Rose of the Deadlands: An Epic Fantasy Romance

by Jesse Sprague

As a seer, Saiette knows about destiny.

She wants to know about life.

For nineteen years, Saiette’s parents have hidden her between the borders of Birdwyn and Felinia from the powerful people who would imprison her for her powers. Her only chance at freedom is to find an even more powerful protector. So she’s put life and love on hold, waiting for the idyllic future she foretold.

However, when her handsome prince finally arrives, he’s more love-soured than sweet, and he’s not interested in adventure. His only concern is stopping a magical poison that is draining his sister, infecting the land, and breaking down the border between the Deadlands and the living world. He needs Saiette’s visions to guide him to the source of the poison.

As undead creatures rise from infected fissures in the land, the kingdom is in danger of being overrun by an ancient litch. Saiette must put aside her own idea of a happy ending. If she can’t find a cure in her visions, there may be no future for anyone. Read this fantasy romance series now to find your escape to a kingdom of love, life, and death.

Step into a world of forbidden love, magic, and adventure in the must-read fantasy romance novel only on Amazon.com

Genres: Romantasy

395 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 7, 2023

About the author

Hi. My name is Jesse and I’m a compulsive writer

I can’t help it. I write prolifically. I write because I must! And luckily for you, my dear reader, the stories never stop.

What do I write?

I write fantasy because the world we live in can feel like a trap.

I write sci-fi because I like to toy with worlds, universes, and cultures. I like to play god. I write horror as a kind of decadence. I mean, who doesn’t like writing that bleeds?

Regardless of what type of speculative fiction I write, you can expect that it will be dark. Whether my inspiration comes from a shiver crawling up my spine while darting across a dark parking lot, a fascination with Gothic heroines and their delightful kidnappability, or a desire to build a world to suit a spiffy MMO character, that dark undercurrent of fear makes me feel alive.

So, if you enjoy science fiction and fantasy with an eye to horror, join my readers group.

I’d love to have you along for special sneak-peeks, cover reveals, free stories, and more! Just to show how special you are to me, I’ll start you off with an exclusive short story!

Reviews

[Shamina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.


SPOILERS AHEAD>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>





This book started off pretty good, but by the time Saiette was leaving on her adventure it began to lose me. I can't really put my finger on exactly what was lacking, but I think it was a lot of little things.

I'll start with the things I liked. The rose cottage was cute. Saiette presented as naive, but well meaning. There was room for character growth. Her background as well as her parents, was mysterious and I really wanted to know what the story was. Saiette's vision of her amazing love to be was compelling. I was expecting some great romance. A great adventure was promised too. Then Ray shows up and I thought, here we go. Why is this guy so off putting? What does he want? I was hooked. Unfortunately it was downhill from here for me. I'm not even sure why Ray was given a name or much of description, because he's not part of the story.

Saitette never showed any character growth. She became ridiculous and embarrassing to "watch". Like a love sick puppy dog, begging for anything from Felix. She was too young and Felix too old. It's never stated how old anyone except Saiette is, but you get the impression these people live a long time and Felix is at least 10 or more years older. She also feels the need to "save" herself for this man from her vision. She rebuffs all the village boys and never even has a kiss. Alright, this is a common theme in fantasy but it's not actually anything she needed to do. It's made abundantly clear that people can freely sleep with whomever they want and it doesn't taint them. So why does she need to be "untouched". I never even got the impression that Felix cared if she had been with someone before.

Felix was underwhelming and a bit of a jackass. All these rumors about him make him out to be some awful murderous man whore. Which is thankfully untrue, but the reality is pathetic. He's a grumpy jackass because he isn't over his first girlfriend. Whom he oddly still lives with and they maybe still sleep together even though she's married and has a child. He never changes with the exception of mysteriously falling for Saiette's silly fawning over him. They never actually have a meaningful connection. He talks down to her and constantly tells her he will never love anyone besides Nora. Sai acknowledges that she maybe isn't destined to be with him in a romantic way. She isn't even sure she likes him but sticks with it to the bitter end. Nothing is more alluring and romantic than watching a man pine for his ex and then tell you that you're not the one for him. They somehow fall in love and it doesn't make sense. There is no sexual tension between them. I don't think the book is labeled YA, but if you're looking for adult romance this isn't it. There is a kiss or two and then a fade to black moment. Felix and Nora's love scenes are more explicit and anything with Saiette.

Noralain was a mess. One minute she's a badass warrior Queen the next she's jealous of an unattractive (in comparison to Nora) young woman. She loves Felix, but her gods wanted her to marry Komodus. She's totally fine with having Felix as a side thing and only using Komodus for procreation. She would die for her son, but she will also kill him if the gods and the land need her to. She will go to war with a neighboring country with no proof of any wrong doing because… well I don't actually know. Her motivations are mysterious.

Komodus was the most intriguing of the lot. He is eccentric and even tempered. At least until it comes to his child, which is a point in his favor. It's obvious he doesn't like what Nora and Felix are doing, but he handles it well. He is the only one besides Ziza with any sense of humor. Of all the characters I wanted to know more about him.

Ziza is my second favorite of the lot. She is strong and mostly capable. She doesn't dance around the facts. I'm not even sure if Sai would have found out anything about her past without Ziza being blunt. Bouraster is presented as one of the evil entities in the story, but judging them by Ziza makes me question what the truth is. Her Queen is named Destiny. She is also called Dez'itny and it is pointed out that it's weird, but then never explained. WTH?

Lee and Anna start off as a mystery and even when you find out who they are it doesn't make any sense. It's never explained how Auralie went from insane murderer to a loving and caring father and husband. Why did Panthera leave him and Felix if she and Lee literally can't be without each other? She was gone long enough for Lee to take another wife and father a daughter with her. A wife that goes insane or was before? Then attempts to murder her own child with no explanation. Insanity doesn't usually make one murderous. Except in this screwy world. Then Panthera/Anna and Auralie/Lee find each other again and decide to play house. What?

Griff, Ova, and Chella serve their purpose as side characters. Ova's betrayal makes little to no sense to me though. In fact the entire "Deadlands", "Deadgate" story makes no sense. I thought maybe I missed something important in the story and went back to reread parts in the beginning, but as far as I could tell it is never explained why any of it is a thing. They all have different gods and they don't like each other? Who knows.

This lead me to who the hell is Saiette really? What happened to her kingdom? how is she even alive? I know it's the first book in a series, but it was written like a standalone. More of Saiette's story needed to be told to make me want to read the next in the series.

There wasn't enough adventure and fighting to make this a strong fantasy story. The world building was decent, but I had no clue how the layout of the land looked. Any strong fantasy will have a map. There was barely any back story or explanation of how or why the things that were happening, happened. Why were the different kingdoms part animal? At first I thought it was a name thing, but then the bird people have feathers, the lizards have scales. It was creepy. Oddly though the wolf people and feline people didn't have tails or fangs. Do the regular people have similar attributes or just the royals? So many questions and no answers.

There is no one else in the world except this small group of royals. Really, they never come across any peasants after they leave Saiette's village. Saiette knows something awful happened to her village and she doesn't even ask if her friend Philip is alright. The royals talk about doing things for the land, but never their people. Aren't they supposed to care about them if they're good leaders? Instead it's like there is nothing but small families of royals ruling over these lands with no populations. Very bizarre.

There was a lot of potential that was never realized. It felt like a YA trying to be more, but falling short. 2.5 stars.

[Hayley · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was not the fantasy romance I anticipated. It was very, very heavy on the fantasy aspect and quite light on the romance. Moreover, the fantasy plot was incredibly slow and convoluted. It seemed overly complex merely for the sake of being complex when it could’ve easily been simplified. There were also so many side characters and various subplots that it was difficult to keep up.

Furthermore, the main characters were mediocre at best. Saiette’s naïveté got old quickly, and it was unrealistic how willing she was to be kept in the dark for so long. Felix was sometimes sweet but at other moments, he was belligerent and borderline cruel. Their lackluster chemistry was easily overshadowed by the adventure storyline and unexpected sadness that permeated the book.

Overall, this was a slow and overly complex story with mediocre romance. I do not recommend it.

*I received an ARC of this novel. This is my complete and honest review.*

[Ligia Wit · Rating 5 out of 5]

You know how some books have beautiful prose, others amazing world-building, and others endearing characters? Then you find a book like Rose that has ALL of them and your jaw just drop. The world-building is insane, the words dance across the pages in a beautiful symphony, and the characters jump from the page.
Saiette (Rose) is a heroine so easy to like, and grump Felix is the kind of hero/antihero I’ll root for any time! The rest of the cast are not background characters but characters with defined personalities and goals.
Have I mentioned that the world-building is mind-blowing and the prose delightful to read? That's why I decided to buy the book even as I read it too on KU!
Give Rose a read, I promise you you won't regret it.

[Carole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rose of the Dead lands is a lyrically written fantasy romance that sweeps the reader into a fully realized world of adventure, action, mystery and magic.

Seer Saiette’s story keeps the reader immersed and devoted to the pages with its promise of an epic fantasy in the making and without fail holds the reader engaged throughout its captivating journey.

I enjoyed this atmospheric read which is only the first book in a storyline which teases of more thrills to come.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Jackie Vest · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an exhilarating epic fantasy that grips you from the very first page. With its rich world-building and vivid adventures, this page-turner is impossible to put down—so much so that I devoured it in just one day! The story follows a captivating forbidden love between a seer and a godly prince, weaving together elements of magic and adventure that keep you on the edge of your seat. This is the best fantasy I've read in months!Her masterful storytelling and immersive landscapes make this a must-read for fans of the genre. Prepare to be enchanted!

[Micki-D · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a heavy fantasy book with some romance if you’re looking for more spot of romance this probably isn’t your book, but if you love. A good fantasy book you want to read this one.

The world building is out of this world beautifully done it’s such a delightful read just the way the world is built it’s self I’m in awe. It’s like the most beautiful song dancing across the pages.

Rose of the deadlands so full of adventure, action, mystery and magic that will keep you on the edge of your toes dancing along to the beat of this books own drum.

[Stace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not my first book by this author and won't be my last. The character development, character chemistry with all the characters is remarkable. Being able to create a world a reader can see and feel, such an unusual gift. Yet to make the reader feel like a part of the story, is mostly a lost art for most authors and books nowadays. The twist, turns and details are the author's alone.

[DianaKay Abraham · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story begins with a Seer hidden away in a small village. She leaves to help a stranger and finds herself on an adventure that leads to more questions than answers and a quest to save her world as she knows it.

The characters are interesting and the magic system is creative. This is a fun world and I look forward to continuing the trilogy.

[Lindsay Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This author was recommended to me by a friend and I’m so glad I picked up this book. It was filled with action and emotion which made me want to keep picking it up and finding out more about the characters and this world.

This was an amazing read and I’m really glad I’ve discovered Jesse Sprague’s writing.

[HM · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unique

This is such a unique and imaginative book. I was hooked from the first page. It was nice to read a book that is different from the usual paranormal fiction. The story was intriguing and captivating. It was a really lovely read.

[Cornelia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rose of the Deadlands is the beginning of a book series about a young, somewhat naïve woman and a prince who ranges between soft and loving and overly hard and borderline brutal.
Getting into the plot is difficult, because the world the reader is immersed in is incredibly complex. It takes a while to integrate the various sideplots into the story.
A book for people who like complex, new worlds with many side characters, intricate storylines and dark fantasy.

I received the book as an ARC for an honest review.

[Sarah Boyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. The world building was fantastic as well as the characters, great plot and marvellous twists. The FMC Rose/ Saiette was a great heroine and the MMC Felix grumpy but lovable. Both believable characters and you wanted to follow them in the story and see where it went.

Would give it 4.5 stars and would recommend.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you Booksirens