Wow it's amazing!I It's been a long time since I've enjoyed a YA fantasy book. This was so well written and the plot was absolutely brilliant. I loved the characters and the romance was subtle but definitely swoonworthy. I highly recommend it!

Blackburne has set her latest page turner in a war-torn world beset by plague. The perspectives of Zivah, the healer, and Dineas, the rebel warrior, are cleverly alternated throughout the story as the political intrigue - and tension - rises. The characters are engaging and believable, and as the story progresses, their conflicted feelings advance the story line. I Looking forward to the sequel!!!

I requested to read an ARC of this from netgalley in exchange for my honest review because the description said that it was for fans of Ember in the Ashes and this did not disappoint! It took me a little while to really get sucked in to the story but overall this was a great read! In a time where the Rose Plague can quickly kill and destroy lives, Zivah has just become a healer. She is very talented and her talents lead her to being Rosemarked after she comes in contact with the disease. Her life takes a turn to isolation, even when she is offered a job far away by a man she saved. Fate brings Dineas into her life, an escaped rebel looking to make a dent on the problems of the world around him. Dineas and Zivah become involved in a plan that will involved a lot of danger for both, memory adjustments and trust of enemies. The story was slow to get started but once I was engaged in Zivah and Dineas story, I really enjoyed it. The plot was well done and the ending definitely left me wanting to see where the story continues!

I am not sure how to categorize this book … is it a fantasy? Is it YA? What is this book?

It’s Good. That’s what it is.

A healer who cannot be healed . . .

When Zivah falls prey to the deadly rose plague, she knows it’s only a matter of time before she fully succumbs. Now she’s destined to live her last days in isolation, cut off from her people and unable to practice her art—until a threat to her village creates a need that only she can fill.

A soldier shattered by war . . .

Broken by torture at the hands of the Amparan Empire, Dineas thirsts for revenge against his captors. Now escaped and reunited with his tribe, he’ll do anything to free them from Amparan rule—even if it means undertaking a plan that risks not only his life but his very self.

That is a partial description but I think it focuses on what I liked best about Rosemarked, the two main characters. I am a very character driven reader. I’m not very good at reviewing the technical aspects of a story, but I do respond strongly to character and emotion. This book has both in spades.

The book deals a lot in the issues surrounding trauma and the response to trauma. Dineas is a tortured soul. He survived his captivity and physical trauma, but it has changed him as a person. This book uses an excellent fantasy device to enable the reader to really see just how much he has been crippled by the torture he suffered.

Through Zivah, we experience the fear of a people being slowly subjugated by an invading empire. She is driven to act in ways that defy her peaceful, kindly nature. When she realizes she is terminally ill, she has nothing left to lose. She will find a way to help defend her home and family, though she is not really prepared to do so.

They make an interesting pair. Don’t worry, there is no insta-love to be found here. They do come to slowly appreciate one another, and this is my favorite kind of love story. I will admit that there are a few plot devices that seem a little out there. As an example, Dineas has pet crows who seem far more intelligent than I would give them credit for, but it doesn’t detract from the story. Is that where the “fantasy” comes in? I’m not sure exactly. It’s hard for me to find any magical or supernatural elements, so I’m not really sure why it is being billed as such.

As far as I know, there haven’t been any announcements about Rosemarked being part of a series, but from the way it ended, I’m guessing so. Either way, you should read it! It’s a well-written, engaging book, and I couldn’t put it down.

Song for this book: Myth by Beach House

(3.5 stars)

This is a novel of that strange genre that has the feel and setting of a high fantasy, but doesn't actually contain any fantastical elements. (I like to call it 'pseudo-high fantasy. Possibly it could also be described as spec fic, but I've always found that definition to be almost uselessly broad.) The plot relied heavily on political machinations rather than containing magic, although it could be argued Zivah's potions have some element of magic.

This is rather an atypical YA. It has a romance, but not a love-triangle, and the romance was subtle and not forced at all. Whereas I wouldn't exactly say I liked it, being a pretty unromantic person in general (and also thinking it would have been more interesting if the romance had been between Zivah and Mehtap tbh), I could tolerate it, which is actually quite impressive if you consider how apathetic I am to romance.

The pacing was quite slow, which I felt worked for most of the book but there wasn't much action, and when the stakes were raised you could pretty much tell what the outcome was going to be. Also, there weren't any particularly shocking turns or twists in the plot and by the end of the book I didn't really feel that anything had particularly been resolved.

Overall I enjoyed it, but I'm not sure if I'm going to read the next one. The plot wasn't quite gripping enough, and I don't know if I want to read the second only to find that nothing has still been resolved and I'll have to read a third one to find out what happens.

