Disclaimer: I received the e-arc of this book from the publisher. Thanks! I also bought my own copy. Support your authors! All opinions are my own.
Book: Rebel Rose
Author: Emma Theriault
Book Series: The Queen’s Council Book 1
Rating: 4.5/5
Diversity: Lesbian side character, gay side character
Recommended For…: retelling fans, fantasy fans, historical fiction fans, ya readers
Publication Date: November 10, 2020
Genre: YA Retelling Historical Ficiton Fantasy
Recommended Age: 16+ (romance, gore, violence, revolution, PTSD symptoms)
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Pages: 352
Synopsis: Happily ever after is only the beginning as Belle takes on the responsibility of becoming queen and learns to balance duty, love, and sacrifice, all while navigating dark political intrigue—and a touch of magic.
It’s 1789 and France is on the brink of revolution. Belle has finally broken the Enchantress’s curse, restoring the Beast to his human form and bringing life back to their castle in the province of Aveyon. But in Paris, the fires of change are burning, and it’s only a matter of time before the rebellion arrives on their doorstep.
Not so very long ago, Belle dreamed of leaving her provincial home for a life of adventure. But now she finds herself living in a palace, torn between her past as a commoner, and her future as royalty. While Belle grapples with her newfound position, there are those who would do anything to keep her from power.
When she stumbles across a magic mirror that holds a dire warning, Belle wants nothing more than to ignore the mysterious voice calling her to accept a crown she never desired. But violent factions of the revolution may already be lurking within her own castle, and doing nothing would endanger everything she holds dear. With the fate of her country, her love, and her life at stake, Belle must decide if she is ready to embrace her own strength–and the magic that ties her to so many female rulers before her–to become the queen she is meant to be.
Review: this was a really good book and a really interesting historical take on the Disney princesses. I really like the historical aspects and from what I could see and what I know of that time., I believe that it is mostly accurate. I felt like the character development was pretty well done as well as the overall plot of the book. The book kept me hooked and I pretty much read it in one sitting.
However, I did have some issues with the book. I feel like the book was really slow paced and that the action portions of the book were here and there. The book is also weirdly written in that a lot of things are repeated that I felt were unnecessarily repeated. I also didn’t like that Adam’s name was changed to Lio in this book. I like the little explanation that they gave for why, but his name is Adam and I don’t know why the author went with that. I also felt like the world building could have been a little bit better.
Verdict: It was good!