RoseBlood
A. G. Howard returns with a creepy, clever novel that will thrill readers. Rune has a mysterious affliction that's linked to her musical talent. Her mother believes creative direction will help, so she sends Rune to a French arts conservatory rumored to have inspired The Phantom of the Opera. When Rune begins to develop a friendship with the elusive Thorn, she realizes that with him, she feels cured. But as their love grows, Thorn is faced with an impossible choice: save Rune or protect the phantom haunting RoseBlood, the only father he's ever known. Fans of Daughter of Smoke & Bone and the Splintered series will adore this retelling of one of the most famous stories of all time.
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Community Reviews
Oo! That Writing!
Letâs be honest. A.G. Howard is an absolutely gorgeous writer. The diction, the flow, the structure. Itâs all magnifique! Itâs so beautiful and adds such a fantastical wonder to this story that sweeps you up. The way itâs written really embodies that powerful, wondrous music that the story is about. In fact, the writing is so pretty that one might get a little too caught up in it and miss the negative aspects of the novel.
Story-Telling 101
Um⦠One thing that was less than perfect in Roseblood would be the way itâs told. In fact, if I wasnât paying so much attention to the book (because I read at the pace of a freakinâ sloth), I might have missed a huge chunk of the important information and the reveals. Why? Because they were just thrown into the middle of these scenes without any build up. They werenât given as much importance as they shouldâve and thus it left each of these pieces of information understated and underwhelming. It was quite a disappointment.
Rune, the MC
When the main character is the least active, least involved character of the entire story⦠I think youâve done something wrong and this was exactly what happened. Rune, the brooding, anti-social female protagonist, does absolutely nothing. Everything is told to her. Everything is handed to her. All the plans are made up for her. She does nothing. Sheâs just⦠so passive and it really bothered me. I donât like reading stories where the main character does nothing.
Explanations
Wait! The End? What do you mean, The End? First off, that ending was garbage! Re-do PLEASE!!! Itâs such a weak, unfulfilling ending that I knew was gonna be the ending from the beginning, but I didnât want it. I wanted it to surprise me. I wanted it to shock me. I wanted⦠an actual ending! That ending was just like: âCrap! We ran out of space! Wrap-up it up in the next 15 pages. GO!â -.-
Worst of all was there were no explanations. The main plot finally hit itâs climax and then⦠nothing. Itâs like it was just skipped over, like it hadnât been fully thought out so they just decided to leave it out entirely. Awful way to wrap it up because it left so many questions. It left so many loose ends. And it left me feeling like certain things didnât make any sense because they werenât explained. Ugh!
Death
Oh come on! Really? That ending? But of course that ending. Why? Because the original story didnât end well and so this one should? Psh! No. I wanted them to die. Both of them. All of them. Everyone? Yes, everyone. I canât honestly say there is a single person in this book that I wanted to live. Nope. Death to everyone. Mwahahaha!
Letâs be honest. A.G. Howard is an absolutely gorgeous writer. The diction, the flow, the structure. Itâs all magnifique! Itâs so beautiful and adds such a fantastical wonder to this story that sweeps you up. The way itâs written really embodies that powerful, wondrous music that the story is about. In fact, the writing is so pretty that one might get a little too caught up in it and miss the negative aspects of the novel.
Story-Telling 101
Um⦠One thing that was less than perfect in Roseblood would be the way itâs told. In fact, if I wasnât paying so much attention to the book (because I read at the pace of a freakinâ sloth), I might have missed a huge chunk of the important information and the reveals. Why? Because they were just thrown into the middle of these scenes without any build up. They werenât given as much importance as they shouldâve and thus it left each of these pieces of information understated and underwhelming. It was quite a disappointment.
Rune, the MC
When the main character is the least active, least involved character of the entire story⦠I think youâve done something wrong and this was exactly what happened. Rune, the brooding, anti-social female protagonist, does absolutely nothing. Everything is told to her. Everything is handed to her. All the plans are made up for her. She does nothing. Sheâs just⦠so passive and it really bothered me. I donât like reading stories where the main character does nothing.
Explanations
Wait! The End? What do you mean, The End? First off, that ending was garbage! Re-do PLEASE!!! Itâs such a weak, unfulfilling ending that I knew was gonna be the ending from the beginning, but I didnât want it. I wanted it to surprise me. I wanted it to shock me. I wanted⦠an actual ending! That ending was just like: âCrap! We ran out of space! Wrap-up it up in the next 15 pages. GO!â -.-
Worst of all was there were no explanations. The main plot finally hit itâs climax and then⦠nothing. Itâs like it was just skipped over, like it hadnât been fully thought out so they just decided to leave it out entirely. Awful way to wrap it up because it left so many questions. It left so many loose ends. And it left me feeling like certain things didnât make any sense because they werenât explained. Ugh!
Death
Oh come on! Really? That ending? But of course that ending. Why? Because the original story didnât end well and so this one should? Psh! No. I wanted them to die. Both of them. All of them. Everyone? Yes, everyone. I canât honestly say there is a single person in this book that I wanted to live. Nope. Death to everyone. Mwahahaha!
3 starts! Spoiler-free review!
Quick Synopsis: Rune Germann has an incredible gift for opera that comes at a terrible price. Certain arias will literally possess her, and when she sings them, the music leaves her physically weak. Her grandmother has made two attempts on her life, believing her to be possessed by some kind of evil spirit. After her father passes away from cancer, Rune's mother sends her to RoseBlood, an academy in France, specifically training American students in opera. RoseBlood is rumored to have been renovated from the old opera house that inspired Gaston Leroux's novel, The Phantom of the Opera. Superstitious as she is, Rune doesn't like to entertain the idea of being around opera--which may force her to burst into song against her will--nor does she like the idea of walking the halls that first spawned the Phantom. When strange occurrences begin happening to Rune, she might have to acknowledge that the Phantom of the Opera may be more fact than fiction.
I enjoy A.G. Howard and her writing style. I thoroughly enjoyed the Splintered series, as well. I love the darker elements to her novels, and how she can take something familiar, and turn it on its head, yet still make it recognizable. The original Phantom of the Opera was already brilliantly dark, and the Phantom a disturbed individual. A.G. Howard took a strong, already-existent foundation and built onto it. While it did seem to be a bit lighter than her Splintered series, I don't feel that her writing or the book suffered for it. As for the characters, I thought that Howard did a great job of capturing the essence of Leroux's Phantom. He and Rune's aunt were the best characters, in my opinion. The Phantom was just as depraved, desperate, and tragic as in Leroux's novel. As such a compelling and dynamic character, I think that the Phantom would have been one of the harder aspects of this story, even with the foundation already laid. The pacing of the novel was decent. At times, the book did feel clunky and awkward to read, or extremely rushed, but I do feel these instances were few and far between.
With all of that being said, most of the major plot lines were easy to predict, especially for those interested in mythology and mythological creatures. It seemed like certain plot reveals, while being very transparent, were written to shock the reader. I found these reveals to be lacking, as I had very little difficulty in guessing most of them. As such, not much surprised me in this book, even with the one plot line that did stump me for awhile. I did end up guessing it before it was revealed later. The book also seemed to be written for a slightly younger audience. While the Splintered series was, very obviously, a YA novel, it still read like it was meant for a slightly older audience. This one almost seemed to be more middle grade to teen, at times. Granted, the novel is set in the life of a 17 year old girl, in a fictionalized version of the real world, so I honestly might be a bit harsh on that particular complaint. Most of the characters were also something you would absolutely expect from the cast of a YA novel, complete with a heroine who is shy and standoff-ish because of a dark secret, a mean girl crowd (who are pretty, rich, and blonde), and the outcasts, that are drawn to the main character because she doesn't fit in. Not to mention a super cute, brooding, yet confused love interest who does all of the wrong things for the right reasons. I think that the only character that had any true depth was the Phantom. The aunt, while not ocean-deep, was also a pleasant surprise and had less than shallow moments. There seemed to be a healthy dose of worn-out trends that you can find in any YA novel, just made up with a Phantom of the Opera twist. The result is exactly what one can expect from that description: the answer to "What if Phantom of the Opera had an entirely teenage cast?"
Overall, the book was pretty average, even though I did really enjoy the original take on Phantom of the Opera. I love the incorporation of the fantastical and magical with something otherwise ordinary, and the dark tones of the novel, which seems to be a delightful calling card for A.G. Howard's writing.
I think that if you are a fan of A.G. Howard, this novel will be right up your alley. However, if you are trying to steer clear from burn-out YA novel trends and cliques, this might not be the book for you.