Definitely promising though, and I'll keep an eye out for the author's next books (and perhaps go through her backlog, although writers' abilities tend to develop as time passes so idk if her previous ones will be better... might check them out if the blurb is interesting tho)

The book reminded me a lot of The Winner's Curse, except the two protagonists were both oppressed by the Empire instead of one of them being privileged, with added plague - always good -, with added character development, and basically better in every way so if you liked that book you'll LOVE this one (and if you didn't like that book then read this anyway because it's twenty times better)

ARC received from Netgalley and Disney-Hyperion for an honest review.
I really enjoyed this book, it has a great plot and Livia Blackburne has great writing skills. She keeps your attention and the plot is not lacking on adventure. It is a little slow, but I think that is because the author is world building for the first book. The two main character's are why you should read this book. They are the glue that makes this book worth reading. It's alternating viewpoints between the two main characters.

I wanted to like this more than I actually did. I think many will be fans, but it just didn't work for me. There are a lot of spoilery reasons as to why it didn't, but part of it was pacing - either too fast or too slow, some contrived parts of the plot, and I think attempting a bit too much in one book.

I'm not sure if there will be a sequel or not either, and I'm not even sure if I want one. I do think it'll be popular with YA fantasy fans, and having a healer heroine with no fighting skills was a nice change, along with the unusual animal "sidekicks" - ravens, snakes and scorpions oh my.

At first I had a hard time reading this book because I found that not a lot of things were happening and I debated just quitting the book all together but I'm happy I stuck it out because near the end it started getting good. It's a great opener with a lot of detail for a second book. I feel like the next book will be a faster read.

When I was sent this book from the lovely people at Disney I was told that it was a special book that the publicist was very excited about. So of course I have no self control and had to read it immediately instead of reading the books I had in my TBR for the month. Whoops.

Fast forward to the time you’re reading this. It’s been several months. I know, I’m the worst. But I couldn’t help it. I read this book in 2 sittings, something that for a Kindle book is usually impossible. It’s usually so hard for me to read on that screen. But there I was and there it was and suddenly it was over. Just like that.

I love plague books. The way in which diseases can take down a species as complicated as we are (even in fiction) is both terrifying and kind of beautiful. This book handled that so well as it shows the plague taking hold on whole communities and dismantling them with no regard for wealth or station.

The romance in this story is so different, being that the MC is falling for a character who essentially doesn’t exist. She also falls for his real self, albeit much slower. It’s an incredibly satisfying love story, which for a person who doesn’t care for romance that much, is nice. There are so many characters to love in this book, from the MC, to the love interest, to the colorful side characters . They’re all so fun and interesting. Yes please, we want more!

The more I read the more I knew that this book was not going to end with a final conclusion. A second book was a necessity or the ending was going to be unsatisfying. And so as the book came to a close and I realized another book was going to be coming I sighed to myself thinking about how painful this wait was going to be. The story is compelling to the point of being addicting.

This book was fabulous, and a great look at how different classes even in fiction can handle such problems as disease. The twists are fantastic, the story obsessively addicting, and now I really have to go read some more of Livia’s books. I recommend this book to all YA fantasy fans.

Zivah is a healer, one of the youngest to ever earn her healer's sash. But immediately upon reaching this goal, she has to care for enemy soldiers with a deadly disease which leaves her Rosemarked, a result of the fever and a condition that makes her contagious to others. So she is quarantined and is unable to practice her healing arts. She has an opportunity to move into the quarantined village of the enemy soldiers, where she and Dineas, a rebel from near her village who is immune from her disease, plot to overthrow the same enemy and save her village. Partly fantasy, partly romance, this will appeal to either reader.

Character- A
Plot- A+
Romance- A-
Plot Twistiness- B+
Compelling-ness (word I just made up)- A+++++++
Action- B

This really is a special book.

Zivah is a healer, and a good one at that. When she is afflicted with the disease know as rose plague, her life as she knows it is over. Determined not to be pitied, Zivah continues to help her village healers from afar. When a neighboring village decides to take on the ruling regime, Zivah offers her expertise with poisons to help a solider, Dineas.
When Zivah and Dineas come together sparks fly, but their mission to the revolution is also a priority. A gripping, new, original voice in YA literature, I can't wait to continue the series!

Rosemarked by Livia Blackburne

BROOKE’S REVIEW

In today’s sea of dystopian YA books, Rosemarked makes its mark. This book has all of the components of a strong YA book: a strong female protagonist in Zivah, a brooding hero in Dineas, a battle of good and evil, moral complexity, and a slow-burning love story.

Zivah is a healer, but she contracts the rose plague. While it doesn’t kill her, it marks her and leaves her with a death sentence. She does not know when, but the disease will come back, and when it does, there is no cure.

Dineas must go undercover to seek revenge against the Amparan Empire. Zivah, who at first he could not stand, becomes his lifeline, but the events of war make him question his feelings.

This book has the feeling of the first volume of a series. I would be happy to see the story continued by Livia Blackburne.

AUTHOR

New York Times best-selling author Livia Blackburne has a PhD in neuroscience from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she conducted research on the neural correlates of reading. She still blogs on the intersection of writing and brain science (liviablackburne.com), and she now lives in Los Angeles with her family. Livia is also the author of Midnight Thief, an Indies Introduce New Voices selection, and its sequel, Daughter of Dusk.

As a final note, I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

Truly enjoyed the characters and setting of this story.

I cannot accurately review this book because my copy was missing every other page.
Which was very frustrating, and disappointing.

It looks like every other page is missing from the galley. Please let me know if a new file is available.

"And I can’t help but think how easy it is for a thing of this world to be destroyed, and how quickly something beautiful can disappear."

Rosemarked is told from alternating views and tells the story of a young healer that catches a disease that she cannot cure and a man who has overcome the disease and must go on a mission with the healer to infiltrate the capital city as spies.

The Story-The pacing of this book was slow but steady. There weren’t many climactic points that had me at the edge of my seat, and when there was one, it was somewhat short lived. I had hoped with the espionage and a trained soldier there would have been a little bit more nail-biting time. Regardless, I was still entertained the entire time. The story was not very complicated which gave more time for character development.

The World Building-I liked the idea of a country that has been ravaged by an empire overtaking it. Either lay down and let them control you and occupy your land or rebel and be slaughtered. Our characters were found from both sides-the healer catching the plague from the men that have occupied her country and a soldier that has history from the empire that haunts him. Since the characters do travel throughout the book I was hoping there would be a little more time spent in some sweeping landscape. I also would have liked to read a little bit more on the culture of the people and what life was like in the country before the invasion maybe. I appreciated the inventiveness of the plague and the stages that go with it.

The Characters-Our two main characters were definitely the most complex things about this book. The fact that Zivah is a healer but has an incurable disease is something that she has to grow and accept. I feel like it helps her transform from her naïve self to someone with a little more purpose with her life. There is something about a person’s impeding death that has them questioning how they will spend their remaining time: Sit in a cottage and slowly dieor use my knowledge for something good, something meaningful.

Dineas on the other hand has a second chance at life and somehow finds himself on a mission back to where he managed to escape from. It was really interesting to see his personality bounce back and forth throughout his mission to the point where he finally becomes whole by the end, accepting all parts of himself.


Overall, it seemed like a decent start to a series, and I am curious to see how their mission affects their world and how the characters continue to grow. I really hope to see a little more action or suspense in the next installment. There is a lot at risk, and I really want to feel the anxiety that these characters must be feeling.

When I joined NetGalley about a month ago, this was one of the first books that I requested and I was so excited to see that I'd received an ARC for review.  I thought the cover was gorgeous, the synopsis was enticing, and the reviews were stellar.  I have to give an unpaid, unwarranted thank you to Disney Book Group for letting me get a sneak peek at this fabulous read!

Rosemarked by Livia Blackburne is a story told by two narrators: Zivah, a healer who's contracted the lethal rose plague, and Dineas, a rebel fighter looking to take down the empire that threatens to overtake his homeland.  Zivah and Dineas are tasked by their respective leaders to work together in gathering intel about the Amparan Empire.

What stood out to me first was Blackburne's method of world-building.  Throughout the book in its entirety, our two narrators developed the world in a way that was seamless and natural.  Based on Blackburne's word choices and use of dialogue, I felt like I was seeing this fantasy(ish) world through its inhabitant's eyes and I enjoyed it.  There was not a data dump in sight: I as a reader was given pieces of the world as Zivah and Dineas observed it in a way that was normal to them.

When I looked up this book on Goodreads, every review I read raved about the slow-burning romance between Zivah and Dineas.  I have to jump on the bandwagon here because I think the romance was done right in the context of the book.  I'd hate to spoil it for you, so I'll just leave it at this: Blackburne did well in my humble opinion.

While there were a few clichés sprinkled throughout, I didn't think that they were prominent enough to detract from the book's summative originality.  The atypical romance subplot, stellar world-building, unique plot, and dynamic character relationships made up for the fact that Zivah was a little one-sided.  Dineas showed a clear character progression, but Zivah was somewhere in between static and dynamic.

My only other criticism is the naming.  Personally, I prefer to know how to pronounce my character's names, but I understand the need for originality.  Other than that, I was pretty pleased with the book as a whole and consider it a worthwhile read.

I was hooked from start to finish! Full review to come.