Rose Petal Graves by Olivia Wildenstein
My Rating: 3/5 stars
Publisher: Weapenry Co-Op/Olivia Wildenstein
Publish date: March 29th, 2017
Received: Netgalley provided an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
Purchase: Amazon
Myth and fantasy collide in “the most haunting love story,” perfect for fans of Maas’s A Court of Thorns & Roses and Pocahontas.
ANCIENT SECRETS CANNOT REMAIN BURIED FOREVER.
Founded two centuries ago by a powerful tribe of Gottwa Indians, Rowan was a quiet town, so quiet that I fled after graduation. Staying away was the plan, but Mom died suddenly.
Dad said she suffered a stroke after she dug up one of the ancient graves in our backyard, which happens to be the town cemetery. Creepy, I know. Creepier still, there was no corpse inside the old coffin, only fresh rose petals.
As we made preparations for Mom’s burial, new people began arriving in Rowan, unnervingly handsome and odd people. I begged them to leave, but they stayed, because their enemies—my ancestors—were beginning to awaken.
Musings:
This book was like candy to my heart. I love it with everything in me, but it is still just a bit unhealthy. I read this book in two very delicious days and it was a whole lot of fun for me.
I enjoyed its offness. The constent setting of a graveyard, the ruffled browning skin of decaying corpses, and the morbid reality that Catori and her father drive a hearse everywhere they go. There was so many places for beautiful imagery to give life to a darkly riviting story, but sadly the lush writing I wished was present didn’t make much of an appearance.
The folk lore, the tribal spell casting, a racial and familial rivalry between two very magical races. There was so much substance in the very idea of this story, but when put into action there were way more instances of telling when I wished to be immersed and shown. There were too many conversations with questions and answers that, while interesting, I wanted the ideas to be shown to me rather then have all the answers given within a conversation.
I also felt as though I didn’t get to know enough about Catori as a character, because I didn’t get to truly live within her as a breathing and wholly alive human being. The most developed character for me was Ace, but that was only because he has such a loud personality and he in a way makes it so you never forget him and I loved that about him. His fierce protectiveness of his mute fae sister. His sarcasm and his ability to look past a persons outer layers really stood out to me and it felt weird to me that he’s the one I think of even though the entire story is told through Catori’s eyes.
I feel like Catori doesn’t really know who she is or who she wants to be, and that hesitance and her tendency to be very unsure makes it harder for me to know her well. I also feel like she alows herself to get involved in romantic situations too quickly and while she is in them she is afraid to commit and it leaves a lot of room to get a lot of people hurt.
As for the love interests, Cruz the handsome Fae, isn’t present long enough for me to know enough about him, but I do like the immpresions he gives off. I think I definitely have a mini-crush on him. Then we have Kajika, brooding and native Kajika. I don’t know what to think about him either, but I like his confidence. He feels a bit of a safer bet, but I can never be sure. I have reasons that would be too spoliery to meantion to further how I really feel about him. You could say I have a mini-crush on him too.
Overall I have to say I wanted more. I still want more. I am definitely looking forward to book 2. I need that piece of candy in my life as soon as possible.
Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this review! Let me know what you think of this book and its lovely cover in the comments. I always enjoy reading your thoughts.
-Till next time!
Nice review. I had been wondering about this one for a while.
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The cover and the description really do make it a curiosity.
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That’s what I had done. A cover reveal for it. The cover reminded me of “And I Darken” and I’ve been wanting to read that forever!
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It is cool! Despite wanting more from the piece I really did enjoy reading it it in a way reminds me of some of the books that I used to read not for the language, but for the fun of it!
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I saw that on NetGalley and liked the cover, but wasn’t sure if I wanted it or not. Is the love story what makes it kinda Pocahontas like?
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It has Native American folklore, but it isn’t a real tribe. It connects Native American culture to faeries and hunters it is actually a pretty neat part of the book.
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Oh ok cool. I’ll have to check that out 🙂
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😆
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I have nominated you for The Blogger Recognition Award. Link: https://thebohemianbookreview.wordpress.com/2017/03/06/blogger-recognition-award/
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Thank you for the nomination!
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Now I’m not a dentist , but too much candies can be bad for your teeth (jk) , Cool review though but don’t think i’ll be reading this atleast not until I see what your thoughts on book 2 are
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Definitely! It will be a while though since I don’t believe it had been written yet 🙃. It’s just one of those books I really wanted more from.
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I understand , I got that feeling of leaving the reader unsatiated from your review hence I’m willing to wait for a review of the future installments
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Awesome! I hope to talk with you then!
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I want to read this book but I’m hearing the same issues from the other readers. Maybe I’ll give this a try when I’m pretty bored and have nothing to read. 🙂
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This comment makes me both sad and happy at the same time, because I really wanted this story to have more substance and even though it’s still good it is one of those stories that you read out of boredom or for something a bit lighter.
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Agree that cover is lovely!! And the world building and setting sounds amazing!!
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Thank you! The cover is amazing. It was a very enjoyable read.
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You’re welcome!
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Great review, Tiana! This sounds like a creepy but fascinating read indeed 🙂
And the love interests sound quite dreamy, too!
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Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed. I hope you read the book when you get a chance!
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Thank you! Let’s hope I do, I just have such a big TBR I can’t even process it XD
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I requested it too and I hope I’ll get it! I’ve thought about it a long time before requesting it, but finally did it haha
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I hope that you get approved! It really is a fun ride! 😊📚💕
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Ahhh I got approved I’m so excited!
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Congratulations! 🎉🎊🎈
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I take delight in reading what you had to express, You have an remarkable knowledge on the subject informationa nd I look forward to examing more of what you have to say. I will pay attention and bookmark your post and come back to your internet site when an update is posted.
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Thank you! I am flattered. It will be a while before book 2 comes out so I can review it, but I’m happy to know that you enjoyed my review so much. Thanks again!
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