Perfect for fans of Tell Me Three Things and The Astonishing Color of After, A Constellation of Roses is brimming with a magic all its own—lovable and flawed characters, an evocative setting, and friendships to treasure. Ever since her troubled mother abandoned her, Trix McCabe has preferred to stay on the move. But when she lands with her long-lost relatives, she finds out that the McCabe women … her long-lost relatives, she finds out that the McCabe women have talents like her own that defy explanation: pies that cure all ills, palm-reading that never misses the mark, knowledge of secrets that have never been told.
Before long, Trix feels like she might finally have found somewhere she belongs. But when her past comes back to haunt her, she’ll have to decide whether to take a chance on this new life . . . or keep running from the one she’s always known.
More magic awaits in the stunning companion novel, The Deepest Roots, which Booklist called “a must-read” in a starred review!
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A random book I picked out at the library, A Constellation of Roses had me intrigued from the synopsis. And this wonderful book delivered on every premise hinted at in the description. With some special talents and a lot of family love, this book hit the spot for a contemporary realistic book with just a hint of magic.
Trix McCabe has had nobody to look after her since her mother walked out and never came back. A loner and drifter, Trix has survived with a gift seemingly woven into her very DNA: the gift of effortless thieving of anything she wants. Though her life isn’t perfect, she can get by, which makes it all the more devastating when she’s caught for running from her foster care family and forced to go to live with family she never knew she had.
When she gets there, she discovers that every other woman in the family also have gifts. And she begins to discover that this family could be what she’s been looking for ever since the Good Year ended. But can Trix finally stop running after a lifetime of never staying in one place?
This book is an emotional rollercoaster. Trix is a fascinating character that truly captures the heart of what family can really mean to a person. I would recommend this book to anybody who wants a feel-good family novel. This book will touch your soul and make you feel as this family knits together and finds a way to live despite their odd gifts and broken pasts.
A Constellation of Roses is a remarkably moving novel. Following Trix, an abandoned 17-year-old living on her own in a cheap motel, stealing her way to survive, virtually unnoticed, as if like magic. She keeps hoping her mother will return to her until social services arrives first, telling her she has family on her fathers’ side willing to take her in.
It is a compelling story focused on character growth. All the characters, Auntie excluded, grow so much throughout the story. They all have their struggles to overcome, and they overcome them together, with Auntie as their guide. That is the central theme of the story, growing beyond the hard times that have stopped them from living. Mia lingers in the memory of failed marriage, Ember is living with the secrets of anyone who touches her, and Trix is living with the thought that she can live without her mom and does not need anyone else. Together they form a tight bond and move past everything together, growing stronger.
A Constellation of Roses is an emotionally charged novel as it delves with reconciling with the past and moving beyond it. The story flows, allowing for flashbacks that are both meaningful and important for the development of the story. Steadily paced, the story allows the reader to connect both to it and the magical realism aspect of it. It is not fantasy, but the magical element in the story gives it a fresh and unique way to bring the story to life and explore these characters and their growth.