God, I adore this book so much! It is a lovely retelling of the Enchanted Moura tales and the right mixture of romance and adventure. I adored reading it and rushed to buy my own full copy as soon as I finished it.

This might be one of the most lovely books I've read. With a distinct fairytale feel - without being too overbearing - I was engaged from the beginning, even if the pacing started off slow. I did not much that at all, because the characters and concepts were wonderful. At times there was a little too much religion for me. The historical aspect was good too, which was something I didn't think I'd actually enjoy from this. I also wish that the worldbuilding had been fleshed out more fully (and the romance too, now that I am writing this.) I am looking forward to reading more by this author! Definitely would pick up another book, and I'd be interested to see how their skills will develop.

A Curse of Roses is like nothing I have read before. While this book is based on the legendary miracle of a Portuguese saint, the plot retells the events in a unique way that pays homage to its origins but adds many new twists and turns. Princess Yzabel is starving and she can barely eat. Whenever she touches solid food, it turns into flowers, especially thorny roses that make her mouth bleed. With the help of her handmaiden Brites and her guard Vasco, she seeks the help of an Enchanted Moura to break her curse. The Enchanted Moura Fatyan helps Yzabel see her magic not as a curse but as a blessing that can be reversed to turn flowers into food to feed her country's starving people. Yzabel finds herself falling in love with Fatyan in spite of her betrothal to Denis, the King. I don't want to spoil the ending but the love story between Yza and Faty is really beautiful and I liked the ways that religion is both challenged and supported in different ways. This f/f YA novel is well worth reading!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book. It was everything I expected it to be and so much more, and it did not disappoint. I started reading the novel with the hope of immersing myself in a little bit of fantasy, fiction and a lot of magic which is exactly what I got.

A Curse of Roses is set in 13th Century Portugal. Princess Yzabel is affianced to King Denis of Portugal, and she has a secret that he does not know about, she can turn food to flowers. However, this magic has turned out to be a curse in her life. Just as she tries to swallow food, it turns into roses in her mouth and chokes her, making it almost impossible for her to eat.

Frustrated with her life and her fate, she sees no other way than to seek the help of an Enchanted Moura, Fatyan. She wishes to use the Moura’s help to turn her curse backwards and turn flowers to food so that she can serve her drought-hit country with food.
My most favourite character in the novel was Yzabel. She was so sweet and empathetic towards the pain and sufferings of the people in her country even though he lived her whole live in privilege. She cares for the popular she love with utmost passion and even so finds a reason to blame herself for every misfortune.

I loved Fatyan and Yzabels relation so much, they were so sweet and caring. The world-building was very well done, and the characters beautifully developed. Although the book started off being a little slow-paced, it quickly made up for it for the latter half of the book.

I was intrigued to get to know that the book is loosely based on a legend in the very town of Portugal where the story is based. The book takes inspiration from the miracle of rose which was performed by Saint Isabel who s the inspiration for the character of Yzabel. Moreover, the book is set in the author’s hometown and where the legend is set and is an #Ownvoices work.

A Curse Of Roses is an incredible historical fantasy novel with lots of sapphic yearning. It is beautifully told and filled with magic and legends. A great read which I would highly recommend.

***I received an uncorrected proof of this ebook from netgalley in exchange for an honest review***

A Curse of Roses tells the story of Portuguese queen-to-be Yzabel, who is gifted with the ability to turn food to flowers. The "gift" is more of a curse, as she cannot control it and food turns to roses on her tongue. Yzabel must rid herself of this curse before her future husband and the people put her to death for her unnatural abilities. She enlists the help of an imprisoned magical being, Fatyan, releasing her and binding her to herself until Yzabel can learn control. Control, it turns out, is the least of her problems.


It is a story about self-acceptance in a society where magical powers and queerness are seen as great evils, and in complete opposition to God’s teachings. (Yzabel is a religious zealot to the point of literal and metaphorical self-flagellation).** Along her journey, Yzabel must learn that it's okay to question the only authorities she has ever known- the church and men (her fiance, the men who wrote the bible). She must find the strength to do what’s right for her country and for herself, even if that means realigning everything she knows.


**I wasn’t quite prepared for Yzabel’s level of religious guilt and internalized homophobia.

""Your unwavering piety was always your biggest fault."†
^^YUP

It’s completely understandable with the time period and the sheltered life she leads, but whew was it hard to read. It is, honestly, *extremely disturbing* at times. In particular, there was a scene in chapter 20 that was extremely triggering. Yzabel [whips herself half to death because she is so pious that she has clearly turned to the devil by having “unnatural” feelings for a woman. (hide spoiler)]

"Your selflessness won't help anyone if you're dead."†
*stares directly into camera*

I almost put the book down right then, because I honestly just didn't want to read about that aspect of the story anymore. I had already made it two-thirds so I persevered, and I'm glad I continued to the end.


The romance in this book was cute, but I do wish it had developed a bit more consistently. It went from mostly staring and "innocent" physical contact, to intent physical contact, a parting, and then a strong reunion. I felt like there was some development missing between the final stages. The rise was lovely, but then it failed to follow through with that detailed build-up. I also can’t help but wish more of Yzabel’s hesitations had come from within versus solely her religious belief. It makes perfect sense with the plot so it's fine, but I still do wish there had been a little more.


The magic system was interesting, but left largely unexplored and unexplained. Why are so few gifted with the sahar? It clearly isn't *quite* a blessing, as some characters have used it for evil. Does it always manifest uniquely? Why does Brites have so many different aspects to her sahar? I guess it's meant to remain a mystery, but I always want to understand a world's magic when I read.

✝check against final text

*I received this book from YA Bound Tours for my honest review*

This was a remarkable story that was full of color, imagination, and history. Pinguicha did a great job in her research and making this story feel grounded in the past, yet still have a flare of fantasy. I was fascinated by how the MC had a curse that turned everything she ate into flowers. I couldn’t help to wonder how I would deal with such a curse as an herbalist. It wouldn’t be practical, but the first five minutes would be cool!

The LGBTQ aspect was great and made me really feel for the characters, especially given the time period. Pinguicha put a lot of thought on how to portray the characters in the era and I really respect and admire that in books. It is ignorant to think LGBTQ wasn’t prominent throughout the history and it seems like a lot of books ignore that fact. Yay representation!

All in all, I highly recommend this book!

This story follows Princess Yzabel, who is cursed and all food she touches turns into flowers. As a famine is plaguing her country, Yzabel is wasting food simply by trying to eat and if she could try to find a way to reverse her magic, then she could turn flowers into food and help her people. But the only person who can help her is an Enchanted Moura called Fatyan, who is trapped by magical binds herself. She can teach Yzabel how to control her curse, if Yzabel sets her free with a kiss.

I loved so many things about this book that I don’t even know where to start! Firstly, me being Portuguese I was instantly drawn to the fact that this story is based on a Portuguese myth I’ve heard all my life about and it was so fascinating to see how it was adapted and how it came to life with fantasy and great storytelling. Secondly, the second thing that drew me so much to this book was the sapphic romance in it, since I enjoy reading about queer romances so much more than straight ones. I was so delighted with how the romance between these two women in the 17th century was portayed and all the discussions it brought up along the way - from religion and sin to arranged marriages. Also, the writing in this book is absolutely gorgeous and I’m so excited to see what Diana writes next, since this one has become a new favorite!

I recieved an e-arc from netgalley and the publisher a few months back and I know I'm late to reviewing this and I'm sorry I've been in a reading slump . I really enjoyed reading this book it was a bit slow to me at first but once faty was introduced I got into it. I loved the characters and how yza really came to terms with herself and faty. If there ever is a sequel I would definitely get it.

4 gorgeous stars!

This novel was one that I know I’ll remember for years. Written by an author who has faced prejudice against both Portuguese women and LGBTQ+ women, this #OwnVoices book manages to combine factors of Portuguese mythology, YA fantasy and sapphic romance into a beautiful novel about discovering love and learning to embrace every part of yourself.

A Curse of Roses follows a princess engaged to a decent king, but one whom she doesn’t romantically love. However, this princess has much more to worry about than her friendly-but-loveless marriage – Yza cannot eat or touch food without turning it into flowers. This means that Yza has been wasting away for years, unable to swallow more than a bite of food without having thorns tear her throat up, only able to drink broth to sustain herself. Finally, in an act of desperation, Yza goes searching for the mythical Enchanted Moura, who’s said to be able to grant any wish to the person to find her. Upon discovery of the Moura, Yza is finally able to learn about her curse, however she now has another problem to face – her growing attraction for the Moura she found.

“Yzabel didn’t know death could be so beautiful, or that betrayal could cut so deep.”

A Curse of Roses was gorgeously written, very easy to follow and very easy to read. It was not an especially complex story – which worked in the author’s favour – and the characters were very realistic and easy to relate to – a definite plus for this novel. I found myself growing quite attached to many of the side characters, and even laughing during particular stages of the book, and I found the Portuguese tale absolutely fascinating to read about.

The sapphic romance may have been improvised and may not have been in the original tale, but I believe it definitely added to the story and added to the entertainment value. Fatyan and Yza had a sweet and believable romance, and I enjoyed reading about the way their relationship developed and progressed, despite bumps in the road. I also loved the feminist aspects of the story! You know I’m a killer for a book with feminism 😉

“Leave it to men to believe themselves the reason for a woman’s actions.”

I did find some aspects of the story – for example, the speed in which Yza accepted the solution to her curse (I’m trying not to spoil here) – to be a little fast-paced, but I didn’t mind too much, and overall I really liked this book! It had wonderful rep and a unique and fascinating storyline, and I believe the author wrote a wonderful depiction of the trials of loving oneself.

Thank you so much to the author and YA Bound Book Tours for the ARC copy!

Thank you to the publisher for sending me a review copy!
Princess Yzabel is cursed with a magic that turns everything she eats into flowers. There's a famine plaguing the land, and the curse is forcing her to waste food. And she's on the verge of starving to death as well. She must find a way to reverse her curse so that she can turn flowers into food.
Fatyan is a beautiful Enchanted Moura, and the only one who can help Yzabel and teach her how to control the curse. But she is trapped by magical binds- that can only be broken with a kiss. Yzabel is betrothed to the King of Portugal, and the kiss would be treason. But without Fatyan, Yzabel- and the whole country- could starve to death. So with one kiss, Yzabel frees Fatyan. But now that one kiss has left Yzabel wanting more... but loving Fatyan could mean her destruction.

This book was so good. I was hooked by the premise, and the story itself grabbed me pretty quickly. It did feel a little rushed at the start, and I would have liked a little more context or world building. But I did figure things out as the book progressed. And the characters were dynamic and engaging. There's so much emotion in this story. Yzabel's pain and confusion as she deals with both the curse and coming to terms with who she is is so raw and real. I empathized with her, and with Fatyan. And their story was just so good. The book does a really good job of showing Yzabel's struggle to reconcile who she is becoming with the faith she grew up with. Yzabel had a very strict religious upbringing, and even causes herself pain and bodily harm as a way to atone for her sins. There's a lot of time spent on Yzabel coming to terms with being a lesbian, and it's done really well. Yzabel is incredibly empathetic and caring. She shows kindness and forgiveness to others, sometimes to her own detriment. Seeing every character through Yzabel's eyes sometimes makes you feel more empathetic to even the not so great characters.
I really liked Fatyan too. She's so sure of herself and doesn't apologize for who she is. And her care for Yzabel is evident from the start. She was such an interesting character.
Overall, I really loved this book. It's very character driven, which I really like. The characters grow and change and are really easy to get attached to. At points the pacing felt off, but overall I wasn't bored or bothered by that. This is a beautiful own voices retelling of a Portuguese myth that is full of magic and well written characters. I definitely recommend it!

This was a very unique, and very original book. It was based on some historical figures that I’d heard of before very briefly and with very limited details. I loved that the author included a little extra at the end telling the actual story of those figures and what she’d changed or added to make the story something more fascinating. Because this was a vivid, beautiful tale of a world with magic and lots of twists and turns. While it is set in a historical time, and the views and actions of many of the people are definitely to be expected from that time period, some of it definitely still resonates with the world today.

The characters are unique, there is the gay aspect between the women, but then there are also the men that are in powerful positions that surprise with how they react and actually deal with the situations. Then there were things that had to do with the types of self-punishment the religiously zealous people often used to subject themselves to. That was hard to read about, but really made the story that much deeper. The struggle that Ysabel went through, when all she wanted was to take care of her people and have peace among all of them. So much in this book to read and the writing as I said was so vivid that I pictured many of the scenes as if I was seeing them in front of my eyes.

(3.5/5)

I really liked how certain topics were addressed in this book, but I still think certain things could have been done better.

A Curse of Roses weaves an interesting OwnVoices retelling from a Portuguese legend, telling the tale of Princess Yzabel, betrothed to the King of Portugal, but more importantly, cursed to turn food into flowers, watching on as she and the common people around her starve. In a desperate bid to break the curse, she seals a deal with a kiss to an enchanted Moura, Fatyan. But what starts out as a mutually beneficial deal soon spirals into something much greater.

Loathe as I am to admit it, I've got a bit of a complicated relationship with this book. For one, there's the matter of the pacing of this book. Things start off very quickly, but as we progress into the middle of the book, the plot, disappointingly enough, starts to slump. It starts to get a bit repetitive, which was sad because I had pretty high expectations for this book.

However, things start to turn around for the better with the last quarter or so of the book. The action and plot start to pick up again, and the character development really hits home. Not to mention the romance.

I really loved the way that the author was able to portray religion and homosexuality, and the conflict that occurs in people who are told to believe or act in a certain way. Yza's inner conflict between her innate desires and her devout respect and adherence to her religion was just so real, because even if it was part of the reason this book seems to lag in the middle, it was vital to the development of her character.

Speaking of which, Yza's character development was simply *chef's kiss* perfection. It effectively showed how she was able to grow over the course of the story, from a meek and naive girl, willing to please everyone, to someone who was able to stand up for ideals, morals, and actions.

The romance was adorable. That's all I can say.

That being said, I think I need to address the writing itself. At times, it was incredibly beautiful. Perfectly descriptive without seeming pretentious, or overly so. I do think that I found a few exaggerated or ridiculous comparisons, but for the most part, it was perfectly fine. Although, I noticed that while all the rest of the characters spoke formally, King Denis himself spoke very anachronistically, at least for me.

And while I get that this book wasn't focused on it that much, as it didn't pertain to the plot, the magic system and general world-building in this book seemed... weak. There were times when a certain place was mentioned in relation to something else, or an event, and I would find myself scrambling to remember, or even skipping back a few pages to do so.

Something to keep in mind, however, is that this book is a debut, and an excellent one at that. As someone who usually doesn't enjoy character-driven books and would much rather engross herself in a thriller for a couple of hours, this book was a pleasant surprise.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this to others who actually like character-driven plots, an almost slow-burn sapphic romance, or would just like to read something with a lot more representation than we (unfortunately) usually see.

The ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

tw: homophobia, internalized homophobia, (religious based) self harm, religious and magic based disordered eating, sex, transphobia, blood, murder, body horror, sexism

This starts off with Yzabel, who can’t eat because anything edible she touches turns into flowers. She thinks of this as a curse, hating it and herself. The whole story is about her learning about her true self and healing from all of the hate she was taught to harbor in her heart.

I really liked this book. It felt real and hard and like real life (but with magic hehe). There will be spoilers ahead so don’t read if you don’t want to be spoiled.

Yzabel was taught from a young age that it was a sin to love women. It was a long road for her to realize she was a lesbian. And then an even longer road to accept the fact and start to love herself. I really liked that her falling in love with Fatyan wasn’t an end all, “oh well I’m okay with this now even though I haven’t been for my whole life”. That was ingrained in her, and she had to work through it. It’s not ideal, and she did hurt Fatyan in the process but still. Everyone has their own healing and growing timelines. Yzabel was also just a really good person. She didn’t care that her betrothed was cheating on her (stemmed mostly from the fact that she was a lesbian and had no interest in him in that way), and even went so far as to make sure that the woman he was cheating with actually loved him and that he wasn’t raping her. Now this does come back to hurt her because all she every does is put literally everyone’s needs before her own.

There wasn’t much that I didn’t like about the book. I didn’t like that Denis flip flopped with what he cared about. Yzabel explains it really well to him and he realizes… she was kind of terrified of him sometimes. He had power over her, great power, and he never took that into account. Besides that, I really liked their relationship. Their friendship was really nice, besides all the not os good stuff on his part. He genuinely cared about her and didn’t care that she was a lesbian.

There was one other part that I didn’t like. There was small parts that were a little transphobic in my opinion. Fatyan is a shapeshifter and at one point she shifts into Denis’s form. Yzabel then wonders if she now has a penis and that disgusts her. I get this is supposed to be realistic and stuff but someone in the book (Fatyan or Brites or the lady Brites is in love with) could’ve questioned it and taught her that that’s not right. Just like they did with her internalized homophobia. Fatyan and Brites and the nuns taught her that it was okay to love a woman, so why couldn’t they teach her that some women have penises? There was also another part where Denis finds out that she’s in love with Fatyan and he’s happy for her. Especially since, if she was having an affair with a woman she couldn’t get pregnant…. : |

While the ending was a little abrupt, I liked the plan the characters had for the rest of their lives. It felt like it would really work out for all of them to have their happy endings.

Okay, I want to begin by stating the cover is stunning, but I don't love the title. It feels like it's a mixture of every popular YA title trend and I'm just not here for it.

HOWEVER, now that I have that negativity out of the way this is a wonderful book! It references some really interesting historical events from Portugal as well as references the culture - something I haven't seen in other books up until now. The characters are wonderful and feel relatable and human while still feeling unique. None of the story felt rushed and it felt consistent in the story telling.

I definitely loved this book and would recommend it for anyone looking for a fantasy standalone as their next read.

Hello lovelies only a few more days left until Christmas.
How are you planing to spend you holiday?
A Curse of Roses
Thank you so much to @pinguicha and @entangledteen

This book was received from the Author, and Publisher, in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

Based on Portuguese legend, this #OwnVoices historical fantasy is an epic tale of mystery, magic, and making the impossible choice between love and duty

1288 kingdom of Portugal and the Algraves

A Curse of Roses is a sapphic retelling of a beloved Portuguese legend about Isabel de Aragão. [Elizabeth of Portugal] who was canonized by the Catholic Church

Yzabe hasn’t been able to eat a proper meal because she is cursed.
To a common onlooker she would seem extra pious. but in reality with the coming of a certain age she, just like her great post-aunt Erzsebet of Ungaire. Is Cursed, with the touch of fingers food is turned into flowers. The curse seemed to be unfolding just like her aunts. With her eighteen birthday only four months away, and wanting to make an impact that would improve the lives of the Portuguese people before her demise.
Even though she self repents and prays for her curse to go away, it only grows stronger.
She seeks out the Enchanted Moura, named Fatyan, hoping that she will be able free her from the curse. When Yzabel learns she is not cursed but actually trapped in a magical bind and only a kiss will set her free..

This book was everything that I hoped it would be. Historical fantasy with a great heated romance. The author uses vivid details to immerse the reader into medieval Portugal. The characters are well developed and storyline is stunning atmospheric. The book centers around charity and goodwill to the less fortunate. Along with the most powerful lesson of self love and excepting your own self.

