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The Rose Bride: A Retelling of The White Bride and the Black Bride
"ONCE UPON A TIME" IS TIMELESS
When Rose's mother dies, her only comfort is the exquisite rose garden her mother left behind. The purple blossoms serve as an assurance of her mother's love. But Rose is dealt a second blow when her father dies and his greedy widow, Ombrine, and her daughter, Desirée, move in and take over the manor in true Cinderella fashion.
Fate has been cruel to Ombrine and Desirée, too. So despite their harsh ways, Rose has compassion. But these feelings are bitterly tested when, in a rage, Ombrine tears out the garden. Rose nearly gives up all hope--until a chance meeting with the king. Happiness might be within her reach, but first she must prevail over Ombrine. And then she must determine if she has the courage to love.
When Rose's mother dies, her only comfort is the exquisite rose garden her mother left behind. The purple blossoms serve as an assurance of her mother's love. But Rose is dealt a second blow when her father dies and his greedy widow, Ombrine, and her daughter, Desirée, move in and take over the manor in true Cinderella fashion.
Fate has been cruel to Ombrine and Desirée, too. So despite their harsh ways, Rose has compassion. But these feelings are bitterly tested when, in a rage, Ombrine tears out the garden. Rose nearly gives up all hope--until a chance meeting with the king. Happiness might be within her reach, but first she must prevail over Ombrine. And then she must determine if she has the courage to love.
245 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published June 26, 2007
About the author
Nancy Holder
356 books2,407 followersNancy Holder, New York Times Bestselling author of the WICKED Series, has just published CRUSADE - the first book in a new vampire series cowritten with Debbie Viguie. The last book her her Possession series is set to release in March 2011.
Nancy was born in Los Altos, California, and her family settled for a time in Walnut Creek. Her father, who taught at Stanford, joined the navy and the family traveled throughout California and lived in Japan for three years. When she was sixteen, she dropped out of high school to become a ballet dancer in Cologne, Germany, and later relocated to Frankfurt Am Main.
Eventually she returned to California and graduated summa cum laude from the University of California at San Diego with a degree in Communications. Soon after, she began to write; her first sale was a young adult romance novel titled Teach Me to Love.
Nancy’s work has appeared on the New York Times, USA Today, LA Times, amazon.com, LOCUS, and other bestseller lists. A four-time winner of the Bram Stoker Award from the Horror Writers Association, she has also received accolades from the American Library Association, the American Reading Association, the New York Public Library, and Romantic Times.
She and Debbie Viguié co-authored the New York Times bestselling series Wicked for Simon and Schuster. They have continued their collaboration with the Crusade series, also for Simon and Schuster, and the Wolf Springs Chronicles for Delacorte (2011.) She is also the author of the young adult horror series Possessions for Razorbill. She has sold many novels and book projects set in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Saving Grace, Hellboy, and Smallville universes.
She has sold approximately two hundred short stories and essays on writing and popular culture. Her anthology, Outsiders, co-edited with Nancy Kilpatrick, was nominated for the Bram Stoker Award in 2005.
She teaches in the Stonecoast MFA in Creative Writing Program, offered through the University of Southern Maine. She has previously taught at UCSD and has served on the Clarion Board of Directors.
She lives in San Diego, California, with her daughter Belle, their two Corgis, Panda and Tater; and their cats, David and Kittnen Snow. She and Belle are active in Girl Scouts and dog obedience training.
Nancy was born in Los Altos, California, and her family settled for a time in Walnut Creek. Her father, who taught at Stanford, joined the navy and the family traveled throughout California and lived in Japan for three years. When she was sixteen, she dropped out of high school to become a ballet dancer in Cologne, Germany, and later relocated to Frankfurt Am Main.
Eventually she returned to California and graduated summa cum laude from the University of California at San Diego with a degree in Communications. Soon after, she began to write; her first sale was a young adult romance novel titled Teach Me to Love.
Nancy’s work has appeared on the New York Times, USA Today, LA Times, amazon.com, LOCUS, and other bestseller lists. A four-time winner of the Bram Stoker Award from the Horror Writers Association, she has also received accolades from the American Library Association, the American Reading Association, the New York Public Library, and Romantic Times.
She and Debbie Viguié co-authored the New York Times bestselling series Wicked for Simon and Schuster. They have continued their collaboration with the Crusade series, also for Simon and Schuster, and the Wolf Springs Chronicles for Delacorte (2011.) She is also the author of the young adult horror series Possessions for Razorbill. She has sold many novels and book projects set in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Saving Grace, Hellboy, and Smallville universes.
She has sold approximately two hundred short stories and essays on writing and popular culture. Her anthology, Outsiders, co-edited with Nancy Kilpatrick, was nominated for the Bram Stoker Award in 2005.
She teaches in the Stonecoast MFA in Creative Writing Program, offered through the University of Southern Maine. She has previously taught at UCSD and has served on the Clarion Board of Directors.
She lives in San Diego, California, with her daughter Belle, their two Corgis, Panda and Tater; and their cats, David and Kittnen Snow. She and Belle are active in Girl Scouts and dog obedience training.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 208 reviews
August 16, 2012
1.5 stars. A retelling of "The White Bride and the Black Bride" though it felt more like "Cinderella meets Bambi" to me. In the Author's Note, it claims that the book was inspired, in part, by the movie Ever After. Which, by the way, is fantastic and because I've seen that movie more times than I can remember, I could certainly draw some comparisons, especially in the beginning of the book. Like when, barring one word, there is a small line directly from the movie. Some events and themes were straight out of Ever After. That being said: don't read this book and use your time wisely. Watch Ever After.
September 19, 2015
SUMMARY: When Rose's mother dies, her only comfort is the exquisite rose garden her mother left behind. The purple blossoms serve as an assurance of her mother's love. But Rose is dealt a second blow when her father dies and his greedy widow, Ombrine, and her daughter, Desirée, move in and take over the manor in true Cinderella fashion.
Fate has been cruel to Ombrine and Desirée, too. So despite their harsh ways, Rose has compassion. But these feelings are bitterly tested when, in a rage, Ombrine tears out the garden. Rose nearly gives up all hope--until a chance meeting with the king. Happiness might be within her reach, but first she must prevail over Ombrine. And then she must determine if she has the courage to love.
REVIEW: This was an unfamiliar fairy tale to me, but I enjoyed the retelling in an adult version. This one was written much more in the fairy tale style with all the ingredients of hero, heroine, magic potions, spells, changelings, evil stepmothers/stepsisters etc. It was much darker than the others that I have read so far. The elements of love, grief and death are central to the theme of this book.
I did feel like the deep devotion to the Greek Gods and the mixture of French words thrown in now and again were a bit incongruous. But it was obvious that the devil was the enemy along with the witchcraft. Overall a good book but I didn't care for it as much as the others I have read so far.
FAVORITE QUOTES: "It's not your love that holds her hostage. It's your need. True love wants, but it doesn't need. True love things of the beloved first."
Fate has been cruel to Ombrine and Desirée, too. So despite their harsh ways, Rose has compassion. But these feelings are bitterly tested when, in a rage, Ombrine tears out the garden. Rose nearly gives up all hope--until a chance meeting with the king. Happiness might be within her reach, but first she must prevail over Ombrine. And then she must determine if she has the courage to love.
REVIEW: This was an unfamiliar fairy tale to me, but I enjoyed the retelling in an adult version. This one was written much more in the fairy tale style with all the ingredients of hero, heroine, magic potions, spells, changelings, evil stepmothers/stepsisters etc. It was much darker than the others that I have read so far. The elements of love, grief and death are central to the theme of this book.
I did feel like the deep devotion to the Greek Gods and the mixture of French words thrown in now and again were a bit incongruous. But it was obvious that the devil was the enemy along with the witchcraft. Overall a good book but I didn't care for it as much as the others I have read so far.
FAVORITE QUOTES: "It's not your love that holds her hostage. It's your need. True love wants, but it doesn't need. True love things of the beloved first."
