A Forgery of Roses is such a beautifully written YA fantasy. The world-building is outstanding. The romance is swoon-worthy. The story is well written with romance, murder, action and well-developed characters that engage from start to finish. The world is atmospheric and feels real. Jessica S. Olson has earned herself a spot on my auto-buy authors list. I cannot get enough. Highly recommended! Be sure to check out A Forgery of Roses today.

Loved this. Had all the elements I was wanting: romance, gothic, magic and murder. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for granting me access to an e-arc.

Gothic theme, lush standalone fantasy and romance. What is not to love?! It was a bit hard for me to get into at the beginning, but once I got ahold of the plot, this story was very interesting! I read this in Fall so the weather complemented perfectly. Highly recommend for fantasy lovers.

Thank you Inkyard press for the e-arc

One of my favorite aspects of this novel is that it reminded me of Margaret Rogerson's "An Enchantment of Ravens," specifically the plot point of Myra depicting figures in her art in unusual ways. No spoilers but I absolutely love the trope of the oldest sister giving up everything to protect her younger sibling and this happens to be the premise of "A Forgery of Roses." I think it's important to have more books with this trope because, just like in the real world, life usually revolves around younger siblings (i.e., their needs and wants) and often the older siblings get left behind. So something that this novel does that I love is really putting Myra in the spotlight, making her her own main character whereas before only her younger sister's story was being told.

A Forgery of Roses was promising, but I felt it fell a bit short. 4 out of 5 stars.

The book follows Myra, a talented artist who has magic beneath her paint brush. But not good magic, more of a dark magic that could go horribly wrong. The story takes a turn when the governor's wife finds out about Myra's magic, plunging Myra into the fight to stay away from the same fate that stole her mother.

Overall, I would say this book was interesting and unique in it's plot line. The gothic undertones were so different than anything I've read that it was an instant pull.. However, I slowly started to lose interest when Myra experienced what is not so fondly referred to as insta-love. If romance is going to be a plot point, it has to be realistic or else I sort of check out.

I did love how gritty this book was (but if you dislike gore this might not be the book for you). Also, the ending had me sweating and it almost made up for everything leading up to it. Almost.

I got bored with this book and just couldn’t finish it.
It sounded interesting but unfortunately it was poorly done.
I do not recommend

I wanted to like this young adult novel about a girl with magic painting abilities but it just wasn't for me. I found the protagonist shallow and difficult to root for and the romance tepid. The world building felt incomplete. Ultimately the book did not live up to its premise.

I am a bit late to this review. Generally, I don't dish out less than 3 stars for the majority of my reviews, but this novel felt a bit flat. While I don't regret reading Forgery of Roses, I was really disappointed by the story as a whole. Myra and the magic system were super interesting and well done, and I did enjoy the murder mystery plot. While it was great to see disability and anxierty represented, the way it was written didn't jive with me. That could have more to do with the setting and time period though, because I never could figure out what either was. Where were the characters? England? and when? there were carriages and shops with working artists, but what time period?

Overall, I do not regret the read, and I did find parts enjoyable, I just felt things culd have been expanded more. I do hope that is a sequel happens the readers might get more details and questions answered.

I really enjoyed A Forgery of Roses. Its described as Dorian Gray meets Stalking Jack the Ripper and I think that description was spot on. I liked the writing and the characters. I thought the story was original. I will be purchasing this book for my library.

The thing I want to share about this one right off the bat is that I loved there was some diversity in terms of disability rep. There was also a lot of discussion surrounding anxiety, which was great to see.

There was some insta love and a triangle going on which I didnt love but the magic system made up for it-- it was interesting and unique .
I think anyone who really enjoys YA fantasy will like this one

A Forgery of Roses was a great dark gothic fantasy novel! I love that art is incorporated in the magic system, it felt very whimsical. I did find the story dragging a little at times but I found myself engaged enough and cared what happened to the characters, and where the story would go. Overall, I will definitely recommend this book and will for sure lookout for more by Jessica S. Olson!

I'd recommend this for YA fantasy/romance readers.

The book has some gore and violence as well as death so it's most appropriate for those 14+.

My take away is that the book is a sort of retelling of The Picture of Dorian Grey.
I will admit it's a bit confusing as the book jumps right into the thick of things without much explanation; one must read the synopsis to figure out what is happening.

However,the story is somewhat unique and the ending is suspenseful.

A lush fantasy that ably walks the line between a beautiful dream and a terrible nightmare. The world Olson conjures is one steeped in ancient magic, mystery, and danger: a world of gaslight and mist-shrouded streets. The way that magic functions in this world is unique and interesting-- these elements combine for an unforgettable story.

I received a copy of this book for a fair and honest review. I think it is an interesting concept for painting magic. It is not something I have really heard about as a gift. I did enjoy Myra and what she was going through. Though there were times that she talked about not having money and having to take care of her ill sister a lot. I did not think it had to be mentioned as much as it was. I like that anxiety and panic attacks were included since so many could relate, but it does not come across as represented correctly. I also did not expect the way the story turned out. I thought I knew who was all involved but I was wrong.

See this review and more at the blog, The Scribe Owl!

3.5/5 stars

As soon as I read the synopsis I was extremely excited to read A Forgery of Roses! The premise was unique and interesting, and I read it the first opportunity I got. Stalking Jack the Ripper meets The Picture of Dorian Gray?? Yes please, absolutely! Unfortunately, it fell a little short of what it wanted to accomplish. I can see all the great ideas that went into it, but they got all muddled up in the execution.

The characters are where Jessica S. Olson had the greatest chance of selling me and she got me about three-quarters of the way there. I loved Lucy and her relationship with Myra! The bonds between the two were palpable and that single relationship simultaneously brought so much levity and despair into the story. I honestly didn't like August at first (which is weird because he's exactly my type) but I warmed up to him over the course of the novel. Myra herself was a great MC and did a great job centering the cast of characters.

The magic system in A Forgery of Roses was really unique! I loved the whole idea of sevren, which are described as "soul threads" and the discovery and manipulation of them through painting. I will add though--the religion created for this story is really weird. It's really just a plot device to make Prodigies (people who can manipulate sevren by painting) outcasts, but it definitely weirded me out when they attempted to explain it.

Okay I'm sorry but I have to add one more thing real quick that is probably not that important in the grand scheme of things but bothered me to no end. So Myra's trying to figure out how this guy died, right? So she's looking at the body and she's like "hmmm he fell off a balcony so it had to be blunt force trauma." And then she finds this super suspicious-looking wound she identifies as a KNIFE WOUND and goes "yep! Blunt force trauma!" And continues with her day. I MEAN WHAT????? GIRL--

A Forgery of Roses is a very creepy gothic novel. It tells of an artists who bring things back from the dead. The writing is very creepy with horror elements. I found all the characters to be very likable. The story is dark and eerie with a sweet romance! I recommend this for fans of Kingdom of the Wicked, Hotel Magnifque, and The Kingdom of Back!

A good read with easy to like characters, however the storyline is one we have read a few hundred times before.

The writing is great and it makes the book move quickly, but if youre looking for something groundbreaking, I dont think you will find it here.

I absolutely LOVED this book. It seemed to take quite a long time to read which I think is more a reflection on how chaotic life is right now rather than on the books itself which just felt shrouded in intrigue and mystery.

Myra is a Prodigy: an artist that is able to change the appearance of her portrait subjects through magic. Set in a world that hates magic, she lives in fear of discovery. Especially after both her mother and father disappear, leaving Myra and her sister Lucy alone. With Lucy's health deteriorating, Myra has no choice but to walk into the wolf's den to take up her hardest challenge ever for the governors wife and attempt to resurrect her dead son.

However, it seems that the closer Myra comes to discovering what happened on that balcony that night, the closer to danger she steps until both Myra and Lucy's lives are on the line.

I loved the suspense and mystery that A Forgery of Roses builds in its readers and I really enjoyed the ambiguity of the time line. The carriages, gas lights and gowns feel at such odds with the language used within the book and I love how that blends with the fantasy element of the book. Bringing the story out of any timeline we know where the Artist overseas all.>If you enjoy fantasy books, then you should love this one too.

Although technically a YA book, at no point did the story or characters feel too young for me as the story seemed to work on so many levels.

A Forgery of RosesBy: Jessica S. Olson

“Everything is a calculated move in this house. Nothing is as it seems. Ever.”

“I’m so sorry… I always do this. Every time I care about someone, I find some way to destroy them.”

I loved Jessica’s first book, Sing Me Forgotten. That book was themed around music and was a great fantasy/love story.

A Forgery of Roses is themed around a different art— painting.And while it does have a love story, it’s secondary to the mystery of the book.

The Plot

In this world there are people known as prodigies who have been gifted with part of the Artist’s power. (The Artist being God/Creator who created the world by making his paintings come to life)

Myra is a prodigy.

“Prodigy magic, which flows through my body just as it did through Mother’s, gives a painter the ability to alter human and animal bodies with their paintings, and it is considered by the Church to be even more of an abomination than normal portrait work… sinful imitation of the Artist.”

There are dangers to being a prodigy. Not only is your practice considered an abomination, but others have blackmailed and forced prodigies to do their bidding.

Myra must keep her powers a secret.

But the governor’s wife approaches Myra with a dangerous proposition. One she can’t refuse. The governor’s son, Will, has fallen from a balcony and died and the governor’s wife wants Myra to paint him back to life.

As Myra spends more time in the governor’s house, the more she questions whether Will’s death was actually an accident or something far more sinister.

With the help of Will’s younger brother, August, whom Myra has grown attracted to, and information from the infamous Forger, can Myra unravel the mystery and bring Will back to life before she is discovered and faces certain harm? Even death?

It will be tough because everyone in that haunted house looks like a suspect.

“Trust is a luxury for the wealthy, the secure, the loved.”

My Thoughts

I loved this book!

It was interesting, clever, mysterious, and suspenseful.

As an art major, I was intrigued by the concept of painting powers. I never painted with oils so I can’t relate to that experience, but I definitely knew which colors she was talking about with titanium white, phthalo blue, etc.

I liked Myra and her sister Lucy so it was easy to become invested in her predicament. The other characters were too suspicious to like. But just as I enjoyed the banter between the characters on Sing Me Forgotten, I did in this book as well. Olson is very skilled at writing dialogue.

It was a little bit like an Agatha Christie novel in that there were a lot of suspects and the crime happened in a ‘bubble’ so the ‘detective’ (aka Myra) had to figure out what was going on with each family member and servant.

I kept thinking I knew where the story’s arc was going to go but Olson kept offering up surprises and unexpected details! While there were parts of it I suspected, I don’t think I was really confident about any of my theories the entire book.

I think this book would make for a really good movie!

There is a theme that runs in the book about appearances and authenticity. While authenticity has some connotations that I don’t really agree with, I like how Olson handled it in her book. You can’t help but want to high five this character for speaking this truth:

“I’m done believing the lie… that says I deserve less respect because I struggle. I’m far stronger than you’ll ever be because I’ve fought for every victory. Because those fights have taught me compassion and kindness. They’ve taught me to see the world for what it is, not for what I think it should be. So step aside… I’m done minimizing my greatness so you can feel superior.”

My last thought is in regards to the title. I always like a profound title and one with multiple layers. I won’t reveal too much because of the nature of the story but this quote speaks to part of the title’s depth:

“I think of Ladyroses catching flame… ‘A symbol of life. Beautiful, like birth.’”

It’s the perfect title!

The One Thing

My only qualm with this book is the setting. We are not given a concrete date that this story takes place. The clues we have are that there are carriages instead of cars and gas lights instead of electricity. But the vernacular of the characters and the banter doesn’t really seem to fit that time period to me. Also the hospital scene feels too modern for gas lights, but I don’t mind suspending that reality.

Perhaps because it’s a fiction/fantasy it is not based on a historical era. Which is fine. I just felt a little disconnected from the story. We actually don’t even find out about the carriages for several chapters so at the beginning I wasn’t quite sure where I was for awhile. A little setting at the beginning would have been helpful.

Conclusion

I would definitely recommend this book!

It’s an intense (and clean!) read with a compelling plot, likable protagonist, and great writing.

And then you should also read her first book because that one’s really good too.

A Forgery of Roses finishes a little open-ended and I’m crossing my fingers for a sequel that brings Lucy’s character more into the spotlight, but I think Olson just likes to give her readers something to think about.

I was surprised by some other reviewers’ negative comments. I think if I had read their reviews BEFORE I read the book I might have been similarly influenced, but I read the book on my own and my first impressions and uninfluenced feelings about it were very positive.

I guess, as with any book, there’s a chance we have differing tastes, but I think most people will like it!

**Received an ARC via NetGalley**

I really liked the characters in this book, and loved the sibling relationship between the two sisters. I also loved the magic system; I love magic that is related to art. The romance was also quite sweet and satisfying. The prose was beautiful, overall this is quite an excellent book.