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friendlydisaster101 's review for:
The Poppy and the Rose
by Ashlee Cowles
(actual rating: 3.5/5)
Thank you to Netgalley and Owl Hollow Press for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
'The Poppy and the Rose' presents an interesting tale that is bound to interest most YA readers: mystery on the Titanic, family secrets, and a dash of romance. The story is told through two parallel timelines; Ava Knight, an aspiring photographer on the Titanic with her father, and Taylor Romano, who's just arrived in Oxford and is looking for the key to her father's past.
What follows is an interesting historical mystery with different characters and some unexpected twists, all of which made for an enjoyable reading experience.
I think that of the two timelines, I was much more interested and invested in Ava's. The writing was atmospheric, in a way that made you feel that you were there on the Titanic with her. There were some info-dumps, especially in the beginning, which made it a little difficult to get into. The best way I can describe the romance is as "meh". It wasn't good, but it wasn't bad either; it was just there.
Taylor's perspective felt more like a way to tell Ava's story, without actually making the entire book about just Ava. While I really liked the concept of the dual timelines, I think that there should have been more detail about her story, rather than just the bare minimum, because it didn't explain some of her actions, as well as the eagerness she had to learn more about Ava.
The plot twists at the end, however, really made the whole book worth it all. It was interesting to see how the timelines converged, but also how a certain plot twist really put all the little details from earlier in the story together.
Overall, I think that my expectations might have simply been too high for this book. While I do think that it had an excellent concept, I think that it needed some more work, as well as some important details from Taylor's side of the story to make it more cohesive. That being said, this book definitely made for a relatively quick and enjoyable read, and I would recommend this book for others if you're looking for exactly that sort of mystery novel.
Thank you to Netgalley and Owl Hollow Press for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
'The Poppy and the Rose' presents an interesting tale that is bound to interest most YA readers: mystery on the Titanic, family secrets, and a dash of romance. The story is told through two parallel timelines; Ava Knight, an aspiring photographer on the Titanic with her father, and Taylor Romano, who's just arrived in Oxford and is looking for the key to her father's past.
What follows is an interesting historical mystery with different characters and some unexpected twists, all of which made for an enjoyable reading experience.
I think that of the two timelines, I was much more interested and invested in Ava's. The writing was atmospheric, in a way that made you feel that you were there on the Titanic with her. There were some info-dumps, especially in the beginning, which made it a little difficult to get into. The best way I can describe the romance is as "meh". It wasn't good, but it wasn't bad either; it was just there.
Taylor's perspective felt more like a way to tell Ava's story, without actually making the entire book about just Ava. While I really liked the concept of the dual timelines, I think that there should have been more detail about her story, rather than just the bare minimum, because it didn't explain some of her actions, as well as the eagerness she had to learn more about Ava.
The plot twists at the end, however, really made the whole book worth it all. It was interesting to see how the timelines converged, but also how a certain plot twist really put all the little details from earlier in the story together.
Overall, I think that my expectations might have simply been too high for this book. While I do think that it had an excellent concept, I think that it needed some more work, as well as some important details from Taylor's side of the story to make it more cohesive. That being said, this book definitely made for a relatively quick and enjoyable read, and I would recommend this book for others if you're looking for exactly that sort of mystery novel.