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booksthatburn's review
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
*I received a free review copy in exchange for an honest review of this book.
THE LANGUAGE OF ROSES is an excellent retelling of Beauty and the Best, with an aromantic heroine asked to love and marry a beastly man before his and his sister's transformations are made permanent. When her father plucks a rose from a garden, Alys is sent to live with the Beast (Philippe) and his sister (Grace) as payment. Alys could marry him, but he asks for love with marriage and she cannot promise that. It's an excellent portrayal of emotional abuse exacerbated by sexism and social structures. There are so many little things done so well in this novella, it stays true to the bones of the original story without forcing Alys to fit the mold of a romantic heroine against her nature. This is perfect for those who love retellings and anyone who's tired of romance being required for a happily ever after.
THE LANGUAGE OF ROSES is an excellent retelling of Beauty and the Best, with an aromantic heroine asked to love and marry a beastly man before his and his sister's transformations are made permanent. When her father plucks a rose from a garden, Alys is sent to live with the Beast (Philippe) and his sister (Grace) as payment. Alys could marry him, but he asks for love with marriage and she cannot promise that. It's an excellent portrayal of emotional abuse exacerbated by sexism and social structures. There are so many little things done so well in this novella, it stays true to the bones of the original story without forcing Alys to fit the mold of a romantic heroine against her nature. This is perfect for those who love retellings and anyone who's tired of romance being required for a happily ever after.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Sexism, Confinement, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Abandonment, Sexual content, and Domestic abuse
druv's review against another edition
5.0
One of Heather Rose Jones' best. This novella is about love in a mysterious and dark castle, but love from a different perspective than so many tales are obsessed with. It explores a character that gives up herself for the sake of her family and get thrust into a situation she has no way of understanding, an intrigue of fae and passions at odds. Much like in the Disney version, the library is a great solace to the main character, but for quite a different reason - one I find just as understandable as the ability to spend your time reading books.
This novella also explores the many guises beasts can appear around us, and finding the power to overcome and walk away.
This novella also explores the many guises beasts can appear around us, and finding the power to overcome and walk away.
jamietherebelliousreader's review against another edition
4.0
4 stars. Very unique spin on the classic Beauty and the Beast story. For one, this one isn’t a romance at all and I didn’t mind that. The writing is gorgeous and moody and I liked the main character Alys. I also liked the Beast’s sister, Grace and her story with Eglantine and I wanted more of that. This is a super short read and I definitely wanted more but for what it is it’s entertaining and different.
vasha's review
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Domestic abuse, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Violence
smartie_chan's review against another edition
5.0
I'd like to thank NetGalley & the publisher for providing me with an E-Arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!
5 / 5 Stars
The Beauty & The Beast has always been one of my favourit fairytails when I was little and it still is to this day. Which is why I'm very picky when it comes to retellings. If I were to tell you all about why the story is that dear to me, we'd be sitting here for a while. So let's not do that.
When I saw that this book featured an aromantic MC I knew that I had to read it. And I'm very glad I did.
In case you cared, I'm glad to report that a book titled
'The Language of Roses' does indeed feature some very beautiful prose and writing style, such as multible distinctive voices. The very first chapter, for example, read like a poetry book and for a second I was a little confused, but later on, after realising who it was that spoke to me, I couldn't help but smile.
This is still a story about love, but it's also a story about toxicity, abuse and neglect. It's a story about setting yourself free.
But It's not a story about redemption.
It’s funny how forgiveness has almost become the destination for all journeys to healing. It’s become commercialized and exploited to the extent that forgiveness loses its true meaning, becoming a cover for abusers. Because if forgiveness is the end of all paths to healing, if you're going to forgive me anyways, no matter what, then the act of abuse doesn’t really matter.
Victims are supposed to erase their anger, hurt and pain. They are expected to suffer and forgive again and again and again, while society ignores one crucial thing:
Forgiveness is a privilege, and those who want it have to earn it.
While
You have the right to not forgive your abusers at all.
You don't have to forgive, even if they changed, even if they didn't mean it and even if they're sorry. Your feelings matter. Your pain matters. And the book does an amazing job in embodying that. I could say more, but I don't wanna spoil too much. So I'm just gonna leave it at that.
The end of the book had me more than a little emotional, I'm not gonna lie. Because it's filled with a lot of theme, a lot of heart and a lot of love. Truly a great retelling and an amazing and powerful story.
