A review by gabalodon
Burning Roses by S.L. Huang

5.0

I thought this was incredible. Perfectly laid out, fascinating characters, loved the way the fairy tales were nestled in there. Rosa's and Hou Yi's relationship and their histories were so interesting and unique, and the way their similarities and contrasts were laid out was just so good. They're very unique protagonists in that they are middle-aged and have very rife backstories full of grief and bad decisions and bigotry, and it's unusual to have a story deal so extensively with the fallout of youthful mistakes, and how the memory of those mistakes can change between POVs, and how you even approach redemption after running for so long. The ending made me cry. I think this is the first novella I've read where I didn't feel like I needed or even wanted more - it's just kind of perfectly encapsulated the way it is.