August 27, 2009
This was the absolute WORST book I have read in a long time! Rose who is put on this "journey" to know that she is loved, loses her mother, father, everthing she loves. She is starved, abused, and ends up with a Stepmother and stepsister that put Cinderella's Stepmother and sisters to shame. And the supposed HERO of this book is some stupid heartbroken guy that ends up hoodwinked by the evil steps and married and sleeping with the evil stepsister. NOT COOL!! This whole book was painful to read and the context was poorly written, and confussing at best. I wasted my time reading the first half of this book hoping it would improve only to find myself wishing the end would happen soon, so I could get on with my life.
December 8, 2010
Genre: retold fairytales, fantasy
Summary: Rose's mother exchanges her life so that Rose will know the meaning of true love. This book is an odd mixture of Greek mythology and French fairy tales. With the death of her mother, Rose is an orphan because her father dies shortly after he hears of his wife's death, raised by an evil stepmother and stepsisters who make bargains with sorcerers and the God of Shadows. The king of the land lost his young wife and when he sees a portrait of Rose (painted by an artist who stumbled upon her) he wants to marry her because she is the exact look-alike of his dead wife. Rose's stepsister and stepmother use magic to hide the stepsister's face to look like Rose. Rose is changed into a deer by Artemis. The plot comes to a head when the King calls a hunt to go after the Rose-deer. He cannot kill it however, and the fake Queen tries to finish the deed when she is killed by an arrow from Artemis. Rose marries the King and they live happily ever after.
Response: This was a silly book. Normally, I like retold fairytales. Normally, I like fantasy. However, there must be a limit to the ridiculousness. French names and mannerisms DO NOT mix with Greek myths and legends. Keep the cultures separate, please. There was too many trials for Rose for her to learn the value of "true love," it didn't seem like a fair bargain. Not my favorite book in the world.
Summary: Rose's mother exchanges her life so that Rose will know the meaning of true love. This book is an odd mixture of Greek mythology and French fairy tales. With the death of her mother, Rose is an orphan because her father dies shortly after he hears of his wife's death, raised by an evil stepmother and stepsisters who make bargains with sorcerers and the God of Shadows. The king of the land lost his young wife and when he sees a portrait of Rose (painted by an artist who stumbled upon her) he wants to marry her because she is the exact look-alike of his dead wife. Rose's stepsister and stepmother use magic to hide the stepsister's face to look like Rose. Rose is changed into a deer by Artemis. The plot comes to a head when the King calls a hunt to go after the Rose-deer. He cannot kill it however, and the fake Queen tries to finish the deed when she is killed by an arrow from Artemis. Rose marries the King and they live happily ever after.
Response: This was a silly book. Normally, I like retold fairytales. Normally, I like fantasy. However, there must be a limit to the ridiculousness. French names and mannerisms DO NOT mix with Greek myths and legends. Keep the cultures separate, please. There was too many trials for Rose for her to learn the value of "true love," it didn't seem like a fair bargain. Not my favorite book in the world.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 27, 2022
This was an interesting one. Initially, I assumed it was another Cinderella retelling, with other fairytale elements, when really, it's the other way around: the Cinderella motifs of an evil stepmother and stepdaughter usurping a family's entire life is only a background detail to the Rose Bride's suffering until the gods reward her at last with a happy ending. I'm unfamiliar with the fairytale "The White Bride and the Black Bride" (lovely title, oof), but I still found this version to be quite intriguing.
At first, the concept of Greek gods in a loosely French magical land was a bit odd, but it grew on me afterwards. The emphasis of true love being nurtured and earned through respect was definitely a good lesson, considering these novels are written for preteen girls and typically have insta-love stories. It's also worth pointing out that The Rose Bride shows the danger of projection and loving the "idea" of a person; a cautionary tale worthy of telling!
All in all, this was a solid installment of the Once Upon a Time series.
At first, the concept of Greek gods in a loosely French magical land was a bit odd, but it grew on me afterwards. The emphasis of true love being nurtured and earned through respect was definitely a good lesson, considering these novels are written for preteen girls and typically have insta-love stories. It's also worth pointing out that The Rose Bride shows the danger of projection and loving the "idea" of a person; a cautionary tale worthy of telling!
All in all, this was a solid installment of the Once Upon a Time series.
September 19, 2012
"The White Bride and the Black Bride" is a lesser known fairytale from the Brothers Grimm. It's basically another interpretation of the little cinder girl. That being said, this book has accomplished a feat few other books have: It made me cry.
Rose Marchand is the daughter of a wealthy merchant and his second wife. On her thirteenth birthday, while Rose's father is away, her mother presents her with a beautiful garden filled with purple roses. But straight after, her mother passes away. And her father doesn't come home for months.
When Rose hears that her father is on his way home, she rides out to meet him. But later, she's told that her father too has died, and his third wife Ombrine, along with her teenaged daughter Desiree, move in and take over the manor. But instead of being spiteful, Rose is compassionate, because Ombrine and Desiree have experienced misfortune as well.
However, it becomes clear that Rose's only friend is her godmother Elise. But soon, Ombrine dismisses the servants and even tears down the rose garden to save money. Rose isn't sure if she can sink any lower, until she hears that she might be a candidate to be the second wife of King Jean-Marc. But before she can finally live happily ever after, she'll have to outwit her stepmother and stepsister.
This was a beautiful book. The imagery, the prose, everything about it moved me to the point of tears, which rarely happens when I read books.
These are the ratings I'll give for the following.
Story: 10/10
Heroine: 10/10
Hero: 9/10
Rose Marchand is the daughter of a wealthy merchant and his second wife. On her thirteenth birthday, while Rose's father is away, her mother presents her with a beautiful garden filled with purple roses. But straight after, her mother passes away. And her father doesn't come home for months.
When Rose hears that her father is on his way home, she rides out to meet him. But later, she's told that her father too has died, and his third wife Ombrine, along with her teenaged daughter Desiree, move in and take over the manor. But instead of being spiteful, Rose is compassionate, because Ombrine and Desiree have experienced misfortune as well.
However, it becomes clear that Rose's only friend is her godmother Elise. But soon, Ombrine dismisses the servants and even tears down the rose garden to save money. Rose isn't sure if she can sink any lower, until she hears that she might be a candidate to be the second wife of King Jean-Marc. But before she can finally live happily ever after, she'll have to outwit her stepmother and stepsister.
This was a beautiful book. The imagery, the prose, everything about it moved me to the point of tears, which rarely happens when I read books.
These are the ratings I'll give for the following.
Story: 10/10
Heroine: 10/10
Hero: 9/10
July 14, 2014
A very confusing fairy tale full of insta-love and promises that make no sense. Pretty much, if you request anything of Artemis she will probably kill you off...while claiming you as a best beloved. Mix of gods that made no sense (and lets face, even when they did make sense those 'gods' were utterly useless)and characters that are Evil For No Apparent Purpose (oh, except that their 'hearts were closed by hardship')
Oh, and there is also a bunch of freaking talking roses.
I seriously was confused with the King's age...I thought he was a lot older than Rose. The King Deer guy was super random/awkward. Rose is presented with all these hardships and dumb options...like 'to remain a deer for life'.
Anyway, not the best Once Upon A Time...that's for sure.
Oh, and there is also a bunch of freaking talking roses.
I seriously was confused with the King's age...I thought he was a lot older than Rose. The King Deer guy was super random/awkward. Rose is presented with all these hardships and dumb options...like 'to remain a deer for life'.
Anyway, not the best Once Upon A Time...that's for sure.
January 18, 2024
Nothing in this book makes any sense…everything that happens in this book to advance the plot on behalf of the main character is not because of her own decisions and actions, but because of how much she prays to the goddess Artemis. Apparently despite this book being set in medieval France, everyone worships the Greek gods. It makes absolutely no sense. I am not exaggerating when I say that every other page mentions someone praying to Zeus or Artemis (oh and to really shake things up, sometimes Ares). It’s really quite strange, it’s brought up so often how passionate these characters are to the gods that it made me wonder if the author of this book was a devout pagan in the vein of a hardcore Christian fanatic who has to insert their religion into everything. If Artemis were replaced with Mother Mary, it would make no difference at all.
