Rosemarked

In the magical world of Rosemarked, healer Zivah falls plague to the deadly Rose plague, leaving her with only years to live and isolating her from society. At the same time, solider Dineas finally escapes from the clutches of the Amparan Empire with a renewed passion to free his tribe from its rule before it is too late. Trust together with nothing left to lose, Zivah and Dineas must complete a deadly mission to spy on the capital so they can fulfill their wishes and save their loved ones from dying by the hands of an enemy kingdom filled with secrets and risk. This book had so many amazing aspects, for one: the research. If you ever want to read a book that an author clearly puts a lot of effort into, this book is definitely on for you. I loved how Blackburne found a way to put descriptive detail into everything without making it seem like too much. From the descriptions of various tribes to herbal remedies and military campaigns, when I was reading this book I didn’t feel like I was reading, but I was living. So many books these days have half-baked ideas and cheap attempts at descriptions and Blackburne definitely blew those books all out of the water with the amount of research that she put into this which leads me to the next fabulous thing about this book; the plot. Wow, was this a story to remember. Based in a world much like the medieval era and filled with walled cities and suffering villages, it was both a refreshing fictional world and clear of any sort of magic. I really enjoyed this because so many books written in this sort of setting are often not without magic and while Rosemarked doesn’t have a hint of it, it is still immersive and capitating, leaving me glued to each word. This sort of uniqueness was clear throughout the plot as characters that are often in love with each other aren’t, leaving room for character development. Not only could these characters be clear of these tropes, but it makes it so every move that they make is a surprise. I loved this plot for this very reason. So many books are set with clear and straight-forwards story lines while this one was able to navigate its world of disease and corrupt military in a new way. When I first began to read this book, I was sure of what way the story will originally take me and boy was I wrong. I would recommend this book for fans of The Queens Thief because of the similarity to its world. Fantasy lovers will also love this book because of its well written and immersive storytelling and world building. If you are looking for characters that grow off of typical YA tropes and defy your expectation with every word, you will not be let down. I think that it is safe to say that I am more that excited for the next book in this series.

This is a very political fantasy that focuses on one mission between Zivah and Dineas, one a healer infected with an incurable disease and the other a soldier for the enemy. I think all the elements of this story are so well thought out, and the politics clear and intriguing. I did like the descriptions and imagery in this novel. They were rather vivid especially in terms of the symptoms of rose plague, the healing potions, the history of the world, the belief system and so forth. I loved that the magic of the book is based in healing and that we have two very strong personalities butting heads throughout the story. Overall, I think high fantasy fans will really enjoy Rosemarked if they give it a chance. I am looking forward to the sequel!

When I picked up this book, I thought it was going to be another cliche, poorly plotted fantasy novel with an unoriginal and badly written romance. I was wrong. So, so wrong. I wasn't expecting what Rosemarked actually is: a political fantasy novel dealing with the ethics of healing, spying, tyranny, and radicalized patriotism with remarkable world-building, beautifully written and flawed characters, and a slow-burn romance that was enjoyable to read and didn't feel at all forced. Zivah is a lot of what made this book for me. Her internal struggles dealing with her status of a healer and using that status and her medicines for harm were surprisingly poignant and very realistic. She is SO dynamic and her friendship with Mehtap is so sweet. Dineas was a little bit of a brooder, but, unlike most "brooders," he definitely wasn't the typical deep angst love interest in most YA novels nowadays. He has PTSD and struggles a lot, but still is able to forge connections with people. I absolutely hate the "male love interest seems like a bad guy and he doesn't treat the main female character well but twist! he is a good person and a good guy" trope that seems so prevalent in YA fiction nowadays (it perpetuates rape culture and the 'not all men' movement, which makes me want to barf), and at first I thought that Dineas would fit that trope. However, I was very pleasantly surprised to see that he didn't. He is a well-rounded, fleshed out character who loves his family and friends. He is working hard to get back into the world after suffering for many years. I went from liking him to not being his biggest fan to liking him again. I look forward to see where his character goes next. I am always a sucker for well-written YA fantasy, and this is the best one I've read since the False Prince trilogy. I am highly excited to see where this series goes.