Review: Winter War Awakening by Rosalyn Eves

Winter War Awakening (Blood Rose Rebellion #3)
Author: Rosalyn Eves
Genre: YA Historical Fiction/Fantasy
Release Date: March 19, 2019
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers

Description:

The Binding is broken. Mátyás is alive. And Anna Arden is on the run.

It seems, yet again, that breaking the Binding has shattered the world. And the only hope of mending it is Anna and Mátyás, working together. But it’s never that simple, is it? The praetheria, the creatures once held captive by the spell, are now waging war against the Austro-Hungarian empire. And they are holding Noémi hostage–using her life to manipulate Anna and Mátyás, like marionettes on a string.

Gábor has elected to stay behind, to fight in the Hungarian army’s resistance, while Anna and Mátyás search for their beloved Noémi–a mission doomed from the start, cloaked in praetherian magic. Magic that relies on illusion and misdirection. Eventually, there’s only one way to save her: to split up. And to walk right into the lion’s den.

When everyone thinks they’re fighting each other for the same thing–freedom–can anyone truly win?

Winter War Awakening is the stunning final book in the Blood Rose Rebellion Trilogy. I thought it was a wonderful way to end the series and tied everything up nicely. The story picks up where the last book left off, with our main characters Anna and Mátyás working together after the Binding was broken. In order to fix everything that has been destroyed in the process, Anna and Mátyás have to team up and fight to right the wrongs that have been done. The story was exciting, full of action and adventure, suspense, and lots of important topics like fighting for what you believe in and accepting yourself for who you are, among others.

The writing was once again amazing. The author uses such vivid imagery and detailed descriptions that the world comes to life in front of our eyes and pulls us in from the very beginning. I loved that I could clearly imagine myself alongside the characters as their journeys continued. One major plus for me was the author's writing style. The story is told from dual perspectives - that of Anna and Mátyás. But both narrators speak in the first person, which is always my favorite because it allows the reader to really get to know the characters and connect with them on a deeper level than any other point of view. This was definitely the case with this story and I adored learning more about both Anna and Mátyás as well as watching them really come into their own - accepting themselves for who they are, fighting for what they believed in, maturing and overcoming huge obstacles. It was a treat to see how much each of them changed throughout the series. This is a fantastic mashup of historical fiction and fantasy, which made it intriguing for me because it's a kind of alternate history. Add in magic and I'm done for - no matter the book. Overall, this was an awesome trilogy and I highly recommend it to fans of YA, historical fiction, and fantasy.

ROSALYN EVES is a college professor living in southern Utah and involved in the YA community there and across the country. The Blood Rose Rebellion series is her first. Find out more at RosalynEves.com and @RosalynEves.