Bloody Rose

Bloody Rose by Nicholas Eames
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Bloody Rose, the daughter of Golden Gabe, is the front woman Fable. Fable is the best band and everyone knows them. Upon learning that Fable needs a new bard, Tam Hashford is lucky enough to get a chance to audition and join the band. She goes off on a greater adventure than she ever expected.

Bloody Rose was a solid book. I have to admit I never quite connected with it like I did it's predecessor. It has practically all of the same story aspects that made up Kings of the Wyld which didn't necessarily help the story for me. The one aspect that was different didn't help either because despite liking Tam as a character and the sole point of view character, she was no Clay Cooper.

The thing I enjoyed most about Bloody Rose is the characters. Fable is made up of Rose who simply wants to step out of her father's shadow, Freecloud the kind druin who is madly in love with Rose, Brune the shaman and joyful individual, Cura the mysterious and emotionally damaged summoner, and Tam the new bard who wants to see the world. The camaraderie between the characters is truly excellent. The book also shows some fan favorites from the series and time hasn't dimmed them at all.

The large aspect of the story I didn't like is the world itself. I don't find the world with it's monsters, humans, and druins compelling at all. The author very clearly demonstrated at the end of Kings of the Wyld what the sequel was likely to focus on and he used that obvious setup. I just want to care for what's happening in the world, but it simply doesn't do anything for me. Perhaps if more background was spent showing the world when the druins arrived or even the world that Gabe grew up in. Instead it's just a world full of attention seekers who largely fight exaggerated fights for glory over any true need.

Bloody Rose was an average book for me.

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