What do you think?
Rate this book
The Twelve Kingdoms #2
The Tears of the Rose
Three sisters. Motherless daughters of the high king. The eldest is the warrior-woman heir;the middle child is shy and full of witchy intuition;and the youngest, Princess Amelia, she is as beautiful as the sun and just as generous.
Ami met her Prince Charming and went away to his castle on the stormy sea-cliffs—and that should have been her happily ever after. Instead, her husband lies dead and a war rages. Her middle sister has been taken into a demon land, turned into a stranger. The priests and her father are revealing secrets and telling lies. And a power is rising in Ami, too, a power she hardly recognizes, to wield her beauty as a weapon, and her charm as a tool to deceive…
Amelia has never had to be anything but good and sweet and kind and lovely. But the chess game for the Twelve Kingdoms has swept her up in it, and she must make a gambit of her own. Can the prettiest princess become a pawn—or a queen?
337 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 25, 2014
68 people are currently reading
935 people want to read
About the author
Jeffe Kennedy
98 books1,338 followers💙She/her💙 Award-winning Bestselling Author of epic fantasy romance. Taoist. Swiftie. Santa Fean. Cat lady @sfwa_inc Past-President. Rep by @seyitsme
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 144 reviews
November 17, 2014
3.5 Stars
Princess Amelia has been pampered and coddled her entire life, treated more like a porcelain doll than an actually woman. This has led her to live a very comfortable and uncomplicated life. Her biggest concerns have been dresses and parties and looking beautiful.
All that changes with the news of her husband’s demise and the discovery of her pregnancy. Her father the High King Uorsin wants her child as his Heir, while her Father–in-Law King Erich has laid claim of her future son as his heir. If Amelia doesn’t learn some politics quickly she will surely lose her child to one of them as soon as he is born.
I knew going into Tears of the Rose that it would probably take a little time for me to warm up to it. After the events at the end of Mark of the Tala I was pretty sure there would have to be a transitional morning period and that would take a little time to overcome. Even though that is true and I didn’t like the MC Amelia until almost the fifty percent mark of the book a few of the other characters really helped to carry the first half.
In the beginning, filled with grief, Amelia acts a lot like a petulant child. She is sometimes a bit vapid and falls prey to easy flattery from those around her. She doesn’t even see the sharks in the water until they are already circling. I would have been so annoyed at this part of the book if it weren’t for Ursula and the White Monk. They are the only ones who are willing to stand up to Amelia and not coddle her or give her false flattery.
It takes a little time, but with some direction Amelia finally starts to grow up into a formidable woman instead of a child. Unlike Andi who had Tala magic to draw on, Amelia has to use political maneuvering and cunning to keep the wolves at bay. Finally she can use her beauty and reputation to her advantage.
A few of my favorite parts of the story are still the mystery of the magic the Tala hold and the future that Salena foresaw for her children. I love the bound between the sisters and how each is so different from the others but the love they share for each other is so great, great enough to maybe survive any tragedy. I thought the confrontation between Amelia and Andi was done really well and it is after this point that Amelia really started to grow on me. Already I can see that each of the girl’s lives will embrace one of the goddesses and I hope that it will give some balance to the kingdom.
That ending was quite a good twist and I look forward to seeing how Amelia does on her quest. She has become fierce in her own way and I really like how she isn’t letting anyone else lead her around blindly anymore.
URSULA!!! Maybe it is the warrior princess type aspect of her that I love, or maybe because she is the oldest most responsible sibling either way I love her. I’m really excited about the next book in the series as she should be the lead in that one. Ursula is the one that I think will give the reader the most insight into Uorsin and his domination of the 12 Kingdoms. She has a strategists mind and can go toe to toe with her father.
Yes indeed I can see some heated posturing between those two in Ursula’s book. She could be fantastic.
There aren’t a lot of Adult High Fantasies out there that do a good job of blending both the story and the romance. The Twelve Kingdom’s series has done a good job with that so far. There is decidedly less magic in this tale as most of it comes from the baby growing in Amelia’s belly but I found I liked the role that she was able to play not using magic. The romance could have bothered me between the White Monk and Amelia so soon after the demise of her husband but I really liked how that was handled overall.
Interesting World, engaging storyline and some wonderful characters.
ARC provided by Kensington Books via Netgalley for an honest review. Any quotes used may not be in the final draft of the book
Princess Amelia has been pampered and coddled her entire life, treated more like a porcelain doll than an actually woman. This has led her to live a very comfortable and uncomplicated life. Her biggest concerns have been dresses and parties and looking beautiful.
All that changes with the news of her husband’s demise and the discovery of her pregnancy. Her father the High King Uorsin wants her child as his Heir, while her Father–in-Law King Erich has laid claim of her future son as his heir. If Amelia doesn’t learn some politics quickly she will surely lose her child to one of them as soon as he is born.
I knew going into Tears of the Rose that it would probably take a little time for me to warm up to it. After the events at the end of Mark of the Tala I was pretty sure there would have to be a transitional morning period and that would take a little time to overcome. Even though that is true and I didn’t like the MC Amelia until almost the fifty percent mark of the book a few of the other characters really helped to carry the first half.
In the beginning, filled with grief, Amelia acts a lot like a petulant child. She is sometimes a bit vapid and falls prey to easy flattery from those around her. She doesn’t even see the sharks in the water until they are already circling. I would have been so annoyed at this part of the book if it weren’t for Ursula and the White Monk. They are the only ones who are willing to stand up to Amelia and not coddle her or give her false flattery.
”Only that peace—true inner peace—comes from seeing yourself clearly and accepting who you are.”
I looked away bothered that I couldn’t see his face. Bothered that there might be nothing in me to see. “You presume far too much for a lowly assistant priest. You understand nothing about me.”
“Looking in a mirror to fix your pretty face isn’t the same as seeing yourself.”
It takes a little time, but with some direction Amelia finally starts to grow up into a formidable woman instead of a child. Unlike Andi who had Tala magic to draw on, Amelia has to use political maneuvering and cunning to keep the wolves at bay. Finally she can use her beauty and reputation to her advantage.
A few of my favorite parts of the story are still the mystery of the magic the Tala hold and the future that Salena foresaw for her children. I love the bound between the sisters and how each is so different from the others but the love they share for each other is so great, great enough to maybe survive any tragedy. I thought the confrontation between Amelia and Andi was done really well and it is after this point that Amelia really started to grow on me. Already I can see that each of the girl’s lives will embrace one of the goddesses and I hope that it will give some balance to the kingdom.
That ending was quite a good twist and I look forward to seeing how Amelia does on her quest. She has become fierce in her own way and I really like how she isn’t letting anyone else lead her around blindly anymore.
URSULA!!! Maybe it is the warrior princess type aspect of her that I love, or maybe because she is the oldest most responsible sibling either way I love her. I’m really excited about the next book in the series as she should be the lead in that one. Ursula is the one that I think will give the reader the most insight into Uorsin and his domination of the 12 Kingdoms. She has a strategists mind and can go toe to toe with her father.
”Well, you could make Amelia regent for the impending heir,” Ursula pointed out, “Though, hmm.” She tapped a finger on her chin, ostentatiously thoughtful. “That could be problematic if Old Erich passes of cedes the crown of Avonlidgh to her. Then she’d be Queen and regent of the Twelve Kingdoms. Likely the High Throne would indeed move to Ordnung then.”
Uorsin’s head swiveled and he fixed an impatient—and betrayed—look on me. As if I’d already done what Ursula suggested. She met my gaze over his head. Not smug, but with the confidence of a fighter who knows she’s stronger.
Yes indeed I can see some heated posturing between those two in Ursula’s book. She could be fantastic.
There aren’t a lot of Adult High Fantasies out there that do a good job of blending both the story and the romance. The Twelve Kingdom’s series has done a good job with that so far. There is decidedly less magic in this tale as most of it comes from the baby growing in Amelia’s belly but I found I liked the role that she was able to play not using magic. The romance could have bothered me between the White Monk and Amelia so soon after the demise of her husband but I really liked how that was handled overall.
Interesting World, engaging storyline and some wonderful characters.
ARC provided by Kensington Books via Netgalley for an honest review. Any quotes used may not be in the final draft of the book
July 5, 2018
*2.5 Stars*
I rounded up because the last 25% was pretty good. My main issue with this one was that for like 75% of the book I didn’t really like Amelia at all, and since it’s told in first person POV I had to spend a lot of time in her head and it got old quick. Luckily by like the 75% she started to mature and I liked her a lot more by the end. My other issue is this just abruptly ends, it literally feels like the book is unfinished. I know the next one probably picks up where this one stops but that one is about Ursula so idk how much we are going to find out about what is happening with Amelia’s situation. Hopefully we get clued in because they were like about to do this really important thing and then you turn the page and it’s like “Oh yeah you’re finished the book now”
I’m going to keep reading the series but overall I don’t think this one will turn out to be a favourite of mine.
I rounded up because the last 25% was pretty good. My main issue with this one was that for like 75% of the book I didn’t really like Amelia at all, and since it’s told in first person POV I had to spend a lot of time in her head and it got old quick. Luckily by like the 75% she started to mature and I liked her a lot more by the end. My other issue is this just abruptly ends, it literally feels like the book is unfinished. I know the next one probably picks up where this one stops but that one is about Ursula so idk how much we are going to find out about what is happening with Amelia’s situation. Hopefully we get clued in because they were like about to do this really important thing and then you turn the page and it’s like “Oh yeah you’re finished the book now”
I’m going to keep reading the series but overall I don’t think this one will turn out to be a favourite of mine.
