Rose Petal Graves by Olivia Wildenstein Series The Lost Clan # 1
Genres: Young Adult Fiction, Fantasy
Publication date: May 15th 2016
Publisher: Olivia Wildenstein
Format: ebook, 182 pages
How I got it: YA Bound Book Tours for an honest review
Buy it: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
My rating: 4/5
Ancient secrets cannot remain buried forever.
Founded two centuries ago by an aloof and powerful tribe of Gottwa Indians, Rowan was a quiet town, so quiet that I fled after graduation. Staying away was the plan, but Mom died suddenly, so I rushed home.
Dad said she suffered a stroke after she dug up one of the ancient graves in our backyard, which happens to be the town cemetery. Creepy, I know. Creepier still, there was no corpse inside the old coffin, only fresh rose petals.
As we made preparations for Mom’s burial, Cruz, the new medical examiner, arrived. I should have felt relieved, but how could I? He was unnervingly handsome, glowed like a human firefly, and knew absolutely nothing about examining dead bodies.
But, he did know what killed my mother…or rather who.
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My thoughts:
This book follows Cat who has rushed home from school since her mother had passed away. Cat is convinced that her mother was murdered and not had a heart attack. As Cat gets back into town the medical examiner arrives to examine the body. There immediately seems something off about the medical examiner right when he arrives and Cat seems alarmed. Cat is still processing her mother's death when her family starts to come to town and the funeral is being held so her emotions do seem a little all over the place and she is just trying to piece everything together to make sense.
There were several things I loved in the book. First I want to start with the pace, it was perfect. We got the right information at the right time, which made the book move along at a steady pace. I never felt overwhelmed with the amount of information I was learning and also I didn't have that many unanswered questions at the end of the book, but still wanted the sequel, which to me is something hard to do. We got a look into several of the relationships that Cat has with her friends and her father. I enjoyed the relationship between Cat and her friend Blake. You can easily tell that Blake has feelings for Cat right away and that they might not be reciprocated and you can see that just by the way Cat describes Blake. Blake is there at all the right moments that Cat needs him for and supports her in everything she does. Cat is trying really hard not to lead Blake on, but he is not catching on.
I loved Cat as a character. She was honest and upfront about her feelings during the entire book. The book is told entirely through her point of view, but she really goes into internal debates, which allows the reader to get a great picture of her character. She is really just a young adult trying to figure out her life. Cat also misses her mom and they seemed to have had a close relationship. Cat is working on memories to bring her mom to life. Also, Cat gets through into a crazy situation in which she really needs to get a grip on what is going on quickly with no real guidance from anyone she trusts.
I also really enjoyed all the details that we were given in the book. It was easy for me as reader to imagine what was going on and what Cat was seeing. I felt like I could easily imagine all of the locations that Cat was going and what she was seeing when she was there. I also felt like I knew what the author was imaging the characters to look like.
This is a super quick read, that could easily be read over a weekend. I think my one issue was when it ended I wanted to know what was going to happen next, so be prepared for the wanting the next book immediately!!
I was received a copy of this book from the YA Bound Book Tours for the purpose of providing an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
There were several things I loved in the book. First I want to start with the pace, it was perfect. We got the right information at the right time, which made the book move along at a steady pace. I never felt overwhelmed with the amount of information I was learning and also I didn't have that many unanswered questions at the end of the book, but still wanted the sequel, which to me is something hard to do. We got a look into several of the relationships that Cat has with her friends and her father. I enjoyed the relationship between Cat and her friend Blake. You can easily tell that Blake has feelings for Cat right away and that they might not be reciprocated and you can see that just by the way Cat describes Blake. Blake is there at all the right moments that Cat needs him for and supports her in everything she does. Cat is trying really hard not to lead Blake on, but he is not catching on.
I loved Cat as a character. She was honest and upfront about her feelings during the entire book. The book is told entirely through her point of view, but she really goes into internal debates, which allows the reader to get a great picture of her character. She is really just a young adult trying to figure out her life. Cat also misses her mom and they seemed to have had a close relationship. Cat is working on memories to bring her mom to life. Also, Cat gets through into a crazy situation in which she really needs to get a grip on what is going on quickly with no real guidance from anyone she trusts.
I also really enjoyed all the details that we were given in the book. It was easy for me as reader to imagine what was going on and what Cat was seeing. I felt like I could easily imagine all of the locations that Cat was going and what she was seeing when she was there. I also felt like I knew what the author was imaging the characters to look like.
This is a super quick read, that could easily be read over a weekend. I think my one issue was when it ended I wanted to know what was going to happen next, so be prepared for the wanting the next book immediately!!
I was received a copy of this book from the YA Bound Book Tours for the purpose of providing an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
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About the Author
Olivia
Wildenstein grew up in New York City, the daughter of a French father
with a great sense of humor, and a Swedish mother whom she speaks to at
least three times a day. She chose Brown University to complete her
undergraduate studies and earned a bachelor’s in comparative literature.
After designing jewelry for a few years, Wildenstein traded in her
tools for a laptop computer and a very comfortable chair. This line of
work made more sense, considering her college degree.
When she’s not writing, she’s psychoanalyzing everyone she meets (Yes. Everyone), eavesdropping on conversations to gather material for her next book, baking up a storm (that she actually eats), going to the gym (because she eats), and attempting not to be late at her children’s school (like she is 4 out of 5 mornings, on good weeks).
Wildenstein lives with her husband and three children in Geneva, Switzerland, where she’s an active member of the writing community.
When she’s not writing, she’s psychoanalyzing everyone she meets (Yes. Everyone), eavesdropping on conversations to gather material for her next book, baking up a storm (that she actually eats), going to the gym (because she eats), and attempting not to be late at her children’s school (like she is 4 out of 5 mornings, on good weeks).
Wildenstein lives with her husband and three children in Geneva, Switzerland, where she’s an active member of the writing community.
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