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nerdinthelibrary 's review for:
Of Roses and Kings
by Melissa Marr
2nd read - 23/12/20: Reread this to make sure that it is actually my favourite thing I've read all year. It is. I love absolutely everything about this. So many incredible quotes, but two of my favourites are:
Afterward, she asked, “Would you do anything I wanted?”
“No,” I lied.
“I love her,” I say. “You wouldn’t be the first man I was willing to kill to make her smile.”
1st read - 28/04/20:
content warnings: murder, toxic relationships
representation: lesbian protagonist, f/f main relationship
An hour ago I didn't even know it existed, and suddenly this short story has maybe become my favourite book of the year. Melissa Marr's Wicked Lovely series is a favourite of mine so my expectations were already pretty high but she blew them out of the water.
Of Roses and Kings is a reimagining of Alice in Wonderland wherein Alice becomes the Red Queen. The protagonist of this tale, Rose/Beatrice, is also from our world and became Alice's maid, then lover.
If you're a fan of twisted, fucked up relationship dynamics (or if you just watched the most recent episode of Killing Eve and want more of those Vibes) then this is absolutely the story for you. There is nothing remotely healthy about the relationship Rose and Alice have, and you wouldn't have it any other way. Choosing my quote for this review was torturous because there are so many amazing lines that are just Rose despairing at how much she loves her queen and would kill for her, and honestly it made me swoon.
Asides from the deliciously fucked up relationship, the plot progression of this was also amazing. It's super short but the turns it takes are brilliant, giving me one of the best endings to anything I've ever read. The writing is also wonderful. I know that dark Alice in Wonderland is extremely overdone and generally feels extremely hacky, but the way that Marr has written her darker version of this world is incredible. In a lesser writer's hands this wouldn't work at all and it's owed entirely to her strength as a writer that this is as wonderful as it is.
It's free, it's on Tor.com right now, take ten minutes out of your day to read it because I promise you will not regret it.
Afterward, she asked, “Would you do anything I wanted?”
“No,” I lied.
“I love her,” I say. “You wouldn’t be the first man I was willing to kill to make her smile.”
1st read - 28/04/20:
content warnings: murder, toxic relationships
representation: lesbian protagonist, f/f main relationship
“The first time I stood before the queen, I knew she was why I’d fallen into Wonderland. She is my reason. I was meant for her.”
An hour ago I didn't even know it existed, and suddenly this short story has maybe become my favourite book of the year. Melissa Marr's Wicked Lovely series is a favourite of mine so my expectations were already pretty high but she blew them out of the water.
Of Roses and Kings is a reimagining of Alice in Wonderland wherein Alice becomes the Red Queen. The protagonist of this tale, Rose/Beatrice, is also from our world and became Alice's maid, then lover.
If you're a fan of twisted, fucked up relationship dynamics (or if you just watched the most recent episode of Killing Eve and want more of those Vibes) then this is absolutely the story for you. There is nothing remotely healthy about the relationship Rose and Alice have, and you wouldn't have it any other way. Choosing my quote for this review was torturous because there are so many amazing lines that are just Rose despairing at how much she loves her queen and would kill for her, and honestly it made me swoon.
Asides from the deliciously fucked up relationship, the plot progression of this was also amazing. It's super short but the turns it takes are brilliant, giving me one of the best endings to anything I've ever read. The writing is also wonderful. I know that dark Alice in Wonderland is extremely overdone and generally feels extremely hacky, but the way that Marr has written her darker version of this world is incredible. In a lesser writer's hands this wouldn't work at all and it's owed entirely to her strength as a writer that this is as wonderful as it is.
It's free, it's on Tor.com right now, take ten minutes out of your day to read it because I promise you will not regret it.