Disclaimer: I’m a Portuguese girl who likes girls and loves learning about her history/mythology, so this book means a lot to me. Even if it wasn’t so close to my heart, I’d still love it because it is amazing. It’s so good, in fact, that this review does not do it justice. Sorry.

The first thing you’ll notice about A Curse of Roses is the beautiful writing. The word choice, the rhythm, the metaphors, it’s all full of magic, lyrical but not pretentious. It gives depth and emotion to every scene.
Next, we have Yzabel, future queen and saint, selfless and kind to the point of self-destruction. Despite and because of her position, Yzabel’s main concern is the people, and she’ll do anything to help them. Even stand up to her future husband, the King.
Cursed to turn food into flowers, Yzabel starves and punishes herself for what she considers evil magic. The only way to survive is to control it, but it will take a lot from her.
In comes Fatyan, Moura Encantada and hot, fat lesbian. Summoned to help Yzabel break her curse, she turns her world upside down instead. She is a clever, confident girl who knows what she’s doing and who won’t take shit from anyone. In more ways than one, Faty is both a foil and a match to Yzabel.
Brites is the mentor/motherly figure we all need in our lives. Failing that, I’ll settle for this fictional lesbian witch and all-around badass. She’ll call you out and hug you too. Listen to Brites, she knows best.
Finally, Denis: poet, king, decent guy. Occasionally a good guy. Too often a jerk. I loved how he is not only respectful of Yzabel (when he wasn’t an asshole) but also included her in the affairs of the kingdom and valued her opinion. He truly cares about his people.
The people of Portugal are suffering. The red plague is ravaging the country. The common folk starve while the rich feast. It isn’t just unfair, it’s literal theft. This is the main concern of both Yzabel and Denis, which brings them together and breaks them apart. One chooses power and intimidation, the other prefers goodness and forgiveness. They complete each other in a non-romantic way. Husband and wife, king and queen, partners on the throne.

A Curse of Roses is, above all, Yzabel’s story. It’s about her growing into the queen she’ll become, it’s about her finding her own power in every sense of the word, and it’s about her falling in love with someone the religion she’s devout to says it’s a sin.

And remember, there is strength in softness.

Beautiful story about self acceptance in the face of a sometimes unwelcoming world. This is the story so many teens may be hunting for, although I found it to read too much like Christian fiction for my preference.

Honestly? I found Curse of Roses incredibly dull. The premise is wonderful, but the execution is so bland.

There are some incredible moments - I particularly loved how Fatouma helped Yzabel question the version of Christianity she's been taught, the idea that suffering brings you closer to God. But for the most part, things happened so quickly, so easily, and there was just nothing to stand out once the initial premise had sunk in. I kept mixing up the characters because they just didn't have any real presence on the page.

Although the reader is told that Yzabel has suffered for years, she finds Fatouma so quickly after we start the book that it felt too easy. I was initially completely confused by what an Enchanted Moura was - I thought it was going to be some kind of Portuguese magical creature I'd never heard of. But no - 'moura' is just the feminine of 'moor', as in the people of North-Western Africa (although this was not explained clearly in the book and I had to look it up myself). Once I knew that, I found it strange whenever the text referred to Fatouma as 'the Moura' or 'the Enchanted Moura' instead of simply using her name. But how quickly and easily things fall into place for Yzabel to find her? It just felt ridiculous, and completely undercut any tension.

There also wasn't any real explanation of how Yzabel ended up the kind of princess who cares about the peasants - something royalty has historically been pretty bad at. I thought she was a wonderful person, but she didn't fit into her own context. It really would have helped if there'd been some explanation as to how she'd ended up a decent person. Was it supposed to be her religious devotion?

The link made between Yzabel's enforced fasting and the famine her people are suffering was well done, as was Yzabel's guilt at being praised for holiness when her fast wasn't something she was actually choosing. Pinguicha did a great job at showing how messed-up the institution of religion was (or is) in its encouragement and appreciation of suffering.

Altogether, I don't think this is a bad book as such, and I expect a lot of people to absolutely love it. I may love it, if I come back to it in a few years. But right now it's not the right book for me.

Beautiful cover and intriguing plot. It kept me engaged and almost all the characters were well distinguished from one another. Tropes are common but the story telling makes up for it.

📚Book Review! 📚

This book was nothing like I expected, but that was okay because it was amazing anyways! I expected more action, but looking back I'd actually call this book a romance.

The second I read that it was based off of all of these Portuguese Saints and legends, I was incredibly excited to read it. Plus, the very idea of a curse that forces you to turn food into flowers is a cool visual, and it didn't disappoint.

There are a number of trigger warnings for this book, and I wholeheartedly agree with them being there. I think this book is more Adult than it is YA in regards to its content, but of course many young adults will love it, too, so it's not a big deal.

I'd say the only thing I really didn't like was the instant intense love between Iza and Faty. Faty for me didn't really develop at all in the book, and it was weird for me that she was attracted to someone who was half-dead from starvation. However, her kind treatment of Iza in all of her disfunction reminded me of some of my favorite books ever, the Glitter Duology. 🥰

There were a couple of plot points that I didn't think added up, and annoyed me a bit, but they didn't really matter. They were only that, annoying.

I appreciated that there were a number of strong characters who were both male and female, making the book feel nicely balanced in the character department.

Shout-out to the author for her author's note, which I teared up reading, and for being respectful of religion in her beautiful lesbian love story. Any other books she writes, I'm officially interested in. 📚😘

I thought a lot about my own religion while reading this book, and any book that makes you think is a good one. I'd definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a good romance!

Go follow the author on Instagram, @pinguicha 💕

Many thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Teen for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

This book was absolutely delightful, heartbreaking, and hopeful all at once. Reinventing the story of Saint Elizabeth of Portugal, A Curse of Roses borrows from real-world faith while including very real wlw emotions and internalized homophobia Yzabel must come to terms with before the end. I tend to shy away from anything that includes a lot of religion (because of my own negative experiences with zealots), but ACoR presents it as simply another aspect of the world, as a faith that has been twisted and warped by powerful men for their own purposes (which...yes) but at its heart is all about helping others when you have the means and methods. I very much like how Yzabel's faith doesn't hinge on a cruel deity who only wants people to suffer and if you're not suffering, well, you're clearly not devout enough *eyeroll*

ANYWAY! The heart of this book is Yzabel coming to terms with her feelings towards other women, that her aversion to men physically/romantically is just another part of her. Fatyan as first her friend, then as more, helps her navigate the same feelings she herself went through; it's a very lovely thing to read about two people who only want for each other's happiness.

While Yzabel tries to manage her ability (which she sees as a curse), her relationship with her husband-to-be (whom I waffled on many times before I reminded myself he's a product of the time and his station and I can't expect him to be a perfect villain or ally, which I appreciate now as I think back), her relationship to her own health, her attraction to Fatyan, her crisis of faith, and her self-loathing at "not doing enough", I *felt* all of it. I understand feeling inadequate when nothing you do, no matter how good or well-intentioned it is, seems to be enough, when you drive yourself into the ground focusing on others to your own detriment. And Yza makes mistakes, but she's always kind. That makes all the difference.

I stayed engrossed in this story from start to finish. It may be fantasy, but I've always believed that fiction can show the real world in some ways better than anything. Reconciling faith as one understands it against how it's taught, accepting oneself as they are without self-hatred, and how hard times can lead to great blessings are things I think most everyone wants/wants to believe in. ACoR delivered that for me.

P.S. I would not be mad if Diana included a Lucas in every one of her books in the future. I love him so much! 🥰

A Curse of Roses is an interesting hybrid of a wholly new fairy tale, and reminiscent of something we have all seen before.

TLDR Tropes:

- Queer F/F romance
- Fairy tale retelling
- Young woman learning to control her powers
- Positive friendship representation
- Portuguese setting

A Curse of Roses is a fantastical story of a princess who is cursed. When she attempts to eat anything, the food will turn into flowers. With a country on the edge of starvation, Princess Yzabel is desperate to learn how to control her magic. She seeks out a Moura, a magical being who can help her control and reverse her magic to turn flowers into food, but as the pair fight to understand Yzabel's magic, their feelings grow as well.

I made the mistake of reading this only about 2 months after Girl, Serpent, Thorn, and if I need to be honest, the plot is nearly identical. Girl, Serpent, Thorn was an unexpected surprise for me, and A Curse of Roses was also very lovely, but everything from the unpleasant male love interest, to the sassy and sly magical being that helps the main princess embrace who she is and her magic is...eerily similar.

I want to be completely clear here, I do not think that this was intentional, but it was jarring and did impact my ability to read this book objectively.

That being said, there is a lot here to love. Yzabel's growth is a wonderful and healthy "coming of age" portrayal of a young woman understanding her purposes and desires. She's rightfully inspired the love and care of those around her. The romance, though rushed in my opinion, was charming nonetheless- and the monster girlfriend/mentor relationship is always fun to see!

I really liked the fairy tale that this book was based on, and Diana Pinguicha's lyrical writing suited it perfectly- never breaking that feeling like this story is being told to you by your mother in bed.

If you are a fan of sapphic romance and fantasy, I would absolutely recommend picking this graceful little standalone up.

**Trigger Warnings**: includes themes, imagery, and content that might be triggering for some readers. Discussions of religious-based eating disorders, and religious-based internalized homophobia appear throughout the novel.

A magical ability that causes flowers to spew forth and turning all your food into flowers... a looming death...and a mystical being who could fix your curse... and the problem? One kiss from her might not be enough. This was a wonderful retelling of the Portuguese legend. princess Yzabel is cursed with the ability to turn anything she touches into flowers, forcing her into the predicament in which she herself is forced to starve since she cannot eat anything. Meanwhile, there is a plague happening around her and the people are also starving. In order to reverse or even try to manage her powers she gets a beautiful enchanted Moura named Fatyan to help her. Yzabel is betrothed to the King of Portugal who continues to forbid her to give more food or money to the people... Yzabel must struggle with committing treason with her magical gifts and her looming feelings for Fatyan. Their love could spell destruction for both of them but will they fight for it? I immensely enjoyed reading this book. The struggles and issues that Yzabel faced not only with her religion but her internalized homophobia is very well depicted. The story was well told and wraps up wonderfully. I would definitely recommend this wonderful fantasy romance for anyone who enjoys a great story!

*Thank you so much to Netgalley and Entangled: Teen for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*