(Photo of book cover taken from Goodreads)
A Wolf’s Rose is actually the first fantasy retelling I’ve ever read. Plus, it’s Christian fantasy, AND it’s a combined retelling of Red Riding Hood with Beauty and the Beast. So, this is one unique book right here.
To be clear, I only have a vague idea of what the story of Red Riding Hood actually is. And a very fuzzy understanding of Beauty and the Beast based on a movie version retelling of it. (I also don’t care to broaden my knowledge.) But that was not a problem for me when reading this book. Whether you’re into retellings, or just want to read a good fantasy, this book fits into both options quite well.
While I wouldn’t say the plot is as ‘gripping’ as some books I’ve read, it kept moving forward and never slowed down. The world that it is set in is unique and I would enjoy learning more about it. Also, I want to try snowcorn but I can’t because it’s not a real food. *sniffs*
Now, let’s talk characters. There’s some adorable ones, like Braich and Grandmama. There’s some terrifying, evil ones like (minor spoilers in bold):
Dorchas and Conan. There’s conflicted ones, which are Roshien and Lorcan.
Knowing more about Roshien’s past would be interesting. She presented a lot of spicy spunk! And Lorcan… Hmm, near the end I wasn’t sure where his alliance would fall, and didn’t know what to make of him.
And the little dwarves-! We must not forget them! The tough little guys that I don’t dare hug even if I wanted too, lest they stab me with one of their little arrows 😂
As for the world, as I said before, it’s very interesting. I want to try snowcorn now, and would enjoy knowing more about how the (minor spoilers in bold:)
how the merging of the moons work, and why is the world in darkness? And the war between Dorchas and Neyfal. And the magic systems as well, and the customs that have to do with ears.
It’s safe to say that the author didn't do any info dumping. In fact, I might prefer that there was a little more information, but if you don’t want to wade through that, be assured that isn’t a part of this book.
As for plot, it might be a tad cliche in some places, but that wasn’t a bother to me. There were lots of relatable things, for example, Roshien ‘electing to ignore’ the suds dripping on the floor as Ean washes dishes with his sister. As a fellow sister, I totally get it Roshien XD.
Okay, but we must devote at least a whole paragraph TO THAT ENDING. I totally thought I was just about 90% sure as to how it was going to end. SPOILERS IN BOLD:
Okay, like, both Lorcan and Roshien were going to get out of that hairy situation somehow in one piece. I didn’t see the dwarves coming into play, and that was neat.
Obviously, Lorcan and Roshien were in love, they were the romantic couple of the book and I was all for it. I thought that made him safe.
But Lorcan (Major spoiler here:) died. Right there at the end. Like, WHAT?! I definitely was not expecting that. For a majority of reasons: He’s a main character, he’s the other main character’s love interest, he’s (now) a good guy, amazing fighter, etc. etc.
After he *coughs* died, I was just like, “Um, what? Surely he’s not dead. Surely Braich will do something. He’s gonna pop back up at any moment. That’s the way this is supposed to work, right?”
Yeah, no. It didn’t happen. It was only when Lorcan was officially buried by Braich that I finally realized that yeah, he’s really dead.
So…
I find it impressive that the author was willing to go THAT far outside of the box. I do love being blasted out of my assumptions, despite all of my blustering XD. And now I really have mixed feelings about Ean, which really makes me want to read the next book.
In conclusion, A Wolf’s Rose was an engaging, Christian retelling of Red Riding Hood / Beauty and the Beast that I enjoyed and recommend. A hidden gem of Christian fiction, in my opinion, and a strong debut novel. I’m looking forward to reading the next book in this series, which goes more into Ean’s side of things.
So, that is my very long review of A Wolf’s Rose.
I was given a free copy of this book for an honest review. Thank you, M. C. Kennedy, for allowing me to read this book! If and when you’re ready to send out review copies for the next one, I’ll eagerly sign up to be one of them.
Until the next review,
Abby