The Rose Throne both is and isn't what I would consider 'fantasy romance'. Normally I shy away from anything labeled as a romance but I'm glad I decided to give it a chance. It was something about the two women being at odds in the description that drew me. When I think of what makes a book a 'romance' to me its that the main characters are agonizing over their love life almost the entire time. The Rose Throne wasn't like that. There was a lot of agonizing to be sure but it was about being who they wanted to be and how to live their life and what is best for their country and people. 
 Ailsbet and Marissa are completely different characters and the story is told from their dual perspectives. This was done well in that they both had unique voice very much their own. At times I found Marissa to be a bit petulant and spoiled, I think anyone who reads it might agree with me on that. There is a good amount of miscommunication, misdirection, court politics and intrigue. So if you like that sort of thing, and women trying to come into their own, then you'll probably enjoy it. 
 One downside for me was the concept of the magic wasn't as well fleshed out in the first half or more of the book as I would have liked. I'm a lover of fantasy books so that is what I'm always aiming to learn more about - how unique the magic system is and how it works. I needed more of that here. I don't believe you got a real feeling for the male taweyr power until much later in the book, while the female neweyr you were given a fairly good idea of how it worked early on. Even now I'm still a bit shakey on what the taweyr is actually capable of doing. 
 Even at almost 400 pages this was a super quick read. Things are definitely not all rosy in The Rose Throne - and I'm not exactly sure I think the title "The Rose Throne" is appropriate but that is just personal opinion, I can see how it fits though. I do really wish however that this was a stand alone and not the start of yet another series. Luckily, for me the way it ended satisfies me enough such that I don't feel like I absolutely must read the next one. (view spoiler)[It is open ended but not a cliffhanger. (hide spoiler)]