Rosemarked Review

**Thank you to Disney-Hyperion and NetGalley for sending me an ARC of this book in return for an honest review. 3 stars!!! Finally, I'm done with this book. This was another pretty average read for me. I guess what got to me the most was the pacing. It's a very slow read and nothing much happens. However, the book does have it's plus points which I will go into further detail below. Firstly, I did like the descriptions and imagery in this novel. They were rather vivid especially in terms of the symptoms of rose plague, the healing potions, the history of the world, the belief system and so forth. Unfortunately, I couldn't really get a handle as to how the world was really like as in what was the inspiration behind it. I guess it was a mix of Persian or something or the other. I gathered this from the names of the characters and places. But it was still rather confusing. In saying this, the world didn't feel immersive enough, in my opinion. Secondly, what I loved most about this book was the character development. I think Zivah and Dineas have well fleshed out characters. As the book is told from both their POVs, we get a clear picture of who they are as people. Their emotions, how they interact with others and their vulnerabilities. I also how this book, although a fantasy, didn't focus too much on one single person having a special power or gift. The disease affects everyone and all characters go through the same feelings of being isolated as well as dealing with their own mortality. This, in effect, helped us to see how compassionate the MC Zivah was. We see her resilience, independence and her passion for healing. In Dineas, on the other hand, we see a boy who is haunted by his past and how he tries to overcome his insecurities and tries to let Zivah see the real him. In terms of the minor characters, I felt they played a solid enough role. However, I would have liked to learn more about Commander Arxa and Mehtap. I feel the friendship between Mehtap and Zivah wasn't explored too deeply enough. This would have elevated the storyline even further. Thirdly, the budding romance between Dineas and Zivah was phenomenal. As a reader, it was a pleasure to see how their friendship and feelings for each other grew. How they learned to trust each other regardless of their differences. Plus, there was no love triangle as is the usual case in YA novels which was a relief. It made the interactions between them all the more enduring. Overall, I think the story was structured well. It flowed seamlessly without much info-dumping. There were some plot reveals but these weren't as shocking. The plot devices used helped with the story progression. The focus of the book was mainly based on politics, the effects of war and disease, family, espionage, and deceit. However, there wasn't much action. The book was not fast paced and I would have liked to have seen more thrilling scenes. I did like the aspect of how Dineas had a connection with the crows. But, as with many elements of the book, this wasn't explored or explained more. The book is a good start to the duology but it could have been better, I guess. I wouldn't say I was majorly disappointed but I was just expecting more out of a fantasy novel. Hopefully, the sequel will be more enticing. I would recommend this book if you want something a little bit slower.

#youngadult #fantasy #war #illness #healing #LiviaBlackburne