October 11, 2016

Rose & Thorn Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway



ROSE & THORN 
Author: Sarah Prineas 
Pub. Date: September 13, 2016 
Publisher: HarperTeen 
Pages: 416 
Formats: Hardcover, eBook 

Find it: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Goodreads 

Description:

This beauty isn’t sleeping! Sarah Prineas’s darkly imaginative retelling breaks down the classic story of Sleeping Beauty in a big, bold way. Brimming with action and romance, beautiful Rose must escape the curse that will force the kingdom to fall into a century-long slumber and fights for the freedom to find her own happily ever after. 

After the spell protecting her is destroyed, Rose seeks safety in the world outside the valley she had called home. She’s been kept hidden all her life to delay the three curses she was born with, curses that will have drastic consequences if they take effect. Accompanied by the handsome and mysterious Griff and Quirk, his witty and warmhearted partner, Rose tries to escape from the ties that bind her to this forced fairy tale. But will the path they take lead them to freedom, or will it bring them straight into the prescribed story they are trying to avoid? 

Set in the world of Prineas’s Ash & Bramble fifty years later, Rose & Thorn is a powerful retelling of Sleeping Beauty. If you like your fairy tales dark, your heroines daring, and your suitors dashing, this is the book for you. 
Rose & Thorn is a beautifully imaginative retelling of Sleeping Beauty, and will have readers begging for more. I read and reviewed Ash & Bramble when it came out last year - and I absolutely loved it! When I found out this book was set in the same world as the other, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. I admit I had sort of high hopes for this novel after reading the author's previous book - and I'm so happy to say that I was not disappointed! I really enjoyed every aspect of this novel - from the setting to the characters and the story line to the writing. The characters were well rounded and had their own personalities and traits that made them unique - especially the main characters, Rose and Griff. I really loved watching Rose come into her own and become a strong woman throughout the story. She faces a lot of hard situations in the book, but she's determined and stays her course. Of course there was some romance - but I thought it was a great addition to the main plot and didn't overshadow the story line.

The plot was a fantastic twist on the fairy tale of Sleeping Beauty. I was hooked from the beginning of the prologue and wouldn't stop reading until I finished the whole book. Rose's world is vividly detailed with lots of fantastic descriptions and imagery - it really brought the setting to life before my eyes. I had no problem envisioning myself alongside Rose and Griff throughout the story. One thing I want to note about the writing is the point of view used. The story is broken into two differing narratives - one told from Rose's perspective (the first person) as well as one detailing Griff's part (told from the third person). I'm a huge fan of the first person POV and strongly believe that it's the best writing style for a novel (at least the majority of the time). I loved Rose's part of the book since it's told from her viewpoint. We get to really know her character on a personal level - her thoughts, fears, dreams, emotions, and everything in between. The first person is the only POV that allows such a deep connection to the narrator. I found it odd that Griff's part of the story was told from the third person perspective - it didn't seem to fit with the rest of the story and was hard to really get into because of the impersonal narrative. The writing was consistently well done - it's just my own opinion about the point of views used. I think if Griff's part of the book was done in the first person POV as well, it would've been a home run for me. Again - this is my personal opinion and I'm sure other readers will have no issues with it. Overall, this was a magnificent fairy tale retelling and is one that fans of the trend and genre will want to get their hands on.
 




ASH & BRAMBLE 
Author: Sarah Prineas 
Pub. Date: September 15, 2015 
Publisher:HarperTeen 
Pages: 464 
Formats: Hardcover, eBook 

Find it:Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Goodreads 

Description:

When the glass slipper just doesn’t fit… 

The tale of Cinderella has been retold countless times. But what you know is not the true story. 

Pin has no recollection of who she is or how she got to the Godmother’s fortress. She only knows that she is a Seamstress, working day in and out to make ball gowns fit for fairy tales. But she longs to forsake her backbreaking servitude and dares to escape with the brave young Shoemaker. 

Pin isn’t free for long before she’s captured again and forced to live the new life the Godmother chooses for her—a fairy tale story, complete with a charming prince—instead of finding her own happily ever after. 

Sarah Prineas’s bold fairy tale retelling is a dark and captivating world where swords are more fitting than slippers, young shoemakers are just as striking as princes, and a heroine is more than ready to rescue herself before the clock strikes midnight. 
Hi there! I'm Sarah Prineas, author of the Magic Thief series published in the US by HarperCollins and in 17 other languages around the world, and the Winterling trilogy. I live in rural Iowa with my mad scientist husband, two kids, and two cats. My next book is called Ash & Bramble, and it's a YA.  

Here's my website:  http://www.sarah-prineas.com    

and here's my book website (with games, wallpaper, and extras!): 
http://www.magicthief.com    

Thanks for reading! 
(3) Winners will receive a finished copy of ROSE & THORN - US Only!








Tour Schedule: 

Week One: 
10/10/2016- Novel Novice- Interview 
10/11/2016- A Dream Within A Dream- Review 
10/12/2016 Seeing Double In Neverland- Guest Post 
10/13/2016- Mom with a Reading Problem- Review 
10/14/2016- Two Chicks on Books- Interview 

Week Two: 
10/17/2016- Once Upon a Twilight- Review 
10/18/2016- YaReads- Guest Post 
10/19/2016- Eli to the nth- Review 
10/20/2016- The Cover Contessa- Interview 
10/21/2016- Mundie Moms- Review
  






3 comments:

  1. I am so enthused to read this novel and Ash and Brambles to boot; thanks for this feature and giveaway! Cheers, Kara S

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  2. I loved Ash and Bramble! I liked the main character and her love interest!

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  3. Great review and I totally agree first person POV is the best because you really get to dive into the character :)

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