May 7, 2018
It was the love story between Ami and Ash that made me jump in to the backlist of this series. They were the couple featured in the anthology Amid the Winter Snow, set much later in the series. I was so taken with them and with the world building in that novella that I went back to start the series from the beginning. Overall, I found the book captivating and I read it all in one sitting much like the first in the series. It wasn’t exactly like I expected, though.
Obviously, the novella meant massive spoilers. I feel like I would have enjoyed the surprises of this book much more if I didn’t know what was going to happen. That is not the book’s fault, so I won’t complain about that, but I will give my small gripe that I wish there was more time devoted to the romance that made me read the series in the first place. I understand it; there are reasons it takes so long for the love story to get off the ground, but that doesn’t change the fact that I wanted more of it… and much like book one, this ended too abruptly for my taste. Even though the larger arc will continue in the next book, this romance won’t.
This story follows the youngest princess, Amelia, who is trying to move forward after the death of her beloved husband, Hugh. I get that she can’t just fall instantly in love with someone else, but I struggled with the first half of this book –one– because I was waiting with baited breath for her to get with Ash, but also because, let’s be real, the Ami at the beginning of this story isn’t very likable. She’s 18, cossetted, and spoiled. Add that to her grief over Hugh and I kind wanted to set her on fire. She was mourning and unexpectedly pregnant and both her father and father-in-law want to steal her baby to become High King. She’s also dealing with the betrayal of her sister who ran off to another land and presumably killed her man.
Then, here comes Ash, a monk in service to Amelia’s goddess who is more than he seems. He’s scarred and has a brutal past, and he wants Ami desperately, despite himself. Alas, they don’t have a lot of time for loving, but the time they do have is awesome. Like, really awesome. The bulk of the book, though, is about Amelia’s evolution, about the politics of her land, and the relationships she has with her sisters. That stuff is all good too. The world building here is great and it’s such an easy read. It’s just barely a romance. I can see why the author revisited these characters. (I was robbed.)
Anyway, it says a lot that I want more… because believe me, I do. I’m moving on to Ursula’s book now. Looking forward to the poor girl finally getting her own HEA.
Rating: B/B+
Obviously, the novella meant massive spoilers. I feel like I would have enjoyed the surprises of this book much more if I didn’t know what was going to happen. That is not the book’s fault, so I won’t complain about that, but I will give my small gripe that I wish there was more time devoted to the romance that made me read the series in the first place. I understand it; there are reasons it takes so long for the love story to get off the ground, but that doesn’t change the fact that I wanted more of it… and much like book one, this ended too abruptly for my taste. Even though the larger arc will continue in the next book, this romance won’t.
This story follows the youngest princess, Amelia, who is trying to move forward after the death of her beloved husband, Hugh. I get that she can’t just fall instantly in love with someone else, but I struggled with the first half of this book –one– because I was waiting with baited breath for her to get with Ash, but also because, let’s be real, the Ami at the beginning of this story isn’t very likable. She’s 18, cossetted, and spoiled. Add that to her grief over Hugh and I kind wanted to set her on fire. She was mourning and unexpectedly pregnant and both her father and father-in-law want to steal her baby to become High King. She’s also dealing with the betrayal of her sister who ran off to another land and presumably killed her man.
Then, here comes Ash, a monk in service to Amelia’s goddess who is more than he seems. He’s scarred and has a brutal past, and he wants Ami desperately, despite himself. Alas, they don’t have a lot of time for loving, but the time they do have is awesome. Like, really awesome. The bulk of the book, though, is about Amelia’s evolution, about the politics of her land, and the relationships she has with her sisters. That stuff is all good too. The world building here is great and it’s such an easy read. It’s just barely a romance. I can see why the author revisited these characters. (I was robbed.)
Anyway, it says a lot that I want more… because believe me, I do. I’m moving on to Ursula’s book now. Looking forward to the poor girl finally getting her own HEA.
Rating: B/B+
January 29, 2023
I think the hardest thing about this book is that it doesn’t know what it wants to be. The world and the series it is set in is definitely fantasy but there isn’t much to show for it in this story. It reads more like a historical with just mentions of shape-shifters and magic by inlarge.
It is NOT a romance by any stretch of the imagination, there is a sex scene in the latter part of the book but nothing at all that actually leads up to it. The “couple” had very little interaction throughout the book and even after the sex weren’t even together in the story until the very end. So… no.
I guess it most closely reads as woman’s fiction, but even that doesn’t fit because of the whole kinda fantasy aspect. Still the gist of the story is about a young, beautiful but pampered and spoiled girl losing her new husband to death, then the journey of growth she takes to become a strong, caring and capable leader. That story is very well done. And if we (me?) weren’t expecting something more, it would have been a satisfying and nuanced look at that growth and change.
BUT… the series isn’t set up that way, so overall, it came across as disappointing because we didn’t see much actual magic and never got to enjoy a developing love story.
It is NOT a romance by any stretch of the imagination, there is a sex scene in the latter part of the book but nothing at all that actually leads up to it. The “couple” had very little interaction throughout the book and even after the sex weren’t even together in the story until the very end. So… no.
I guess it most closely reads as woman’s fiction, but even that doesn’t fit because of the whole kinda fantasy aspect. Still the gist of the story is about a young, beautiful but pampered and spoiled girl losing her new husband to death, then the journey of growth she takes to become a strong, caring and capable leader. That story is very well done. And if we (me?) weren’t expecting something more, it would have been a satisfying and nuanced look at that growth and change.
BUT… the series isn’t set up that way, so overall, it came across as disappointing because we didn’t see much actual magic and never got to enjoy a developing love story.
January 29, 2020
You might know by now that Voodoo Bride and I are big fans of Jeffe's work, so it won't come as a surprise we were very happy to get an ARC of The Tears of the Rose.
Book one in this series was about Andi, the middle sister of three. The Tears of the Rose is about Amelia, the youngest.
Now I will confess Amelia didn't really make a good impression on me in the first book. Not that she was unlikable, but she came across as a bit shallow and spoiled. Amelia being the heroine of this book I expected these flaws to be downplayed.
And that's where Jeffe proves to be an amazing writer. Instead of downplaying Amelia's flaws, they're right there for everyone to see. Amelia is spoiled, shallow and selfish at the start of this story. She might have some cause, seeing she just lost her husband, but still she's acting like a toddler who doesn't get her way at times.
Still... The way she is written made me see the good and kind person Amelia could be, if only the people around her had given her the chance to become that person. It's easy to dislike Amelia because of her spoiled attitude, but looking at how she grew up, how life has treated her, I could really understand why she became as she is. It made me root for her to open her eyes and see the world for what it really is. To change for the better.
And then a mysterious figure steps forwards who makes Ami question her world views.
The White Monk drew my attention from the first moment he is mentioned by the way Jeffe describes him. Her descriptions are always beautiful and vivid, but some of the descriptions of the White Monk felt like poetry.
My favorite line in the whole book is probably this:
"He laughed, raven voiced, threading his hands inside his sleeves as if he restrained himself from something." *
This is so beautiful and tells so much in just a few words. I could not just picture, but also hear and feel this scene.
I could go on for ages raving about how beautiful this book is written, but I know you want to know about the story.
It is a beautiful story!
Ami has a lot to learn, a lot to overcome on her path to find herself. Jeffe doesn't make it easy. Ami's road to happiness, to a life where she's more than the spoiled, pretty princess is long and filled with pain and heartache. I had trouble putting the book down, and kept rooting for Ami to reach her goals.
The ending...
Agh!
The ending gives closure on some things, but also gives a new challenge that has to be faced, making sure I will be counting the months until the release of book three. I need to find out what happens next to Ami and her sisters!
All in all this is a wonderful Fantasy Romance filled with emotion and suspense. I felt like rereading it the moment I finished it, and you can bet I will put this ARC on my keeper shelves, just as I've already preordered the book to put next to my treasured copy of The Mark of the Tala (book one).
*quote is from the ARC, so might be different in the final version of the book, although I hope it will not be changed.
Book one in this series was about Andi, the middle sister of three. The Tears of the Rose is about Amelia, the youngest.
Now I will confess Amelia didn't really make a good impression on me in the first book. Not that she was unlikable, but she came across as a bit shallow and spoiled. Amelia being the heroine of this book I expected these flaws to be downplayed.
And that's where Jeffe proves to be an amazing writer. Instead of downplaying Amelia's flaws, they're right there for everyone to see. Amelia is spoiled, shallow and selfish at the start of this story. She might have some cause, seeing she just lost her husband, but still she's acting like a toddler who doesn't get her way at times.
Still... The way she is written made me see the good and kind person Amelia could be, if only the people around her had given her the chance to become that person. It's easy to dislike Amelia because of her spoiled attitude, but looking at how she grew up, how life has treated her, I could really understand why she became as she is. It made me root for her to open her eyes and see the world for what it really is. To change for the better.
And then a mysterious figure steps forwards who makes Ami question her world views.
The White Monk drew my attention from the first moment he is mentioned by the way Jeffe describes him. Her descriptions are always beautiful and vivid, but some of the descriptions of the White Monk felt like poetry.
My favorite line in the whole book is probably this:
"He laughed, raven voiced, threading his hands inside his sleeves as if he restrained himself from something." *
This is so beautiful and tells so much in just a few words. I could not just picture, but also hear and feel this scene.
I could go on for ages raving about how beautiful this book is written, but I know you want to know about the story.
It is a beautiful story!
Ami has a lot to learn, a lot to overcome on her path to find herself. Jeffe doesn't make it easy. Ami's road to happiness, to a life where she's more than the spoiled, pretty princess is long and filled with pain and heartache. I had trouble putting the book down, and kept rooting for Ami to reach her goals.
The ending...
Agh!
The ending gives closure on some things, but also gives a new challenge that has to be faced, making sure I will be counting the months until the release of book three. I need to find out what happens next to Ami and her sisters!
All in all this is a wonderful Fantasy Romance filled with emotion and suspense. I felt like rereading it the moment I finished it, and you can bet I will put this ARC on my keeper shelves, just as I've already preordered the book to put next to my treasured copy of The Mark of the Tala (book one).
*quote is from the ARC, so might be different in the final version of the book, although I hope it will not be changed.
October 27, 2014
Amelia has to deal with the death of her husband, to the hand of her sister. It's very difficult, but what awaits her isn't easier. She is pregnant and her father, the King, and her father-in-law are fighting to claim her son their heir. Or is it a daughter like her sister claims?
The Tears of the Rose is the second novel in the Twelve Kingdoms series and I while I enjoyed it, I'm afraid I preferred the first novel, The Mark of the Tala. The main reason is that I loved Andi and Rafe a lot more than I liked Amelia. I really didn't feel any connection to her, and her shallowness really bothered me. She tries really hard to change and become a better person, and I must command her for it. But she doesn't succeed until really late into the book. So even though I came to appreciate her in the end, for about 75% of the book I didn't really care for her.
Thankfully, the White Monk really spoke to me! I liked this mysterious character and his witty comments. There is a lot of depth to this character and I enjoyed discovering his shady past, one surprise at a time. He really stepped up to my expectations and I loved him until the end!
Religion takes a very important role in this novel, as much as the shape-shifting magic was important in the first book. I much preferred the later, but I still thought piousness fit Amelia like a glove and I liked the actions she took to improve the impact religion has on her citizens.
The plot was very consistent and full of political challenges, if not action packed. I was really satisfied with the way the different subplot lined-up and some turn of events really surprised me. My favorite moment was by far when Amelia faced Andi and her subsequent one-on-one action with the White Monk.
The conclusion was absolutely thrilling and I find myself wondering just how we will be able to follow Amelia's next steps on her important mission since the third book, The Talon of the Hawk, features the eldest sister.
The Tears of the Rose is the second novel in the Twelve Kingdoms series and I while I enjoyed it, I'm afraid I preferred the first novel, The Mark of the Tala. The main reason is that I loved Andi and Rafe a lot more than I liked Amelia. I really didn't feel any connection to her, and her shallowness really bothered me. She tries really hard to change and become a better person, and I must command her for it. But she doesn't succeed until really late into the book. So even though I came to appreciate her in the end, for about 75% of the book I didn't really care for her.
Thankfully, the White Monk really spoke to me! I liked this mysterious character and his witty comments. There is a lot of depth to this character and I enjoyed discovering his shady past, one surprise at a time. He really stepped up to my expectations and I loved him until the end!
Religion takes a very important role in this novel, as much as the shape-shifting magic was important in the first book. I much preferred the later, but I still thought piousness fit Amelia like a glove and I liked the actions she took to improve the impact religion has on her citizens.
The plot was very consistent and full of political challenges, if not action packed. I was really satisfied with the way the different subplot lined-up and some turn of events really surprised me. My favorite moment was by far when Amelia faced Andi and her subsequent one-on-one action with the White Monk.
The conclusion was absolutely thrilling and I find myself wondering just how we will be able to follow Amelia's next steps on her important mission since the third book, The Talon of the Hawk, features the eldest sister.
April 15, 2018
I wanted to punch Amelia in the face like... every chapter. In spite of that, I enjoyed how the story progressed and what we learned of the world.
3.5*
3.5*
December 12, 2014
3.5...Nice Fantasy (Just a little slow to develop)
Three sisters - a warrior, an invisible middle child, and a spoiled young princess. The middle sister's story was told in The Mark of the Tala, introducing readers to Tala and 'mossbacks.' The magical kingdom of Annwyn is separate from the Twelve Kingdoms. The imbalance is felt throughout this realm. The first book revealed a few secrets of a mother's sacrifice. "The Tears of a the Rose" continues with the revered Princess Amelia's story.
Renowned for her beauty and heralded as Gloriana's avatar, Princess Amelia met her dashing prince charming in book 1. She has been pampered, sheltered, and treated as an ornament her entire life. Her evolution is from vain princess to shrewd leader was slow-developing, but I felt rewarded for pushing past the dragging character development. Her changed made sense. She found her power. I liked it.
The romance? It's called a beauty and the beast-type of romance. The hero, Ash a.k.a. "the White Monk," is disfigured and severely scarred. His eyes glow with hatred when gazing upon Amelia, yet that hatred (too easily) melts away by one act on Amelia's part. (It was too easy, in my opinion.) Amelia and Ash do have chemistry. Their sexy times were hot. Ash treated like a real woman, not a delicate flower, which the princess truly appreciated some reflection. Their resolution as a couple was too rushed for my tastes, yet I do appreciate the growth Amelia had to experience before they reached their HEA.
"The Tears of of Rose" started as a four-star read. Then, the dragging pace of the princess's development could have made it so easy for me to DNF. While her change came too late I did like who she became and I enjoyed the direction of the ongoing plot. The romance aspect of this book is 2.5 to 3 stars. Their struggle had seemed complex, but it turned into something simple. This book didn't read as a fantasy romance. It's more fantasy fiction with elements of romance. Despite the negatives, I'm very interested in the warrior's sister story and the resolution in this magical world.
Three sisters - a warrior, an invisible middle child, and a spoiled young princess. The middle sister's story was told in The Mark of the Tala, introducing readers to Tala and 'mossbacks.' The magical kingdom of Annwyn is separate from the Twelve Kingdoms. The imbalance is felt throughout this realm. The first book revealed a few secrets of a mother's sacrifice. "The Tears of a the Rose" continues with the revered Princess Amelia's story.
Renowned for her beauty and heralded as Gloriana's avatar, Princess Amelia met her dashing prince charming in book 1. She has been pampered, sheltered, and treated as an ornament her entire life. Her evolution is from vain princess to shrewd leader was slow-developing, but I felt rewarded for pushing past the dragging character development. Her changed made sense. She found her power. I liked it.
The romance? It's called a beauty and the beast-type of romance. The hero, Ash a.k.a. "the White Monk," is disfigured and severely scarred. His eyes glow with hatred when gazing upon Amelia, yet that hatred (too easily) melts away by one act on Amelia's part. (It was too easy, in my opinion.) Amelia and Ash do have chemistry. Their sexy times were hot. Ash treated like a real woman, not a delicate flower, which the princess truly appreciated some reflection. Their resolution as a couple was too rushed for my tastes, yet I do appreciate the growth Amelia had to experience before they reached their HEA.
"The Tears of of Rose" started as a four-star read. Then, the dragging pace of the princess's development could have made it so easy for me to DNF. While her change came too late I did like who she became and I enjoyed the direction of the ongoing plot. The romance aspect of this book is 2.5 to 3 stars. Their struggle had seemed complex, but it turned into something simple. This book didn't read as a fantasy romance. It's more fantasy fiction with elements of romance. Despite the negatives, I'm very interested in the warrior's sister story and the resolution in this magical world.
May 9, 2015
I did not finish Tears of the Rose (Twelve Kingdoms #2). The first book was really good but the ending sucked. I was hoping book 2 would fix it, but nope. The book is a downer and depressing me.
The heroine's husband is killed in book 1 (I was hoping they'd bring him back in book 2) and she spends the first 7 chapters crying, throwing up from her pregnancy, trying to kill herself so she can be with her dead husband, pressing roses from her husband's funeral wreath to keep, blaming her sisters for getting her husband killed, etc.
I had to stop reading at that point. Did not finish book.
The heroine's husband is killed in book 1 (I was hoping they'd bring him back in book 2) and she spends the first 7 chapters crying, throwing up from her pregnancy, trying to kill herself so she can be with her dead husband, pressing roses from her husband's funeral wreath to keep, blaming her sisters for getting her husband killed, etc.
I had to stop reading at that point. Did not finish book.
April 17, 2019
Meh..... I'm not reading anymore of this series. The first book was just alright and this book was worse. If it's one of those series where the third one comes back to win it I guess I'll just miss out.
August 8, 2022
The Tears of the Rose is the second installment in the Twelve Kingdoms series. I absolutely had a fun time with this one but I knew that it would be a highly emotional read considering how the first book ended for this heroine in book 2. I was ready to go though, because I had such a blast with "The Mark of the Tala" so I had high expectations of it, but I will say that this one was a slight disappointment. It wasn't nearly as good as book one and the primary reason for this is the heroine. She was so challenging and I just had the hardest time even relating to her character, but the plot and story line was done very well, its just that our heroine, Ami, has been dealt a difficult blow and she doesn't react well at all to it. I understand that she is dealing with a trauma, but before she was this kind generous woman and now is angry and spiteful and so bratty. I do not like bratty heroines at all, and its a good thing the hero is a badass and can take some heat and tell her the truth about herself because she needs someone that will. I was actually much more interested in the hero. He was just wonderful, and he has gone through so much himself, and I respected his character and his ability to touch base with the heroine and really make her see the truth about herself. This isn't the easiest romance to read, but I did enjoy the aspects of character growth and building and seeing the woman that Ami becomes in this story.
Overall a solid installment, but had some issues, but really intrigued by the way the world building is becoming built within the serial storyline and ready to jump into Ursula's book and get the finale.
Overall a solid installment, but had some issues, but really intrigued by the way the world building is becoming built within the serial storyline and ready to jump into Ursula's book and get the finale.
May 16, 2020
A fitting sequel to The Mark of the Tala. Just as good as the first.
I couldn’t STAND Princess Amelia in the first book and she was possibly even more unlikable in the first part of this book. What a loathsome, self-centered idiot...but of course she was slowly and cleverly redeemed.
I love how the three sisters are fulfilling their separate destinies all to save the Twelve Kingdom.
Ended on a huge cliffhanger, so I’m off to read the third of the trilogy.
I couldn’t STAND Princess Amelia in the first book and she was possibly even more unlikable in the first part of this book. What a loathsome, self-centered idiot...but of course she was slowly and cleverly redeemed.
I love how the three sisters are fulfilling their separate destinies all to save the Twelve Kingdom.
Ended on a huge cliffhanger, so I’m off to read the third of the trilogy.
December 1, 2014
3 stars
The Tears of the Rose is the second book of The Twelve Kingdoms series, a series that featured 3 motherless daughters which their true destiny and nature will be unraveled after they learn about their mother secret and war coming in their door.
Featuring Princess Amelia, or Ami, the last daughter of High King of Twelve Kingdom Uorsin, this book told from her POV and follow the event in the first book The Mark of Tala. Ami believed that she had found her true love, just to have her husband murdered in the hand of her lovely sister, Princess Andi, the Queen of Tala. Full of grief, rage and despair, but unable to shed the tears, Ami want revenge. But no one take her seriously because her appearance and spoiled nature. Add it with she pregnant, and even Andi said that she will have daughter, someone predict that is a boy, causing uproar. For Ami's son will be a heir for Twelve Kingdom, therefore make her older sister, Princess Ursula not suitable to become the next ruler. Ami must learn to be better, wield her charm and beauty as weapon if she doesn't want to be pawn and learn that her true love might be someone else.
I admit it's difficult to like Ami, for ther story told from her POV, and what said heroine behave like 5 year olds that stomp her foot and throw tantrum here and there, I want to smack her just to put some sense in her head. I know that in the first part of this book, Ami is grieving, but I got tired with her "oh, woe is me". She so easily to manipulated with the High Priest of Glorianna, the Goddess that people of Twelve Kingdom worship. She believed what the High Priest said that she is a Glorianna's avatar, therefore she must strike the Tala, and in journey she almost endanger someone dear of her because she's so reckless, naive, and frustating.
Ami did change. She become better person afterall, learn her position in the dangerous game of politic and deceit. She also, indeed become Glorianna's avatar, learn the Goddess's true way and make revolution. It just..come almost too late. I wonder why the author prolong Ami's naivete and spoiled attitude, then changed it after Ami visit Tala, which imo, too sudden. I'm also frustated when read the ending. Beware, it's have cliffhanger and make me realize that maybe the Twelve Kingdom is not trilogy. Make sense because a fantasy series with complicated world building, religion system and culture will have more than 3 books.
What I like from Tears of the Rose is the romance. Since Ami's husband just died, of course it's hard for her to accept love from another man. I'm glad that her lover, the White Monk Ash is suitable for her. Oh, Ash have some "tortured" vibe, but his cynic open Ami's view of the world. The sex also steamier than the first. My regret just, the romantic relationship between Ami and Ash is too slow too blom, and it's not enough. While I know this is because Ami's still grieving, but Ash treat her as a real woman, make she blossomed from a naive princess to a grown and mature woman, albeit make her a good Queen in the end.
The next book, The Talon of the Hawks is Princess Ursula's book, the eldest. If in the first book she describe as a cold and hard princess, so much alike her father and just care about military and politic, in this book we will see the other side of her. Readers will see that she care so much to her younger sisters, Andi and Ami. Ursula still strong, but her softer side also shown. This is a good introduction to her book and I can't wait to read hers. I want to know if Ursula will get her own happy ending and who's the man that lucky enough to tame this warrior princess.
If you love fantasy romance with intricate world building, enganging plot and romance as well, The Twelve Kingdom series is a must read.
e-ARC provided by NetGalley and Kensington for honest review
The Tears of the Rose is the second book of The Twelve Kingdoms series, a series that featured 3 motherless daughters which their true destiny and nature will be unraveled after they learn about their mother secret and war coming in their door.
Featuring Princess Amelia, or Ami, the last daughter of High King of Twelve Kingdom Uorsin, this book told from her POV and follow the event in the first book The Mark of Tala. Ami believed that she had found her true love, just to have her husband murdered in the hand of her lovely sister, Princess Andi, the Queen of Tala. Full of grief, rage and despair, but unable to shed the tears, Ami want revenge. But no one take her seriously because her appearance and spoiled nature. Add it with she pregnant, and even Andi said that she will have daughter, someone predict that is a boy, causing uproar. For Ami's son will be a heir for Twelve Kingdom, therefore make her older sister, Princess Ursula not suitable to become the next ruler. Ami must learn to be better, wield her charm and beauty as weapon if she doesn't want to be pawn and learn that her true love might be someone else.
I admit it's difficult to like Ami, for ther story told from her POV, and what said heroine behave like 5 year olds that stomp her foot and throw tantrum here and there, I want to smack her just to put some sense in her head. I know that in the first part of this book, Ami is grieving, but I got tired with her "oh, woe is me". She so easily to manipulated with the High Priest of Glorianna, the Goddess that people of Twelve Kingdom worship. She believed what the High Priest said that she is a Glorianna's avatar, therefore she must strike the Tala, and in journey she almost endanger someone dear of her because she's so reckless, naive, and frustating.
Ami did change. She become better person afterall, learn her position in the dangerous game of politic and deceit. She also, indeed become Glorianna's avatar, learn the Goddess's true way and make revolution. It just..come almost too late. I wonder why the author prolong Ami's naivete and spoiled attitude, then changed it after Ami visit Tala, which imo, too sudden. I'm also frustated when read the ending. Beware, it's have cliffhanger and make me realize that maybe the Twelve Kingdom is not trilogy. Make sense because a fantasy series with complicated world building, religion system and culture will have more than 3 books.
What I like from Tears of the Rose is the romance. Since Ami's husband just died, of course it's hard for her to accept love from another man. I'm glad that her lover, the White Monk Ash is suitable for her. Oh, Ash have some "tortured" vibe, but his cynic open Ami's view of the world. The sex also steamier than the first. My regret just, the romantic relationship between Ami and Ash is too slow too blom, and it's not enough. While I know this is because Ami's still grieving, but Ash treat her as a real woman, make she blossomed from a naive princess to a grown and mature woman, albeit make her a good Queen in the end.
The next book, The Talon of the Hawks is Princess Ursula's book, the eldest. If in the first book she describe as a cold and hard princess, so much alike her father and just care about military and politic, in this book we will see the other side of her. Readers will see that she care so much to her younger sisters, Andi and Ami. Ursula still strong, but her softer side also shown. This is a good introduction to her book and I can't wait to read hers. I want to know if Ursula will get her own happy ending and who's the man that lucky enough to tame this warrior princess.
If you love fantasy romance with intricate world building, enganging plot and romance as well, The Twelve Kingdom series is a must read.
e-ARC provided by NetGalley and Kensington for honest review
April 11, 2015
NOTE: This review contains spoilers from the first book, The Mark of the Tala. Please be aware that a major event uncovered at the end of the first book is crucial to the entire plot of The Tears of the Rose, and therefore, is discussed in this review.
Picking up almost immediately after the dramatic conclusion of the first book in the Twelve Kingdoms series, The Tears of the Rose opens with Princess Ursula accompanying the body of her deceased brother-in-law, Prince Hugh, back to his home and pregnant wife, Amelia. As expected, Amelia is distraught and conflicted over the fact that her sister killed her one true love. The entire book is told from Amelia’s point-of-view and chronicles her journey from the youngest, most beautiful daughter of High King Uorsin, to a powerful woman and heir to the throne of Avonlidgh.
Right from the start, I knew this was going to be a tough sell… As a romance, I expect a story that shares a tale of love, ending in some sort of Happily-Ever-After/For Now. I wondered how the author could pull that off, knowing the primary heroine’s husband and father of her unborn child just died?! Yet, Ms. Kennedy pens a story that not only gives readers their HEA/FN, but does so in a manner that is perfect and just for a grieving widow. The coupling between Amelia and Ash is loving, genuine, and sexy. Kudos, Ms. Kennedy!
With all that is happening to Amelia, sometimes it’s hard to remember she is only 17. I am utterly blown away by the author's portrayal of a very young and immature Amelia. She's very self-centered and has never had to think of anyone but herself. But her transformation is rewarding and fulfilling. As Amelia comes out of her grief over losing Hugh, she clearly sees herself as the puppet on strings, and when she tries to take control, each time she lashes out and hurts others. She grows cruel because of her own desires to break away and have something meaningful of her own. She's so young and trying to figure it all out. Each time this happens, she seems to grow up a little bit. It’s her story that makes The Tears of the Rose such a special tale.
