I’m not really sure what to make of this book. Normally I love fairy tale retelling but there was just something a bit off about this book for me. I found it hard to engage with the character of Lana, she was a bit too selfish and spoiled to really root for. I also found the relationship between the two main characters was a bit bland and with this kind of story you really want to be invested in the main characters. The writing style is good and I think with a bit of tweaking the story could be good but this wasn’t really for me.

Thank you NetGalley, author Esme Rome, and Parako Press for giving me a free arc of this book in exchange for an honest reivew! All thoughts and opinions are my own.
3 stars
I am a huge fan of the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale. With that being said, I really wanted to enjoy this retelling of one of my favorite fairy tales, but this one fell kind of short for me!
The characters were a bit underdeveloped and did not really have enough time to allow the reader to get to know them and care for their HEA. There was a whole lot of plot within this book, but it really did not go anywhere significant to move the story along. The pacing was all over the place. In some places the action moved very quickly and need to slow down and allow the characters and story to breathe and in other places the story dragged at places that were not important to the overall story. The writing style was unique due to the third person usage as well as the reader having the internal thoughts of the characters. While I understood this was a retelling, there was not much difference between this and the original fairy tale of Beauty and the Beast. Usually retellings keep to the spirit of the original work, but put a new spin and or perspective on their version, but sadly this was not the case for this book. I liked the addition of the mini stories woven throughout the book and Hadien's story was also interesting. I would like to read more by this author in the future because retelling are some of my favorite stories.

1/5

I really wanted to like this book, I really did. Beauty and the Beast is one of my favorite fairytales so i might have set my expectations a little too high.

The main character, Lana, is a young girl that somehow gets cursed (?) as a woman from a fairytale, the one doomed to fall in love with a beast. She then tries to escape this fate fleeing and ending up in a magical castle in which, big surprise didnt expect that at all (/s), the beast lives in.

Where do I even begin: The world building was lackluster, I could not even tell you a single thing. There's magic but no eplanation to anything, the readers don't learn a single thing about the world apart from descriptions of the castle and the forests and maybe the inside of Lanas house. The magic, which is obviously a major part of the book, did not get a single explanation. I don't even know whether there is really a system to it or it just has something to do with singing, There are curses too, magical mirrors and books which were also never explained or any reasoning behind how or when the magic works, the system is "when it's convient it works, when the plot needs it that thing is impossible."

The romance lacked chemistry and development, in my opinion the mc and the li would've worked better as a, admittedly very mediocre, friendship. There was not a single scene that made me go "omg couple just kiss", rather the opposite happened there was a kiss out of nowhere which just made me go "wtf". There was no buildup and the characters in general were very flat, I couldn't even bring myselt to care about the main character.

I don't know whether it was just an issue with my ciopy, but there were multiple incomplete sentences throughout the book leaving me to wonder whether that might've been an important detail.

What I did like was the way a few fairytales were included in the book. They were nice to read and gave me a little break from the rest of the, all over the place, plot. I thought that the writing was alright too, the descriptions of places were nice, if you enjoy reading that, but the dialogue felt really forced at times and it was like who would ever say that out loud.

While I get people might enjoy it, if you are looking for a quick read that you are going to forget about after a week and you don't mind not knowing about the world or magic, it was absolutely not for me.

I DON'T REALLY KNOW HOW I FEEL ABOUT THIS...

Actual rating: 2.5 ⭐

This was really hard for me to rate. Because I can't actually pinpoint anything I liked in this book. And while I can find plenty of things I didn't like, I actually didn't dislike this book. It didn't thrill me in any way, but it wasn't totally bad either 🤷‍♀️

👎 What I Disliked 👎

World building: What kind of world does this story take place in? A confusing one. One where things just suddenly happen without any explanation or, seemingly, any thought, rhyme or reason. Several times, something new was thrown in for the hell of it without any explanation whatsoever, which bothered me.

Characters: I was never really invested in any of the characters, they didn't have that much depth in my opinion. They just didn't wow me.

Romance: Lana and Hadrian had such a sweet friendship and they really bonded over their shared love of books. But I felt zero romantic chemistry between the two of them. It felt so forced and wrong.

