Addy has one mission: to kill her abusive father and avenge her stolen childhood. But when the assassination goes wrong and Addy is caught, she is thrown into a whole new world.
Her father’s men aren’t all as loyal as they seem and Addy escapes with the help of two: Jacob and Kerwyn. Both men believe she is something more – the mysterious Rose of the Nerine, the only one with the power to save a dying country.
Addy doesn’t believe – in either the prophecy or the Goddess. But if she is to complete her mission, Addy must accept the truth.
Author: Dionne Lister
Title: Tempering the Rose
Publisher: Smashwords Edition
Date: 2016
Rating: 2.75/5
I
love a bit of the reluctant hero in my novels and thought Tempering the Rose sounded just the thing. The book disappointed me. There was magic, adventure, a hint of romance – everything required for a good story. But the characterisations let it down for me and I could never fully absorb myself in the book.
Addy grew up being violently abused by her father. After escaping, she vows to kill him but ruins her chance. She meets Jacob – one of her father’s guards – and Kerwyn – a guard who deserted his post after seeing the truth about his master’s violent ways. Jacob believes they are part of a prophecy where Addy is the only one strong enough to save his dying country. The only thing Addy can think of, however, is her father and seeking revenge.
I could not connect to Addy’s character. Her polarised opinions of Jacob were annoying – one minute she wanted to kiss him, next she accuses him of wanting to rape her. A damaged character can work in a novel, but Addy had no real development other than accepting her powers. Even by the end, she was still reacting to Jacob in conflicting ways. Her sheer stubbornness and refusal to believe in anything or anyone actually meant that, for a hero, I didn’t like her.
Jacob was a mysterious character with an easy grin that I found much easier to relate to. Likewise, Kerwyn had a good heart and was a loyal man despite being labelled as a deserter. Kerwyn should have been given more depth considering the twists of the plot along the way though.
There were elements of the plot where I was lost as to what was going on. A few chapters spoke of Addy’s uncle, a man claiming a kingship for himself by making a pact with the devil. I couldn’t work out where this fitted with the plot – especially when Addy’s father was aligning himself with a king and I got confused as to which king had been murdered or not!
Overall, this book passed as average, but I wouldn’t hurry to read the next one! A little disappointing, really.
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A Rambling Reviewer 