Reviews with content warning for Grief - Six Scorched Roses

I adored this little book so much! I related to Lilith, I loved her struggles with human connection. She is very clearly autistic and I love the representation as an autistic person myself.

I loved the blossoming love between Vale and Lilith and all the little ways he understood her when everyone else did not. Watching their relationship grow was truly something else. I loved these two so much 🖤

It had a satisfying, heart warming ending with a bittersweet tinge. Can’t wait to read more about these two.

The only reason this is not a full 5 star read is the lack of world building, I had a hard time visualizing where this all took place. But the characters and story were great!

Vale: I like her, I like that autistic woman

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meeklovestoread's review against another edition

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emotional sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Again! Reading this book has really shown me how much I really enjoy vampire fantasy. Carissa's books are my first preview into it and I'm really enjoying it. I really liked this story and the characters. I feel like Lilith was played out to be either neurodivergent or autistic. I don't want to give out false information but based on what I read Lilith seems to fit the bill (but like I said I don't want to assume). I like the storyline a lot. And I found the romance to be believable enough, but I do feel like it was a bit too quick and could've benefitted from more development.

However, I just felt that this story being a novella didn't do it justice. I found myself wanting more time with the characters to see them develop. More time with the romance because I think the characters got together a bit too quickly for my liking. I do have to say this romance was much better than the one in the first book. There was barely any build-up for the romance in the first book in my opinion. And I'm glad we got a little more information about the world, however, same as the last book I still found myself with questions that have gone unanswered.

I'm curious about who these other gods are and how exactly Nyaxia broke from them and became so powerful that she sired herself an entire new species. What was the illness exactly? And how did it work? I'm still confused about the "dust" and what that was supposed to be when it comes to the illness. It's still not explained why Vale didn't just eat her or why he accepted her deal so quickly. It's just blamed on pure attraction and I think that's lazy writing. (not gonna lie after like 60% i was kinda checked out, but that could've just been a me thing; i've been in a little slump)

I did like was transpired in the end. I think it was good considering I was so curious as to why Lilith was going on about

when she kept going on and on about how she was dying and such; i'm still confused about that, like why was still destined to die? Was it because her dad gave it all up just for his crops? I'm confused.

Overall, it was good, but after reading book 1 and now this novella. I kept leaving Carissa's book wanting more, but not because it was sooooo unbelievably good, but because I wasn't completely satisfied. Hopefully, I really enjoy book 2 cuz I still really like this world that she's conjured up.

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️.5/5 (there's one scene, but i forgot the chapter)

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v_____'s review against another edition

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adventurous emotional inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I will never shut up praising how Cassandra Broadbent describes things, especially Gods, until forever 🙏🙏

Plus: THIS is my new life motto now:😌

... about two centuries ago, I decided that I would never again do anything I didn’t want to do. And I don’t want to...

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shinyfox's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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louisepea's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

“It's just... something being difficult is not a good reason not to do it.”

Six Scorched Roses was a brilliant Beauty and the Beast-inspired novella from the Crowns of Nyaxia series about a neurodivergent human woman making a deal with a grumpy hot vampire so she can find a cure for a disease cursing her village.

Every month, Lilith promises Vale a special rose in exchange for his blood- a human taking a vampire's blood? Oh, the irony!!- and what starts as a reluctant partnership soon turns into a friendly alliance, with Vale eagerly helping Lilith research her work, and adorably, sending her letters in her absence like the sweet old soul he is.

As the letters accumulate, it appears that something is building between the two friends, and Lilith is too distracted by her work and her feelings for Vale to realise the letters have led a group of scared religious extremists to his door. Will she be able to get to him in time? And when her actions displease a vengeful God, will there be anything she can offer to save those she loves from his wrath? Or has death caught up with Lilith a fourth and final time?

*
Ix's tits, I think this might just be one of the best novellas I've ever read.

After loving The Serpent and the Wings of Night, I wasted no time in sinking my fangs into this book, and loved it so much, I greedily drank it down in a couple of sittings. I only wish it had been longer. 195 pages wasn't enough time with Lilith and Vale.

It was fun to read a vampire story where the human was the one taking the vampire's blood, and the vampire the one being perturbed by the human silently sneaking into his home unannounced and uninvited at inconvenient times. (Nothing like a bit of voyeurism to make or break the mood...)

Lilith was such an interesting character as a fearless neurodivergent thirty year old whose difficulty with social cues got her into awkward situations at times, but who never tried to be anything but herself. It was admirable how her love for her terminally ill sister drove her to fearlessly approach a vampire to help her find a cure, and to not take 'no' for an answer, and how she worked tirelessly to help everyone, before giving everything she had to save them.

I loved how Lilith quickly had Vale, the, supposedly, big scary vampire, wrapped around her little finger, enthralled by her patented blend of curiosity and thirst for knowledge. He reminded me so much of a winged Lorcan Salvaterre- a big, moody, immortal killing machine softened by a clever human woman who isn't afraid of him. And just like Lorcan, I adored him!

I thoroughly enjoyed the enemies to friends to lovers relationship which developed between them, cemented by Vale initiating a letter exchange, and Lilith coming to save him. If I didn't already love him before he enthusiastically started penning her academic love letters with doodles and poems delivered by magic or raven, the letter-writing definitely did it. I mean, could that be any cuter?!

I was also swooning when he saved her from a group of opportunist robbers, and nursed her back to health- even while chastising her for almost-stripping to save her skin, not quite grasping her limited options as an unarmed mortal woman cornered by men until she made it clear.

I was equally moved by the scenes where Lilith raced to save Vale from the mob, killed to defend him, and then took care of him, as well as when Vale came for her when she went to face the vengeful God alone. The two of them were just adorable together, and the way this odd-couple cared for each other stole my whole heart. They were the last two people you'd expect to end up together, but somehow, they just worked.

For some reason, I wasn't at all surprised by how it ended- I guess it was kinda predictable- but it had me on the edge of my seat anyway, hoping Lilith made it through. And thank goodness she did... well, kind of.

I'm excited to read more books of the two of them in the future, and can't wait to see where the series takes them now that Lilith has all the time in the world. I loved this first adventure of them, and I need to know more! 4 shiny stars out of 5.

Trigger warnings for: Sex, voyeurism, violence, blood, terminal illness, death, attempted assault.

Content Warnings

lucindahoi's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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emilywemily6's review against another edition

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adventurous dark hopeful tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

I really enjoyed this novella, more than the duology! I found the length perfect and the story was sweet. It was slower-paced than other novellas I have read, which I didn’t mind but since I read it in multiple sittings I feel like I might have missed a little bit of the characterization of Lillith and Vale. So I would have loved a little more characterization at the beginning of the book, but I also might have missed it. I enjoyed seeing this relationship progress and how it felt right for Lillith to choose Vale.

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