Additions: I love retellings and variations of familiar stories that dare to do something completely different. At least as long as that something makes sense and adds something new to the story. Rome tried to do that by introducing new elements to the story of Beauty and the Beast, such as a magic, crystal rose and fairies. But honestly, I saw no point in either of those things. They added nothing in particular to the overall story.

This one started out so promising but sadly started going downhill after a few chapters. I loved the strong fantasy elements of the story. But the romance needed more and the story just felt off.

The Rose Kiss gives an exciting new magical fantasy twist to the classic Beauty and the Beast tale, but is rough around the edges.

The general plot and magic-adjacent world are off to a great start, but could use some development - there is magic in the first chapter, then there is almost no magic other than an off handed allusion to someone being possessed until Lana arrives at the magic castle that is simply accepted as the norm when there is no evidence that she would have a reason to accept it. With a bit of flushing out, the magical world would be a nice touch; the fairies are a great deviation from the original tale.

It may have been an issue with the digital file, but there were some severe typos, including a number in the middle of a word, and sentences throughout were randomly cut off. One chapter ended in the middle of a sentence that was clearly not where the chapter should have ended. Similarly, the story sometimes felt rushed, jumping about leaving me having to reread a page before realizing that the setting had simply changed. I felt this way going from the prologue into the first chapter, they felt like completely different stories.

I liked the characters, but did not grow to love any of them, or really feel that they developed in any way, they were often flat. Lana at times felt like a stiff bookworm stereotype taken to the extreme, but would sometimes be a sweet girl who wished she knew her mother, and was a feminist at heart. A bit of polishing, and she can be a lovely leading character!

The Rose Kiss is a Beauty and the Beast retelling. I do not usually enjoy retellings that are too similar to the original tale but I thought that Rome did a good job at balancing what aspects she drew from the original tale and those that she created.



The Rose Kiss features a female protagonist named Belladonna, the daughter of a poor Lord. In order to help both herself and her family, it is her duty to marry wealth--but she insists on following her heart. After agreeing to be set up, she finds herself in the presence of an enchanted castle.

I read this book in one sitting and can say I thought it was very well written and I was entertained throughout the entire story. I wish there had been a little bit more romance as I felt as though that would have made the book five stars. After recently reading A Curse So Dark and Lonely, I believe The Rose Kiss to be the more intriguing retelling. With that said, I do think that the book could have benefitted from a little bit more character development as I was left confused with some of the interactions and reactions of the characters.

I recommend this to any fans of fairytale retellings as it was a unique twist on the beloved tale.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and publisher for a chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Interesting read I have to say. Story we all know (from books or movies) told from a bit different point of view. I do like these little changes in plot. They adding a bit extra depth here. I think it is nice book for young readers.

Only one thing - possibly technical glitch - part of the text is missing, don't remember page number... somewhere around 40% of book, end bit of chapter.

This was a very different spin on the traditional tale of Beauty and the Beast. I did enjoy the fantasy component. The villain was perfectly evil, although I felt he was too easily defeated. He did remind me of Rothbart from Swan Lake.
I did like the focus pulling from a book of fairy tales, where our heroine was in a way "cursed" as well. That part was uniquely refreshing.

Can this epic story be so memorable? It can.

Despite already knowing the classic history, in this version they present us with more magical, more mysterious and more romantic things.

So much so that I dare to say that I like this version more than the original, maybe it's because
the fantasy it contains seems more magical to me.

The Rose Kiss is a Beauty and the Beast retelling, weaving in fantasy elements and creating an interesting world. The author easily sets up the possibility of sequels.

The premise of the novel is great but is let down a little in execution. The plot is slow to start but then fast forwards through the climax. I felt some of the important elements of the romance and finale were glossed over and would have benefited from more exploration.

I feel the story and accessibility of the writing would be good for the younger end of the YA audience.

