Rose Coffin

by M.P. Kozlowsky

A startlingly original magical adventure that gives the phrase "unlikely hero" a whole new meaning. Rose Coffin can't win. She's teased for her secondhand clothes. She's teased for blushing all the time. And she's teased for slipping into song at inopportune moments, though that's the only thing that keeps her panic at bay. After a particularly mortifying incident, Rose escapes to the woods where she's captured by a group of otherworldly creatures. They take her to Eppersett-a magical, eerily beautiful place where cemeteries are full of dead dreams, moving castles roll along on tracks, and most shocking of all . . . people seem to love Rose at first sight. They tell her that she's "the one they've been waiting for. The one who's going to save them." An evil force called the Abomination is on the loose, and there's only one thing powerful enough to stop it-her voice.There's just one catch. Rose hasn't been brought to Eppersett to fight the Abomination.She's going to be sacrificed to it. She's the chosen one all right . . . the one who's been chosen to die.In this startlingly original fantasy, M.P. Kozlowsky takes readers on a journey like no other-an adventure that'll transform everything you thought you knew about friendship, love, and the true power of finding your voice.

Genres: Middle Grade, Fantasy, Adventure

320 pages, Hardcover

First published October 15, 2019

About the author

Author writes under the penname Michael Paul Kozlowsky. His debut novel is SCARECROW HAS A GUN.

M.P. Kozlowsky is the author of FROST, THE DYERVILLE TALES, and JUNIPER BERRY. ROSE COFFIN is his latest book. He lives in New York with his wife and two daughters.

Reviews

[M.P. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ahem.

[Dan Poblocki · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book kicks so much ass.

[✨Neena✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book that is...intense. It was an emotional ride for me, especially at the end with Rose almost dying 2 times and Ridge and Deedubs dying. 5 words to describe this book: intense, heart-warming, sad, unique, unpredictable.
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The Plot

The plot of this book is simple, yet complicated. It follows a young girl named Rose Coffin and she is bullied at school by a girl and her group of friends (( forgot the name, sorry )). She keeps her banic at bay by singing. The forest seems to be a scary place to the kids of her town, and when she goes to far into it, she gets teleported to a magical place, Eppersett. She is praised by the creatures there, saying that she would "save them" and "you are our hero". But Rose isn't there to fight the creature that is cursing the creatures' land, but to be sacrificed to it. Can Rose survive? Read the book to find out. (( Terrible summary sorry read the book bio- XD ))
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The Characters

The characters are all so unique, just like the book's story/plot/setting. Here I will be talking about the main characters.

Rose Coffin

She is a fictional character, but can also be a realistic character at times. Maybe a few people can relate to her, I don't know. Sometimes I forget what she looks like but the cover is helpful in reminding me. Her personality is a normal school kid: Shy, kind, and not really that brave or confident. She overcomes this at the end and has a very good lesson attached to her and how she evolves in the story.

Coram

Kind of a mixed personality character, and I kinda ship him and Rose. ANYWAYS I kinda see him as Rose's bodyguard in which he kinda is lol.

Eo and Deedubs

Father and son. I love the lore and story behind these characters and how they are involved with the story. I do find it very sad that Deedubs had to die in the labyrinth. These characters are both Clobberjacks, Deedubs being a blind warrior and Eo being his son who guides him.

Ridge

Ridge is such a fun character, probably the funniest and upbeat of the characters in this book. Unlike the others, Ridge didn't have much of a backstory when it came to him, so he is like a main character side character. He died sadly, just like Deedubs.

Meadowrue

A unique and interesting character, Meadowrue is a fairy that lost her wings. I really like her backstory when it is revealed in the graveyard.

Summary

Overall, I really recommend this book to anyone who likes mystery/adventure/intense/horror/fiction books, with a little bit of sadness and humor. Rose Coffin is one of the few good mystery/adventure books out there.

I found this book in my school library in the fiction section.

[Miriam Vries · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was nice, but nothing special. It was something that was like Alice in Wonderland and Cronicals of Narnia. Though... it was not my favorite. It was alright, not something i will remember for super long.

[Kelly]

The writing in this is just kind of awkward in weird ways, to me--I can't get into it.

[Adri is Reading]

Imaginative characters and otherworldly creatures. Fantasy quest book with a twist that surprised me at the end.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

True rating: 4.5 stars.

[✨Evi~Semi-hiatus · Rating 5 out of 5]

An awesome book!

1. Rose was a very emotional character throughout the book.

2. Very Adventurous chapters.

3. The witches were very Overpowered. But, still makes sense!

4. Rose was breaking apart because of a disease?!? wow.

Otherwise, this was an amazing book! Vows to Neena for recommending it!! :D

[Anthony Paolucci · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was fantastic! When I first started writing YA fiction years ago, I came across Juniper Berries and loved it. Years later, I decided to look up the author and found that he had just put out Rose Coffin, so I bought it right away (I hadn't heard about the ones before it yet). I loved this book - reminded me of Lord of the Rings meets the Never Ending Story. I always prefer kid lit that has a sense of danger to it, just enough to make you feel unsafe, but still thrilling. One of the best examples I can give of this is the Harry Potter books, which got progressively darker and edgier as the story progressed. Rose Coffin was more along the lines of Harry Potter books 2 and 3, right when I became fully invested in the series. In the middle of reading Rose Coffin, I jumped on Amazon and bought his other two books, The Dyerville Tales, and Frost. I only wish he had more of a social media presence so I can follow him and see what he's up to.

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

ROSE COFFIN by M. P. Kozlowsky takes Alice in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz and turns it on its head. What starts as a middle grade tale of being bullied runs headlong into an other-worldly adventure for 12-year-old Rose Coffin.

