ROSEBLOOD BY A.G HOWARD
Genre: YA Paranormal, Retelling
“Today you become someone new. From this moment on, you belong to the underworld, from which you were born. You are something monstrous, but beautiful. Something fierce, yet fragile. You are Thorn. The part of the rose that is unloved… that everyone fears for its ability to bring a soul to bleed.”
-A. G Howard, RoseBlood
Synopsis:
In this modern day spin on Leroux’s gothic tale of unrequited love turned to madness, seventeen-year-old Rune Germain has a mysterious affliction linked to her operatic talent, and a horrifying mistake she’s trying to hide. Hoping creative direction will help her, Rune’s mother sends her to a French arts conservatory for her senior year, located in an opera house rumored to have ties to The Phantom of the Opera.
At RoseBlood, Rune secretly befriends the masked Thorn—an elusive violinist who not only guides her musical transformation through dreams that seem more real than reality itself, but somehow knows who she is behind her own masks. As the two discover an otherworldly connection and a soul-deep romance blossoms, Thorn’s dark agenda comes to light and he’s forced to make a deadly choice: lead Rune to her destruction, or face the wrath of the phantom who has haunted the opera house for a century, and is the only father he’s ever known.

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As soon as this book was published I went to the library right away because I have been waiting sine I finished Ensnared. I am a huge fan of A.G Howard, her writing and the beautiful worlds she creates. 

At the beginning of the story I was a little nervous. I know this was a retelling of The Phantom of the Opera, but I felt at times it was taking to much from the original story just at the beginning. That quickly changes and I got pulled into the beautifully described world and the events that were going on. The book was so unique and involved so many layers. It was full of the creepy gothic feel and took a turn I was not expecting.

Of course like many books out in the world there was romance. I have to say I really enjoyed this one and loved how it all unfolded. Rune was a strong protagonist, she had been threw so much and grew so much. She really came into her own throughout the book. The development of all of the characters was so well done. The story of the Phantom and Thorn was heartbreaking and complex. I enjoyed all of the side characters as well especially the animal companions. They really added a lot to the story and made the book more complex 

Overall I really enjoyed this book. The world was amazing with beautiful and heartbreaking stories woven together. This is definitely a unique book that cannot compare to anything else I have read. The incorporation of music and the small cameos from the original were nice touches. Although it was a retelling Howard did an amazing job creating a story all of its own. It caught me by surprised multiple times and threw in some interesting twists to the story. It left me in awe and completely satisfied.

You might also like:

♣ Splintered Trilogy by A.G Howard

♣ This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab