Friends, you NEED to read Rosemarked & Umbertouched if you love young adult fiction. It’s been awhile since I posted a young adult book review but this series is definitely deserving! (and the author is running an amazing giveaway and preorder promo that ends today! details here)
So first, I’m going to say that I’ve been a little over with the ‘angsty teenage girl overthrows the patriarchy’ trope. Which isn’t to say I don’t still love that trope, but just that most of those stories read the same. Not this one! The series starts with Rosemarked by Livia Blackburne & I honestly couldn’t put it down. I initially bought it because of the cover and found myself delighted when I realized I had grabbed a fast-paced adventure with a bittersweet and completely clean romance. (But look at that cover?! How could I NOT buy it?!)
Zivah, our female lead breaks all the tropes. She DOES get the deadly disease and despite her distrust of our male lead, Zivah is loyal, kind, and strong when she needs to be. And she’s smart. Things happen to her and she rolls with it and makes the best of the situation while staying true to herself. No angsty monologues in sight, just demonstrations of courage. Seriously, I love her and would want her to be my friend. I don’t want to share to much because I think it was more enjoyable to go in without a lot of preconceived notions about the story, but if you loved The Cruel Prince by Holly Black or The False Prince by Jennifer Neilson, this is a great book for you (And I’d rate it age 12+)
The sequel, Umbertouched, releases TOMORROW (11/6) so you won’t even have to wait for the rest of the story! I’ve started it and it is so good. I just need my kids to spend a little extra time at school this week so I can finish. 😉
As a bonus, if you preorder Umbertouched today before it releases, you can get gorgeous free swag including bookmarks, character prints and other goodies! Pop over to Livia’s website to read the details. And follow Livia on instagram if you have one because she has an AMAZING giveaway happening that ends on Tuesday for FIVE books. It’s definitely something you’ll want to enter.
I teach 7th grade, so I’m always looking for clean YA adventures, particularly with female protagonists. Thanks for the recommendation. I’ll have to check it out.