Based on Portuguese legend, this #OwnVoices historical fantasy is an epic tale of mystery, magic, and making the impossible choice between love and duty… With just one touch, bread turns into roses. With just one bite, cheese turns into lilies. There’s a famine plaguing the land, and Princess Yzabel is wasting food simply by trying to eat. Before she can even swallow, her magic–her curse–has … swallow, her magic–her curse–has turned her meal into a bouquet. She’s on the verge of starving, which only reminds her that the people of Portugal have been enduring the same pain for years.
If only it were possible to reverse her magic. Then she could turn flowers into food.
Fatyan, a beautiful Enchanted Moura, is the only one who can help. But she is trapped by magical binds. She can teach Yzabel how to control her curse–if Yzabel sets her free with a kiss.
As the King of Portugal’s betrothed, Yzabel would be committing treason, but what good is a king if his country has starved to death?
With just one kiss, Fatyan is set free. And with just one kiss, Yzabel is yearning for more.
She’d sought out Fatyan to help her save the people. Now, loving her could mean Yzabel’s destruction.
A Curse of Roses includes themes, imagery, and content that might be triggering for some readers. Discussions of religious-based self harm, religious-based eating disorders, and religious-based internalized homophobia appear throughout the novel.more
A Curse of Roses blends historical fiction, politics, romance, and magic to create a stand-out, inclusive and diverse story.
Personal & Relatable
What was very interesting about A Curse of Roses was the take Pinguicha took in her storytelling. She could have done anything, but she chose to dive back in time and reinvent history while also incorporating her own experiences in the novel.
Before beginning, please read the note from the author at the beginning. It allows the reader to see where the author is coming from.
Powerful Writing
A Curse of Roses is an #OwnVoices novel that follows Yzabel, who can turn food into flowers. She thinks of this as a curse, this magic that bubbles inside her, but it is a gift if she learns to accept it and love it. Yzabel is a devout Catholic, so for her, this is hard to accept. Until she meets Fatyan, Fatyan encourages Yzabel to love herself, to love every part of herself, even those parts the church would condemn because they are her; they make up every fiber of her being.
I loved the dynamic between Fatyan and Yzabel, and I thought Fatyan was a fantastic character. So many of her beliefs reflect mine, which is why I connected to her strongly. Here is a perfect quote that sums her up perfectly:
“You don’t think suffering brings you closer to the Lord?” Yzabel asked-the notion seemed foreign to her.
“No. And it doesn’t. God only cared if you’re good, which you are.” She fluffed Yzabels’s hair, sending shivers up her spine. “Never believe the interpretations of men. They distort the original meaning to suit themselves.”
— A Curse of Roses
Her beliefs do not make her any less of a Catholic or diminish her love of God; they only make her a more remarkable woman.
Final Thoughts
Pinguicha brings her own experiences into the narrative to give the readers a reason to connect to the story. Her husband’s understanding and acceptance of her sexuality may seem unrealistic to readers, but again, it reflects Pinguicha’s personal experiences. And why shouldn’t it? Not everyone is evil or unaccepting, and it is nice to see Yzabel come out to her husband and see him accept her as she is, with no condemnation.
Yes, there are still evil people around her, there will always be those who would see people trapped in miserable lives, but it is refreshing to see some kindness reflected in the character dynamics.
A Curse of Roses is such a unique and engaging read. It is thoughtful, beautiful, and to see Pinguicha’s heart on the pages makes the story even more gripping and relatable.
*I received this book from YA Bound Tours for my honest review*
This was a remarkable story that was full of color, imagination, and history. Pinguicha did a great job in her research and making this story feel grounded in the past, yet still have a flare of fantasy. I was fascinated by how the MC had a curse that turned everything she ate into flowers. I couldn’t help to wonder how I would deal with such a curse as an herbalist. It wouldn’t be practical, but the first five minutes would be cool!
The LGBTQ aspect was great and made me really feel for the characters, especially given the time period. Pinguicha put a lot of thought on how to portray the characters in the era and I really respect and admire that in books. It is ignorant to think LGBTQ wasn’t prominent throughout the history and it seems like a lot of books ignore that fact. Yay representation!
This was a very unique, and very original book. It was based on some historical figures that I’d heard of before very briefly and with very limited details. I loved that the author included a little extra at the end telling the actual story of those figures and what she’d changed or added to make the story something more fascinating. Because this was a vivid, beautiful tale of a world with magic and lots of twists and turns. While it is set in a historical time, and the views and actions of many of the people are definitely to be expected from that time period, some of it definitely still resonates with the world today.
The characters are unique, there is the gay aspect between the women, but then there are also the men that are in powerful positions that surprise with how they react and actually deal with the situations. Then there were things that had to do with the types of self-punishment the religiously zealous people often used to subject themselves to. That was hard to read about, but really made the story that much deeper. The struggle that Ysabel went through, when all she wanted was to take care of her people and have peace among all of them. So much in this book to read and the writing as I said was so vivid that I pictured many of the scenes as if I was seeing them in front of my eyes.
I was invited to review this book by Entangled Teen, definitely a different story from the ones I am usually reading, but I love challenges and so I took it and dig in.
This book has a lot of trigger warnings, so it might not be for everyone, saying that, I never review a book based on my own beliefs. This book was written by a Portuguese author is a retelling of a Portuguese legend about Santa Isabel. The story revolves around Yzabel of Aragon, and the legend of the miracle of roses. There is a lot of religious elements throughout the story. Then we have Yzabel and Faty’s relationship (F/F), which is very important, as Faty helps Yzabel in more ways than one.
Overall, I did enjoy the story, I got a lot of inputs regarding different topics and learned a lot from them. I think it was very well written, the story flows and it leaves you with a smile. Definitely worth reading. Great debut for Diana Pinguicha.
There is nothing more exciting than when your favorite genres come together to spin a tale you have not heard of before. Steeped in Portuguese history and tied to the legend of the Miracle of Roses that floats around Saint Queen Isabel and her King, Dinis. Pinguicha took this historical tale and merged it with magic and lore to bring to life Princess Yzabel and the Enchanted Moura, Fatyan.
I loved the writing style and the growth of the characters in such a short period of time. Yzabel is slowly dying as her curse runs rampant inside of her. Turning everything she tries to eat into thorned roses and other flowers. Her last hope is to free Fatyan and put an end to her suffering so she can save her people.
This is a deep look into faith and acceptance while embracing the LGBTQ theme in a way that I have not seen done before. During a time when magic was ‘cured’ with trepanning and anything not of the Bible was a sin. Pinguicha brings to the surface the struggle between faith and sexual acceptance with these beautifully fleshed out characters. I could feel the essence of the author’s own life experiences and fears flowing from the prose as the story took form.
This novel is a slow paced read that I devoured in two days. The historical aspects wove brilliantly with the magical elements and even though there is more character discovery instead of action I could not put this one down. I would have enjoyed more action and mysticism in the beginning but after closing I realized this is one to savor and discover the messages in the text.
Reader note. This is a young adult read but there are heavy topics such as mortification of the flesh, minor sexual scenes and biblical aspects due to the era.
I highly recommend this read to anyone who enjoys historical fiction with a magical twist and LGBTQ aspects. Special thank you to the author and to Entangled Teen for a gifted finished copy in exchange for an honest review.
True rating 4.5/5, rounded for Bookbub.