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chllybrd's review
I gave it 3.5 stars
I didn't fall in love with GATHERING FROST, but I liked it enough to be interested when I saw that WITHERING ROSE was available for review.
Davis introduces a new take on Beauty and the Beast in WITHERING ROSE. Omorose is from the magic side of things and is forced to keep her magic under lock and key to keep herself safe, but she can't do it anymore and heads to the only place she can think of that will let her be herself, the realm of the Beast. I found Omorose very determined despite her fears. She didn't give up and didn't let herself be pushed into doing things even though it would have made things easier. Cole was pretty gruff, but quickly grew on me. He is very protective of his people and Omorose quickly become one of them and more to him. Together the pair fit and complimented each other. The romance was sweet and the relationship ended strong.
Some will be happy to know that Jade and Asher from book one made an appearance in WITHERING ROSE. Those that know my reviews know that I love seeing past main characters throughout a series. Book three—which will be a Cinderella retelling—will feature someone related to Omorose, so I hope that we get to see all of the characters together at some point during it. I enjoyed WITHERING ROSE more than I did GATHERING ROSE and I hope that book three brings my enjoyment up even more.
* This book was provided free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I didn't fall in love with GATHERING FROST, but I liked it enough to be interested when I saw that WITHERING ROSE was available for review.
Davis introduces a new take on Beauty and the Beast in WITHERING ROSE. Omorose is from the magic side of things and is forced to keep her magic under lock and key to keep herself safe, but she can't do it anymore and heads to the only place she can think of that will let her be herself, the realm of the Beast. I found Omorose very determined despite her fears. She didn't give up and didn't let herself be pushed into doing things even though it would have made things easier. Cole was pretty gruff, but quickly grew on me. He is very protective of his people and Omorose quickly become one of them and more to him. Together the pair fit and complimented each other. The romance was sweet and the relationship ended strong.
Some will be happy to know that Jade and Asher from book one made an appearance in WITHERING ROSE. Those that know my reviews know that I love seeing past main characters throughout a series. Book three—which will be a Cinderella retelling—will feature someone related to Omorose, so I hope that we get to see all of the characters together at some point during it. I enjoyed WITHERING ROSE more than I did GATHERING ROSE and I hope that book three brings my enjoyment up even more.
* This book was provided free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
proudtobeabookaholic's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Omorose got her magical powers when she was 7 years old and her mother died in an earthquake. For ten years now she's been hiding her powers, because everyone with magic is hunted. Omorose longs to be free and to be who she's meant to be, and the only solution she can find is to go into the Beast's territory. There she could use her magic without getting caught. But how many of the rumours about the Beast are true?
A retelling of the Beauty and the Beast, but here it's the Beauty that is cursed and the Beast that can save her! I'll admit that I wasn't completely fond of Omorose in the beginning. She acted mostly like a deer caught in the headlight. But as she starts to trust in herself I start to enjoy her company. Cole, the Beast, is of course very unkind to begin with, and doesn't trust her. He's a shapeshifter and usually takes the form of a bear. There are no other people in the castle, only wolves. As they get to know each other they open up, but Omorose doesn't tell Cole about her biggest secret: that each time she uses her magic her own life is shortened... (no spolier, it's revealed in the beginning of the book!)
This is the second book in the series Once Upon a Curse, but they can be read as stand alones. We get to see Asher and Jade from the first book, Gathering Frost (a retelling of Sleeping Beauty), but it doesn't matter if you've read it or not.
I've been listening to the audiobook and I find the narrator a bit too teatrical at times, but if you're okay with that I recommend the audio!
jesforeverlostinbooks's review
5.0
I read the prequel and the 1st book in this series and enjoyed them but this was my favorite... this was a quick read & i love a good fractured fairytale. Loved this version of beauty and the beast.
alexaferg's review
4.0
I really liked this retelling of Beauty and the Beast. For a retelling, it was very original and there was a little twist that I found interesting. I read this book in a day; I just couldn't put it down! I can't wait to read the first book and then wait for the 3rd book to come out. If you like YA, Disney stories, or retellings, definitely pick this up.
I received this e-book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
I received this e-book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
lunifur's review against another edition
4.0
**I voluntarily reviewed this ARC**
This story was written so poetically. The descriptions were so vibrant at times that I felt transported into a whole new world. It did follow a little too faithfully to the original Beauty and the Beast at times, but it did end up taking on its own direction after a while. In the end, it was a beautiful, sweet story about the power of love, friendship, and acceptance.
This story was written so poetically. The descriptions were so vibrant at times that I felt transported into a whole new world. It did follow a little too faithfully to the original Beauty and the Beast at times, but it did end up taking on its own direction after a while. In the end, it was a beautiful, sweet story about the power of love, friendship, and acceptance.
queenblife's review against another edition
4.0
Again, I couldn't put it down. This take on the fairy tale was close enough to the version that I like but with the twists of this new world I'm now immersed in.
brittradomski's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
reveriesociety's review against another edition
4.0
I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
If you've stuck around with me for a while, you might have noticed that I have a thing for retellings. I even recently binge read the Lunar Chronicles, and I really enjoyed that series. As for Beauty and the Beast retellings, one of my favorites is Stacey Jay's Of Beast and Beauty.
Now, let me introduce you to Withering Rose, a book I dove into with -I gotta admit- low expectations, but walked away from feeling quite satisfied as a bookworm.
My Thoughts
Rocky beginning
I went into this book reading it as a standalone, since I hadn't read the first book. So at first, I was a little confused about what was happening. Because I didn't remember the synopsis very well either. That little detail that an earthquake meshes together Earth, with the magical, kingdoms/kings/faeries filled world the protagonist comes from.
Suspension of disbelief was hard at this stage. I even considered quitting for a moment, but I pushed on, and I'm glad I did.
Omorose just wasn't cutting it for me. First, I didn't even like her name. Rose is common, but bearable, but Omorose is asking too much. Secondly, she was meek, and miserable, and that's depressing-understandable, of course since according to what she described, there's a rose inside of her that's basically counting the time until she dies. ( I still don't get that rose thing. Is it a metaphor? Or literally, there is a flower in her chest? o_0 Will never know.)
Depressing anyway.
The intrigue
When our brave Omorose *giggle* Okay, when our brave Omorose embarks in her adventure and ends up in a strange, foreign castle, finally I was hooked. Maybe it was the sense that this new environment she was in was more medieval-like, and something I was familiar with, not the half and half world I'd been reading about before. But the thing is, that things got better from there.
Th beast
*heart eyes* Some people might not like that there are some scenes that are so very much like the Disney animated version the The Beauty and the Beast, but I loved them! I don't want to spoil anything so I'm just going to say the romance is so heart-warming, and I'm happy with it, but I also wish it'd taken up a teensy bit more of page time because I just loved it so much!
Final thoughts
In spite of its many sins, I enjoyed Withering Rose and I would really recommend it. :3
Read Withering Rose if:
*You're a beast ;)
*You're beautiful
*You don't give a damn ;)
*You want to be a rainbow unicorn
*You like character development
*You like fairy tale retellings
*You like series
*You like standalones
*You like omelet (You'll get it when you read it XD)
Find this review and others at A Writer's Tales
If you've stuck around with me for a while, you might have noticed that I have a thing for retellings. I even recently binge read the Lunar Chronicles, and I really enjoyed that series. As for Beauty and the Beast retellings, one of my favorites is Stacey Jay's Of Beast and Beauty.
Now, let me introduce you to Withering Rose, a book I dove into with -I gotta admit- low expectations, but walked away from feeling quite satisfied as a bookworm.
My Thoughts
Rocky beginning
I went into this book reading it as a standalone, since I hadn't read the first book. So at first, I was a little confused about what was happening. Because I didn't remember the synopsis very well either. That little detail that an earthquake meshes together Earth, with the magical, kingdoms/kings/faeries filled world the protagonist comes from.
Suspension of disbelief was hard at this stage. I even considered quitting for a moment, but I pushed on, and I'm glad I did.
Omorose just wasn't cutting it for me. First, I didn't even like her name. Rose is common, but bearable, but Omorose is asking too much. Secondly, she was meek, and miserable, and that's depressing-understandable, of course since according to what she described, there's a rose inside of her that's basically counting the time until she dies. ( I still don't get that rose thing. Is it a metaphor? Or literally, there is a flower in her chest? o_0 Will never know.)
Depressing anyway.
The intrigue
When our brave Omorose *giggle* Okay, when our brave Omorose embarks in her adventure and ends up in a strange, foreign castle, finally I was hooked. Maybe it was the sense that this new environment she was in was more medieval-like, and something I was familiar with, not the half and half world I'd been reading about before. But the thing is, that things got better from there.
Th beast
*heart eyes* Some people might not like that there are some scenes that are so very much like the Disney animated version the The Beauty and the Beast, but I loved them! I don't want to spoil anything so I'm just going to say the romance is so heart-warming, and I'm happy with it, but I also wish it'd taken up a teensy bit more of page time because I just loved it so much!
Final thoughts
In spite of its many sins, I enjoyed Withering Rose and I would really recommend it. :3
Read Withering Rose if:
*You're a beast ;)
*You're beautiful
*You don't give a damn ;)
*You want to be a rainbow unicorn
*You like character development
*You like fairy tale retellings
*You like series
*You like standalones
*You like omelet (You'll get it when you read it XD)
Find this review and others at A Writer's Tales
lerickson0425's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.0