#ownvoice #ownvoice2020commitment
#ACurseofRoses #yabooks #bookstagrammer #yabookstagram #cozyhome #cozyvibes #thatsdarling #thehappynow #prettybookplaces #booknerdigans #bibliophiles #bookstack #shelfie #shelf #bookshelves #bookshelves #booknook #booknookstagram #bookshelf #booksbooksbooks #entangledteen

A curse of roses is an F/F own voices retelling of a Portuguese story ( Miracle of the roses). It's a Portuguese historical fantasy. It follows Yzabel of Aragon. She's something unique whenever Yzabel touched food it turns into flowers. She takes it on her self to change this conduit to change flowers in to food. There a food scarcity in the land as a result of a famine .And as soon to be queen Yzabel sees it as her duty to help her people. But this action as queen is not allowed . With the help of Fatyan, magical being freed with a kiss , Yzabel sets out to help her people to matter the cost

The line of turning food into flor is the reason I wanted it. I knew of the Midas touch but this was something entirely new to me. And all the reviews online are correct this book deserves the love and praise. It needs more attention. I often start reviews with talking about the characters but i had to start with Pinguicha as a writer. Wow does she write pretty and beautiful like the flowers that Yzabel creates. The lush description of food and flowers. The feeling of the town when you read her words. Truly beautiful. This world has a soft magic system and it will please readers in search of that. What happens go with it! This book is for those want reads that go slower, to see the characters interact and to spend time with the ladies. Both Yzabel and Fatyan are fully fleshed out , smart, interesting characters. Even though these CW- internalized homophobia
- religious-based self-harm
- religious and magic-based disordered eating
- the patriarchy
are seen and mentioned , this book has lightness at parts. I like how Diana handled these.

And if like animal companions , Yzabel's Alentejo Mastiff is so cute. Google pictures right after if this breed is new to you, So cute. If you like soft , caring historical fantasy with two lovely ladies in love, I highly suggest A curse of roses.

A Curse Of Roses follows Yzabel, Portugal’s soon-to-be queen, who hides a secret, a curse. She has the ability to turn food into flowers and has to figure out how to not crumble under her duties while hiding her curse. Yzabel hears the legends surrounding the Enchanted Moura and with her friend, Brites’ blessing she goes in search of a solution to her curse, and Yzabel meets Fatyan who can teach her how to control her curse—if Yzabel sets her free with a kiss.

Yzabel who knows she is committing treason has no choice because her country is starving to death. After setting Fatyan free for the lives of her people, Yzabel is yearning for more.

“Of all the people who found me, you were the only one I wanted to leave with, the only one I could see myself staying with. And I will, for as long as you want me.”

This book explores themes of self-acceptance. Yzabel, who was taught that her liking towards women was a sin, slowly grows to love and accept her identity. I really loved reading her growth and character development which wasn’t overpowered by the romance, even tho it was one of the main themes of the novel.

The author wove words beautifully which went smoothly with the pace and setting of the story. Historical Fantasies are something that I don’t see often, but would love to read more of because it is basically two of my favourite genres together!

“Kindness isn’t something you are. It’s something you choose to be, every single moment of every single day.”

I also really liked the dedication of this book. “For those who have been erased”, which is basically how queerness has been erased from historical texts.

Even though the starting was very slow for my liking, the book slowly picked up pace and along with the wonderful writing made A Curse Of Roses a solid debut for me.

Representation: mostly Portuguese cast, lesbian MC, lesbian Muslim li, lesbian side characters.

Trigger Warnings: internalized homophobia, religious-based self-harm, disordered eating, murder

I was granted complimentary access to an eARC of A Curse of Roses by Diana Pinguiacha in exchange for an honest review as part of my participation in a blog tour for this title. Thank you to YA Bound Book Tours for the opportunity, to Riki Cleveland for the NetGalley widget, and anyone else involved in getting this tour off the ground. This has not swayed my opinion. My thoughts are my own and my review is honest.

Have you heard of The Miracle of Roses? I hadn't before this book found its way onto my radar, but it's a Portuguese legend about Rainha Santa Isabel (Saint Elizabeth of Portugal.) A Curse of Roses, set in the 13th century, is a retelling of this folk story with an LGBTQIA flair. It's full of political intrigue and the age-old conflict of tradition vs the human heart. Yzabel, princess of Aragon, is betrothed to a king... but she's in love with a woman named Fatyan.

