"Here he was not Romani, I was not a lady. 
 He was Gabor, I was Anna." 
 I was in the mood to start a new fantasy series and when I saw the cover of Blood Rose Rebellion, I knew this was next on my list. 
 I couldn't wait to dive into a new world full of new characters and mythology but I'm sorry to say it but I felt disappointed. Most of my issues have to do with the main character, Anna Arden. Anna was not easy to like or to root for. It didn't help that she fell easily for any boy who paid her a little attention. Once she kissed one, she was falling for him. She also made some questionable choices. Some made her look selfish. Her sole purpose seemed to arise from the desire to be accepted in her society. In order to achieve it, she needed to wield magic. She didn't think too closely about the consequences of her actions. Although, I think she finally realized it by the end of the book. 
 I did like Gabor. He was a Romani (gypsy) living in Hungary. There was a lot of prosecution and prejudice against the Romani and this book does a good job of describing it. Gabor tried very hard to keep Anna from making a rush decision. He knew they needed a change but he didn't want Anna to get hurt in the process. I felt like he cared for her, I wish their romance didn't feel like insta-love to me. 
 The book had great potential. We have the Luminate who had great power. They had magic and they were in control of the rest. The Luminate were all from important families. Anna was part of one of those families. However, she was Barren, meaning she had no powers except being able to break spells. The Circle kept the "peace" in any way possible including force. 
 I would say the best two things about Blood Rose Rebellion are the folklore and the historical facts thread into the novel. It was great learning about the Slavic mythology and their folklore. So many interesting entities and I wish the author had delved a little bit more into them. In regards to the historical facts, I thought the author did a wonderful job mixing them with fiction. It shows that she did her research. 
 Cliffhanger: No 
 2/5 Fangs 
 A complimentary copy was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. 
 MrsLeif's Two Fangs About It | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram