Zivah is one of the youngest healers her village has ever had. But she catches the rose plague when she's forced to tend enemy soldiers who have it and now she contagious. She decides the best way to help her village is by working undercover at the plague colony to overthrow the enemy.

Just finished the undirected galley proof and I'm missing Zivah and Dineas already. The story is told by both characters in alternating chapters. I agree that fans of Sabaa Tahir's "Ember in the Ashes" would probably enjoy Rosemarked too. I'm looking forward to book 2 to find out what happens to Zivah & Dineas. Recommend for 5th grade and up.

Loved this new world, the characters, amazing writing, was thrilled to be able to read this book and it did not disappoint! It was a slower start but I loved the description and could so easily picture this new world with Zivah and Dineas which makes me want to keep reading to see what happens next in their adventure!

While it did take me some time to get truly invested, I really did end up enjoying this.

Zivah..she is a very strong minded, strong willed, smart, and compassionate character. There wasn't anything that I really didn't like about her. Every decision she made was true to who she was and a lot of the times that gets lost in YA. Very refreshing to see!

Dineas...it took a little while for me to warm up to him, but once the twist involving Zivah comes into play and you see this other side of him, very nice. ;)

The story had just about everything - fantasy, politics, twists, betrayals, romance..a whole pot of goodnesss! Definitely would recommend!

*Thank you to Netgalley for offering an ebook arc to review!*

When I picked up this book, I thought it was going to be another cliche, poorly plotted fantasy novel with an unoriginal and badly written romance.

I was wrong.

So, so wrong.

I wasn't expecting what Rosemarked actually is: a political fantasy novel dealing with the ethics of healing, spying, tyranny, and radicalized patriotism with remarkable world-building, beautifully written and flawed characters, and a slow-burn romance that was enjoyable to read and didn't feel at all forced.

Zivah is a lot of what made this book for me. Her internal struggles dealing with her status of a healer and using that status and her medicines for harm were surprisingly poignant and very realistic. She is SO dynamic and her friendship with Mehtap is so sweet.

Dineas was a little bit of a brooder, but, unlike most "brooders," he definitely wasn't the typical deep angst love interest in most YA novels nowadays. He has PTSD and struggles a lot, but still is able to forge connections with people. I absolutely hate the "male love interest seems like a bad guy and he doesn't treat the main female character well but twist! he is a good person and a good guy" trope that seems so prevalent in YA fiction nowadays (it perpetuates rape culture and the 'not all men' movement, which makes me want to barf), and at first I thought that Dineas would fit that trope. However, I was very pleasantly surprised to see that he didn't. He is a well-rounded, fleshed out character who loves his family and friends. He is working hard to get back into the world after suffering for many years. I went from liking him to not being his biggest fan to liking him again. I look forward to see where his character goes next.

I am always a sucker for well-written YA fantasy, and this is the best one I've read since the False Prince trilogy. I am highly excited to see where this series goes.

She had dedicated her life to healing the sick, but when she must heal the enemy who has come into her land with a deadly and incurable plague, Zivah is forced to live an life isolated from her family and her people when she becomes another victim, another of the ROSEMARKED. Her life can end ostracized and alone or it can end on her own terms, healing others who are afflicted like her, but the chance to help others will come at a price and she will be forced to trust an enemy soldier who thirsts for vengeance against those who tortured him.

They say all is fair in war, but can a woman devoted to healing and an emotionally wounded soldier become allies in a dangerous game of spycraft neither is prepared to handle on their own? Will they find a common ground that could lead to so much more?

ROSEMARKED by Livia Blackburne is NOT a fantasy about war, it is a story about people, about the fact that no matter how vast the differences, even the enemy feels love, fear and loss. Ms. Blackburne focuses on the human element, compassion and the personal growth of her characters, as well as their flaws. Definitely not a fast-paced tale, there is far too much depth to rush through each scene. Feel the atmosphere of a world in chaos, the fear and devastation of the Rose Plague and the efforts of one woman to bridge the differences in people and to protect those who need her most, even if one of them happens to be a soldier she once saw as an enemy. He may be the one who needs her most.

Fabulous storytelling that brings it characters to life, in a tale that is both uniquely told and deeply intriguing, built in a flawed fantasy world that is ultimately not unlike our own.

I received an ARC edition from Disney Hyperion in exchange for my honest review.

Series: Rosemarked - Book 1
Publisher: Disney Hyperion (November 7, 2017)
Publication Date: November 7, 2017
Genre: YA Fantasy
Print Length: 400 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews & More: http://tometender.blogspot.com

Rosemarked started off so strong. I loved the characters: a healer who can't be healed and a recently escaped prisoner. I also loved the premise of them teaming up though their peoples are not the closest, to investigate the kingdom. Zivah and Dineas were the best part of the book. They were the most complex and the characters I felt most invested in. every other character was very one dimensional and for the most part forgettable. At first I was fine with the slower pace, but after a while I was craving something more action-packed. The romance also didn’t work for me. I couldn’t completely get behind the feelings that developed due to the situation they were in, that I can’t detail due to spoilers. Many of the twists were obvious and fell flat for me. Another issue I had was that I didn’t know this was part of a series, not a standalone. I feel like that could have been made clearer. Overall, this is not a bad book, it just wasn’t for me.

Opening line:
"A bitter coat of ziko root coats the inside of my mouth."

Intriguing story told between two people: Zivah and Dineas. Zivah is a healer and Dineas a soldier. The title of the book comes from a plague that leaves it's victims marked with rose-like splotches on their bodies. As the book opens, Zivah is finishing up her healer trials. Then the plague hits the soldiers in her area and she is called on to help.

The pacing is steady and doesn't really peak. The writing is great and kept me reading. I didn't love the characters and didn't really care about them though they were unique. Dineas has a complex story line! The world was interesting but I got lost in the politics throughout.

I may read the next book...

Thanks to netgalley for the early read!

Sex: kissing
Violence: fighting, war, torture
Language: None

Very hard to get into. A bit confusing on the direction of the story.

Rosemarked is the tale of Zivah, a healer who catches a disease for which there is no cure and Dineas, a soldier spy who is trying to save his people from the Emperor's army. Together they work to sabotage the Emperor's plan and save their people from war. This is a good premise, healer who cannot heal herself and the plot they devise to learn about the Emperor's plans yet the story is a little slow moving. More action and suspense would improve this book. Still an enjoyable story.

Rosemarked is a book that will appeal to many readers because of the plot and great character development.

Zivah is a healer in a tiny village. She is just starting out in her career when soldiers from the nearby capital come down with the deadly Rose Plague. Zivah knows that she must do everything that she can to heal them or disaster could come to their village. Unfortunately, Zivah contracts the plague and survives, but she is Rosemarked, which means she could die at anytime. I liked her character development because at the beginning she was a naive young woman who basically thought she was invincible to illness because she survived the deadly trials to become a healer. She learns throughout the book that she can still be useful as a healer even with her illness.

Dineas also had some great development. At the beginning he was a hardened warrior who wanted nothing but revenge but during the course of his journey, he learns that revenge might not be the best way to get what he wants. He is essentially two different people in the story, and I really enjoyed reading both of his POVs and seeing his transition from hardened warrior to understanding and loving man. I actually preferred his alter ego.

There was a lot of political intrigue, but for a book who's synopsis basically led me to believe that there would be a lot of espionage, I was let down by the lack of it.

The pacing was also pretty slow throughout. Most of the exciting moments happened within the very last chapters. So if you are looking for an action packed story from start to finish, Rosemarked is not the one for you.

Since it ended on such an intense and exciting note, I am eager to see where the sequel will take us.

I enjoyed the alternating perspectives in the book and overall thought the book was a pleasant surprise. It wasn't what I expected, but that was a good thing this time!

For Zivah, a newly credited healer, the marks left on her skin from the rose plague come at a great cost. In an instant her future is lost. Along with it, suspicion is cast on her people as the only leads to the spreading of the plague are directed at her village when a large enemy army comes through.

For Dineas having recently come out of the dungeons and torture sessions of the same army the rose plague was something to be survived...and it became a means of escape. Having left his body marked but not diseased his only focus is the revenge he hopes to deploy.

When these two characters from different tribes collide in a mission to save their people they must learn to trust one another, but can they? Zivah erases the memories of Dineas to help him infiltrate the enemy army while Zivah tries to learn all that she can from within the rosemarked compound outside of the city. Their mission is dangerous but what do they have to lose?

This was a great book. The story line was great--I appreciated that the characters had the extra struggle between Dineas and the Dineas that was born from the need of him. Blackburn handled that well.

Adventure, and a bit of romance, paints this story. It feels like this is a standalone book, but I also believe that there was room left over to write a followup.

I've realized that I enjoy the ideas in Blackburne's work more than I like the execution. Everything just feels so prolonged--it's kind of exhausting to read. I also thought that there would be more deadly plague goodness in this book instead of memory stealing serums and so forth. Rats. Not a book for me, but I know many people will enjoy it.

I don't know what I was expecting, but I loved this one. And as a Sp.Ed. teacher, I especially liked how characters work through adversity

Rosemarked is a richly detailed fantasy that has a fairytale feel but is entirely unique and cleverly crafted. I so enjoyed sinking into this delightful story. I was enraptured by the first chapter. Here are just a few of the things I loved most about it: the references to herbs and their uses for healing; the complicated morality aspect and the way in which is this so cleverly conveyed through the chapters; the girl who takes down a trained warrior by using her poisonous pet snake; the use of a variety of weapons from bows and arrows to swords, daggers and poison; the messenger crows; that tantalising hint of romance, high-stakes tension and the quote: "I may not be a walking armory, but I'm not completely helpless".

Zivah is a healer. She has trained many years and undergone many trials to finally earn her healer's sash. But when there is a sudden outbreak of the rose plague in the soldiers patrolling her mountain village, Zivah also finds herself falling ill with the deadly and highly contagious disease. Now she is an outcast, unable to use her healing skills, her final days numbered. Until she discovers that her village leader has been conspiring with a group of rebels. She is tasked with a job no one else can do - journey to the enemy Amparan Empire's Rosemarked settlement to act as a healer. Along with her is the rebel fighter Dineas. He has been captured and tortured by the Amparan's before, has had the Rose plague and survived as one of the few immune Umbertouched. Her job is to use her skills with herbs to remove Dineas' memory so he can infiltrate the Amparan forces. Together, they risk discovery to steal information that might help protect their people.

Rosemarked is written in alternating chapters from both Zivah and Dineas' points of view. This allows the reader to get a good understanding of both characters, really get inside their heads. This is particularly effective when Zivah takes away Dineas' memories. Gone are the terrors of his time being tortured. Gone are his first, rather unflattering, impressions of Zivah. Gone is his history of fighting for his freedom and loathing the Amparan Empire. It's almost like there are suddenly three characters. Zivah struggles with the morality behind her actions, liking the Dineas without his memories better than the one, in those few moments when she temporarily restores his memories, with them. Dineas also struggles, especially with his thoughts and the actions he must take when he has no memory of his true people or the real reason he is now fighting in the Amparan army. This complex morality question, the way it confuses Zivah and Dineas, the way in which it affects how they grow to feel about each other was so very interesting. It makes the hint of romance so very tortured and delightful, bitter and sweet. Loved it.

