Dull characters, boring plot, mediocre writing. Reads like some pretentious fanfiction. dnf.

I don't know why it shows up as YA on Goodreads, but this book is about twentysomething adults, trying to find their ways as artists. It's not YA, not at all. At the center of the novel we have two sisters - a dancer and a writer, who arrive at a mysterious establishment to work on their art projects and be mentored by professionals for a year. As time goes by, they discover some pretty weird stuff goes on there, and some pretty bizarre creatures inhabit it.What I liked: 1) art, artistic process...

4.5 stars. Very good story about two sisters who are accepted for a nine-month artists' retreat and slowly realize they're living in a faery tale.

To me, the testament of a good story is how long it sticks with you after you finish. My favorite books are the ones that, no matter what else you might be doing, are always at the back of your mind. Wooing you. Reminding you that they exist. Begging for another read through. Kat Howard's Roses and Rot hasn't unleashed me from its magical confines yet. I finished it well over two days ago, and it just won't leave me be. I tell you, I'm not even upset. All I really want is a hardcover of this so

One of my new favorites! I love the poetic and dark atmosphere mixed with mystery and fantasy. Full review here: https://youtu.be/l9c4rNh3UcA

This is a fairy tale that sort of isn't. It has fae, magic and a king of fairy land but is essentially arty types on retreat. Two sisters, one a writer the other a dancer, escape their life and more to the point, their mother and try to be the best they can. Some of the imagery is particularly enchanting but there are a couple of times where events happened that I had to go back and read over still coming away confused. I would've liked more information on evil mum too.I didn't feel that the cov...

Reviewed by: Rabid Reads4.5 starsThis book . . . is too magical to give you more information than what is already given in the synopsis. This is the thing about fairy tales: You have to live through them, before you get to happily ever after. That ever after has to be earned, and not everyone makes it that far. It's not a secret that Fae are my favorite. But the reason behind my love of all things Fae is an accidentally given and gleefully received book of fairytales when I was ten(ish) years

"That doesn't mean that I would destroy those works, or that I'm not proud of having come out the other side. Our past art makes our present art as much as our past life makes us who we are now. In the end, if the art stands up, that's what matters.” This book is the most overwrought, overwritten, pretentious piece of nonsense I've suffered through in a long time. Problems:* The writing: everything was so overwritten. I think the book was attempting to be literary but lacked both style and a

I'll call this a manipulative story... and not as an endearment. With the main characters having been the target of their mother's abuse (psychological and physical) , I actually felt bad for not connecting with them.Have I such a heart of stone, that neither a story with traits such as those, can touch me?And that was what made me keep reading. I kept hoping to feel something... And I did, in small bits. Mainly, during Imogen's stream of consciousness and during the fairy tales that she kep

4 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2016/05/17/...They say there’s a certain amount of truth in fairy tales. Despite their fantastical nature, the stories usually have some basis in reality, providing a moral compass during turbulent times, often teaching lessons which can be applied to one’s own life. If nothing else, the “trueness” may lie in the big picture rather than the details, such as the honesty of the character’s emotions or the essence of their relationships. H...

Two sisters - one a dancer and one a writer - are both admitted to an exclusive artist's colony. The colony turns out to be a gateway to Faerie, whose inhabitants have a bargain with the residents - the most accomplished among them can achieve the highest success and honors their profession allows; success that comes at great personal cost.I liked the premise of Roses and Rot, but the novel itself did not really live up to its promise, and the conflict that drives the last third of the book is a...

Review first posted on Fantasy Literature:Roses and Rot (2016) is a slow-building but beautifully written dark fantasy, loosely based on a familiar folk tale that isn’t disclosed until about a third of the way into the novel, so I’ll refrain from giving it away. (Note: You'll see it given away in several Goodreads reviews, so if you don't want to be spoiled, limit your review perusing. :D) Primarily Roses and Rot explores the relationship between two adult sisters and their devotion to their res...

DNF. A little too mannered, purple, and lacking in connective tissue.

Trigger warnings: physical abuse of children, emotional abuse, suicide.Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuugh. Let's start with something of a disclaimer: I didn't want to read this book. The Fae are not my thing. At all. I don't find them interesting to read about. I don't care about their dark, mysterious powers of persuasion or whatever the fuck. But this was the FYA book club pick this month, so I kind of had to read it. And I wish to God I hadn't, because I've never been SO FUCKING BORED IN MY ENT...

-ballad of tam lin retelling?-dark academia?-$1.99 on Kindle?Yaaaaaaaass-Apparently I read this five years ago. I have no memory of this book at all lol. Uh oh.

Intriguing premise but didn't get emersed in the story as I had hoped. Remember being completely hooked on a Cinderella retailing many years ago and I had hoped this fairy taleesce novel would do the same. Although not a bad read but didn't feel anything in particular for it either

ROSES AND ROT is a modern-day fairy tale about art and survival and sisterhood, and it's fierce and beautiful and full of magic. Imogen and Marin are sisters who helped each other survive their abusive mother's toxic parenting when they were kids but had their connection snapped after Imogen escaped to boarding school. Now, as adults, they're both artists in different fields - Imogen as a writer, Marin as a dancer - and they're trying to re-establish their relationship...partly by coming togethe...

It's a curious feeling when you finish a book and realize how desperately you needed it. ROSES AND ROT is one of those books. It's a story of love and fairytales, and the horrifying ways we make peace with ourselves in the name of art. The story revolves around two sisters, Imogen and Marin, whose love for one another and troubled family history is the book's burning core. Both accepted to the prestigious Melete, both devastatingly talented. Throughout R&R, Howard makes reference to the motif of...

If I had to label this book, I'd call it a New Adult Fairy Tale, which I know some readers will devour. For me, ROSES AND ROT was an okay story, though not as "Gothic" as I was expecting.Two sisters, Imogen and Marin, are accepted into an exclusive artists' colony called Melete. Only the best of the best are invited to join. It seems wonderful in theory, especially since the sisters have different talents and wouldn't be in competition with each other. Well, not everything is as it seems at Mele...

"Once upon a time, there were two sisters, and there was a forest. The forest was, in the way of these things, full of secrets. Not just the secrets of leaves and trees, of fur and feathers, of shadowed spaces. Certainly it had all of those, but it had other secrets as well."Two sisters:Imogen, the eldest. A writer of fairy tales, andMarin, the youngest. A ballet dancer.Both are invited to the prestigious artist retreat Melete for nine blissful months of full concentration on their art. They're