This book is so beautifully and powerfully written! Both main ladies, Yzabel and Fatyan, are strong, empathetic, and sharply intelligent. Yzabel, however, does not love herself, and Fatyan finds herself faced with the task of teaching her the value of self-love, self-forgiveness, and accepting her own value.

I absolutely love reading historical fantasies, because they're a perfect marriage of literary preferences between the part of me that endured long hours in the stacks preparing to write undergraduate history papers and the part of me that took breaks from that reading by pulling out a science fiction or fantasy novel. The fact that this is set in 13th century Portugal and based on Portuguese legend is even better, as that's not a time or culture I studied past first-year survey courses, so my inner historian found all sorts of shiny things to muse over and look up.

This book is full of sensory pleasures, too. So much delicious food and beautiful flowers! (The latter of which shouldn't be a surprise from the title and gorgeous cover art.) Oh, and let's not forget the dog! Dog lovers, if you're not familiar with the Alentejo Mastiff (Rafeiro do Alentejo) picture a cross between a Golden Retriever and a German Shepherd and then colour it like a Saint Bernard. Cute, right?

Most importantly, though, I would like to celebrate the fact that this is a beautifully written F/F romance in a fantasy version of our world, at a time in history when we modern westerners seem to like to pretend the LGBTQIA didn't exist. Of course they did!

The latter half of this book felt rushed, and while at 352 pages it's certainly not a short book, it's also not too long for a YA title or for a fantasy title in general. There were definitely plot points that deserved more page time. I also felt that this book lacked world-building detail. There were little things here and there that the former history student in me spied, latched onto, and ran off to research, but the book itself didn't teach me about 13th century Portugal. Just because it's a real-world setting with magic layered over top doesn't mean it can be assumed that the reader knows what the place looks like or how the local culture works (beyond the church. Religion was thoroughly explored.)

This book seems to use a "soft" magic system, and as such doesn't lay down too many finite rules This may bother some hardcore fantasy readers, but I didn't mind. I guess we can blame growing up vicariously attending Hogwarts and spending high school afternoons debating with my best friend on how exactly the veil worked and whether or not Sirius was truly gone before book 6 landed and cleared it up for us, but less defined magic systems are not a negative in my book.

All in all, this is a good book and a beautifully written sapphic romance, and I'm here for that! It isn't without its flaws, but it's absolutely worth reading.

Content warnings: external homophobia & closeted status, self-harm, religious abuse, eating disorders, murder & body horror

TWs: Food/starving, blood, mention of menstruation, misogyny, internalized homophobia, religion-centered homophobia, adultery, self-harm, mild body horror/gore, mentions of suicide.

Set during the years on the cusp of the Renaissance period, this book is a retelling of the Portuguese legend about Queen Elizabeth who was hailed as a saint because of her incredible compassion and kindness. Of course this story takes its liberties with the story, and introduces a Midas-touch like fantasy element to it, which is a fascinating addition that only adds to the richness of this legend!

Yzabel of Portugal, in A Curse of Roses, believes herself to be cursed. Every bit of food that she touches turns into flowers, and in a country like Portugal that has its people grappling with famine and hunger every day, this curse is a thing she cannot afford. She tries to do every kind of penance known to man to rid herself of this curse, but when all else fails, she follows a country legend to find herself an Enchanted Moura called Fatyan and her life is changed forever! Fatyan, as she helps Yzabel break her curse, also becomes her closest confidant and ends up forcing her to face her truest self, but there is much lost and so much more at stake on this journey Yzabel must take!

(Note: I’m not sure if the use of the term “Moura” to describe a woman of colour is not derogatory. I will admit, it doesn’t sit 100% right with me, but I understand why it was used in this book in context! I will refrain from using this term in the rest of this review! I am not of one of the many ethnicities that were saddled with this term, so I don’t think it is my place to comment on its usage. Please use your discretion while you read the book, and let me know if it is indeed a term you would prefer not used. Thanks!)