5 / 5 Stars
The Beauty & The Beast has always been one of my favourit fairytails when I was little and it still is to this day. Which is why I'm very picky when it comes to retellings. If I were to tell you all about why the story is that dear to me, we'd be sitting here for a while. So let's not do that.
When I saw that this book featured an aromantic MC I knew that I had to read it. And I'm very glad I did.
In case you cared, I'm glad to report that a book titled
'The Language of Roses' does indeed feature some very beautiful prose and writing style, such as multible distinctive voices. The very first chapter, for example, read like a poetry book and for a second I was a little confused, but later on, after realising who it was that spoke to me, I couldn't help but smile.
This is still a story about love, but it's also a story about toxicity, abuse and neglect. It's a story about setting yourself free.
But It's not a story about redemption.
It’s funny how forgiveness has almost become the destination for all journeys to healing. It’s become commercialized and exploited to the extent that forgiveness loses its true meaning, becoming a cover for abusers. Because if forgiveness is the end of all paths to healing, if you're going to forgive me anyways, no matter what, then the act of abuse doesn’t really matter.
Victims are supposed to erase their anger, hurt and pain. They are expected to suffer and forgive again and again and again, while society ignores one crucial thing:
Forgiveness is a privilege, and those who want it have to earn it.
While
You have the right to not forgive your abusers at all.
You don't have to forgive, even if they changed, even if they didn't mean it and even if they're sorry. Your feelings matter. Your pain matters. And the book does an amazing job in embodying that. I could say more, but I don't wanna spoil too much. So I'm just gonna leave it at that.
The end of the book had me more than a little emotional, I'm not gonna lie. Because it's filled with a lot of theme, a lot of heart and a lot of love. Truly a great retelling and an amazing and powerful story.
unorgaynized's review against another edition
4.0
Thank you, NetGalley and Queen of Swords Press for the chance to read this ARC!
Four out of five stars, I truly did enjoy it. I am very much on the aroace spectrum, and while there is not explicit confirmation Alys is, she feels real and true enough along that I can find myself relating to her easily. To be asked to marry and to be in love with someone-- one of those things is easier than the other, on any level. Like Alys, I cannot force myself to love if I have never romantically loved and it does not come so naturally to me.
A beautiful spin of Beauty and the Beast-- but with him was cursed his sister, who holds the servants. Alongside them are familiar figures from other fairy tales: a girl who dropped jewels and flowers from her mouth with every word, a grieving enchantress-mother who cannot see what has happened, the man who broke his promise and struck his wife thrice.
Alys and Grace grow in companionship against Grace's oppressive Beast brother, trying to soothe his personality, coax him into a better frame of mind, tailor their behaviors to please his moods. A love cannot easily grow between a beauty and the beast she attempts to pacify-- but a deep relationship can grow between herself and his sister.
This is, of course, sapphic-- it's a book by Heather Rose Jones, of course-- and I really appreciated the relationship, as well as the neat storylines tied off at the end.
Four out of five stars, I truly did enjoy it. I am very much on the aroace spectrum, and while there is not explicit confirmation Alys is, she feels real and true enough along that I can find myself relating to her easily. To be asked to marry and to be in love with someone-- one of those things is easier than the other, on any level. Like Alys, I cannot force myself to love if I have never romantically loved and it does not come so naturally to me.
A beautiful spin of Beauty and the Beast-- but with him was cursed his sister, who holds the servants. Alongside them are familiar figures from other fairy tales: a girl who dropped jewels and flowers from her mouth with every word, a grieving enchantress-mother who cannot see what has happened, the man who broke his promise and struck his wife thrice.
Alys and Grace grow in companionship against Grace's oppressive Beast brother, trying to soothe his personality, coax him into a better frame of mind, tailor their behaviors to please his moods. A love cannot easily grow between a beauty and the beast she attempts to pacify-- but a deep relationship can grow between herself and his sister.
This is, of course, sapphic-- it's a book by Heather Rose Jones, of course-- and I really appreciated the relationship, as well as the neat storylines tied off at the end.
jennieartemis's review against another edition
dark
reflective
medium-paced
4.75
TL;DR: A Beauty and the Beast reworking that is short and sweet, posing wonderfully queer questions to the tradition
(eARC provided by Netgalley)
The Language of Roses feels like a genuinely fresh and radical take on the Beauty and the Beast tale, and does it without throwing in too many twists to lore or worldbuilding. This version manages to hit all the familiar beats, but it is evident just how modern its approach is, both in the centrality of queerness (aromanticism and sapphic love truly are at the heart of this) and in its approach to the complexity of humanity. This is not a story meant to be "dark" in the way some retellings have been: it is rather focused on toxic relationships, as opposed to evil individuals. I love its lyrical moments, and honestly craved more of them, and I can't say this ultimately blew me away emotionally; it is more a work of stylistic efficiency and thematic power that I truly admire.
