an idealistic light!

There was NO love triangle, NO insta-love (far from it) and really if they hadn't both taken on this task to infiltrate the Empire they NEVER would have fallen in love! I know readers are looking for books with LESS LOVE but this truly is one of the best YA romances I've read as far as pacing of their relationship and the uniqueness of their circumstances! Plus we get both characters POV which is a really great change from it being solely from the female perspective...

The important question is... WAS IT GOOD?!
I quite loved it! Everything was well researched and well developed and the storytelling was spot on... A truly superior dual POV narrative! Each character rang true to the personality developed and had their own unique voice that sucked you into the POV. The skills a writer has are normally hit or miss, developed over a career but here our author seems to have those skills well in hand.

As a Reader...
I am CHOMPING at the bit to read the next book!! At the end of this book everything has gone to hell and so you have NO CLUE where this duology is headed... that excites me as I HOPE Blackburne is able to duplicate and heighten the special mix of details and realism that she captured so well in Rosemarked.

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DNF @ 38%

This isn't a <i> bad books</i> it just couldn't hold my attention. While reading this my mind would keep wandering and pulling it back to the book was a chore.

I do not know exactly what it is that keeps it from having my attention. I think I would have preferred more insight into the characters, although there is already so much given. Perhaps my biggest issue is that I felt most of the story is told at a surface level. While details are given, even about fictional diseases, antidotes, and animals, I did not feel like we were given a chance to dive into something. Every time I felt like I could settle in, the POV changed. Usually, I really like stories told in multiple POV, but it seemed to be used as a way to skip parts or not go into needless detail --which usually I'm all for.
So, I'm not sure why this book just didn't do it for me.

The healer and warrior characters, both with their own problems, will strike interest in many fantasy readers. The fact that this is fast-pace (kinda) with shorter chapters will also help the appeal factor. While there was not enough suspense for me, the adventure of the book can make for that.

So, I quit because I did not want to push myself through reading this and end up disliking it even more. Yet, this is one I would potentially suggest to others.

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I've discovered Livia Blackburne a couple of years back, on Twitter, and followed fascinated her blog, A Scientist's take on writing. I've followed her insights about the brain reactions to (good) writing and also had a look at Poison Dance, her novella, which I've found interesting but not perfect enough to make me very 'wow'-ish about it.
However, Rosemarked, a story following very different character, the healer Zivah and the soldier Dineas, brought together by fate and a strange malady spreading over an empire, is an outstanding literary YA fantasy achievement. Through words and well crafted actions, Blackburne created a fantasy world in itself, with its own borders, legacy and history, where the readers is subconsciously made part of and hard to leave at the end of the story.
'Everyone knows the stages of rose plague. First commes the fever and the delirium. It kills most people up front, though a few manage to stay of execution - their fever ebbs, and they regain their strength, but their rash stays red, which means they can still pass the disease to others. Those are rosemarked, and they're banished from society until the fever reclaims them a few years later'. Zivah is an experienced healer, with a deep knowledge of the natural and animal world and the potions that can be made using this knowledge, that caught the incurable illness, while Dineas is a traumatized soldier. Both of them are together on a spying mission against an oppressive kingdom. One can read the story as a fairy tale packed with actions and noteworthy moments of suspense, but also with at least few human questions: how to treat those different, especially sick ones? how to cope with death and afterlife? what is the responsibility of (mis)using an acquired knowledge under harsh polistical and social conditions? (Zivah's standpoint was: 'I can use my skills only to heal, not to harm (...)')
The writing is flowing and you are instantly wired to the action, especially in the last part of the story. The sentences are build in such a dynamic way, packed with verbs, which creates a good page turning reading pace. And when you are at the end of the book, all you wanna know is what's next. Enough to move even the laziest readers among us.
Last but not least, the cover is an outstanding choice too.

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Zivah is a talented healer but even she is susceptible when a deadly plague threatens her village. She saved the life of a famous General but falls ill herself. Out of gratitude the general sends her to work in the city where his own daughter is recovering. Contracting the plague results in three outcomes: you die, you survive with pale scarring and are immune from further contagion or you survive with Rosemarked skin, a sign that you are contagious, will have a recurrence and die before long. These last cases are treated like the lepers of old – shunned and feared. Zivah and the General’s daughter are both Rosemarked.

Blackburne makes the plague an essential part of the plot, a presence almost like a character. There is a realism here that makes the book stark and pointed. Romance takes a back seat and is subtle in presentation. Dineas is Zivah’s friend and he is a survivor who is able to be near her without any danger. He has a fascinating dual personality that is unique and quite engaging. He adds great depth to the book, a likable sympathetic character. But the other characters are also complex. Even the General and his daughter have different sides to them and are complicated. Through the course of the novel Zivah grows a great deal, becoming a person of increased strength. There are surprises in store and developments that will definitely hold readers’ interest. A great beginning to an intriguing series.

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"It's just the two of us this time; the rosemarked healer and the soldier with no fear of her disease. Together, somehow, we are to steal Ampara's secrets"

* * * *
4 / 5

Soft and almost melodic, Rosemarked is a lengthy, slow-burn YA fantasy novel. We follow two lovely characters: Zivah, a gentle healer who loves her people but must be quarantined due to a plague, and Dineas, a young warrior who serves his people, the Shidadi, in resisting the onslaught of the Empire. Rosemarked wasn't the most face-paced, exciting, or even believable book I've read recently, but it was fun and enjoyable and eloquently written and made me feel thing, which was all just what I needed.