I immensely enjoyed reading this strange story about a girl set to become Queen, who is so incredibly good that she seems unreal, and her odd magic! The writing in this book was so atmospheric and it pulled me into the story right away! There were a handful of terms that seemed too modern to be used in a story set in the middle ages, but they were very few and very far apart, so it didn’t really affect my immersion as such! There was this tight, intense mood to the story that managed to carry even the low-energy sections of the story so well and it has to be one of the best things about this book for me.

The plot of this novel is three-fold. There’s the political conflict, where the King of Portugal who is Yzabel’s betrothed, Denis, and Yzabel are trying to figure out if the noblemen of the country are taking advantage of their positions. There’s the magical conflict, where Yzabel must learn to control her powers so as to avoid certain death, not just for her, but for the people around her. And lastly, there’s the personal conflict, where this pious woman who is raised by religion and has adhered staunchly to its rules must now come face to face with her queer identity in a world that doesn’t accept something like that. There was a lot of focus on Yzabel’s grappling with her identity, and while I loved that this existed, I would have also liked it if we had explored more of the political and magical conflicts, even if it meant the book had to be a little longer! To reiterate, I loved the story how it is, but it didn’t hit that perfect spot for me, and I think that might be because of the very mellow tone and pace that got set because the main conflict of the book is centered on a more internal shift than an action-based external one! That aside, everything else about this was an absolute experience™ to read! It was so sad when Yzabel was struggling with her gayness, something that should never be thought of unnatural, and it was definitely one of the harder parts to read in the book, but it all ends well so yay for that!

(Note 2: The story can definitely read a little like white savior kind of thing, especially with the relationship Fatyan and Yza share. But it isn’t very glaring and I definitely don’t think it’s intended. Still, it was another thing that I wasn’t sure how to feel about so I’d say use your discretion while reading it!)

Speaking of Yzabel, she is one of those characters I absolutely love to read about, and everyone else just hates. She’s too good to be true, too pure, too..innocent and naïve. She’s easily excitable and she’s practically useless. But she’s so so adorable and loveable. Like, I cannot imagine coming across someone like Yzabel and not immediately wanting to protect them from any harm that might befall them! She was just one of the more precious characters ever, and she had her own complexities, and I found her very interesting, even if her ability to self-flagellate (quite literally, might I add) kind of set me on edge XD. Fatyan was another really fun character to read! She’s definitely something of a narrative foil to Yza, but she’s also someone you would be rooting for the whole story! Brites and Denis both get special mentions. Brites because she is another favourite character type of mine- the wise, mother figure who will protect their ward at any cost, and Denis because I thought he’d be a total asshole but turns out he’s not that bad and men can have some rights xD

This review would be incomplete if I didn’t talk about queerness and Yzabel’s journey with self-acceptance. I think the parallel that the author drew between her magic and queerness was quite beautiful. I love how it is depicted always as a matter of perspective. I love how Yzabel sees an attractive woman ONCE and her useless lesbian mode is activated and she does so much stupid shit around her (Like, honestly, her useless lesbian antics made this book 100x better for me lmaooo)! But, at the end of the day, I love how her identity and her magic are this Yza perceives as curses, but she grows to accept them as blessings, as much a part of herself as anything! I think the depiction of that journey is super important! I also love that she takes her time with it, and she doesn’t force herself to follow through with important experiences just because she thinks she has to. Just overall, the depiction of queerness in this book was great and I LOVED IT! Also, I read this book in a post-destiel-canon infused fugue, and there were many parallels that I saw and read with my own two eyes, so if you’re looking for an angst-ridden slow-burn story about gay love to soothe your heart after destiel, GO FOR IT! Read it and weep! Have fun with it!!

Overall, it was a super solid reading experience! I loved reading it, even if I thought it was a bit slow, and I’d definitely recommend that you check it out! It makes for a nice, cozy winter read for sure!

Beautiful story about accepting yourself for who you are in doing that great things can be accoplished.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.