While The Tears of the Rose is all about Ami’s journey, the story also continues the overarching tale of the Twelve Kingdoms: both its civil strife, as well as the confrontation with the Tala. The story uncovers more of the High King’s unforgivable actions in the name of bringing peace to the land, as well as the cost to all of the other kingdoms and its citizens. And Uorsin isn’t the only evil man looking for power. Poor Amelia is used by her father, father-in-law, and others who wish to weld power and influence. As much as I love the romantic tale, the unfolding tales of the Twelve Kingdoms is a worthy story in its own right.
The Tears of the Rose is a wonderful addition to the Twelve Kingdom series, the perfect second tale in this fascinating story - one that needs to be read, starting with the first book, The Mark of the Tala.
My Rating: A- Enjoyed a lot
Picking up almost immediately after the dramatic conclusion of the first book in the Twelve Kingdoms series, The Tears of the Rose opens with Princess Ursula accompanying the body of her deceased brother-in-law, Prince Hugh, back to his home and pregnant wife, Amelia. As expected, Amelia is distraught and conflicted over the fact that her sister killed her one true love. The entire book is told from Amelia’s point-of-view and chronicles her journey from the youngest, most beautiful daughter of High King Uorsin, to a powerful woman and heir to the throne of Avonlidgh.
Right from the start, I knew this was going to be a tough sell… As a romance, I expect a story that shares a tale of love, ending in some sort of Happily-Ever-After/For Now. I wondered how the author could pull that off, knowing the primary heroine’s husband and father of her unborn child just died?! Yet, Ms. Kennedy pens a story that not only gives readers their HEA/FN, but does so in a manner that is perfect and just for a grieving widow. The coupling between Amelia and Ash is loving, genuine, and sexy. Kudos, Ms. Kennedy!
With all that is happening to Amelia, sometimes it’s hard to remember she is only 17. I am utterly blown away by the author's portrayal of a very young and immature Amelia. She's very self-centered and has never had to think of anyone but herself. But her transformation is rewarding and fulfilling. As Amelia comes out of her grief over losing Hugh, she clearly sees herself as the puppet on strings, and when she tries to take control, each time she lashes out and hurts others. She grows cruel because of her own desires to break away and have something meaningful of her own. She's so young and trying to figure it all out. Each time this happens, she seems to grow up a little bit. It’s her story that makes The Tears of the Rose such a special tale.
While The Tears of the Rose is all about Ami’s journey, the story also continues the overarching tale of the Twelve Kingdoms: both its civil strife, as well as the confrontation with the Tala. The story uncovers more of the High King’s unforgivable actions in the name of bringing peace to the land, as well as the cost to all of the other kingdoms and its citizens. And Uorsin isn’t the only evil man looking for power. Poor Amelia is used by her father, father-in-law, and others who wish to weld power and influence. As much as I love the romantic tale, the unfolding tales of the Twelve Kingdoms is a worthy story in its own right.
The Tears of the Rose is a wonderful addition to the Twelve Kingdom series, the perfect second tale in this fascinating story - one that needs to be read, starting with the first book, The Mark of the Tala.
My Rating: A- Enjoyed a lot
June 15, 2015
The Tears of the Rose is a solid romantic fantasy....as long as you don't mind disliking the main character for two-thirds of the book. I just could not like Amelia. I read fast in the hope that a nicer Amelia would show up on the next page. I enjoyed the last 140 or so pages, as Amelia grew up and showed her true potential. I am interested in how Ursula's story will unfold.
December 3, 2014
Originally posted at Butterfly-o-Meter Books on Nov 28th 2014:
Fluttering Thoughts:
Worldbuilding: The world of The Twelve Kingdoms is seriously awesome, we’re talking kingdoms, so kings ans queens and intrigue and let’s not forget all the fantasy elements, magic, paranormal beings like shifters…so much goodness!
Characters: The thing about The Tears of the Rose is that the main character, Amelia, was one of my least favorite characters from The Mark of the Tala, the first novel in the series. Whiny, shallow, self-centered, highly irritating…you get the picture, right? Well, she was just like that in the beginning of this novel too, only I got to experience it from her POV, which was – not all that shockingly – even more irritating. We’re talking real emotion, I wanted to… do violent things :))) You get the picture. So reading a story about her was a very strange experience, I spent about half the novel kind of pi$$ed at her, at her reactions to the admittedly traumatic things she went through, and then from a certain point on, I was shocked because I liked her. I mean…it creeped over me and suddenly I just… liked her :|
She went through major changes, went through a lot of really difficult stuff, did a lot of growing up during this story, and from somewhere around half of it to the end, I really liked her, which was… shocking, lol!
Okay, it was also due to Ash. I’m not gonna lie, I loved the man, I always love Jeffe Kennedy’s mancandy xD I would have liked to enjoy his presence more, but I got why Amelia needed to be focused on, the changes she goes through need good building in order to read authentic, and they do. I loved Amelia and Ash together, really hot, passionate one on one between them, and I want more :D I know, I know…I’m a total perv.
Also, really loved Ursula, I did from the first novel, she’s so deliciously badass! Can’t wait to read her story xD
Plot: I loved the story, and I’m really curious to find out how the whole tensions-between-kingdoms thing is solved, which is the other arc aside the romance and the MC’s story of personal growth and I guess fulfilling of their destiny, in each novel. I’m a total politics geek, okay, so shoot me :P Also, it must be said, evil cliffy at the end of this novel, I mean the romance gets its HFN, conflicts are resolved, but you just get the inkling of such a big thing, and then there’s the…one of two things missing (no spoilers is such a b!tch to do sometimes, lol, sounds like I’m a rambling lunatic, but I don’t wanna spoil the story for you peeps!). I want the next one, like, right now!
Writing: First person, past tense narrative, Amelia’s POV. Loved her voice, though I disliked her, lol, she came through really well. And love the writing style, fantasy/fairytale like awesomeness :D
Curb Appeal: Cool cover, hooking blurb, instant buy author name, so impulsive buy material galore!
All in all, this was a really interesting addition to the series, and a very surprising reading exprience. I’m not going to beat around the bush (which sounds kind of BDSM-ish and kinky, right?), I loved the first one more, but there’s an easy explanation for that – I loved Andi. I disliked Amelia and ended up also loving this novel, even if not as much as the first. It made me look at Amelia differently, and by the end of the story I kind of loved her, from kind of hating her guts in the beginning.
I don’t think you’d find many authors able to pull that kind of thing off, but then again, if anyone could do it, it would be Jeffe Kennedy. There’s a really good reason I’m a hardcore fan of her work ;) And all I love about her works in general is present here, this novel is gutsy, slightly irreverent (MCs tend to be easy to like & love in romance, don’t you agree? Amelia is anything but, in the beginning…), hot, well written, entertaining, features awesome worldbuilding, characterbuilding and romancebuilding, and leaves you wanting the next one.
I totally recommend The Tears of the Rose if you’re into fantasy kingdoms and romance, and strong MCs who might start out as annoying princesses but end up being strong and clever queens :D
Fluttering Thoughts:
Worldbuilding: The world of The Twelve Kingdoms is seriously awesome, we’re talking kingdoms, so kings ans queens and intrigue and let’s not forget all the fantasy elements, magic, paranormal beings like shifters…so much goodness!
Characters: The thing about The Tears of the Rose is that the main character, Amelia, was one of my least favorite characters from The Mark of the Tala, the first novel in the series. Whiny, shallow, self-centered, highly irritating…you get the picture, right? Well, she was just like that in the beginning of this novel too, only I got to experience it from her POV, which was – not all that shockingly – even more irritating. We’re talking real emotion, I wanted to… do violent things :))) You get the picture. So reading a story about her was a very strange experience, I spent about half the novel kind of pi$$ed at her, at her reactions to the admittedly traumatic things she went through, and then from a certain point on, I was shocked because I liked her. I mean…it creeped over me and suddenly I just… liked her :|
She went through major changes, went through a lot of really difficult stuff, did a lot of growing up during this story, and from somewhere around half of it to the end, I really liked her, which was… shocking, lol!
Okay, it was also due to Ash. I’m not gonna lie, I loved the man, I always love Jeffe Kennedy’s mancandy xD I would have liked to enjoy his presence more, but I got why Amelia needed to be focused on, the changes she goes through need good building in order to read authentic, and they do. I loved Amelia and Ash together, really hot, passionate one on one between them, and I want more :D I know, I know…I’m a total perv.
Also, really loved Ursula, I did from the first novel, she’s so deliciously badass! Can’t wait to read her story xD
Plot: I loved the story, and I’m really curious to find out how the whole tensions-between-kingdoms thing is solved, which is the other arc aside the romance and the MC’s story of personal growth and I guess fulfilling of their destiny, in each novel. I’m a total politics geek, okay, so shoot me :P Also, it must be said, evil cliffy at the end of this novel, I mean the romance gets its HFN, conflicts are resolved, but you just get the inkling of such a big thing, and then there’s the…one of two things missing (no spoilers is such a b!tch to do sometimes, lol, sounds like I’m a rambling lunatic, but I don’t wanna spoil the story for you peeps!). I want the next one, like, right now!
Writing: First person, past tense narrative, Amelia’s POV. Loved her voice, though I disliked her, lol, she came through really well. And love the writing style, fantasy/fairytale like awesomeness :D
Curb Appeal: Cool cover, hooking blurb, instant buy author name, so impulsive buy material galore!
