Burning Roses is set in a world not unlike ours, where all the fairy tales take place. The primary stories are of Red Riding Hood and Hou Yi, which I was not familiar with prior to this, but many many other fairy tales and symbols are woven in to the story. Rosa and Hou Yi are older now and end up on a quest, and the quest reveals much about both women; their scars, their demons, and their hopes. While Huang has a number of themes she uses this tale to discuss, ultimately Burning Roses is about the relationships with family and friend, how we are hurt and hurt other, and the importance of forgiveness.

Huang’s prose is beautiful as always and it was interesting to see the folklore and fairy tales woven together. I think I’m not super fond of the “older main characters reminiscing about their life” storyline. I would have preferred a more linear storyline, more like a standard retelling; but I think that Huang wrote this novella this way for a reason and was right to do so. I was not into many of the themes earlier on in the book - they were sometimes wielded with a little bit of heavy hand - but part 5 focused on family, reckonings, and forgiveness, and that saved the book for me. For me, Burning Roses was solid but not stunning.

Thanks to TOR and Netgallery for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.