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Monday, January 9, 2017

Review: RoseBlood by AG Howard

RoseBlood by AG Howard
Series: Standalone
Published: January 10th, 2017
Publisher: Amulet Books
432 pages (ARC)
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy/Paranormal/Horror
Acquired this book: From the author in exchange for honest consideration
Warning: May contain spoilers
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In this modern day spin on Leroux’s gothic tale of unrequited love turned to madness, seventeen-year-old Rune Germain has a mysterious affliction linked to her operatic talent, and a horrifying mistake she’s trying to hide. Hoping creative direction will help her, Rune’s mother sends her to a French arts conservatory for her senior year, located in an opera house rumored to have ties to The Phantom of the Opera.

At RoseBlood, Rune secretly befriends the masked Thorn—an elusive violinist who not only guides her musical transformation through dreams that seem more real than reality itself, but somehow knows who she is behind her own masks. As the two discover an otherworldly connection and a soul-deep romance blossoms, Thorn’s dark agenda comes to light and he’s forced to make a deadly choice: lead Rune to her destruction, or face the wrath of the phantom who has haunted the opera house for a century, and is the only father he’s ever known.


I’ve been obsessed with Phantom of the Opera since I was a little girl. When I found out AG Howard had written a modern-day retelling/continuation, I was thrilled. Howard is the mistress of dark and twisty writing, lush settings, and memorable characters. While inspired by Gaston Leroux’s Phantom of the Opera, RoseBlood is a completely unique story. Despite having ties to the original story, it’s set in a different time and place with an original overall plot, fresh characters, and a new setting.

RoseBlood was a mixture of many things: romance, fantasy, horror, mystery. Rune’s and Thorn’s pasts are unraveled slowly, giving the reader time to connect with them and root for them, separately and together. There’s so much intrigue surrounding their histories and their connection, and I love how it all played out. Besides the intense and swoonworthy romance, there was also emphasis on familial love, which I appreciated. The battling loyalties, fear, and sense of duty tied into the threads of intrigue that ran through the story. There were undercurrents of darkness and gray morality similar to the original Phantom story, which I enjoyed. I read a lot of contemporary, ranging from fluffy to heavy on the emotional side, and sometimes it’s nice to read something like this, that pushes the boundaries of the real world and veers heavily into dark territory. You can always count on AG Howard for that!

RoseBlood is a must-read for fans of Phanton of the Opera. I’d also recommend it to fans of Howard’s Splintered trilogy, and anyone who enjoy stories that are familiar in a way, but with special, unique, often-dark twists that make them completely unique. RoseBlood has a wonderfully strange and otherworldly quality to it that entices and captivates even as it haunts. Lush and atmospheric, as well as thrilling and intense, RoseBlood is yet another winner from AG Howard. 




Have you read RoseBlood? What did you think? If you haven't read it, do you plan to? Have you read any of AG Howard's other books? Are you a fan of Phantom of the Opera?
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2 comments:

  1. I haven't any of Howard's books yet. I need to. I'm not sure what I think of this one. Phantom of the Opera retellings are always hard for me.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Glad that you enjoyed this one too, it really was a fun different take on a classic.

    ReplyDelete

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