All in all, this was a really interesting addition to the series, and a very surprising reading exprience. I’m not going to beat around the bush (which sounds kind of BDSM-ish and kinky, right?), I loved the first one more, but there’s an easy explanation for that – I loved Andi. I disliked Amelia and ended up also loving this novel, even if not as much as the first. It made me look at Amelia differently, and by the end of the story I kind of loved her, from kind of hating her guts in the beginning.
I don’t think you’d find many authors able to pull that kind of thing off, but then again, if anyone could do it, it would be Jeffe Kennedy. There’s a really good reason I’m a hardcore fan of her work ;) And all I love about her works in general is present here, this novel is gutsy, slightly irreverent (MCs tend to be easy to like & love in romance, don’t you agree? Amelia is anything but, in the beginning…), hot, well written, entertaining, features awesome worldbuilding, characterbuilding and romancebuilding, and leaves you wanting the next one.
I totally recommend The Tears of the Rose if you’re into fantasy kingdoms and romance, and strong MCs who might start out as annoying princesses but end up being strong and clever queens :D
April 23, 2016
Review originally posted at RabidReads.com.
Amelia is the youngest of the three princesses. She was also the most beautiful. She is said to be the avatar for the goddess, Glorianna herself. She never had a love of politics or for any need to learn to fight. She had eyes only for pretty dress and court life. She fell in love with her her husband only to lose him less than year into their marriage (I don’t consider this a spoiler for the first book, since it’s in the blurb). This is actually where the book starts, with Ami seeing her dead husband brought back from a battle with the Tala and her sister Andi.
I will say, I start this book not really like Ami. I spent most of this book coming to dislike her even more. She did nothing but act more and more like a petulant child. She was very much a useless royal, but she does start to get the blinders removed and she starts to take a stand and become a person. It was hard to remember that she was only seventeen, but luckily, the author does point this out several times as a reminder. I can’t imagine being seventeen, a widow and with a baby on the way.
Ash is the mysterious White Monk. He was working in Glorianna’s temple as a priest assistant and offers to accompany the princess on her journey back to Avonlidgh and to attempt to cross the border into Annfwn. He has quite the past and lots of secrets.
Once Ami figures out that everyone is after her unborn baby, that is when she her teeth come out and she does what is needed to take care of this baby. She just needed to see everyone fighting for a baby that wasn’t even born yet to realize what she had to do to protect the child. She also had a few other things along the road that opened her eyes to the church of Glorianna.
I really enjoyed this story, adding to the overall story of the Twelve Kingdoms. We get to spend some time with some of the characters in the first book, like Dafne who was a major player in this book. While not as big in this one, still has a part to play. Lady Zevondeth makes another appearance and I think she will have a large part in the third book. We also get to see some of Andi and King Rayfe. Let’s not forget High King Uorsin. There are also some new players.
Amelia is the youngest of the three princesses. She was also the most beautiful. She is said to be the avatar for the goddess, Glorianna herself. She never had a love of politics or for any need to learn to fight. She had eyes only for pretty dress and court life. She fell in love with her her husband only to lose him less than year into their marriage (I don’t consider this a spoiler for the first book, since it’s in the blurb). This is actually where the book starts, with Ami seeing her dead husband brought back from a battle with the Tala and her sister Andi.
I will say, I start this book not really like Ami. I spent most of this book coming to dislike her even more. She did nothing but act more and more like a petulant child. She was very much a useless royal, but she does start to get the blinders removed and she starts to take a stand and become a person. It was hard to remember that she was only seventeen, but luckily, the author does point this out several times as a reminder. I can’t imagine being seventeen, a widow and with a baby on the way.
Ash is the mysterious White Monk. He was working in Glorianna’s temple as a priest assistant and offers to accompany the princess on her journey back to Avonlidgh and to attempt to cross the border into Annfwn. He has quite the past and lots of secrets.
Once Ami figures out that everyone is after her unborn baby, that is when she her teeth come out and she does what is needed to take care of this baby. She just needed to see everyone fighting for a baby that wasn’t even born yet to realize what she had to do to protect the child. She also had a few other things along the road that opened her eyes to the church of Glorianna.
“Think you that Glorianna and Her temple are one and the same?”
I always had thought so, but it seems that had been one of my many naive ideas.
“What the goddess intends and what mortals do with Her representation on our earth are two different things. Being part of Glorianna’s temple is not about the good for all who claim to serve Her.”
I mulled that over. “What is it about, then?”
Her fingers twitched and I knew she missed her knitting, “The High King, praise his name, has invested Glorianna’s temple with a great deal of power. There are those drawn to that. If you wish to make changes, look for those who most benefit from access to that power.”
I really enjoyed this story, adding to the overall story of the Twelve Kingdoms. We get to spend some time with some of the characters in the first book, like Dafne who was a major player in this book. While not as big in this one, still has a part to play. Lady Zevondeth makes another appearance and I think she will have a large part in the third book. We also get to see some of Andi and King Rayfe. Let’s not forget High King Uorsin. There are also some new players.
November 8, 2014
The Twelve Kingdoms
Princess Amelia always knew that as the youngest and most beautiful of the High King’s three daughters, that her life would be perfect. She married the handsome, chivalrous Prince Hugh of Avonlidgh, and she was madly in love with him. But all this comes crashing to a disastrous end when Hugh is killed in a battle trying to rescue Ami’s sister, Andromeda from the Tala. Now, not only is Ami a widow, but she is pregnant. As the coddled, spoiled youngest, whose mother died shortly after giving birth to her, Ami is ill prepared to deal with the political skirmishes around her as everyone wants a piece of her future off-spring.
As Hugh’s widow, Amelia will someday become queen of Avonlidgh, and her child could be even more powerful if a boy. The High King is determined to take charge of the child at birth and raise him to be his heir, usurping Ursula, Ami’s eldest sister. Also, her father-in-law, King Erich, has his own plans for Ami and her child. Can the pampered baby sister rise to the occasion and deal with the dangerous machinations going on around her. Priests are determined to control the young princess, but there is a small group of women surrounding Ami who will profoundly affect how she responds to all of the changes swirling around her.
In order to prove to everyone that she’s every bit as tough as her sisters, Amelia sets off to find her sister Andi in her new home, the mythical, mysterious Annfwn. Traveling with her midwife, the High Priest Kir, and the enigmatic White Monk, Ami is determined to confront her sister about the death of Hugh, and why Andi expects Ami to send her daughter to her at birth. Their journey is fraught with danger, but the formerly fragile princess has something to prove to her father, sisters, and to herself.
The Twelve Kingdoms trilogy continues with THE TEARS OF THE ROSE, and it’s filled with plenty of excitement, adventure, magic, and romance. Amelia must face the future without her husband, and try to out manipulate her controlling and cold blooded father and father-in-law in order to give her baby a chance.
Beautfully written, THE TEARS OF THE ROSE is a delightful, gripping read. While it could easily be read alone, I highly recommend reading the first book, THE MARK OF THE TALA, Andi’s story.
Princess Amelia always knew that as the youngest and most beautiful of the High King’s three daughters, that her life would be perfect. She married the handsome, chivalrous Prince Hugh of Avonlidgh, and she was madly in love with him. But all this comes crashing to a disastrous end when Hugh is killed in a battle trying to rescue Ami’s sister, Andromeda from the Tala. Now, not only is Ami a widow, but she is pregnant. As the coddled, spoiled youngest, whose mother died shortly after giving birth to her, Ami is ill prepared to deal with the political skirmishes around her as everyone wants a piece of her future off-spring.
As Hugh’s widow, Amelia will someday become queen of Avonlidgh, and her child could be even more powerful if a boy. The High King is determined to take charge of the child at birth and raise him to be his heir, usurping Ursula, Ami’s eldest sister. Also, her father-in-law, King Erich, has his own plans for Ami and her child. Can the pampered baby sister rise to the occasion and deal with the dangerous machinations going on around her. Priests are determined to control the young princess, but there is a small group of women surrounding Ami who will profoundly affect how she responds to all of the changes swirling around her.
In order to prove to everyone that she’s every bit as tough as her sisters, Amelia sets off to find her sister Andi in her new home, the mythical, mysterious Annfwn. Traveling with her midwife, the High Priest Kir, and the enigmatic White Monk, Ami is determined to confront her sister about the death of Hugh, and why Andi expects Ami to send her daughter to her at birth. Their journey is fraught with danger, but the formerly fragile princess has something to prove to her father, sisters, and to herself.
The Twelve Kingdoms trilogy continues with THE TEARS OF THE ROSE, and it’s filled with plenty of excitement, adventure, magic, and romance. Amelia must face the future without her husband, and try to out manipulate her controlling and cold blooded father and father-in-law in order to give her baby a chance.
Beautfully written, THE TEARS OF THE ROSE is a delightful, gripping read. While it could easily be read alone, I highly recommend reading the first book, THE MARK OF THE TALA, Andi’s story.
May 4, 2016
"Having the most beautiful woman in the Twelve Kingdoms for your son's wife sounds great, until you realize she's the one who will be making the decisions when you're dead."
As Tears of the Rose begins, Princess Amelia is a pregnant eighteen year old who has just lost her new, and much loved, husband. Up to this time she has been your basic teenager. Unusually beautiful, she has been spoiled and sheltered and encouraged to focus on balls, gowns, and the adoration of those around her. Ami has never thought of herself as separate from the beauty that garners all that adoration. She has enjoyed the fruits of her beauty with all the tunnel vision possessed by most teenagers (definitely including me).
