[Emily’s Review]: A Forgery of Roses by Jessica S Olson

Myra Whitlock has a gift. One many would kill for.
She’s an artist whose portraits alter people’s real-life bodies, a talent she must hide from those who would kidnap, blackmail, and worse in order to control it. Guarding that secret is the only way to keep her younger sister safe now that their parents are gone.
But one frigid night, the governor’s wife discovers the truth and threatens to expose Myra if she does not complete a special portrait that would resurrect the governor’s dead son. Desperate, Myra ventures to his legendary stone mansion.
Once she arrives, however, it becomes clear the boy’s death was no accident. Someone dangerous lurks within these glittering halls. Someone harboring a disturbing obsession with portrait magic.
Myra cannot do the painting until she knows what really happened, so she turns to the governor’s older son, a captivating redheaded poet. Together, they delve into the family’s most shadowed affairs, racing to uncover the truth before the secret Myra spent her life concealing makes her the killer’s next victim.

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I really enjoyed A Forgery of Roses!

Myra is a prodigy- someone whose art can change reality. Literally. But, being a prodigy is seriously not good in the town she lives in. Prodigies are hunted and exiled or murdered just for existing. So when the governor’s wife takes her hostage to paint her son back to life- or else– will Myra be able to make a miracle happen? Or will the unusual circumstances of his death prove to be too difficult to paint through?

What was a fabulous mash up of genres! A fantasy, romance and mystery all rolled into on YA novel. 

Not only was the mystery of this book exciting, but the plot was fresh and new.
I had never encountered a magic system such as the one featured in A Forgery of Roses. It was different from the norm and kept me interested right from the get go. 

This is a young adult novel, but the romance felt genuine ( a feat for some YA books).
Sometimes in YA novels, the romance isn’t the main plot, which I enjoy. But because it’s more plot focused than romance focused, YA novels tend to fall short for me in the love story department.
But! Myra and August truly cared for each other and it came across very clearly on each page. 

The characters were all well formed and complex. 
Which is part of why the mystery aspect of the plot was so exciting.
The reactions and intentions to events in this novel were believable! Because we knew the characters motives and personalities intimately.

From beginning to end I was captivated.
The reader is led in one direction only to have a surprise twist at the end, but the epilogue really wrapped the story up in a nice neat bow (which isn’t my personal favorite, but it worked in this instance). 

I definitely enjoyed it and it was fun because it was different.

But I honestly can’t tell if I enjoyed it because it’s such a departure from the inundation of ya fantasy that all seems to be cut from the same cloth lately.

Emily

Emily is a coffee loving, cat snuggling, hairstylist and book-a-holic.
Having always been a voracious reader and devouring books at a breakneck speed, joining the bookish and blogging community seemed like a natural next step. She loves giving recommendations to friends and family and then very gently (and not forcefully at all) asking for their opinions after they complete each chapter.
Her reviews tend to be goofy, a little sweary, on the more impassioned side and maybe sometimes a little self deprecating.
Emily typically enjoys reading almost every genre, including (but not limited to) monster romance, literary fiction, rom-com, contemporary, LGBTQ+, low/urban fantasy, paranormal, dystopian, sci-fi, gothic romance or basically any book that will make her cry.