9/10 in personal rating system
(eARC provided by Netgalley)
The Language of Roses feels like a genuinely fresh and radical take on the Beauty and the Beast tale, and does it without throwing in too many twists to lore or worldbuilding. This version manages to hit all the familiar beats, but it is evident just how modern its approach is, both in the centrality of queerness (aromanticism and sapphic love truly are at the heart of this) and in its approach to the complexity of humanity. This is not a story meant to be "dark" in the way some retellings have been: it is rather focused on toxic relationships, as opposed to evil individuals. I love its lyrical moments, and honestly craved more of them, and I can't say this ultimately blew me away emotionally; it is more a work of stylistic efficiency and thematic power that I truly admire.
9/10 in personal rating system
elderlingfool's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
4.5
This is the most creative Beauty and the Beast retelling I have ever read, but if someone is looking for a romance they wouldn’t find much of it here (or at least not in the way we are used to in this kind of story).
The book still has a lot of the elements of the original fairy tale, but transformed. It does start with a man stealing a rose and having to send one of his three daughters, but in this one the Beast has a sister that is slowly transforming into stone and they are part of the fae. There is a manor instead of a castle and the beast hides it from humans and fae using his magic while his sister is using her magic for the unseen servants. There is a rose that keeps changing colour in an attempt to speak and there is Beauty, called Alys in this book, who is an aromantic and asexual main character. Everyday the beast asks Alys if she loves him and if she will marry him and everyday she answers no, “not because he his a beast, but because she is Alys”. There is also the sorcerer who put the curse on both brother and sister as revenge and she is part of the fae. There is a dance and there is a library full of books with mostly nonsense on the inside because the beast made them magically appear and he was more concerned with appearance than the content.
If that didn’t convince you that this is a wonderful and creative take on the usual story, I don’t know what will. There is a side w|w romance, but not involving Alys because Alys is who she is until the end.
The pacing is great, not being too fast or too slow. The chapters are short, which makes me keep reading “just one more”. I liked the characters and I liked the themes of love and recognition of emotional abuse, besides all the creativity that went into this short book.
I definitely recommend it and I figured out that I really like queerness in my fantasy. That is something that I already knew, but I used to think I would still enjoy books without it and it has been harder lately for those to hit the spot for me.
shanaqui's review
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Received to review via Netgalley.
The Language of Roses is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast which also pulls in elements of other fairy stories (the girl from whom pearls drip from her mouth whenever she speaks, the fairy wife enduring three strikes and then leaving), featuring an aromantic lead character who is not going to follow the fairy tale and fall in love. It also features Grace and Eglantine, who are in love despite Eglantine's courtship by Philippe, Grace's brother.
And that's perhaps already saying too much -- it's worth experiencing this storyline for yourself and seeing how Heather Rose Jones works it out and weaves together the fairy tales. It was very satisfying for me despite the novella length: I enjoyed it a lot. Alys is a lovely character, interested in helping those around her, in being kind, and also in being true to herself.
I could wish to see a little more of the aftermath -- not just as a "and they all lived happily ever after", but what Alys' role is exactly in the life of the estate after everything is over and done.
The Language of Roses is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast which also pulls in elements of other fairy stories (the girl from whom pearls drip from her mouth whenever she speaks, the fairy wife enduring three strikes and then leaving), featuring an aromantic lead character who is not going to follow the fairy tale and fall in love. It also features Grace and Eglantine, who are in love despite Eglantine's courtship by Philippe, Grace's brother.
And that's perhaps already saying too much -- it's worth experiencing this storyline for yourself and seeing how Heather Rose Jones works it out and weaves together the fairy tales. It was very satisfying for me despite the novella length: I enjoyed it a lot. Alys is a lovely character, interested in helping those around her, in being kind, and also in being true to herself.
I could wish to see a little more of the aftermath -- not just as a "and they all lived happily ever after", but what Alys' role is exactly in the life of the estate after everything is over and done.