A Forgery of Roses by Jessica S. Olson is a YA Fantasy novel with an interesting premise, but ended up falling a bit flat.
Synopsis
Myra Whitlock’s parents went missing several months ago, leaving her and her younger sister to fend for themselves. Myra is a portraitist, and can alter people’s bodies via her portraits. She usually resists the urge to do so because her powers are thought abhorrent by some and coveted by others.
Until one night, the governor’s wife blackmails Myra into bringing her son back to life. She has four days before the body begins to rot. Upon her arrival at the governor’s mansion, Myra soon sees clues that the boy’s death was not a mere accident. As she tries to form a whole picture of his death, Myra notices other oddities in this cold home. She enlists the boy’s older brother to help solve this murder and hopefully prevent more.
Review of A Forgery of Roses
I liked that there was some disability representation in this book, it’s not something I often see in fiction. There were lots of discussions on disability, ableism, and anxiety. Although, at one point, Myra described her disabled sister as a “walking corpse.” It’s kind of sad that a loving family member would think of their sister in such a way.
There were also some tropes that I’m not too keen on. Namely, insta–love and a love triangle.
My favourite thing about this book was the magic system. It was an interesting concept and uniquely done.
Although this wasn’t for me, I think frequent readers of YA Fantasy will enjoy it.
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Expected Publication: 29 March 2022
Thank you to Inkyard Press for providing an arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
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