A solid retelling, I guess, but there just wasn't enough character development. Lana was exactly the same person at the end as at the beginning, and all the other characters were pretty flat - especially Hadrian, whom I didn't feel like we got any kind of sense of at all. The relationship development was sadly lacking too: partly as a consequence of the one-dimensional characters, and partly because it just happened way too fast. We barely saw the romance developing so Lana and Hadrian never really felt like anything beyond casual acquaintances - suddenly they were getting married (not really a spoiler... it's a Beauty and the Beast retelling, you know what's going to happen!) and it just felt so random and out of nowhere?

It was a fine read and there was nothing egregiously bad about it, I guess, but nothing particularly engaging either.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed this book. It wasn't the best retelling I have ever read, but it was still a good book and I still enjoyed it none the less. My only criticism is it would have been nice to see more diversity in the book, but I understand that can be difficult with retellings. I gave this book a 3/5 stars.

The book had mixed reviews and one reader claimed the book got much better in the second half as if someone else wrote the book. She was wrong it gets slightly fast-paced but not that much different. As the book ended i realized the characters didn’t feel real and you didn’t love or hate them as the case maybe. All in all will not be continuing the series.

Got the arc from Netgalley in return for honest review.

*actual rating: 2.5*

Thank you to netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Rose Kiss follows Lana, and is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast. It’s a solid retelling.

I like the overarching theme of the book, a retelling of Beauty and the Beast. However, it fell short in some aspects. It’s a short read, so it goes quickly. However, my copy of the book had lots of missing parts. Chapters ended in the middle of sentences, chapters started where the previous chapter was no where near. But forgetting that, the story itself was okay. I wasn’t blown away by it.

It’a not the best Beauty and the Beast retelling I’ve read, but it’s not the worst. I liked it.

1.5/5 stars ⭐️✨
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Thank you to Net Galley for giving me a copy of this book! This is my honest review, all views are my own.
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I so badly wanted to like this because I love Beauty and the Beast retellings, but this book was all over the place. In addition to incomplete sentences (of which I found a couple, but I wasn’t sure if it was an issue with my copy or just the book itself), the plot was a mess and felt somehow both too much and too little. There was a lot of plot, but it did not integrate the new story with the old well at all. At some parts, so much rushed past me in a single page, but then at other parts, things dragged on for twenty pages. The characters felt one-dimensional (the main girl, Lana, seemed like a complete self-insert bookworm) and the main character and love interest had little to no chemistry with each other. Additionally, there was little established to build up characters, which then impacted how all the characters interacted with each other. It felt stiff and jarring.
I was too confused and thrown about by the plot and paper-thin character development to give this two stars, HOWEVER: I did think the writing improved as it went on, and I did like the inclusion of the new material. It unfortunately was just a poor execution, in my opinion.

This was my first book by this author, It was pretty enjoyable. I would give this book a 4.5 star rating! It was a pretty Quick and easy read!

I wish I had anything positive to say about this book. I made it halfway through before I couldn't take it anymore. The story is a Beauty and the Beast retelling, which I normally love as that is my favorite fairy tale, but this was just not it. The writing was very choppy. There simply was no finesse when it came to the writing. The transitions weren't there. It would go from one scene to the next without any warning and it was very hard to follow along, and I found myself having to go back and re-read it a few times to understand that the scene completely changed. There are also A LOT of typo's that I am hoping they will fix before they actually publish this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Booksgosocial for the eArc in exchange for an honest review.

What pulled me into this story was the synopsis which to me sounded amazing but unfortunately the rest of the book didn't really live upto this.

It seems repetitive in parts especially with the retelling of the fairy tale it is based on. In addition there was a lot of showing rather than telling which I think can be improved on.

Furthermore was one chapter where it finished halfway through a sentence. I am unsure whether this was because of it being an eArc but it left me wondering what happens with Lana.

The characters also seemed one dimensional. Unfortunately this wasn't the book for me.

I've read a lot of Beauty and the Beast retellings in my life, so there is a lot of comparison in the way of this reading experience. That being said, I feel as though if an author is going to embark on such well-tred territory, they should at least have something fresh, new, or special to share ... this book, unfortunately, just felt a bit like the same old same old, and there was nothing in it to make it stand apart. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't very powerful and I don't think it stands out from any other of the numerous retellings available to readers.