What about the writing itself? It’s bad. It’s repetitive (the phrase “You are loved” pops up in every single chapter, sometimes more than once!). I won’t even go into the plot because, as another reviewer has stated on here, it’s Cinderella meets Bambi. The main character, Rose, does nothing but cry and pray to Artemis. The stepmother (Ombrine) and stepsister (Desiree) who inherit her parent’s estate after they both pass away are despicable to completely absurd levels. There’s even one scene where after Ombrine is walking down the hall at night time, Rose sees her shadow on the wall and she can see horns on Ombrine’s head.
Just…c’mon.
There’s also a prince who keeps mourning his dead wife and this is brought up nearly every single chapter he’s in. He has no discernible personality aside from being devout to Zeus and mourning said dead wife. Oh and he’s desperate to marry Rose because she looks like his dead wife. Weird and a bit creepy ngl.
Honestly this story can be summed up as so: crying, praying to Artemis, more crying, cruel stuff to main character, more cruelty, more crying, more bad shit happens, pray to Artemis, more crying, praying to Artemis, Artemis does something, happy ending.
Not a very pleasant reading experience. So glad it’s finally over!
What about the writing itself? It’s bad. It’s repetitive (the phrase “You are loved” pops up in every single chapter, sometimes more than once!). I won’t even go into the plot because, as another reviewer has stated on here, it’s Cinderella meets Bambi. The main character, Rose, does nothing but cry and pray to Artemis. The stepmother (Ombrine) and stepsister (Desiree) who inherit her parent’s estate after they both pass away are despicable to completely absurd levels. There’s even one scene where after Ombrine is walking down the hall at night time, Rose sees her shadow on the wall and she can see horns on Ombrine’s head.
Just…c’mon.
There’s also a prince who keeps mourning his dead wife and this is brought up nearly every single chapter he’s in. He has no discernible personality aside from being devout to Zeus and mourning said dead wife. Oh and he’s desperate to marry Rose because she looks like his dead wife. Weird and a bit creepy ngl.
Honestly this story can be summed up as so: crying, praying to Artemis, more crying, cruel stuff to main character, more cruelty, more crying, more bad shit happens, pray to Artemis, more crying, praying to Artemis, Artemis does something, happy ending.
Not a very pleasant reading experience. So glad it’s finally over!
October 5, 2026
“It’s not your love that holds her hostage. It’s your need. True love wants, but it doesn’t need. True love thinks of the beloved first.”
A book that crosses between Cinderella and the retelling/more of an inspiration actually of the brothers Grimm's fairytale The White Bride and The Black Bride , with mystic elements and mentions of Greek Gods and Goddesses...
This story is of Rose, a Cinderella figure, and Jean Marc, the crown prince.
A character common with the Grimm's book is Reginer, Rose's brother.
Destitute and with only her late mother's hopes and prayers, Rose is left to the mercy of her cruel stepmother and step-sister.
Jean Marc is heartbroken over his wife's and infant son's deaths.
Rose's estranged brother, Reginer, who was kicked out of the house when she was little because of his father's refusal to Reginer's pursuit of painting, sees her once in the village - not knowing that this is his half-sister - and decides to paint her and bring the portrait to Jean Marc. The latter is shocked to note the resemblance between this Rose and his late wife. He orders to have her brought to him. But the stepmother's plots don't stop here...
The writing style was fair, not purple prose or flowery, but then again, too many things were going on. The only thing that got on my nerves was the repetitive "you are loved" chants, lol.
A book that crosses between Cinderella and the retelling/more of an inspiration actually of the brothers Grimm's fairytale The White Bride and The Black Bride , with mystic elements and mentions of Greek Gods and Goddesses...
For those unfamiliar with The Grimm brothers' original fairytale, the short story was about an unnamed heroine whom the king falls in love with, and rewards the heroine's brother while punishing the heroine's unnamed stepmother and stepsister for their cruelty and schemes in impersonating the fair heroine.
This story is of Rose, a Cinderella figure, and Jean Marc, the crown prince.
A character common with the Grimm's book is Reginer, Rose's brother.
Destitute and with only her late mother's hopes and prayers, Rose is left to the mercy of her cruel stepmother and step-sister.
Jean Marc is heartbroken over his wife's and infant son's deaths.
Rose's estranged brother, Reginer, who was kicked out of the house when she was little because of his father's refusal to Reginer's pursuit of painting, sees her once in the village - not knowing that this is his half-sister - and decides to paint her and bring the portrait to Jean Marc. The latter is shocked to note the resemblance between this Rose and his late wife. He orders to have her brought to him. But the stepmother's plots don't stop here...
The writing style was fair, not purple prose or flowery, but then again, too many things were going on. The only thing that got on my nerves was the repetitive "you are loved" chants, lol.
August 19, 2017
It was ok. I'm not familiar with the fairy tale it was retelling, but it was ok. There times I figured I was missing a part of the story, but I kept on. It really only took me a couple of hours to read it.
October 14, 2011
I really liked this book. It was very sweet and moving.
The Rose Bride is a bit of the Cinderella fairy tale, and The Beauty and the Beast fairy tale with magic, sorcery and shape shifting mixed together. The main character is Rose who is the "Cinderella" and the one who is changed into an animal whose spell is broken by love (Beauty and the Beast). Rose has a very evil stepmother Ombrine and stepsister Desiree. There is also King Jean-Marc who lost his first wife and son and who needs to learn to love again. Jean-Marc is basically the beast in "Beauty and the Beast" except he is human and not mean. The story has a lot of action in it as well with an actual battle happening, royal hunts going on and magic. Its really cool how the story moves and changes from one fairy tale to the other. It flows seamlessly and is well written.
Rose is the main character and her life is literally a mess. So many bad things happen to this girl that its a wonder she isn't a total wreck or that she hasn't offed herself. She loses everything and when I say everything, I mean Everything: people, belongings, house, her human form. I feel so bad for her. Her losses start at the age of 13 and just continue to pile up. While she does despair when these tragedies occur she is very strong, resilient and endures. She is put through trials by her patron goddess and is able to learn what she is supposed to learn. After everything that happens this girl still manages to learn to love. She is awesome.
Her step-mother is a cruel b****. I mean she is very evil. She is so mean, nasty and conniving. She was a lady of a wealthy husband who died and since falling into peasantry she is obsessed with wealth and riches and does anything to get it. The very first time we meet her she is telling Rose that she is the reason for her father's death. What kind of person tells a kid they never met something like this. She is very greedy and takes possession of all of Rose's family's things all the while complaining about the items. She is also a sorceress who casts a spell over the King to make him fall for Desiree.
Desiree is a little airhead idiot who follows in her mother's footsteps. She is very mean to Rose for no reason. She has no sympathy for Rose even though she was in Rose's shoes not long ago. She is very insulting Rose's parents which made me want to punch her in the face. All she cared about was riches too. I'd say she was more of a glutton than greedy. She is also involved with sorcery although I don't think she had any of the power and her mother does. I get the feeling that Desiree was just another pawn in her mother's plan. But that didn't give her any reason to be so evil like her mother. Both Desiree and Ombrine had a very fitting end.
King Jean-Marc is generally a nice guy. He just let his grief over his first wife and son consume him. When he married again, he did so not out of love but out of want and need for his first wife. He felt his loss deeply which was an opening for Desiree and Ombrine to exploit. He does eventually learn to love instead of need.
I liked the whole theme of the story which was that love can heal everything and its important to know that you are loved. I really liked the roses, the rose garden and the special purple roses and what their meaning is in the story. I just think that hearing the purple roses say "You are loved" over and over for the rest of my life would drive me a bit crazy.
The only thing I can say that was ehh and confused me was the fact that the people in this story are french or at least speak french but worship Greek gods and goddesses. Zeus was Jean-Marc's patron god. Artemis was Rose's. I enjoyed the mythology and how the gods/goddesses interacted with the characters and I'm glad Artemis was featured heavily in the book because she is my favorite Greek goddess. That being said it was very strange to have french speaking Greek gods worshippers. It didn't mesh well with me.
That aside, I really enjoyed the book and liked it a lot.
This review is also posted on Spantalian's Book Reviews
The Rose Bride is a bit of the Cinderella fairy tale, and The Beauty and the Beast fairy tale with magic, sorcery and shape shifting mixed together. The main character is Rose who is the "Cinderella" and the one who is changed into an animal whose spell is broken by love (Beauty and the Beast). Rose has a very evil stepmother Ombrine and stepsister Desiree. There is also King Jean-Marc who lost his first wife and son and who needs to learn to love again. Jean-Marc is basically the beast in "Beauty and the Beast" except he is human and not mean. The story has a lot of action in it as well with an actual battle happening, royal hunts going on and magic. Its really cool how the story moves and changes from one fairy tale to the other. It flows seamlessly and is well written.
Rose is the main character and her life is literally a mess. So many bad things happen to this girl that its a wonder she isn't a total wreck or that she hasn't offed herself. She loses everything and when I say everything, I mean Everything: people, belongings, house, her human form. I feel so bad for her. Her losses start at the age of 13 and just continue to pile up. While she does despair when these tragedies occur she is very strong, resilient and endures. She is put through trials by her patron goddess and is able to learn what she is supposed to learn. After everything that happens this girl still manages to learn to love. She is awesome.
Her step-mother is a cruel b****. I mean she is very evil. She is so mean, nasty and conniving. She was a lady of a wealthy husband who died and since falling into peasantry she is obsessed with wealth and riches and does anything to get it. The very first time we meet her she is telling Rose that she is the reason for her father's death. What kind of person tells a kid they never met something like this. She is very greedy and takes possession of all of Rose's family's things all the while complaining about the items. She is also a sorceress who casts a spell over the King to make him fall for Desiree.
Desiree is a little airhead idiot who follows in her mother's footsteps. She is very mean to Rose for no reason. She has no sympathy for Rose even though she was in Rose's shoes not long ago. She is very insulting Rose's parents which made me want to punch her in the face. All she cared about was riches too. I'd say she was more of a glutton than greedy. She is also involved with sorcery although I don't think she had any of the power and her mother does. I get the feeling that Desiree was just another pawn in her mother's plan. But that didn't give her any reason to be so evil like her mother. Both Desiree and Ombrine had a very fitting end.
King Jean-Marc is generally a nice guy. He just let his grief over his first wife and son consume him. When he married again, he did so not out of love but out of want and need for his first wife. He felt his loss deeply which was an opening for Desiree and Ombrine to exploit. He does eventually learn to love instead of need.
I liked the whole theme of the story which was that love can heal everything and its important to know that you are loved. I really liked the roses, the rose garden and the special purple roses and what their meaning is in the story. I just think that hearing the purple roses say "You are loved" over and over for the rest of my life would drive me a bit crazy.
The only thing I can say that was ehh and confused me was the fact that the people in this story are french or at least speak french but worship Greek gods and goddesses. Zeus was Jean-Marc's patron god. Artemis was Rose's. I enjoyed the mythology and how the gods/goddesses interacted with the characters and I'm glad Artemis was featured heavily in the book because she is my favorite Greek goddess. That being said it was very strange to have french speaking Greek gods worshippers. It didn't mesh well with me.
That aside, I really enjoyed the book and liked it a lot.
This review is also posted on Spantalian's Book Reviews
February 15, 2013
So I've never read or heard of "The White Bride and the Black Bride," but I decided to still read this book. When I read the synopsis, I realized that it sounds a lot like "Cinderella." In both the mother dies, father remarries, the stepmother is terrible, the father dies, and the stepfamily hate the daughter. The only thing that keeps me from thinking that they're the same stories is that "Cinderella" is French and this story is German.
I started off liking this book pretty well. I felt bad for Rose, both of her parents were dead and she had to put up with her stepmother, Ombrine, and sister, Desiree, who treated her terribly. They only things she has left are her nurse, who Ombrine eventually fires, the statue of Artemis, and the purple roses that grew in the garden after her mother's death. The other story that happens is of a young king whose wife dies during her pregnancy.
I was worried from the beginning that Rose and the king would end up together, but I'll get to that later. Rose grows up and when tended to her roses, her long lost half-brother shows up. They don't realize who each other is, but he buys some of the flowers. Rose looks just like the dead queen, so the king has her sent to him. However, Rose goes missing and Ombrine uses magic to make Desiree look like her stepsister. Desiree, pretending to be Rose, and the king marry. Rose was turned into a doe, and watches all of this happen.
After a couple months, Desiree pretends to be pregnant and tells the king to kill Rose the deer, who he has become close with. While trying to kill Rose, Desiree is killed and her glamor falls. Rose turns into a human again and the king realizes his mistake. Rose could have stayed a deer and become the mate of the deer leader (?), but she chooses to become a human. They don't get married, because Rose doesn't want to. However, the eventually do get married. I was not happy about that.
I can't believe I used a Taylor Sift gif cause I can't stand that bitch.
[image error]
But I love Anderson Cooper!
I'll add a third!!
Rose
I liked you, until you married the king. Dumbass. He only likes you cause you look like his DEAD WIFE!!!
Ombrine/Desiree
They're pretty much the same person and I hated them both.
The King
I think his name was Jean-Marc or something, but I think it should be Dick-Head instead.
Overall, I didn't like this and the only thing enjoyable was the purple roses. I love roses so much! I hope the other books in this collection can lift my spirits!
For this review and more, go to my blog Lizzie the Sarcastic Blonde
I started off liking this book pretty well. I felt bad for Rose, both of her parents were dead and she had to put up with her stepmother, Ombrine, and sister, Desiree, who treated her terribly. They only things she has left are her nurse, who Ombrine eventually fires, the statue of Artemis, and the purple roses that grew in the garden after her mother's death. The other story that happens is of a young king whose wife dies during her pregnancy.
I was worried from the beginning that Rose and the king would end up together, but I'll get to that later. Rose grows up and when tended to her roses, her long lost half-brother shows up. They don't realize who each other is, but he buys some of the flowers. Rose looks just like the dead queen, so the king has her sent to him. However, Rose goes missing and Ombrine uses magic to make Desiree look like her stepsister. Desiree, pretending to be Rose, and the king marry. Rose was turned into a doe, and watches all of this happen.
After a couple months, Desiree pretends to be pregnant and tells the king to kill Rose the deer, who he has become close with. While trying to kill Rose, Desiree is killed and her glamor falls. Rose turns into a human again and the king realizes his mistake. Rose could have stayed a deer and become the mate of the deer leader (?), but she chooses to become a human. They don't get married, because Rose doesn't want to. However, the eventually do get married. I was not happy about that.
I can't believe I used a Taylor Sift gif cause I can't stand that bitch.
[image error]
But I love Anderson Cooper!
I'll add a third!!
Rose
I liked you, until you married the king. Dumbass. He only likes you cause you look like his DEAD WIFE!!!
Ombrine/Desiree
They're pretty much the same person and I hated them both.
The King
I think his name was Jean-Marc or something, but I think it should be Dick-Head instead.
Overall, I didn't like this and the only thing enjoyable was the purple roses. I love roses so much! I hope the other books in this collection can lift my spirits!
For this review and more, go to my blog Lizzie the Sarcastic Blonde
June 22, 2012
This is definitely not the best of the Once Upon a Time stories. I confess I'm not terribly familiar with the original fairy tale. I know I've read it before, but I don't really remember it.
I've found this series in general to be rather hit-or-miss, and this book was definitely in the latter category. It had potential, and there were even some things I enjoyed about it. I liked some of the imagery, for example.
I'll admit that the writing style threw me quite a bit. I'm actually a huge fan of Greek mythology, but my brain somehow refused to wrap itself around the mythology in this book. It seemed fairly contradictory.
In parts, I found the author seemed to try a little too hard to be "flowery" with her prose. I am a reasonably intelligent adult, or so I flatter myself, but there were some paragraphs I had to re-read to get a sense of what was going on.
The very first chapter is Prologue, and it begins, "In the Land Beyond...Crown Prince Jean-Marc, son of His Royal Majesty Henri III, Heir to the Throne of the Land Beyond, Beloved of Zeus...Now, maybe it's because I've just re-read the Percy Jackson series, but I had to sit and wonder if this was supposed to be a "real" world event of if the Land Beyond should be considered to exist as a part of mythology, itself. Like this world's Lane of Faerie. Every time the kingdom was named, my brain wanted to interpret it as some Other land, apart from the world in which the book was set. I don't know why, except that I think that the clash of cultures was something that my mind flatly refused to accept.
It's not a bad book. It is filled with Very Bad Things that happen to the heroine. There are many, many Very Bad Things. I confess I skimmed through many pages, as I found the book dragged a bit. Partly, no doubt, because the strange clash of cultures and my brain's insistence upon interpreting the Land Beyond as a realm of fairy people or something...well, it made it hard to get into the book.
I'm also not a huge an of some of the prose, as I said, which certainly didn't help.
It is not a bad book, honestly, it just wasn't my cup of tea. So far, it was my least favorite of the Once Upon a Time books, and I'm quite glad to be through it.
I've found this series in general to be rather hit-or-miss, and this book was definitely in the latter category. It had potential, and there were even some things I enjoyed about it. I liked some of the imagery, for example.
I'll admit that the writing style threw me quite a bit. I'm actually a huge fan of Greek mythology, but my brain somehow refused to wrap itself around the mythology in this book. It seemed fairly contradictory.
In parts, I found the author seemed to try a little too hard to be "flowery" with her prose. I am a reasonably intelligent adult, or so I flatter myself, but there were some paragraphs I had to re-read to get a sense of what was going on.
The very first chapter is Prologue, and it begins, "In the Land Beyond...Crown Prince Jean-Marc, son of His Royal Majesty Henri III, Heir to the Throne of the Land Beyond, Beloved of Zeus...Now, maybe it's because I've just re-read the Percy Jackson series, but I had to sit and wonder if this was supposed to be a "real" world event of if the Land Beyond should be considered to exist as a part of mythology, itself. Like this world's Lane of Faerie. Every time the kingdom was named, my brain wanted to interpret it as some Other land, apart from the world in which the book was set. I don't know why, except that I think that the clash of cultures was something that my mind flatly refused to accept.
It's not a bad book. It is filled with Very Bad Things that happen to the heroine. There are many, many Very Bad Things. I confess I skimmed through many pages, as I found the book dragged a bit. Partly, no doubt, because the strange clash of cultures and my brain's insistence upon interpreting the Land Beyond as a realm of fairy people or something...well, it made it hard to get into the book.
I'm also not a huge an of some of the prose, as I said, which certainly didn't help.
It is not a bad book, honestly, it just wasn't my cup of tea. So far, it was my least favorite of the Once Upon a Time books, and I'm quite glad to be through it.
November 9, 2012
So I had to tough this one out until about seventy pages in.
The good:
The writing's not too bad, and once the story starts rolling, it gets interesting.
The bad:
Lack of knowledge of history. Did Holder not take history in high school? I'll admit my knowledge of European history isn't too great for anything before War of the Roses, but a quick trip to Google showed me that when Greeks lived in France, they weren't in "France" and they didn't speak French. The French did not worship Greek Gods as far as I know, and this seems to take place in the time periods I learned about in AP Euro. I think the story would have been just as interesting set in Ancient Greece, and so if Holder really wanted Greek gods, she should have set it then and there rather than France.
Also, I despise when people throw in tidbits of whatever language the characters are speaking. The book's in English. Write it in English. It's assumed that they're speaking French if they're in France. If you throw in French randomly, it's like they weren't speaking French the whole time.
The ugly:
The characters were very inconsistent, especially the main character. Rose was strong only when the story needed her to be. Until the end, she kept bouncing between, "I'm a strong character!" and "My life sucks. Boo hoo hoo." I understand being downtrodden, but the changes were so sudden it was like swapping one mask for another. There was no real transition. I see what the author was trying to do, though she might not have been up to the task.
The good:
The writing's not too bad, and once the story starts rolling, it gets interesting.
The bad:
Lack of knowledge of history. Did Holder not take history in high school? I'll admit my knowledge of European history isn't too great for anything before War of the Roses, but a quick trip to Google showed me that when Greeks lived in France, they weren't in "France" and they didn't speak French. The French did not worship Greek Gods as far as I know, and this seems to take place in the time periods I learned about in AP Euro. I think the story would have been just as interesting set in Ancient Greece, and so if Holder really wanted Greek gods, she should have set it then and there rather than France.
Also, I despise when people throw in tidbits of whatever language the characters are speaking. The book's in English. Write it in English. It's assumed that they're speaking French if they're in France. If you throw in French randomly, it's like they weren't speaking French the whole time.
The ugly:
The characters were very inconsistent, especially the main character. Rose was strong only when the story needed her to be. Until the end, she kept bouncing between, "I'm a strong character!" and "My life sucks. Boo hoo hoo." I understand being downtrodden, but the changes were so sudden it was like swapping one mask for another. There was no real transition. I see what the author was trying to do, though she might not have been up to the task.
December 9, 2024
The original title of the fairy tale this is based on is kind of not PC these days is it?
The Rose Bride is a much better title but it still doesn't really fit the story. Oh there are roses in abundance within but this almost starts off like a Cinderella variant and then switches to more of a retelling of the Grimm fairy tale "Brother and Sister".
Not to mention that there is a lot of talk about the Greek gods: Zeus, Artemis, Hermes.
This is more like a mish-mash of stories into something more original than a straight "retelling"
We get two sides of a story woven together.
In a prologue, we meet Crown Prince Jean-Marc and his recent bride Princess Lucienne. Four months of marriage have passed and they are now going to see what the runes of the priests have in store for their future. It is said that they will have a son in the spring and Lucienne gives her prays to Artemis for her blessing, Jean-Marc in his happiness forgets to thank Zeus, his royal family's patron god first.
It doesn't sit well with the head priest and Jean-Marc soon ask for Zeus' forgiveness at his thoughtlessness. That seems to worry Lucienne, wondering if her husband's god is a jealous god, but soon it is forgotten...
The first chapter turns to the family of Laurent Marchand. The main focus is on his second wife, Celestine, and their daughter named Rose. Through his first wife he had a son named Reginer but his mother died in childbirth so Laurent held out hope that his heir would continue to add wealth to their family chateau.
Reginer decided he wanted to be a painter instead so Laurent disinherited him then remarried to have his daughter...but he is always traveling as a merchant. Mother and child are not completely alone because of servants but Celestine brought with her a servant from her own home to keep from being heartsick. This older woman, Elise Lune, becomes a nurse and honorary aunt to young Rose.
When Rose is seven, Celestine puts together a garden overflowing with roses of different colors with a statue of Artemis at the center. On Rose's birthday when she turns thirteen, her father sends her many gifts but the girl is saddened that her father has not arrived and Celestine makes a prayer, a wish to Artemis for her daughter to be loved.
A fawn comes to drink at the fountain, it turns from brown to white with blue eyes, and is then the silhouette of the goddess herself. Celestine goes to wake her daughter and bring her to the garden and her sad tears fall onto the white roses turning them blue. Rose doesn't see her mother's tears or those coming from the statue and goes to hand a blue rose to her but Celestine pricks her finger on the thorn.
The blue rose turns purple and when it falls to the ground...the color spreads to the other white roses. Celestine's life is given in order to grant her request and word is sent to Laurent of his wife's death as Rose mourns with Elise to watch over her. Three weeks pass and Laurent is nowhere to be found as Rose finally agrees to have her mother entombed for burial and then time rolls on to be five months...
Rose and the servants see riders in the distance coming over the mountains and believe it to be Laurent. Rose has a feeling something is wrong and goes to see if her father is okay as she stumbles into the cold night, then has a dream of a white doe coming to her but Rose wakes to a nightmare...her father is dead.
This news is delivered by Rose's new stepmother, Ombrine. Laurent fell ill at the news of his wife's death and was in a sickly stupor for four months so he was brought to the widow Ombrine and her daughter, Desiree, to be nursed back to health. Laurent wed Ombrine out of kindness to him and because they had lost everything when her first husband died in a fire.
Ombrine warned Laurent he was still too weak to travel but he wanted to get home to Rose. When Rose was found out on the road, Laurent thought she was dead and died from grief as they were heading home at dawn.
Ombrine blames Rose for making her a widow a second time and Rose is gaslighted into believing it because her stepmother and stepsister are truly horrible from that point on. They sell off servants accused of stealing, they send Elise away when Rose turns fourteen and then dismiss most of them all together to make Rose do all of the chores.
In mention, Princess Lucienne and her son both die in childbirth the night before Rose's fourteenth birthday.
When Rose is sixteen, Ombrine and Desiree tear down the statue of Artemis and remove the rose bushes to make way for a garden that Rose must tend for food. Going into town to sell off items, Rose learns that Elise died when she turned fifteen and goes to visit her grave where two purple roses she sent to her former nurse have taken root.
A young man sees the purple roses and kindly offers Rose money to buy a dozen of them as he has never seen such a shade as these before. Unknown to Rose but soon made very clear to us as readers is that the man is her half brother, Reginer, who is now the royal painter. Unable to get the face of the young maiden out of his mind, he paints a portrait of her with her black dress and purple roses.
Having been away, Reginer's wife realizes that the portrait her husband has done looks exactly like the prince's late wife though he has never seen her. This is brought to the attention of a still grieving Jean-Marc and he demands to find the young woman so that they can be married.
And all of this just so happens to all take place while someone called the Pretender claims he is the rightful king since Jean-Marc is from the King's second marriage and two countries are at war...it just gets crazier from there!
To say much more would be telling but yeah...get use to roses and deer popping up in the story a lot as well as the word loved and lots of talk about Artemis!
The Rose Bride starts out painstakingly slow but begins to pick-up momentum as Rose's story and that of Jean-Marc begin to intertwine. Our heroine has to go through an almost impossible task to earn her happy ending but so does our hero...something a lot of them don't really do in these tales.
There is time given to deliver a happy ending and not just glossed over which is refreshing and realistic. The tales that inspired The Rose Bride are slightly dark but this is toned down just enough to make sure evil is vanquished and good is triumphant.
You know if you like that sort of thing *shrugs* *smirks* *blushes* and yeah...I do.
The Rose Bride is a much better title but it still doesn't really fit the story. Oh there are roses in abundance within but this almost starts off like a Cinderella variant and then switches to more of a retelling of the Grimm fairy tale "Brother and Sister".
Not to mention that there is a lot of talk about the Greek gods: Zeus, Artemis, Hermes.
This is more like a mish-mash of stories into something more original than a straight "retelling"
We get two sides of a story woven together.
In a prologue, we meet Crown Prince Jean-Marc and his recent bride Princess Lucienne. Four months of marriage have passed and they are now going to see what the runes of the priests have in store for their future. It is said that they will have a son in the spring and Lucienne gives her prays to Artemis for her blessing, Jean-Marc in his happiness forgets to thank Zeus, his royal family's patron god first.
It doesn't sit well with the head priest and Jean-Marc soon ask for Zeus' forgiveness at his thoughtlessness. That seems to worry Lucienne, wondering if her husband's god is a jealous god, but soon it is forgotten...
The first chapter turns to the family of Laurent Marchand. The main focus is on his second wife, Celestine, and their daughter named Rose. Through his first wife he had a son named Reginer but his mother died in childbirth so Laurent held out hope that his heir would continue to add wealth to their family chateau.
Reginer decided he wanted to be a painter instead so Laurent disinherited him then remarried to have his daughter...but he is always traveling as a merchant. Mother and child are not completely alone because of servants but Celestine brought with her a servant from her own home to keep from being heartsick. This older woman, Elise Lune, becomes a nurse and honorary aunt to young Rose.
When Rose is seven, Celestine puts together a garden overflowing with roses of different colors with a statue of Artemis at the center. On Rose's birthday when she turns thirteen, her father sends her many gifts but the girl is saddened that her father has not arrived and Celestine makes a prayer, a wish to Artemis for her daughter to be loved.
A fawn comes to drink at the fountain, it turns from brown to white with blue eyes, and is then the silhouette of the goddess herself. Celestine goes to wake her daughter and bring her to the garden and her sad tears fall onto the white roses turning them blue. Rose doesn't see her mother's tears or those coming from the statue and goes to hand a blue rose to her but Celestine pricks her finger on the thorn.
The blue rose turns purple and when it falls to the ground...the color spreads to the other white roses. Celestine's life is given in order to grant her request and word is sent to Laurent of his wife's death as Rose mourns with Elise to watch over her. Three weeks pass and Laurent is nowhere to be found as Rose finally agrees to have her mother entombed for burial and then time rolls on to be five months...
Rose and the servants see riders in the distance coming over the mountains and believe it to be Laurent. Rose has a feeling something is wrong and goes to see if her father is okay as she stumbles into the cold night, then has a dream of a white doe coming to her but Rose wakes to a nightmare...her father is dead.
This news is delivered by Rose's new stepmother, Ombrine. Laurent fell ill at the news of his wife's death and was in a sickly stupor for four months so he was brought to the widow Ombrine and her daughter, Desiree, to be nursed back to health. Laurent wed Ombrine out of kindness to him and because they had lost everything when her first husband died in a fire.
Ombrine warned Laurent he was still too weak to travel but he wanted to get home to Rose. When Rose was found out on the road, Laurent thought she was dead and died from grief as they were heading home at dawn.
Ombrine blames Rose for making her a widow a second time and Rose is gaslighted into believing it because her stepmother and stepsister are truly horrible from that point on. They sell off servants accused of stealing, they send Elise away when Rose turns fourteen and then dismiss most of them all together to make Rose do all of the chores.
In mention, Princess Lucienne and her son both die in childbirth the night before Rose's fourteenth birthday.
When Rose is sixteen, Ombrine and Desiree tear down the statue of Artemis and remove the rose bushes to make way for a garden that Rose must tend for food. Going into town to sell off items, Rose learns that Elise died when she turned fifteen and goes to visit her grave where two purple roses she sent to her former nurse have taken root.
A young man sees the purple roses and kindly offers Rose money to buy a dozen of them as he has never seen such a shade as these before. Unknown to Rose but soon made very clear to us as readers is that the man is her half brother, Reginer, who is now the royal painter. Unable to get the face of the young maiden out of his mind, he paints a portrait of her with her black dress and purple roses.
Having been away, Reginer's wife realizes that the portrait her husband has done looks exactly like the prince's late wife though he has never seen her. This is brought to the attention of a still grieving Jean-Marc and he demands to find the young woman so that they can be married.
And all of this just so happens to all take place while someone called the Pretender claims he is the rightful king since Jean-Marc is from the King's second marriage and two countries are at war...it just gets crazier from there!
To say much more would be telling but yeah...get use to roses and deer popping up in the story a lot as well as the word loved and lots of talk about Artemis!
The Rose Bride starts out painstakingly slow but begins to pick-up momentum as Rose's story and that of Jean-Marc begin to intertwine. Our heroine has to go through an almost impossible task to earn her happy ending but so does our hero...something a lot of them don't really do in these tales.
There is time given to deliver a happy ending and not just glossed over which is refreshing and realistic. The tales that inspired The Rose Bride are slightly dark but this is toned down just enough to make sure evil is vanquished and good is triumphant.
You know if you like that sort of thing *shrugs* *smirks* *blushes* and yeah...I do.
December 30, 2008
From the first book I picked up I've liked the Once upon a Time series, and I've always loved retellings of fairy tales. I found this particular book at a thrift store, and promptly picked it up because of the others.
One of the things I liked about these reworkings was, even though the books claimed it was based on one fairy tale, they were almost always a mix of two or more fairy tales. While this one is a reworking of 'The White Bride and the Black Bride', it is also has aspects of 'Cinderella'.
It's a clever retelling, taking place in a world both familiar and foreign, and the characters are giving both depth and reality then in the original stories. One thing I didn't care for was how for much of the book the heroine just suffered, without really doing anything for herself. Things happened to her while she made very little happen herself, which annoyed me. The pacing is also painfully slow, taking the entire first half of the book to retell what has been summarized on the back cover. And two characters' backstories are left with no explanation, which makes the story as a whole feel hallow.
I really do like what the series is doing, and the books are short and easy to read so I recommend every one of them. Though far from my favorite in the series, this one does make for a good quick read.
One of the things I liked about these reworkings was, even though the books claimed it was based on one fairy tale, they were almost always a mix of two or more fairy tales. While this one is a reworking of 'The White Bride and the Black Bride', it is also has aspects of 'Cinderella'.
It's a clever retelling, taking place in a world both familiar and foreign, and the characters are giving both depth and reality then in the original stories. One thing I didn't care for was how for much of the book the heroine just suffered, without really doing anything for herself. Things happened to her while she made very little happen herself, which annoyed me. The pacing is also painfully slow, taking the entire first half of the book to retell what has been summarized on the back cover. And two characters' backstories are left with no explanation, which makes the story as a whole feel hallow.
I really do like what the series is doing, and the books are short and easy to read so I recommend every one of them. Though far from my favorite in the series, this one does make for a good quick read.
September 29, 2011
I normally love retellings of old fairy tales, but this one was not good. There was enough french in the story that it would be confusing to anyone without a passing knowledge of french, and there were many things not rapped up. Several pages from the end actually, a lot of these untied endings are brought up in a question format before the book ends without either having answered them or using a cop out such as "the gods only know why." I appreciated the Greek mythology used in the book (for those who argue Artemis shouldn't be prayed to for children, while she's the goddess of virgins she is also the goddess of mothers and childbirth), however mixing witchcraft with Greek mythology led to a confused sense of how magic works in this setting, and the story drug on for too long on Rose's demise in her castle.
I feel this book had some nice concepts, but ended up being too confusing for an enjoyable read.
I feel this book had some nice concepts, but ended up being too confusing for an enjoyable read.
April 21, 2010
Wow, I was unfamiliar with this tale (a retelling of the story of the black bride and the white bride) and maybe that was my mistake. We all know that fairy tales have happy endings but usually have some hardship in between the intro and the "happily ever after," but this story was ridiculous. The events making up the majority of the book were so dismal and depressing that it wasn't worth reading for the very abbreviated "happy ending." As the reader I was left so shaken by all of the rest of the book that I couldn't recover at the end to enjoy it. This is a loose interpretation of the story, which I looked up and discovered to be somewhat different, but not much happier, though since the original was shorter there wasn't the time for as many excruciating events to take place as in the book. The "morality" or lessons of the book were also vague, strange and unhelpful.
decided-against-reading
February 7, 2020I've decided to give myself permission to NOT read this one. At one point I'd collected every book in this series (because I liked a couple of the earlier ones), but as I began to actually read through all of them, they seemed to get worse and worse. Last year I read several in a row that I'd been procrastinating about reading for years because I suspected (correctly) that they weren't great. THIS book was the last one. I was still going to read it so that I could say that I FINALLY read through this entire series.......
But, no. It's one of the books that's been on my to-read shelf the longest....and I think it's time to just let it go! *insert GIF of Elsa*
Goodbye, Once Upon a Time series, I shall leave thee forever incomplete.
But, no. It's one of the books that's been on my to-read shelf the longest....and I think it's time to just let it go! *insert GIF of Elsa*
Goodbye, Once Upon a Time series, I shall leave thee forever incomplete.
December 21, 2008
This is a strange strange book. I've never read the original fairy tale for this one, but I wonder if the original could possibly be as strange. A bit like Cinderella, the main character has a wicked step mother and wicked step sister who try to take the prince/king away from her. It's a really bizarre tale of love and hate, good and evil, deers and purple roses, and the goddess Artemis... whose methods of teaching seem to me to be about the same as a tricky leprechaun. Overall it was good-ish. If you like simple short novels with magic and fairy-tales and if you're not expecting some great novel, it might be quite enjoyable for you.
February 21, 2009
VERY GOOD. I love retold fairy tales
December 24, 2020
One extra star for the writing. The deer hunt scene was the best part of the book; too bad everything else was a mess. This was a book with a rather confused and twisted "message" about love, along with a heavy dose of the replacement goldfish trope, which I absolutely despise.
The setting is pseudo-France, but for some reason the people worship Greek gods, with priests and temples and everything. What alternate universe is this? Even worse, these gods are assholes, too, considering how the heroine, Rose, is more or less forced to endure a load of crap in her life all because her mother prayed to Artemis to show Rose the meaning of true love.
Right.
Don't get me started on Rose's intended love interest. The king was a flipping idiot who was easily ensnared by the evil stepmother and stepsister and their evil magic, and worse yet, he only wanted to marry "Rose" because she looked like his dead wife.Of course he ended up marrying the wrong sister, which made it even worse.
Now, I have nothing against people having former loved ones and finding a second chance at love, but this was replacement goldfish syndrome taken to the extreme. I just was NOT convinced at all that the king would ever find real love with Rose.
At least the deer hunt was exciting.
The setting is pseudo-France, but for some reason the people worship Greek gods, with priests and temples and everything. What alternate universe is this? Even worse, these gods are assholes, too, considering how the heroine, Rose, is more or less forced to endure a load of crap in her life all because her mother prayed to Artemis to show Rose the meaning of true love.
Right.
Don't get me started on Rose's intended love interest. The king was a flipping idiot who was easily ensnared by the evil stepmother and stepsister and their evil magic, and worse yet, he only wanted to marry "Rose" because she looked like his dead wife.
Now, I have nothing against people having former loved ones and finding a second chance at love, but this was replacement goldfish syndrome taken to the extreme. I just was NOT convinced at all that the king would ever find real love with Rose.
At least the deer hunt was exciting.
March 21, 2024
Ouch!
You know when Mr. Bhaer criticized Jo's books for being dramatic and sensational? I was on Jo's side - until I read this book.... this reads just as I imagine one of her tales of woe and romance might. Or perhaps one of Anne Shirley's youthful tales that Gilbert raises an eyebrow at.
WHY oh why do they worship Greek Gods in France? It had me googling if I had somehow missed some odd resurgence of the religion in France, because surely nobody would just put that detail in without reason. I'm all for suspension of disbelief but like, if it is there for a reason. For a better story. This was just confusing! And then we are adding witchcraft onto that for no discernible reason except perhaps the author couldn't think up a better way to make things in the story move besides "the gods willed it" or "it was dark magic." That's when there is any explanation for the inconsistency at all - in many instances I suppose we were just supposed to not use our brains in any capacity.
I would also like to address the fact that there is a very real portion of this story where the 16yo main character is considering running away to marry the king of a deer herd? He's actively trying to sleep with her throughout that period. But no, her much better suitor option is ye olde King of Ambiguous Age who wants her because she resembles his dead wife. The King who just spent awhile having sex with step sissy over there because she used her witch powers to look like the main character who, as I mentioned, resembled his dead wife. That is the worst case of not over your ex I have ever heard of.
I love fairytale retellings. I have read MANY fairytale retellings. I consider myself somewhat versed on them. This is, i'm sorry to say, the worst one I have ever consumed.
You know when Mr. Bhaer criticized Jo's books for being dramatic and sensational? I was on Jo's side - until I read this book.... this reads just as I imagine one of her tales of woe and romance might. Or perhaps one of Anne Shirley's youthful tales that Gilbert raises an eyebrow at.
WHY oh why do they worship Greek Gods in France? It had me googling if I had somehow missed some odd resurgence of the religion in France, because surely nobody would just put that detail in without reason. I'm all for suspension of disbelief but like, if it is there for a reason. For a better story. This was just confusing! And then we are adding witchcraft onto that for no discernible reason except perhaps the author couldn't think up a better way to make things in the story move besides "the gods willed it" or "it was dark magic." That's when there is any explanation for the inconsistency at all - in many instances I suppose we were just supposed to not use our brains in any capacity.
I would also like to address the fact that there is a very real portion of this story where the 16yo main character is considering running away to marry the king of a deer herd? He's actively trying to sleep with her throughout that period. But no, her much better suitor option is ye olde King of Ambiguous Age who wants her because she resembles his dead wife. The King who just spent awhile having sex with step sissy over there because she used her witch powers to look like the main character who, as I mentioned, resembled his dead wife. That is the worst case of not over your ex I have ever heard of.