Quick Synopsis: Rune Germann has an incredible gift for opera that comes at a terrible price. Certain arias will literally possess her, and when she sings them, the music leaves her physically weak. Her grandmother has made two attempts on her life, believing her to be possessed by some kind of evil spirit. After her father passes away from cancer, Rune's mother sends her to RoseBlood, an academy in France, specifically training American students in opera. RoseBlood is rumored to have been renovated from the old opera house that inspired Gaston Leroux's novel, The Phantom of the Opera. Superstitious as she is, Rune doesn't like to entertain the idea of being around opera--which may force her to burst into song against her will--nor does she like the idea of walking the halls that first spawned the Phantom. When strange occurrences begin happening to Rune, she might have to acknowledge that the Phantom of the Opera may be more fact than fiction.
I enjoy A.G. Howard and her writing style. I thoroughly enjoyed the Splintered series, as well. I love the darker elements to her novels, and how she can take something familiar, and turn it on its head, yet still make it recognizable. The original Phantom of the Opera was already brilliantly dark, and the Phantom a disturbed individual. A.G. Howard took a strong, already-existent foundation and built onto it. While it did seem to be a bit lighter than her Splintered series, I don't feel that her writing or the book suffered for it. As for the characters, I thought that Howard did a great job of capturing the essence of Leroux's Phantom. He and Rune's aunt were the best characters, in my opinion. The Phantom was just as depraved, desperate, and tragic as in Leroux's novel. As such a compelling and dynamic character, I think that the Phantom would have been one of the harder aspects of this story, even with the foundation already laid. The pacing of the novel was decent. At times, the book did feel clunky and awkward to read, or extremely rushed, but I do feel these instances were few and far between.
With all of that being said, most of the major plot lines were easy to predict, especially for those interested in mythology and mythological creatures. It seemed like certain plot reveals, while being very transparent, were written to shock the reader. I found these reveals to be lacking, as I had very little difficulty in guessing most of them. As such, not much surprised me in this book, even with the one plot line that did stump me for awhile. I did end up guessing it before it was revealed later. The book also seemed to be written for a slightly younger audience. While the Splintered series was, very obviously, a YA novel, it still read like it was meant for a slightly older audience. This one almost seemed to be more middle grade to teen, at times. Granted, the novel is set in the life of a 17 year old girl, in a fictionalized version of the real world, so I honestly might be a bit harsh on that particular complaint. Most of the characters were also something you would absolutely expect from the cast of a YA novel, complete with a heroine who is shy and standoff-ish because of a dark secret, a mean girl crowd (who are pretty, rich, and blonde), and the outcasts, that are drawn to the main character because she doesn't fit in. Not to mention a super cute, brooding, yet confused love interest who does all of the wrong things for the right reasons. I think that the only character that had any true depth was the Phantom. The aunt, while not ocean-deep, was also a pleasant surprise and had less than shallow moments. There seemed to be a healthy dose of worn-out trends that you can find in any YA novel, just made up with a Phantom of the Opera twist. The result is exactly what one can expect from that description: the answer to "What if Phantom of the Opera had an entirely teenage cast?"
Overall, the book was pretty average, even though I did really enjoy the original take on Phantom of the Opera. I love the incorporation of the fantastical and magical with something otherwise ordinary, and the dark tones of the novel, which seems to be a delightful calling card for A.G. Howard's writing.
I think that if you are a fan of A.G. Howard, this novel will be right up your alley. However, if you are trying to steer clear from burn-out YA novel trends and cliques, this might not be the book for you.
Rune, a seventeen year old with mysterious operatic talent, gets shipped off to a French school named Roseblood. It's a conservatory that's rumored to have ties to the famous tale, The Phantom of the Opera, one of Runes favorite story. There she makes friends while figuring out what's so different about her. She finds answers to long kept secrets in the halls of this school. Along the way, she finds friendship, love, and herself.
I wasn't sure about reading this book. It's a great idea and I liked that part, but when I had read the first book in the Splintered series, I was disappointed and ended up DNFing it. So I wasn't too excited to read this one. Yet, I read it anyway and I'm glad I did.
The Good:
This story is both creepy and awesome. Which I love in the books I read. A psychotic phantom and maybe some donuts for the cream of the crop. I was obsessed with The Phantom of the Opera and watched the movies so many times, I basically became the phantom, minus the killing part. Because of this, I had high expectations.
I think this was a retelling but it almost felt like a sequel of sorts. It's set in modern day and follows Rune (duh), who has the uncontrollable urge to break into opera singing like a Disney movie. Plus its set in an old opera house. Not sure how that happens, but I'll go with it. I wish I had gone to school there!
This is has dual POV's! When I ended Rune's chapter, I was so happy to see one from Thorn's POV. He totally stole the show with his. He was so cute and logical, and I loved how he thought about Rune.
I love how creepy this is. Haunting music, old buildings, graveyards, and bleeding roses. It all added to the atmosphere of the story. There are monsters in this book, and animals with different voices and it's all just so weird and different. Its an original, that's for sure.
Also, the moments between Rune and Thorn are adorable. This isn't a hot, smexy read, but it didn't need to be. Anymore and it would have ruined the interaction between them. I looked forward to their scenes the most, and fell in love with them. I liked that it wasn't instant, but you could feel the attraction between them.
The villain I wasn't too fond of but his part made sense. His reasoning was real ad believable, and while I didn't enjoy him, he was a great character. He was very gray in the way that it wasn't black and white. I felt that he wasn't traditionally evil, yet he was mad and chaotic, but sad and vulnerable.
The Bad:
This is a standalone. Usually I love standalone books because annoying strife happens in the others and the characters get torn apart and whatnot. I just wish there was more Tune (Rune, Thorn;) time. The story was very much centered around who she is, which is great don't get me wrong, but I would have loved more of the romance.
There are a bunch of opera terms used in this book, and unless you're really into that genre, a lot of it won't make sense. I had to google a few words and it was distracting.
I found it a bit hard to connect with Rune. I couldn't find myself liking her, but I didn't dislike her either. I just felt kind of meh toward her.
The ending felt kind of abrupt. The whole climatic part felt rushed and it still felt a little but unfinished.
I did enjoy this story way more than I thought I would, and I totally recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good retelling with monsters, romance, and music.
I wasn't sure about reading this book. It's a great idea and I liked that part, but when I had read the first book in the Splintered series, I was disappointed and ended up DNFing it. So I wasn't too excited to read this one. Yet, I read it anyway and I'm glad I did.
The Good:
This story is both creepy and awesome. Which I love in the books I read. A psychotic phantom and maybe some donuts for the cream of the crop. I was obsessed with The Phantom of the Opera and watched the movies so many times, I basically became the phantom, minus the killing part. Because of this, I had high expectations.
I think this was a retelling but it almost felt like a sequel of sorts. It's set in modern day and follows Rune (duh), who has the uncontrollable urge to break into opera singing like a Disney movie. Plus its set in an old opera house. Not sure how that happens, but I'll go with it. I wish I had gone to school there!
This is has dual POV's! When I ended Rune's chapter, I was so happy to see one from Thorn's POV. He totally stole the show with his. He was so cute and logical, and I loved how he thought about Rune.
I love how creepy this is. Haunting music, old buildings, graveyards, and bleeding roses. It all added to the atmosphere of the story. There are monsters in this book, and animals with different voices and it's all just so weird and different. Its an original, that's for sure.
Also, the moments between Rune and Thorn are adorable. This isn't a hot, smexy read, but it didn't need to be. Anymore and it would have ruined the interaction between them. I looked forward to their scenes the most, and fell in love with them. I liked that it wasn't instant, but you could feel the attraction between them.
The villain I wasn't too fond of but his part made sense. His reasoning was real ad believable, and while I didn't enjoy him, he was a great character. He was very gray in the way that it wasn't black and white. I felt that he wasn't traditionally evil, yet he was mad and chaotic, but sad and vulnerable.
The Bad:
This is a standalone. Usually I love standalone books because annoying strife happens in the others and the characters get torn apart and whatnot. I just wish there was more Tune (Rune, Thorn;) time. The story was very much centered around who she is, which is great don't get me wrong, but I would have loved more of the romance.
There are a bunch of opera terms used in this book, and unless you're really into that genre, a lot of it won't make sense. I had to google a few words and it was distracting.
I found it a bit hard to connect with Rune. I couldn't find myself liking her, but I didn't dislike her either. I just felt kind of meh toward her.
The ending felt kind of abrupt. The whole climatic part felt rushed and it still felt a little but unfinished.
I did enjoy this story way more than I thought I would, and I totally recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good retelling with monsters, romance, and music.
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