A great new historical fantasy in the vein of Throne of Glass and Red Queen, that will appeal to many readers. The story sucks you in from the first page and doesn't let you go. The characters are relatable and intriguing. You genuinely care about what is going to happen to them and when the book ends are instantly ready for the second one. A great book for those that might be new to the genre, they won't struggle getting into it. An intriguing way to show that everyone struggles to fit in. I am very excited for the next installment.

A story about a girl who discovers that being not enough is enough for more than enough, and most importantly, herself. Historical fantasy at its best. In the end, it was a book about fighting for what is right, with thought. I knew what I wanted to happen, but seeing Anna going through the process was both exhilarating and maddening. I'm glad she made the choice she made because at the end of the day, rebellions are built on hope.

Ok, now that I got that rogue one out of me (lol), I must say I enjoyed this novel. It was very true to what I expect of historical fantasy, blending the lines between the real and the fantasy. Rosalyn Eves did a great of job of representing what was and what wasn't in a way that leaves no doubt that it all was.

I particularly like that it is also a coming of age novel. It reinforces the idea that we can not only decided who we want to be, but that we can fight for that even in the midst of oppression, whether we fail or win, we should try.

Anna's trials are no doubt still to continue, and I for one, cannot wait to see what happens. Sure, we know what happened in Hungary, but what will happen in London, and what choices will Anna make, will she embrace her new found knowledge of what she is or seek to find a space for herself in a world that might not be quite as changed as she believes it is? What about Catherine and James? And what about everything that once was and that is again? How will the ancients fare in this new world?

Received as an eARC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

This book opened up with a set-up that showed so much promise. Anna, a noble woman of the Luminate class, is marked for not having magic, disrupts her sister's debut because her magic cancels other magic. She then gets taken to Hungary to be hidden away from the scandal and learns of the magic holding together this AU pre-World-War-I Europe. It should have been interesting, but the plot was fraught with problems.

Anna simply had no drive and felt a bit like a lovesick fool from the get go. I have no problem with my heroines kissing multiple boys, but when each one is plot important, it makes me raise an eyebrow several times. The first boy betrays her, the second one introduces her to Romani culture, and the third is her cousin. Every moment with Gábor and his Romani culture raised some red flags about the representation there. What made me most uncomfortable was the entire conversation where he talked about navigating both Hungarian and Romani cultures. It was poorly executed.

Pacing is also a word lost on this work. The story didn't start until the last 15-20% of the read. I cannot tell you about most details that happened in the middle. The reveals were rushed, completely rushed. It was especially infuriating because it was clear that this was done to make way for a sequel and it was part of the reason it took me so long to finish.

The premise wasn't enough to save this work that lacked proper characterization and representation and any sense of pacing.

A fluffy addition to the already crowded YA fantasy field.

I am unable to provide a review at this time. Unfortunately, I DNFed this book in the first 18%. It just didn't hold my attention. I apologize for the inconvenience.

There are many YA novels out there right now trying to be the next big hit, and so many with a similar story to this one. And, I, for one, love a good YA novel! I can also be very picky about them. But, thankfully, this one did not disappoint. It is a good, solid, YA fantasy with much more to it that is worth a read by anyone who loves this genre.

I just wasn't a fan of this title. With so many YA writers trying to jump on the magical-realism and/or dystopian train, this one just missed the station. It was slow paced and just couldn't hold my attention. With so many other titles, I would recommend a pass on this one.

The first thing that drew me to Blood Rose Rebellion by Rosalyn Eves was its stunning cover. If you know me at all, you’ll know that I absolutely cannot resist a gorgeous cover! The summary for the book sounded really interesting as well, so I couldn’t wait to get started on it. I don’t think I’ve read anything like this book before, and I found it to be a very interesting read.

It only took one chapter of Blood Rose Rebellion for me to become really interested in the story. I’ve read a lot of stories about magic, so I figured this one would be just another magical story, but it wasn’t. I really appreciated the uniqueness of the story. I also really enjoyed the setting as well, which started in London, and ends in Hungary. The ending came together nicely, and also left me with a few questions, especially after that epilogue. I’m curious to see what’s going to happen next as the series goes along.

There were a lot of interesting characters throughout the story. The main character, Anna, was a little frustrating at times, as she was trying to figure out exactly who she is and what she could do. I love her grandmamma and her family in Hungary, including her cousins. There are a lot of characters in this novel to keep up with, and some you’re really going to like, and some… not so much. But they were all well written.

Overall; Blood Rose Rebellion was a very interesting beginning to what should prove to be a very unique series. I’m super curious to get my hands on the next book to see what’s going to happen next.

Happy Reading!

The start of this novel raised many questions and outlined an interesting plot as to whether the magic in the world could be broken by one girl. Anna is presented as a normal teenage girl, well, normal to our standards. She is average, has the perfect older sister, the wealthy family, the adoring younger brother, and no magic. Everything changes in one night as Anna ruins her sister’s coming out, is questioned by the Circle, and is whisked off to Hungary to stay with her distant relatives. There she will find herself, learn what powers she does have, and make decisions that could reshape the world.
Although these plotlines were a great base, the story itself never really took off. Most of the characters were quite flat. And they never seemed to get anywhere. There was political talk throughout the novel that became longwinded, repetitive, and unbalanced in a fantasy novel. After three quarters of the novel, I simply had to give up as I felt that I knew where the novel was heading, but could not drag myself along for the rest of the ride. The significant lack of action created a droning voice that was, unfortunately, tiresome.
The settings also got me, as a reader, off track. Once in Hungary, Eves used names of places that were hard to wrap ones tongue around. Out of curiosity, I looked them up. Although they are real places and have exciting histories, these are not those histories and should have been given their own names. Using Countess Bathory was also along these lines as it seemed the stories didn’t fit together. Eves should have stuck with a strictly fantasy world or entwined more real history in if she wanted the historical fiction feel.

Access to magic equals access to power.

Anna can't access magic so she can't access power.

But even without access to magic, Anna seems to be able to mess up everyone else's magic.

After ruining her older sister's coming out party and accidentally destroying all of the magic in the room, Anna leaves for Hungary to try and save her family's name and to get away from the danger her lack of magic presents for them.

But running away to Hungary does more to put Anna at the front of the magic rebellion than to hide her from it. She's being watched. She's being hunted. And she's being courted by people who want free access to all magic.

Her talent, or apparent lack of it, may be the one thing that opens up the binding that regulates magic and frees the people to be able to access it no matter what their family names may be.

Final thoughts: Messy. This one was just messy from start to finish. There were a couple of ideas that had promise, but the extended metaphor was forced and shoved down the throats of the readers. I feel no need to read the next two in the planned trilogy and I feel bad for those who read the back cover and think this will be any good.

Rating: 2/5

ARC provided by NetGalley

I'm going to go right ahead and say this one didn't work for me. It was a historical fiction x fantasy that felt like a period drama more than a magical explosion of adventures. It was so slow that it was hard to stay focused on the page. The stakes were low and I struggled to feel invested in Anna's story when the first 100 or so pages are literally just of her being sent away because she kissed a boy unmarried.

The pace felt entirely tedious. I just wanted to get to something exciting...but we had to struggle through dry high teas and stiff dialogue and Anna hurting herself all the time because apparently she's a delicate snowflake.

I did enjoy the Hungarian setting however! And I thought the magic system was very interesting. When Anna starts finding portals and dimensions I became fully intrigued, especially with the "monsters" she discovered. I would've loved the book to feature them more. Or perhaps had some humour? It was maddening sitting through Anna's very thin personality trying to lift the weight of a story about rebellion, magic, and injustice.

Unfortunately Blood Rose Rebellion was a failed read for me. It would more appeal to fans who like slow unfolding period dramas. But the only characters I was invested in where the Romani and they hardly featured. Otherwise I found the entire story far too dry and slow.

This book had so much potential. It was filled with magic, history, and romance. The book moved very slowly and the plot was mostly pushed to side to focus on Anna's boring live life. All the characters were stereotypical. Anna was a very selfish character. The only I liked about was the world-building. Hopefully, the sequel will better.

I received a copy from Netgalley.

I had pre ordered a finished hardcover, I put in a request on Netgalley, and 90% of my Random House requests are declined, so I was completely gobsmacked when I was actually approved for this one. So I wound up with a pretty white cover finished copy and a pretty blue cover copy for my kindle.

Though I don’t really know what to say on the actual story itself. It’s an interesting idea. In this alternative historical society the upper class wealthy people are magical users, Luminates. Various families have different magical traits. When they reach a certain age society children go through a test to see what magical affinity they are suited to. Only the elite class can become Luminates. There are rare instances where children like our heroine Anna, are barren with seemingly no magical talent whatsoever.

Anna’s best hope in society is marrying of equal wealth. Her older sister Catherine outshines her in every respect, magically and looks. Catherine is a snob. She has a younger brother who I got the impression was quite weak and sickly. Her mother is much of a snob as her sister, and her father seems quite passive. Debutant balls in this society require a display of magic. The novel starts with Catherine’s debutant ball and magical display. Anna is supposed to be out of the way with the younger brother but it doesn’t happen. She’s been seeing a wealthy boy, Freddy, whom she has a big crush on. She winds up crashing her sister’s ball and something goes drastically wrong when the magic collapses when Anna arrives in the ballroom. Anna apparently has the ability to break magic apart.

Scandalised, her mother sends her off to Hungary with Anna’s grandmother to Grandmother’s home estate. Where Anna gets a lesson in Hungarian magic and politics. She inadvertently finds herself on the land of Hungarian Romani’s. Which sparks a love-hate relationship with a boy she meets. There’s also a rebellion going on she finds herself entwined with, a group of people who (understandably) hate the fact that only the aristocrats of society can use magic. They’ve spelled it to be so. Anna has the capability of bringing this to a collapse.

The biggest problem I had with this novel was that I found it quite repetitive. The magic and the rebellion were quite fascinating, Anna was a likeable enough heroine. But she finds herself in situations that are quite often morally ambiguous. She’s faced with some really tough choices in following her heart or following her own mind. Most of the situations she’s faced with are the sort where there is no clear right or wrong answer. Whatever decision she makes, someone will be hurt. And she goes back and forth over this in various situations throughout the novel.

Definitely a worthwhile read and after that ending I’m looking forward to the next instalment.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Children's for approving my request to view the title.

This is a very odd mashup of Austenian social climbing, magic, and running off to Hungary. It felt very disjointed, and the heroine had three dudes in her life, one right after the other, and she didn't seem to care. Very awkward--a pass.

Some YA fic is just a little too typical YA fic. This was one of them. :/

I was really expecting to love this book. It wasn't that it was bad. I guess I just overdid it again with the high expectations. I love the cover though!

I received an e-arc to read and review.

It was an average book about a subject that has been done to death. Characters are okay, but none of them have the spark that endures them to my heart.

Because Rosalyn Eves' writing is so fluid that you read just to enjoy the ride her prose provides. Although I struggled a bit with the scope of Blood Rose, meaning it was often hard for me to jive with Anna as a character with the huge circumstances she ends up finding herself in, I almost didn't care so smooth were Eves' words. Anna is young and quite immature, often making rash, patently absurd choices. She experiences a lot of emotional growth over the course of the plot, and that growth is realistic and gratifying to witness, but I still found myself a little surprised at how central a figure she played in relation to the revolutionaries. To have so many lives dependent on her seemed like a tiny bit of a stretch. Other than that, I thought the book was perfect.

Anna Arden has known she was Barren, without magic, for years. She carried the shame of it everywhere. Yet she felt drawn to those displaying their own magic. In the world of the Luminate, your magic set your social standing. So for Anna not to have any magic meant she was left hoping for a good match in marriage. After a horrible magical accident during her sister's society party, Anna starts to realize her life is more complicated than she imagined.

She quickly learns that the Luminate are not what she always thought they were. Yes, they controlled the source of magic, but they were not completely honest about the depth and control of the power. Anna's father and grandmother act quickly as it becomes clear that while Anna's connection to magic is different, and Anna starts a journey to Hungary to learn more about her ancestry and the magic that is being held by the Luminate.

In the process, she meets her cousins Matyas, and Noemi, as well as Gabor, a Romani. As her worldview expands with her knowledge of the world around her, her eyes are opened to many injustices and options to help make the world a better place. But will she take the leap of faith that is needed to access magic in a way she never knew was possible?

It's no lie that I'm a lover of all things fantasy; give me a book about magic and I'll instantly add it to my TBR pile. But sometimes, among the diamonds, I'll just find shiny bits of broken glass. And Blood Rose Rebellion certainly falls into the "glass" territory.

Magic that stems from your blood, a revolution sparking across Europe and a setting in an eastern European country? That's ticking off so many boxes for me. I always love seeing fantasy books set in eastern Europe, which is what drew me to books like Blood Rose Rebellion and the Shadow and Bone series.

But Blood Rose Rebellion was agonizingly slow and I just couldn't bring myself to finish it. Y'all know I hate DNF'ing a book. I like to give the story the benefit of the doubt and at least try to finish it, just to see if it got better in the end. I just couldn't keep going with this.

Anna has the power to break spells, but it takes her way too long to realize this power even though it's immediately obvious. There's supposed to be a rebellion brewing, but we don't see that at all, except in strange little snippets of one character coming back to say, "Hey, remember that rebellion? We could use you!" and then disappearing for five chapters.

All we get is Anna obsessing over boys. And while that's not inherently a problem, it becomes one when it hinders the progression and pace of the story. Not to mention that her cousin kisses her (and is a major creep about it) and Anna never addresses it again!

I couldn't finish Blood Rose Rebellion no matter how hard I tried, and I just have other books I need to read that hopefully are much better than this one.