"We are never really orphans in this tribe," he says. "Shidadi blood runs deep"

The Amparan Empire has been expanding for many years, turning it's greedy eyes to country after country. Dineas' people, the Shidadi tribes, are fighting back, leading resistance parties and shooting the soldiers of the Empire on sight. Zivah's people, the Dara, are quiet village dwellers who have surrendered to the rule of the Empire. Zivah has just passed her trials to become a well-respected healer when soldiers stationed in her village are infected with the Rosemarked plague: most die, and those who do not bear the angry red marks of the disease, a warning that they will become sick and die in a number of sparse years. A very lucky few are Umbertouched: they recover fully from the plague and are now immune.

Dineas is Umbertouched whilst Zarah becomes Rosemarked and quarantined from the rest of her village. She is just becoming accustomed to her solitary life when Dineas crashes into her life, bringing with him a plot to infiltrate the Amparan Empire. This is where the plots requires a bit of suspended disbelief: Zivah uses her skills as a healer to wipe Dineas' memory, able to restore it with just a few herbs when convenient, so that he might join the army and gain secret knowledge without being aware that he is a spy and so arousing less suspicion. It did strike me as a bit ridiculous and farfetched, but also led itself to some fairly humorous scenes involving the "other, memory-less Dineas".

"I'm sorry," Zivah says softly. "Sorry?" Sorry is a word for a stubbed toe, a keepsake gone missing. Not the betrayal of your soul

I loved the slow burn and the sweetness of Dineas and Zivah's interactions; at first they are hostile, she thinks he's a blood-seeking warrior who thinks only of vengeance, he thinks she's a peace-loving delusional woman whose people are cowards. But they put this aside for the sake of their families and learn to trust each other. I also empathised with Zivah and her quest to reinterpret herself: she devoted herself to becoming a healer and just when it became possible, her future was torn away from her by a plague.

Perhaps there could have been a little more action, a few more heart-pounding moments or clever twists of intrigue, but Rosemarked is solidly enjoyable and I look forward to reading the second book in this duology.

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4/5 Stars. This book was an entertaining read! The characters were likable, and I thought the idea of the rosemarked and the umbertouched was fascinating. I think the world-building of Ampara and Dara was adequate, just enough to put the reader into the setting. Zivah's skill with herbs and snakes made her an interesting character. There wasn't as much romance as I had been expecting, so it definitely was not insta-love. The relationship between Dineas and Zivah developed slowly.

I did have mixed feelings about the potion that could wipe Dineas' memories, then bring them back after one drink. On one hand, it is a really creative concept. But on the other, it eliminated a potential source of tension in the story; it made it really easy for the "new" Dineas, emotionally, to get along with the Amparans. If he had remained the "old" Dineas," there would have been more potential for deeper emotional turmoil and opportunity to explore the times when he zones out because of his past trauma. I sometimes had a hard time reconciling the two versions of Dineas. When the "old" Dineas states his feelings, it felt quite blunt and I hadn't expected it at that moment because I didn't feel the romantic connection between that Dineas and Zivah so deeply. There was the possibility of him losing his memories for good as a result of the potion, but that danger was not really explored either. And there were some other places where I felt there could've been more tension/conflict. One example would be Dineas' training with the Amparan soldiers; his test to get into the elite group seemed fairly easy for him.

Also, perhaps the potion felt out of place because it seemed to be presented as herb science, which is more rational and not "magic." But for something "scientific," controlling someone's memory with a potion felt slightly far-fetched since there is no other "magic" in the story. Instead, Zivah demonstrates her intelligence through her herb skills, which are really cool.

The beginning drew me in, but I did notice a slower pace in the middle chunk of the book. However, it picked back up nicely at the end. The exciting ending made me want to find out what happens in the next part of Dineas and Zivah's journey! Overall, this was an engaging story with lovely writing!

(This review has also been posted on my Goodreads page.)

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I haven't read the Midnight Thief duology. I was expecting to like this based on what I had heard about Livia due to that. But I didn't like Rosemarked that much. This was 50-50 for me.

The start was quite promising what with the healer learning venom business. In short I liked Ziva and her healer journey. But sadly that's about it.

I didn't like the romance, the characters also were somewhat dreary. The world for me was also drab. It is a cruel and saddening world but I wasn't interested.

This was YA but it read like MG. Or seemed MG to me. I felt the characters were more childish/childlike.

That's all I have to say about it. I don't think I'm really into this world or it's characters. Won't be reading the next book that eagerly or I might not at all but that is mostly because I won't have time due to adulthood.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the Publishers for this review copy.

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This book was just not my cup of tea and I was not able to finish it. Thank you for this opportunity, though!

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It took me a long time to get through the first fifth of Rosemarked, but once I did, I flew through the rest of it. All of the characters were so complicated and well developed. I loved them all, and I loved getting to read about main character who is a healer for once. We don't get enough of those. I also loved all the politics and everything. I absolutely cannot wait for the sequel.

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This one... was just mediocre? It wasn't bad, but it didn't really stand out to me either. I thought the writing could have had a little something *more* to it, because it came off at flat--the main characters didn't really have a voice to me, which made it hard to get into.
I was intrigued by the whole disease thing in the book. I'm hoping it plays into book two and that it ups the stakes, something ROSEMARKED could have used!
Overall, 3 stars.

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