🌹🥀💙 Cursed Rose 🌹🥀💙
✨ Break the curse and unleash the magic ✨
When Lynn, the best thief in town, is given the task of stealing a magical item from an abandoned castle, she is convinced it will be a piece of cake. This would finally give her the chance to free herself and her loved ones from the hated guild. However, she did not expect that the old wives' tales about the property could be true. But before she can leave with her stolen goods, a bloodthirsty beast with bright blue eyes stands in her way. She manages to escape - straight into the arms of a mysterious man who tells her about a curse cast by the sorceress and makes Lynn an offer she can't refuse...
Lynn has brown eyes, black hair, dark skin and swears a lot. Lynn never had a choice. She can't remember her family and she can’t remember her life before Abraxas took her into the guild. She lived on the streets, was covered in filth, and rummaged through trash cans to find something to eat. In the guild she felt safe for the first time. There she found something she had never had before: a family. The feeling of belonging. Ten years ago, she could use her power without her blood on the runes but then suddenly all the magic in the land had disappeared and her first reaction was relief because she doesn’t really care about magic. When she was 10 years old, the magic awakened in her. That took everyone by surprise. During the training, her training cornered her and Orion and something inside her exploded. After that everything changed. From now on, Abraxas trained her personally because he's the only one in the guild who can. Abraxas' ace up his sleeve was blood magic. He burned runes onto her body in a single night. It was terrible. Since magic was gone from the land, she was trimmed to use magic as Abraxas wanted, as it would benefit the guild. What made her so valuable to the guild was her ability to sense magic. She always had a knife with her that she cut herself with. She has one rune on her palm which has scars from her completed quests. Each rune empowers something different: the rune above her wrist enhances her vision, one rune enhances her hearing, one rune increases her strength, one rune increases her speed and one rune heals her. She even had a rune on her waist that showed her the way to magical objects but that rune took a lot of power and couldn't use any other runes after that. With the help of this rune, she finds the magic rose. While asleep, she can build up strength, but isn’t fully healed. The cutting didn't hurt quite as much as the pain that followed. The runes were burned onto her body and left scars. Although the runes had often rescued her from situations, she would not have survived without them, she despised the runes just as much as she despised Abraxas. These scars would stay with her and remind her of who she had once been. She thought that she would be nobody without her runes. ❤️🔥
Narvik is not only the beast but also the prince. As in the swan lake story, he only transforms into the beast at sunset and back into a human at sunrise. As a handsome man, he has blue eyes, brown hair, broad shoulders, a beard and pale skin. As the beast, he’s big and strong with long claws, still has blue eyes, a long snout, menacing fangs and horns that made him look like the devil. Narvik is a magician and as that, he can sense, magic, use it and even can summon warmth. Narvik may be the prince but he's still a normal person, even if he behaves and speaks differently. As a prince, he wears old but classy clothes and he doesn't look threatening, just calm. Narvik has enough coins to buy groceries. He just has to wear a hood and then no one in the village will recognize him. As a monster, he has already destroyed enough. All the people he ever loved and cared for died. His parents died in an accident when he was 10. Also, he had two siblings. There’s a single bedroom which hasn’t been destroyed because it means a lot to Narvik. The reason why is unknown. That’s not the only room that hasn’t been destroyed; the kitchen wasn't quite as destroyed as the rest of the castle because apparently, the beast doesn't like the kitchen. Narvik is the guardian of the rose because the rose is under his protection by the curse. He kept his curse a secret for ten years, so no one knows about it except him and the sorceress. In the beginning, Narvik couldn’t control or influence the beast and all he felt was disgust and hatred for it. The beast doesn’t belong to Narvik, he only uses him like Abraxas only uses Lynn to do the dirty work for them. It had been so full of anger and hatred that it couldn't control itself anymore, but now it was gone. After ten years, Narvik can control the beast at last, and can be himself if he’s far enough from the rose. 💙
Evangeline is not a normal magician. She showed up to Narvik twelve years ago. She was younger then. Supposedly she had lost her memory, so Narvik offered her shelter. The day Evangeline wanted to get married and he wanted to start his life with her, she betrayed him. Evangeline was a sorceress, which he hadn't realized until this point. Some of his servants had raised concerns but he'd ignored them. She had learned some interesting tricks at a young age and with one of them she cursed him and made him the keeper of the rose - as well as all visitors of her wedding. The other guardians of the rose are dead because Narvik killed all of them as the beast. The rose that Lynn desperately wants is part of her heart. She and the rose are the reason why all magic keeps disappearing from the land until there isn't even magic left in people. Evangeline has an inexhaustible source and was so powerful that her curse persists to this day. She wears a locket around her neck that is connected to the rose and feeds her with magic. As long as Evangeline is still alive, his curse cannot be broken. Narvik would have opposed the sorceress if he had wanted to, and even if Narvik wanted to, he couldn't destroy the flower. If she hadn't claimed the magic for herself, Lynn would never have been burned with the runes. There’s a short story at the end of the book that explains how and why the sorceress Evangeline has become so powerful. Abraxas has done something so horrible to her and her family. After that, she swore that he would pay for his actions one day. So, she stole all the magic from the land. On her journey from one castle to another, she had become too greedy and too afraid. ♥️