Rosemarked has been likened to one of my absolute favourite fantasy series, The Lumatere Chronicles by Melina Marchetta. I agree, as it shares many of the same themes: two young people living in a world where their land has been taken, where they must fight for the survival of their people, and the same fantasy feel without there being a whole lot of magic. Rosemarked also reminded me of the Study series by Maria V. Snyder. Perhaps it is the use of herbs, the way animals are used, the fighting, or the banter between Dineas and his fellow Amparan soldiers, but it has the same feels as Poison Study. I cannot give two higher recommendations. But even better, Rosemarked is suitable for readers aged 12 and up and there is no reason why I can't give it to slightly younger readers, which makes it perfect for fantasy YA fans of all ages.

I could go on forever about everything I loved about this book - the setting, which feels part Asian mountains to Arabain-nights-esk desert, or maybe the romance (can't wait to see how this develops in the next book!). The risk of Zivah and Dineas' deception and how this draws them closer to each other but also, conflictingly, closer to their Amparan enemies is tantalising, and I just loved the messenger crows. I want my own Scrawny. Or maybe Zivah's very poisonous pet snake, Diadem. This is a fantastic new fantasy book, the first in what promises to be an amazing series. Very highly recommended.

The publishers provided an advanced readers copy of this book for reviewing purposes. All opinions are my own.

Livia Blackburne's new novel, Rosemarked, is fantasy of the most enjoyable kind. Full of adventure, with just a touch of romance, this story will transport you to Zivah and Dineas' world and keep you reading late into the night. I really enjoyed Zivah's strength. Despite being "rosemarked" she continued to serve others and to step up when needed. She matches Dineas pace for pace in ways that he least expects. Go Zivah! :) I'll be impatiently waiting for the next book in this series.

Rosemarked, by Livia Blackburne is an adventure from start to finish!

This story follows two characters, Zivah - a young healer to her people, and incredibly talented at her craft, and Dineas - a young fighter who is skilled and highly regarded among his people. Rosemarked is told from both of these perspectives.

Without giving too much away, the story follows these characters during a time when the Amparan empire is slowly taking over all of the territories, either by peace or by force. Additionally, there is The Rose Plague spreading through the people of this land, and if you become touched by the plague and "Rosemarked", you will either die or survive one of two ways: as umbertouched, and immune to future sickness, or still Rosemarked, and your days are numbered - a delayed death.

The adventure comes when the two main characters begin a journey into the heart of the empire to gain as much knowledge as they can and protect their people - with the help of Zivah's medical genius and Dineas' aided ability to pose as a soldier and loyal to the empire, this adventure will have you on edge and worrying about whether or not they'll be successful in their task.

This story has additional twists and turns that were unexpected when first going in, and the way that the characters adventure plays out had a unique element which, while I'm trying very hard not to spoil, I deeply enjoyed!

The different perspectives and headspaces throughout this adventure were simply awesome, and this book kept me up until 1AM eager to find out how it ended!

Rosemarked is one that our library will definitely be purchasing when it is released in November!

I had hoped to love this book. Because it looks gorgeous and sounded pretty amazing too, and I adore Livia. But, yeah. This one ended up being so disappointing for me. I just didn't care at all. I didn't like the writing, I didn't like the characters, and only somewhat liked the story. So I'm sadly giving this one two stars.

And oh, I will have you know that two star books are the worst to write reviews for. At least with a one star you know you hated everything. But that wasn't truly the case with this book. Because there wasn't anything for me to hate. It was just boring. Nothing happened. I felt nothing for any of the characters. Disappointing.

And so I am unsure what to write about this book. As I feel pretty meh about it all. Wishing I could say the characters were unique and exciting to read about. But they really weren't. This book is told from two point of views, Zivah and Dineas. It takes place in a regular sort of world, just far in the past, it seemed like. They live in different villages and have different beliefs and such. I wish I had found all of this interesting, but I did not. I didn't care about their village or their lives. Or what they were fighting against and such. I just found it to be boring. Sigh. Zivah is a healer in her village, and she has a great family. But I cared nothing for any of it. Her family was just there, in the background. She thinks about them a few times, but I didn't feel a connection, tbh.

And I simply did not care one bit about the healer parts of the book. Probably because I felt like it was written a bit badly. I'm not sure. I just was not able to get lost in this story or care about these characters. Like, Dineas. The book starts with him just having gotten away after being a prisoner of war and being tortured all the time for a whole year. Yet there are only a few flashbacks about it, and they were so tame and boring, and I cared not one bit. It wasn't exciting. It wasn't heartbreaking, like it was supposed to be.

And so I just did not like the main characters at all. I didn't see anything to like about them, sadly. And that made the book even harder for me to finish reading. But the one thing I was curious about was parts of the plot, the rose plague. I wanted to know more about it, but yeah, again I felt like it wasn't written well enough or focused enough on at all. Zivah fell ill, but survived, though she is now rosemarked and fated to die in a few years, and she can never touch anyone healthy, as she would infect them with the plague.

Dineas escaped from the prison because they thought he was dead from the plague, but he wasn't. He survived and ended up with the lighter marks, which means he can't infect anyone and he won't die. I was curious about this plot. And wanted to know more about this plague. But yeah, didn't get to read enough about it at all. Aw. The thing that I didn't like very much about this book at all was the whole memory loss thingy. I guess some will find it exciting and different, but I simply did not. It annoyed me, to be honest.

See, this whole book is about Zivah and Dineas going undercover for their villages. They are sent to the main city in this world, and are supposed to report back on things going on with a war. Sadly this didn't make much sense to me, sending those two young people in there. I didn't find it exciting at all. Because most of the book is just time moving ahead, and nothing happening. Zivah is busy treating patients that are infected. Dineas is busy fighting in the army now. And it was just so incredibly boring to read about.

But back to the memory thing. Since Zivah is a healer, she knows of a venom that makes it possible for a person to control their memories. And so she and Dineas uses this on him. They erase all his memories. Then give them all back again at certain moments in the book, so that he can remember hidden details and such. And so of course Zivah is falling in love with this new Dineas that doesn't remember anything. He isn't angry and broken like the old one, hahaha.. Yeah. I cared nothing for this. At all. Disappointing.

I'm not going to say more about this book. Simply because there isn't anything more to say. I spent the whole book thinking about how boring it was and how I didn't care for the characters or their fight. And that small romance was way too small and weird and I did not approve. Feels like it might be better in book two, so that's good, but yeah, I did not care. I did like some parts of the plot, which is why this is a two star. And because I didn't hate the book. Just felt nothing. Which is worse, to be fully honest. Aw.

Huge thank you to Cassie at Disney Hyperion for letting me reading this book early via NetGalley. I'm glad that I was able to read this book, I just feel so sad that I didn't end up enjoying it. I really wanted to, though. And I'm still going to get my pre-order of this book, as I have already ordered it, and, well. It do look gorgeous. And I am still curious about the second book, as I do wish to know what happens next. But mostly Rosemarked was disappointing for me. I'm curious, though, what others will think of this one.

Alright, this one was a bit difficult to get through.
That's not because it's bad because it's a far cry from it, I just don't do so well with all of the politically-ness stuff.
Pop this book in my boyfriend's hand, and he can absolutely make sense of it, and enjoy it greatly.

I tend to have some difficulties reading fantasy books, while I love the whole mythical side of it I tend to really struggle with the longer names, and having memory loss makes getting through books like this even tougher. However that is a fault of mine, and I don't take that into consideration when rating a book.

With that being said - the world building in this book is outstanding.
Things are well explained, especially with the plague - and I did enjoy the characters greatly.
I absolutely love that this isn't romance riddled. While there is a smidge - it isn't over the top. That's very refreshing in a YA book.
I really like that the story is original - it didn't immediately bring some other book to mind when reading it - another strong point as many books sound so very similar to others.
I can't wait for the sequel for sure!