Luckily, Ami is not stupid and quickly realizes that her father and the other kings hope to use her child as a pawn in their various ambitions. Her tunnel vision begins to open out bit by bit as she struggles to find her purpose in the world. Ami doesn't always make the right decisions and thankfully she blunders around a bit before coming into her own. I find books in which the heroine goes straight from point A to point Z pretty boring so I liked reading about the efforts of a very young woman to figure out a world she never really thought about before.
The other thing I really liked about this book is that Jeffe Kennedy did not make Ami's dead husband, Hugh, into a bad guy so Ami could fall in love again. Hugh had been brave, loyal, loving, beautiful, and kind and I was very sorry when he died in the first book. "I almost thought Hugh would approve of the woman I was becoming. The one he never had a chance to get to know. And I would never know what kind of man he would have become. That was the greatest tragedy." She never stops loving Hugh while realizing she has enough love for others. I like that Ami was allowed more than one true love and the rare (in romances) concept that there isn't "The One".
This book picks up right where Mark of the Tala left off and I'm guessing The Talon of the Hawk (Ursula's book) picks up right after this one ends. I love the plot arc of these books and how it's filtered through the three sisters.
As Tears of the Rose begins, Princess Amelia is a pregnant eighteen year old who has just lost her new, and much loved, husband. Up to this time she has been your basic teenager. Unusually beautiful, she has been spoiled and sheltered and encouraged to focus on balls, gowns, and the adoration of those around her. Ami has never thought of herself as separate from the beauty that garners all that adoration. She has enjoyed the fruits of her beauty with all the tunnel vision possessed by most teenagers (definitely including me).
Luckily, Ami is not stupid and quickly realizes that her father and the other kings hope to use her child as a pawn in their various ambitions. Her tunnel vision begins to open out bit by bit as she struggles to find her purpose in the world. Ami doesn't always make the right decisions and thankfully she blunders around a bit before coming into her own. I find books in which the heroine goes straight from point A to point Z pretty boring so I liked reading about the efforts of a very young woman to figure out a world she never really thought about before.
The other thing I really liked about this book is that Jeffe Kennedy did not make Ami's dead husband, Hugh, into a bad guy so Ami could fall in love again. Hugh had been brave, loyal, loving, beautiful, and kind and I was very sorry when he died in the first book. "I almost thought Hugh would approve of the woman I was becoming. The one he never had a chance to get to know. And I would never know what kind of man he would have become. That was the greatest tragedy." She never stops loving Hugh while realizing she has enough love for others. I like that Ami was allowed more than one true love and the rare (in romances) concept that there isn't "The One".
This book picks up right where Mark of the Tala left off and I'm guessing The Talon of the Hawk (Ursula's book) picks up right after this one ends. I love the plot arc of these books and how it's filtered through the three sisters.
May 9, 2015
The adventure continues! This book is about the youngest princess Amelia. The spoiled and beautiful one. The one who liked to party, who married her prince charming at 16. The one people assumes has no brain cos she is so pretty. The one who is told to be an avatar of their Goddess, cos she is so pretty...
But that is not now. Now she is a widow. She is told her husband was killed by her kidnapped sister. Who now lives with demons. She is told a lot of things. And not all things true. She is a pawn but slowly she starts to realise things, that she does not need to be a pawn. That she can find out the truth herself, and that, yes people could be lying to her. But the road there is long.
At first I did want to shout at her, ok so that was not her fault. She is lied to and of course she believes those lies. Why wouldn't she? I just wanted her to find out the truth and to be herself. But it's a dangerous game. Her father wants destruction, the church wants obedience. These countries are going to hell.
The end is pretty brutal, sometimes a cliffie is all ok, I can live with it. But here, omg, omg, no! I can't live with that, I want the next book to see what happens! The 3rd book, that is about the 3rd sister, but stuff is still going on with Amelia..ok calm down, things will be resolved...hopefully. And people will live happily ever after.
This is light fantasy/fantasy romance. I enjoyed it and duh, I want more. There is cliffie! after all. I can't wait to see how it all plays out.
Recommended.
But that is not now. Now she is a widow. She is told her husband was killed by her kidnapped sister. Who now lives with demons. She is told a lot of things. And not all things true. She is a pawn but slowly she starts to realise things, that she does not need to be a pawn. That she can find out the truth herself, and that, yes people could be lying to her. But the road there is long.
At first I did want to shout at her, ok so that was not her fault. She is lied to and of course she believes those lies. Why wouldn't she? I just wanted her to find out the truth and to be herself. But it's a dangerous game. Her father wants destruction, the church wants obedience. These countries are going to hell.
The end is pretty brutal, sometimes a cliffie is all ok, I can live with it. But here, omg, omg, no! I can't live with that, I want the next book to see what happens! The 3rd book, that is about the 3rd sister, but stuff is still going on with Amelia..ok calm down, things will be resolved...hopefully. And people will live happily ever after.
This is light fantasy/fantasy romance. I enjoyed it and duh, I want more. There is cliffie! after all. I can't wait to see how it all plays out.
Recommended.
November 14, 2014
Review featured on www.books-n-kisses.com
So I had a hard time with this story. First I never warmed up to Amelia. When we met her in the first in the series she was superficial and spoiled and that did not change in this book. And while she does seem to change toward the end of the book a bit and she grows up for lack of a better word by then it was too late and I just didn’t care. I liked Hugh and maybe if he had been involved instead of dying in the first book then we could have enjoyed Amelia more but this way I just didn’t.
This story doesn't have the feel of the first book which felt like a trip to Narnia, Hogwarts and other places rolled into one. This just felt lacking.
Now that being said I usually find I do not enjoy the second book in a trilogy. The first gives us the beginning with information into understanding what is happening and the third closes up the story so it is interesting in its own way but the second just seems less than and it is the same with this. I will most likely read the next in the series and hope that it is better.
Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
So I had a hard time with this story. First I never warmed up to Amelia. When we met her in the first in the series she was superficial and spoiled and that did not change in this book. And while she does seem to change toward the end of the book a bit and she grows up for lack of a better word by then it was too late and I just didn’t care. I liked Hugh and maybe if he had been involved instead of dying in the first book then we could have enjoyed Amelia more but this way I just didn’t.
This story doesn't have the feel of the first book which felt like a trip to Narnia, Hogwarts and other places rolled into one. This just felt lacking.
Now that being said I usually find I do not enjoy the second book in a trilogy. The first gives us the beginning with information into understanding what is happening and the third closes up the story so it is interesting in its own way but the second just seems less than and it is the same with this. I will most likely read the next in the series and hope that it is better.
Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
November 27, 2014
Happily, I discovered Jeffe Kennedy's work several years ago, and she's an auto-read author for me. THE TEARS OF THE ROSE strikes gold, showcasing the entrancing fantasy world of magic with shapeshifters and demons entwined with the political machinations of corrupt men. There is so much wonderfulness here to satisfy my love of romance and fantasy. I'm eagerly awaiting book three to follow the third sister's story, which I have no doubt will satisfy my continuing craving for the seductive and mystical world that Kennedy is giving us.
See my full review at Fresh Fiction:
http://freshfiction.com/review.php?id...
See my full review at Fresh Fiction:
http://freshfiction.com/review.php?id...
November 2, 2014
I am really enjoying this series, the angles of the story and the characters are unlike anything I've read before. I'm excited about the direction the story is going and to have a small glimpse into the last characters. Definitely looking forward to the next book in the series, I'm anxious to know what happens with Ursula and Stella.
April 19, 2016
I agree with a lot of the other reviews I've read on here, Ami is pretty much a pain for the first half of the book. Once she got her head out of her butt, I liked her a lot more and was a lot more invested in her journey. I'm really anxious to read Ursula's book now and see how everything is going to be resolved.
Read
June 17, 2015DNF. The TSTL syndrome of princess Amelia was so off putting I couldn't force myself to continue. I'm sorry, I rarely meet such an unlikable heroine, so half way through the book I simply had to stop.
October 13, 2015
Finished this last night. Once the heroine grew up and gained some understanding of life and what it means to help and care for others, the story got better. I like the world. It's a fantasy world with castles, travel by carriages, magic, knights, etc. Very nicely done.
December 19, 2024
Loved watching h discover she's more than a pretty face. A good adventure, wathing the find the courage to recognise her enemies. Liked the H who is mysterious, scarred and magical.Good adventure.
December 3, 2017
Reviewed on The Blogger Girls
2.5 stars
When I finished reading The Mark of the Tala, I couldn’t wait to continue the series. I loved how intriguing this world was. I loved that it revolves around three sisters and their journey to living up to their potential. It’s interesting to see the politics in this story and how obsessed some people are with killing the Tala and using whatever means possible to make that happen. I found the Tala very interesting, though, I loved seeing them in the first book and I loved seeing little hints of them in this book.
It’s extremely hard for me to write this review, though, because there are certain parts of the story I loved and there are certain parts of the story I hated. For instance, I absolutely hated Ami. I found her childish, immature, selfish and completely oblivious. Even when I thought she was growing up, she would do something that would show just how selfish and conceited she still was. I hated her so much that I ended up skimming or skipping her inner monologue completely because I couldn’t take her whinning about how horrible her life is and unfair everything is and how she’s Glorianna’s avatar and as her avatar everyone must do what Ami said! I just could not handle how gullible she was and the fact that she really only cared about herself really ate at me. I hated that she would listen to someone and believe them and then turn around and listen to another person say something completely different and believe them instead. It was so blatantly obvious she was being used but she still believed every word that was said because the person would say flattering things to her.
However, while I hated Ami, I will admit that I loved her journey. I could not stand her self pity but I loved seeing that journey from what she was to what she ended up becoming. I also loved that along the way, she started to realize just how ridiculous she was and actually wanted to make an effort into changing who she was. The one thing I loved more than anything, though, was Ash – the White Monk. I loved that he wasn’t enchanted by Ami’s looks and had no issues speaking his mind to her. He didn’t sensor himself or try to hide her from what was happening like everyone else and I adored that about him. Add to that, he was such an emotionally and physically damaged person. Seeing Ami fall for someone like him, made her more bearable in my eyes because it showed she wasn’t as vein as she started off being.
In the end, it’s hard for me to rate this one. I sincerely did not like the heroine but I liked her journey and the courage and strength she found in the end. I loved Ash and I loved the changes he brought out in Ami. I almost gave up on this story in the beginning because of the Ami but, ultimately, I’m glad I stuck with the story because I really enjoyed the ending. And now I can get on to Ursula’s story, which I’ve been waiting for since I started this series!
2.5 stars
When I finished reading The Mark of the Tala, I couldn’t wait to continue the series. I loved how intriguing this world was. I loved that it revolves around three sisters and their journey to living up to their potential. It’s interesting to see the politics in this story and how obsessed some people are with killing the Tala and using whatever means possible to make that happen. I found the Tala very interesting, though, I loved seeing them in the first book and I loved seeing little hints of them in this book.
It’s extremely hard for me to write this review, though, because there are certain parts of the story I loved and there are certain parts of the story I hated. For instance, I absolutely hated Ami. I found her childish, immature, selfish and completely oblivious. Even when I thought she was growing up, she would do something that would show just how selfish and conceited she still was. I hated her so much that I ended up skimming or skipping her inner monologue completely because I couldn’t take her whinning about how horrible her life is and unfair everything is and how she’s Glorianna’s avatar and as her avatar everyone must do what Ami said! I just could not handle how gullible she was and the fact that she really only cared about herself really ate at me. I hated that she would listen to someone and believe them and then turn around and listen to another person say something completely different and believe them instead. It was so blatantly obvious she was being used but she still believed every word that was said because the person would say flattering things to her.
However, while I hated Ami, I will admit that I loved her journey. I could not stand her self pity but I loved seeing that journey from what she was to what she ended up becoming. I also loved that along the way, she started to realize just how ridiculous she was and actually wanted to make an effort into changing who she was. The one thing I loved more than anything, though, was Ash – the White Monk. I loved that he wasn’t enchanted by Ami’s looks and had no issues speaking his mind to her. He didn’t sensor himself or try to hide her from what was happening like everyone else and I adored that about him. Add to that, he was such an emotionally and physically damaged person. Seeing Ami fall for someone like him, made her more bearable in my eyes because it showed she wasn’t as vein as she started off being.
In the end, it’s hard for me to rate this one. I sincerely did not like the heroine but I liked her journey and the courage and strength she found in the end. I loved Ash and I loved the changes he brought out in Ami. I almost gave up on this story in the beginning because of the Ami but, ultimately, I’m glad I stuck with the story because I really enjoyed the ending. And now I can get on to Ursula’s story, which I’ve been waiting for since I started this series!
June 22, 2017
This book worked SO MUCH better for me than #1 in the series!
Maybe it was that I was coming in with a bit more background about the characters and world-building, but everything flowed better from the start.
I thought it was interesting that Amelia was having to, for the first time in her life, deal with a REAL problem and grieving for her husband.
It was super satisfying to see her develop and come into her own - and do so largely on her own. She was manipulated at the start by her father, the high priest (I hope that story thread gets a resolution!) and King Erich, but it was just plain good to see her manipulate them right back.
If I have any quibbles it's that her turn around happens so quickly. It needed to happen, but I don't know that her new self-awareness and confidence could have come through so thoroughly so quickly. I can only assume that her prayers to Glorianna were answered and it was divine intervention ;-)
Speaking of Glorianna, I was a little cross that it took this long for me to understand that the three main deities are sisters and meant to parallel the three princesses.
I also found the romance a lot better than that between Andi and Rayfe. It had time to develop, the characters had time to get to know each other, and their first sex scene was fun and worked in context of Amelia's character development. I loved her attitude to it all.
Quibbles - there are a lot of plot threads to wrap up in the last book. Obviously things have been going on in Annfwn "off screen", plus whatever Ursula is up to. If the last book is Ursula's POV I hope these things get answered.
- Amelia doesn't seem to think a lot about her pregnancy. I don't know, this just didn't gybe with my experience. And I hope that we get her daughter found soon in the last book, that was a pretty big thread left out!
- Like with the first book, there were confrontations and conversations I wanted to see that didn't take place. Hopefully the third book will provide.
- I think I would have liked to see more of Amelia's working out the truth about Hugh's death on the page. She had her suspicions but it would have been nice to see more about how she worked through them.
Overall, I found this book a bit frothy and Mary Sue-ish, but gosh it was a fun read!
Maybe it was that I was coming in with a bit more background about the characters and world-building, but everything flowed better from the start.
I thought it was interesting that Amelia was having to, for the first time in her life, deal with a REAL problem and grieving for her husband.
It was super satisfying to see her develop and come into her own - and do so largely on her own. She was manipulated at the start by her father, the high priest (I hope that story thread gets a resolution!) and King Erich, but it was just plain good to see her manipulate them right back.
If I have any quibbles it's that her turn around happens so quickly. It needed to happen, but I don't know that her new self-awareness and confidence could have come through so thoroughly so quickly. I can only assume that her prayers to Glorianna were answered and it was divine intervention ;-)
Speaking of Glorianna, I was a little cross that it took this long for me to understand that the three main deities are sisters and meant to parallel the three princesses.
I also found the romance a lot better than that between Andi and Rayfe. It had time to develop, the characters had time to get to know each other, and their first sex scene was fun and worked in context of Amelia's character development. I loved her attitude to it all.
Quibbles - there are a lot of plot threads to wrap up in the last book. Obviously things have been going on in Annfwn "off screen", plus whatever Ursula is up to. If the last book is Ursula's POV I hope these things get answered.
- Amelia doesn't seem to think a lot about her pregnancy. I don't know, this just didn't gybe with my experience. And I hope that we get her daughter found soon in the last book, that was a pretty big thread left out!
- Like with the first book, there were confrontations and conversations I wanted to see that didn't take place. Hopefully the third book will provide.
- I think I would have liked to see more of Amelia's working out the truth about Hugh's death on the page. She had her suspicions but it would have been nice to see more about how she worked through them.
Overall, I found this book a bit frothy and Mary Sue-ish, but gosh it was a fun read!
July 20, 2020
I loved this book even more than I thought I would. So much that I’m sad to see the story ended. I would absolutely have read another book’s worth of Ami and Ash’s adventures.
This book did something amazingly difficult, which was to start off with a heroine who is not only hurting immensely, but who has also been raised to be selfish and vain. For every reviewer who complained that Ami was unlikable at the beginning of this book: congratulations, you ALMOST got the point!! She’s *supposed* to be a character who starts at the lowest point of her life and grows to be someone strong, brave, and so much better despite her suffering. And because Ash has followed a similar path of pain in his life, the reward is so much the better when the two of them come together. This is an immensely satisfying love story, and CHARACTER story. I will be going back to it lots and lots in the future because these characters and their happiness matter so much to me now. So much more because it was so hard won!!
One thing that particularly resonated with me in this story was the repeated emphasis on Ami as being respected only for how she looked or how she could be used as a vessel (for power, for gestating... etc). These feelings were expressed so well within her greater floundering. It really made me feel for her ever as she lived within her own blindnesses. There’s a moment when Dafne, the librarian, compliments Ami with something like “that’s a fascinating idea,” and Ami warms with pride because no one has ever called her fascinating before. That moment really floored me. That’s the level of reduction that Ami has been treated with all her life. It’s so satisfying to see that change over the course of the book!
Long review short: if you like characters, especially heroines, who grow a lot as people over the course of the book - particularly those who start with flaws and grow into their strengths - you will adore this book. Your patience will be rewarded. In the BEST way!
This book did something amazingly difficult, which was to start off with a heroine who is not only hurting immensely, but who has also been raised to be selfish and vain. For every reviewer who complained that Ami was unlikable at the beginning of this book: congratulations, you ALMOST got the point!! She’s *supposed* to be a character who starts at the lowest point of her life and grows to be someone strong, brave, and so much better despite her suffering. And because Ash has followed a similar path of pain in his life, the reward is so much the better when the two of them come together. This is an immensely satisfying love story, and CHARACTER story. I will be going back to it lots and lots in the future because these characters and their happiness matter so much to me now. So much more because it was so hard won!!
One thing that particularly resonated with me in this story was the repeated emphasis on Ami as being respected only for how she looked or how she could be used as a vessel (for power, for gestating... etc). These feelings were expressed so well within her greater floundering. It really made me feel for her ever as she lived within her own blindnesses. There’s a moment when Dafne, the librarian, compliments Ami with something like “that’s a fascinating idea,” and Ami warms with pride because no one has ever called her fascinating before. That moment really floored me. That’s the level of reduction that Ami has been treated with all her life. It’s so satisfying to see that change over the course of the book!
Long review short: if you like characters, especially heroines, who grow a lot as people over the course of the book - particularly those who start with flaws and grow into their strengths - you will adore this book. Your patience will be rewarded. In the BEST way!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 144 reviews