I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
A Curse of Roses by Diana PinguichaPublished by Entangled: Teen on December 1, 2020
Genres: YA Fantasy, YA Retelling, YA LGBTQ
Pages: 352
Source: the publisher
Format: E-galley
My Rating:
Goodreads
Synopsis:
With just one touch, bread turns into roses. With just one bite, cheese turns into lilies.
There’s a famine plaguing the land, and Princess Yzabel is wasting food simply by trying to eat. Before she can even swallow, her magic—her curse—has turned her meal into a bouquet. She’s on the verge of starving, which only reminds her that the people of Portugal have been enduring the same pain.
If only it were possible to reverse her magic. Then she could turn flowers…into food.
Fatyan, a beautiful Enchanted Moura, is the only one who can help. But she is trapped by magical binds. She can teach Yzabel how to control her curse—if Yzabel sets her free with a kiss.
As the King of Portugal’s betrothed, Yzabel would be committing treason, but what good is a king if his country has starved to death?
With just one kiss, Fatyan is set free. And with just one kiss, Yzabel is yearning for more.
She’d sought out Fatyan to help her save the people. Now, loving her could mean Yzabel’s destruction.
Based on Portuguese legend, this #OwnVoices historical fantasy is an epic tale of mystery, magic, and making the impossible choice between love and duty…
Purchase links can be found HERE!
My Review:
This was a very unique, and very original book. It was based on some historical figures that I’d heard of before very briefly and with very limited details. I loved that the author included a little extra at the end telling the actual story of those figures and what she’d changed or added to make the story something more fascinating. Because this was a vivid, beautiful tale of a world with magic and lots of twists and turns. While it is set in a historical time, and the views and actions of many of the people are definitely to be expected from that time period, some of it definitely still resonates with the world today.
The characters are unique, there is the gay aspect between the women, but then there are also the men that are in powerful positions that surprise with how they react and actually deal with the situations. Then there were things that had to do with the types of self-punishment the religiously zealous people often used to subject themselves to. That was hard to read about, but really made the story that much deeper. The struggle that Ysabel went through, when all she wanted was to take care of her people and have peace among all of them. So much in this book to read and the writing as I said was so vivid that I pictured many of the scenes as if I was seeing them in front of my eyes.
About the Author:
Born in the sunny lands of Portugal, Diana is a Computer Engineer graduate who currently calls Lisbon home. She can usually be found writing, painting, devouring extraordinary quantities of books and video games, or walking around with her bearded dragon, Norberta. She also has two cats, Sushi and Jubas, who would never forgive her if she didn’t mention them.
Her art can be found at http://pinguicha.deviantart.com.
Also publishes under Diana Pinguicha Connors.
Website: http://pinguicha.wordpress.com/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/pinguicha
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I’ve been really intrigued by this book, so I’m glad to see your review! I’m glad to see you enjoyed it. 🙂
I hope you get the chance to read it too. Thanks for stopping by!