I love fairytale retellings. I have read MANY fairytale retellings. I consider myself somewhat versed on them. This is, i'm sorry to say, the worst one I have ever consumed.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 9, 2024
Much like the fairytale plot of this book, my journey with it was full of loss and love
I thought this book was a million years old (mostly due to the French and the prose) when I was 9/10, plucked from the bookshelf of my grade 4 teacher. It was full of everything that enraptured me at the time - greek mythology, dramatic romance, magic, death and Shakespeare (I was a morbid, romantic child and have grown into an adult much the same). I adored it and was loathe to return it. Mrs Timmermans had a wonderfully stocked shelf - there was another one I haven't found which was about a murder and introduced me to the concept of 'sweetmeats', which of course, meant something completely different.
Later in my life, I became a children's bookseller, and this book occupied my thoughts as I shelved my other childhood favourites. Of course, I had absolutely no idea of title or author, and googling "French book where Artemis steals a heartbeat and there's roses and a court painter" (which is mostly what I remembered of it), yielded no results, for obvious reasons
Imagine my surprise when, after three years of it back of mind, a random inquiry on the "find a book"
Goodreads group would reunite me with it - I immediately bought it secondhand and am now proud owner
It is just as fanciful and full of drama as I remembered, surprisingly deep for its target age, and at times, very beautifully written. I am certainly rating it higher than it deserves (probably a 3/4 star) but allow me the nostalgia
I thought this book was a million years old (mostly due to the French and the prose) when I was 9/10, plucked from the bookshelf of my grade 4 teacher. It was full of everything that enraptured me at the time - greek mythology, dramatic romance, magic, death and Shakespeare (I was a morbid, romantic child and have grown into an adult much the same). I adored it and was loathe to return it. Mrs Timmermans had a wonderfully stocked shelf - there was another one I haven't found which was about a murder and introduced me to the concept of 'sweetmeats', which of course, meant something completely different.
Later in my life, I became a children's bookseller, and this book occupied my thoughts as I shelved my other childhood favourites. Of course, I had absolutely no idea of title or author, and googling "French book where Artemis steals a heartbeat and there's roses and a court painter" (which is mostly what I remembered of it), yielded no results, for obvious reasons
Imagine my surprise when, after three years of it back of mind, a random inquiry on the "find a book"
Goodreads group would reunite me with it - I immediately bought it secondhand and am now proud owner
It is just as fanciful and full of drama as I remembered, surprisingly deep for its target age, and at times, very beautifully written. I am certainly rating it higher than it deserves (probably a 3/4 star) but allow me the nostalgia
March 19, 2021
Honestly I’m not really the best at reviews for books lol but I wanted to write one for this book. To start off, this book is a retelling of “The White Bride and The Black Bride”. I actually had to look up the original story so I could get an understanding of what it entailed. I have to say that this was a very good retelling with quite a few twists to make it different from the original story. I really enjoyed it, though there were quite a few moments where I felt like the story dragged and I just wanted it to finally hit some of the vital parts of the story. But what I didn’t expect was the ending. I’m not gonna put any spoilers in this review because I want other people to enjoy reading it. Though the ending actually made me cry from the middle of chapter 14 through to the end I was in tears because I wanted the 2 main characters to be happy together and have their happily ever after. Then, of course, cried happy tears when it was fulfilled. I’m giving it 4 stars only because of the parts that dragged a bit and there were some graphic details that I don’t think were necessary in the story. I hope you’ll give this book a chance and enjoy reading it. :)
April 2, 2021
This book tells the story of Rose, whose mother wished for her only one thing, for her to know true love. After her mother’s wish is granted by the goddess, Artemis, Rose’s journey toward love begins suddenly and alarmingly. It continues on much the same path for years, sending Rose through hardship and terrors reminiscent of Cinderella. It’s easy to see the references to the movie Ever After in the tale. Eventually, Rose learns about true love.
The story is somewhat hopeless, spiraling further and further downhill, with very brief, albeit confusing pieces of hope. The imagery was beautiful, but the somewhat disjointed telling left me confused about the purpose of the journey. I was left with the feeling that love could only be understood by going through abuses, war, betrayal, and physical transformation.
It wraps up quite quickly and while it has a HEA, the reader might find themselves feeling unfulfilled with the quick wrap up and lack of meaningful character connections.
All in all, it’s very much like an original fairy tale with some altered quirks.
The story is somewhat hopeless, spiraling further and further downhill, with very brief, albeit confusing pieces of hope. The imagery was beautiful, but the somewhat disjointed telling left me confused about the purpose of the journey. I was left with the feeling that love could only be understood by going through abuses, war, betrayal, and physical transformation.
It wraps up quite quickly and while it has a HEA, the reader might find themselves feeling unfulfilled with the quick wrap up and lack of meaningful character connections.
All in all, it’s very much like an original fairy tale with some altered quirks.
August 14, 2017
Not my favorite in the Once Upon a Time series. The Greek gods were in there for the deer aspect, it's mostly Cinderella with a dash of Swan Lake and loosely modeled on the movie Ever After, and I wish the French language had been left out of this book altogether since I read it in print format instead of an ebook with easy translation. Honestly, a much better version of this story with the same themes of love and self-respect would be the movie Ever After. I read it before years ago and forgot how much I wasn't impressed, so I read it again on a couple of long plane rides. Seriously, save yourself some grief and watch Ever After - you'll get an odd accent and a quirky Cinderella without any confusing Greek gods or shape shifting.
May 8, 2018
So I have never heard of the fairytale of the "White Bride and the Black Bride" and it was definitely not what I was expecting. It ended up being to dark for my taste, the only thing that kept me driving to finish it was the main character Rose, and my desire for things to get better for her. The story also felt like a string off from Cinderella, it has an evil step-mother, and step-sister, and . There is also a lot of mention of Roman or Greek gods, a lot of the story line involves them, and I can usually overlook some of that kind of stuff in books that peek my interest, but this book just had to many things in that aren't going for it for me, so I don't think I'm going to be reading it again.
November 11, 2020
This book was.... weird. Obviously, Nancy Holder is very very good at writing dark stories. It’s just sad that she made this story into such a dark one, as well.
She creates EXCELLENT villains, but her protagonists need A LOT of help. (Maybe she’s written too many blood and guts books, and tv/movie knock offs, that she’s forgotten how to keep things light. 🤷🏻♀️
Plus I felt her timelines were sloppy, due to the fact that it would go something like this: One day Rose blah blah blah, and then a week or a month later.... I just think that that’s lazy writing- but that’s just my humble opinion. Plus, even though Rose endured A LOT of hardships, I was wondering when Rose doesn’t cry. If a girl cried as much as Rose did, she’d need IV fluids, because of dehydration!!! 😜
She creates EXCELLENT villains, but her protagonists need A LOT of help. (Maybe she’s written too many blood and guts books, and tv/movie knock offs, that she’s forgotten how to keep things light. 🤷🏻♀️
Plus I felt her timelines were sloppy, due to the fact that it would go something like this: One day Rose blah blah blah, and then a week or a month later.... I just think that that’s lazy writing- but that’s just my humble opinion. Plus, even though Rose endured A LOT of hardships, I was wondering when Rose doesn’t cry. If a girl cried as much as Rose did, she’d need IV fluids, because of dehydration!!! 😜
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 29, 2019
This book is even more confusing if you know anything about the Greek Gods. Like why is Artemis the goddess all about love in this story even though there's you know Aphrodite, goddess of love around. Or, how about praying to Hera, goddess of marriage when it comes to your husband and not one of the goddesses that has sworn never to marry?
Like it feels like they just threw in Artemis for the references to deer later on?
So that was super disappointing.
I mean so was everything else but man if you're going to throw the greek gods randomly into a story set in ...France? Then at least try to get them right?
Like it feels like they just threw in Artemis for the references to deer later on?
So that was super disappointing.
I mean so was everything else but man if you're going to throw the greek gods randomly into a story set in ...France? Then at least try to get them right?
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