Read the full review here: https://mutterschwester.wordpress.com...

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a cool read, like a creepier Alice in Wonderland. I dug it all the way!

[✧･ﾟ:*Evi *:･ﾟ✧ · Rating 5 out of 5]

** spoiler alert ** An awesome book!

1. Rose was a very emotional character throughout the book.

2. Very Adventurous chapters.

3. The witches were very Overpowered. But, still makes sense!

4. Rose was breaking apart because of a disease?!? wow.

Otherwise, this was an amazing book! Vows to Neena for recommending it!! :D

[ABC · Rating 1 out of 5]

Warning. Rose Coffin lovers DO NOT READ

Well my friend told me I should read it and I did.(She 'always' gives good recommendations)
As soon as I started it, I was immediately bored. I forced myself to read but I stopped at about page 40. Sure it was cool but over all just boring. It claims to be soo good that you can't stop but I was glad to stop. I read a ton of books and some kind of like this one.

Most books are like the Percy Jackson series. I mean, a girl that gets taken to a magical world is cool but like I said, just boring.

You might think ' Oh finish it. It gets better'
Though when I dislike a book it usually doesn't get a second chance.

[Michael Langan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I absolutely adored Juniper Berry; the writing, the illustrations, story, everything about it was magnificent. I haven’t found the same type of magic in Dyerville Tales or Rose Coffin, unfortunately. I was very surprised by the ending of this one as well - it seemed really out of place and confusing, totally incongruous with the message and theme of the entire book. The last chapter totally undoes whatever good work the author sets up throughout the entire story, and it all feels rushed and fell super flat for me.

I do love this author - but this was a tough review.

[Meke Levenga · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dit was een prima tussenboek om te lezen tussen twee delen van een serie. Ik vond het prima om te lezen, maar het was niks bijzonders. Het had iets weg van Alice in Wonderland en de Chronicals of Narnia, maar het was niet beter dan deze boeken.

[Kelsey · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

[Evelyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good, a little jarring in some spots that move too fast and the very end was weird and not what i expected but overall a quick and entertaining book

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bullied, unloved-feeling Rose is thrilled to stumble into a magical land where everyone adores her as the prophesied hero, until she discovers their plan is to sacrifice her to the Abomination to appease its hunger. An all-volunteer band of brave companions dubbed the Order of the Sacrifice carries her away as a captive on their quest to deliver her to the destructive evil. I'll make sure the Abomination gets you alive, dear girl! Don't you worry about that! You'll be breathing full and wide awake when it puts you in its giant maw! Just like with the mean girls at home, she is fooled into thinking she is wanted only to once again feel disappointed and alone, weak and scared and anxious. Of course, that's merely the start of Rose's story. Kozlowsky takes a mix of familiar elements and tweaks and twists them into a tale that is surprising, new, and often dark. An excellent adventure.

Where I come from, there aren't any monsters or abominations, not like the kind here anyway, but our horrors keep coming too. One thing after another. Sometimes . . . sometimes it just becomes too much. It takes everything from you. Everything. Any happiness you might have. Even the slightest bit; it's just snatched away, over and over again, until you're . . . blank. Empty.

[Ms. Patterson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rose, the victim of a school bully, is insecure and just looking to fit in at the start of the book. When she is lured into the woods by the bully and her gang of friends, Rose is then captured and taken to a different realm through the woods, Eppersett. There, she is expected to be the sacrifice to the Abomination, a blight that is destroying their land and its people. Of course, Rose doesn't want to die! She must convince the people of Eppersett that she's a much better hero than a sacrifice.

I don't know if it was how much time I had to read or if I can blame this book, but it took me forever to finish this one. Once the group starts their quest to destroy the Abomination, the story picks up and I flew through the pages of the battles. Then, it seemed like the ending was so abrupt. I wanted there to be some sort of closure for Rose with her friends is Eppersett and there wasn't really one.

C rating.

[Naomi · Rating 1 out of 5]

SO RACIST

The writing was clear and lovely. The world building was strong. The story was...ok. A bit heavy on the self-sacrifice as the only form of good, but fine.

The real issue, what bumps it down to one star, is hidden in the back story of one character. This isn't a spoiler because it is really just a throwaway couple of paragraphs, and it's really really troubling. One character has been cast out from her people because of this story: She saw that creatures across the river were being enslaved, and she saved some of them and brought them home. They then turned against her people and killed many before being killed in turn. Her big mistake, the reason for her disgrace, is that she brought refugees in. And that is never not once in the whole book seen as a worthy or wonderful thing she did. Just a big mistake that she made and now she will live in shame forever. SO BAD. SO RACIST. For this reason and this alone, I would not hand this book to a child.

[Lizzy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rose Coffin is Alice in Wonderland with a little bit of Final Fantasy X.

There were a lot of good ideas and images here:
- the faceless queen
- one character selling his skin
- nightmares becoming physical manifestations if they're not buried
- the idea that people grow out of dreaming
I wish some of these ideas had been explored further.

But Rose Coffin suffers from the same issue I have with a lot of these children/YA big adventure stories: too many obstacles, not enough losses, and not enough character exploration. I respect the fact that a couple of characters were actually killed off, though. That being said, I didn't have any emotional attachment to them, and thus felt nothing.

Not sure about how I feel about the ending. Not a bad little book, but far from great.

[Cherilyn Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story took awhile to get into. Rose Coffin is a strong character and I enjoyed seeing her change throughout the story. Some chapters are hard to follow due to descriptions of the setting and the other main characters not having a lot of depth. It also reminded me of Coraline in certain aspects. It’s a decent read, but you really have to pay attention.

[Elizabeth Jayne · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

[Elevetha · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars