Review: Rosemarked

Rosemarked
by Livia Blackburne

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Publication Date: November 7, 2017

In the magic-less world of ROSEMARKED, healer Zivah falls prey to the deadly Rose plague, leaving her with only years to live and isolating her from society. At the same time, soldier 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. Thrust 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 at the hands of an enemy kingdom filled with secrets and risk.

This book had so many amazing aspects, for one: the research. If you want to read a book that an author clearly put a lot of effort into, this book is definitely 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 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 include magic. While ROSEMARKED doesn’t have a hint of magic, it is still immersive and captivating, leaving me glued to each word. This uniqueness was clear throughout the plot as characters steered clear of common romance tropes, leaving room for character development. This makes it so every move that they make is a surprise. I loved the plot for this very reason. So many books are set with clear and straight-forward 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 would take me...and boy was I wrong.

I would recommend this book for fans of THE QUEEN'S THIEF series 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 expectations with every word, you will not be let down. I think that it is safe to say that I am more than excited for the next book in this series.