Review Detail

I really had high hopes with The Rose Throne. I love fantasy/ fairy tale-ish books, but this one was only so-so for me.

I really liked the concept behind The Rose Throne. It had a certain magical element that I enjoyed (and was also very original). However, I felt that it was not fully developed. I am not certain if this will be a series or not, which greatly impacts my feelings toward this book. IF this is the beginning of a series, then I have a lot of questions I hope will be answered in the future. If this is not a series-- but a stand alone-- then I am very annoyed.

Why am I annoyed? Well, for obvious reasons: the ending. I could not believe how abrupt it was. I really thought there was more missing in my copy. When I have a book that leaves me with more questions than I started with, that's a problem.

I also felt a slight annoyance with the characters. I tried really hard to like Issa and Ailsbet but I just had a hard time connecting with them. However, they were probably the best characters in the book. I had serious issues with the romance between Kellin and Issa. I had no idea how 'serious' they were until it just sprang up on a page. Therefore, it wasn't very believable for me. There were a few other characters that I started to like, and then they suddenly disappeared from the story. So that was bothersome.

Alas, I really can't get beyond the rushed and abrupt ending. Since it bothered me so much, I can't be head over heals for this book. I did enjoy the writing and world building, but it left me wanting more.