A review by artemishi
Revenge of the Rose by Nicole Galland

adventurous emotional funny tense 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

5.0

Characters: 10, although overall this didn't stay with me as strongly as Crossed, the characters make this novel shine. Each is individual, has autonomy, their choices and actions all affect nuances of the story, and I could describe them to someone else easily. I think I could safely say Jouglet is the main character, but this story wouldn't be what it is without Willem, Erec, Lienor, Konrad, Nicholas, Paul, Alphonse, and Jeanette. Not one of them was redundant or unnecessary. 

Atmosphere: 9, both the physical setting and the emotional setting were well described without detracting from the pacing at all. The political atmosphere in the court was nicely played, with the connections being revealed at appropriate times and in dramatically appropriate ways. There were moments I was genuinely tense with fear that something awful was going to happen to one of the characters I loved. And the complications were both delightfully entertaining and nerve-wracking, because I genuinely felt caught up in the story. 

Writing: 9, Nicole Galland is an auto-buy author for me. Her writing is smooth and seamless, even though each character's voice has a distinctive quality to it. The dialogue-to-action ratio is well balanced. And there aren't any tropey "didn't know I was holding my breath" bits or moments where one character suddenly has ESP for a bit of plot convenience. 

Plot: 9, I commented to a penpal (hi, Chelsea!) that it felt a bit lighter than A Fool's Tale and Crossed, and read more like a medieval epic poem. Which it turns out was entirely by design, as in the Afterword the author says this book was inspired by Jean Renart's Romance of the Rose. Aspects of the tale were like something Chaucer would've written- cheeky, heartfelt, frustrating, and frightening all at once. 

Intrigue: 8, a few places the plot floundered a teensy bit and it took a handful of pages for me to get drawn in again. Were I not in the midst of a ton of life juggling (what with moving, job hunting, psychiatry appointments, new medications, selling my stuff, etc.) I'm pretty sure I'd have read it in 4-5 days, not 14. 

Logic: 10, no action or statement by any of the characters threw me out of the story or contradicted their established desires and fears. The closest I could come to questioning logic is just wondering why Jeanette was so willing to help. But her actions didn't contradict her words. 

Enjoyment: 10, I loved it and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, stories of friendship, clever female characters, the art of courtly love, and complex villains/heroes.