Abraxas was the guild leader of the Black Feathers and had trained all of the guild's thieves to perfection. They suffered from the trials he set for them but these prepared them for whatever might await them. Magda was the oldest thief in the guild. Even when Abraxas’ father ran the guild, she stole. He scarred Lynn when magic was gone from the land. Abraxas desperately wants the magic rose. Why is not said. Maybe because magical artifacts are very valuable on the black market. Before Lynn started her journey to the castle, he only gave her the most necessary information. He had promised her, assured her with a contract and signed it in his blood. That could play into her hands. He would let her and her loved ones go if he returned with the magical rose. Abraxas would most likely send someone if she wasted any more time. Lynn imagined how surprised Abraxas would be if she successfully returned with the rose and ended his reign of terror. She hopes that a living, magical object will be far more valuable to Abraxas than a rose. Also, she hoped that Abraxas would keep his word and release her and her loved ones. She didn't want to leave without permission and she doesn't want a life on the run for any of them. Abraxas had tried to make her that kind of person: selfish and ruthless but she wasn't. Of course, he doesn’t keep his word because he plays by his own rules and does send a certain someone after her. 🖤
Orion has green eyes, ginger hair and muscles. Orion was already in the guild when she joined. They grew up together and learned how to steal to support the guild. They’re the best thieves. Abraxas always praised her, and although Orion was always Abraxas' favorite, she was okay with it at the time. After all, he was like a brother to her. Lynn’s feelings for him changed from friendship to a love that still envelops her in a cocoon of security and confidence. Orion comforted her and stayed with her when the pain and nightmares kept her from sleeping. All the while, Orion was the only one standing by her side. And still, she felt abandoned and couldn’t take it anymore. Orion doesn't want to leave the guild. He reluctantly agreed, and only because Lunis deserved a better life than they'd had before. He thinks the guild and their life as thieves is fine the way it is because the guild isn't the worst thing that can happen to Lunis. He thinks it was fate that she didn't get the rose, seeing Lynn's "failure" as a sign they should stay after all. That's the only thing Lynn and Orion disagree on. It's not normal life growing up in the guild but Orion thinks it's better than having nothing. He wanted to stay with her and Lunis there forever, grow old with her and wants their children to become thieves, too, but Lynn doesn't want that. She doesn't want to have to steal anymore, doesn't want anyone to tell her what to do anymore and finally wants to feel safe without the guards of the princes chasing her. Orion has no idea about field work and Lynn can't do anything except steal either but would be willing to be an apprentice as long as it means Lunis is free and safe. It's never too late to learn something new. She would leave the guild with Lunis, even without Orion, should he really want to stay in the guild but Orion's allegiance only belongs to Lynn. He was her home; she has always been able to trust him. Before her last job, he told her that after that she would be his wife forever, that nothing and nobody could separate them. Orion doesn’t only want to stay in the guild because of the reasons mentioned above but because there’s another thing. And Lynn can’t believe she fell for Orion’s lies but she still loves him and she still wears Orion’s ring under the black feather around her neck. 🧡
Not much is known about Lunis, only that he’s brown-eyed and brown-haired orphan who can use magic as well. When he appeared in the guild and Lynn saw his fate, she knew she had to free him from the guild and protect and save him from Abraxas - no matter the cost. Lunis had to get out of the guild as soon as possible, so that he didn’t have to suffer the same fate Lynn endured. Nobody knows of this secret - not even Orion. Lynn trusts him but it's better if no one knows about it. If it was just about her it would be different, but he's just a kid. If they were finally free, Lynn could offer them a better life than the guild and give him the family neither of them ever had. She promised him and would do anything. She worried about Lunis and he worried about her. Lynn didn’t like that Lunis was staying with Magda and Malek for a good reason. Lunis is her family, not Abraxas and not the other thieves from the guild, and whe was willing to do anything for the two of them. 🤍
More than three months ago, I started reading this book and more than two months ago, I was finished with it. I can’t believe it. Neither that I’m done writing this review and posting it here at last. 🙀🙏🏻
It really started to get quite interesting from chapter 2. I like the bickering between Lynn and Narvik. 😁 It’s somewhat understandable that Lynn didn’t want to help him at first, and that Narvik had no choice but to force her. Lynn was in such a dilemma. On one hand, she didn’t want to help Narvik or “sell out” the beast but on the other hand, she thought she had no other choice for her and her family to be finally free. 💕 After she has told him her story, he understood and even forgave her for what she has done. Lynn understood why he needed her help and after what happened at the guild, there were on their way to the sorceress to stop her and bring back the magic. ✨ On their journey, Lynn and Narvik shared body heat to keep each other warm. She even rode the beast. Lynn and Narvik haven’t only gotten closer to their destination but also to each other, physically and emotionally. 🤍 Is it weird that I wouldn't care if Narvik seriously injured Orion? I don’t think so because I really don’t like Orion. Of course, Lynn didn’t want him to because she once loved Orion dearly. 💘 They “defeated” the sorceress but if the magic returned after that is unknown. 🤷🏻♀️ The connection between Evangeline and Abraxas was revealed but it still confused me. I was glad that the short story at the end cleared my confusion about Lynn’ ex-boyfriend’s family background. Now, I hate Abraxas even more but I don’t know about Evangeline. 😡🖤♥️
Like Lynn said “Everything made sense in a twisted way”. ❣️
Trigger warning for swearing and cutting. ❤️🩹