Imogen and her sister Marin escape their cruel mother to attend a prestigious artists’ retreat, but soon learn that living in a fairy tale requires sacrifices, whether it be art or love in this critically acclaimed debut novel.Imogen has grown up reading fairy tales about mothers who die and make way for cruel stepmothers. As a child, she used to lie in bed wishing that her life would become one of these tragic fairy tales because she couldn’t imagine how a stepmother could be worse than her mother now. As adults, Imogen and her sister Marin are accepted to an elite post-grad arts program—Imogen as a writer and Marin as a dancer. Soon enough, though, they realize that there’s more to the school than meets the eye. Imogen might be living in the fairy tale she’s dreamed about as a child, but it’s one that will pit her against Marin if she decides to escape her past to find her heart’s desire.
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Roses and Rot
By Kat Howard
Imogen and her sister Marin escape their cruel mother to attend a prestigious artists’ retreat, but soon learn that living in a fairy tale requires sacrifices, whether it be art or love in this critically acclaimed debut novel.Imogen has grown up reading fairy tales about mothers who die and make way for cruel stepmothers. As a child, she used to lie in bed wishing that her life would become one of these tragic fairy tales because she couldn’t imagine how a stepmother could be worse than her mother now. As adults, Imogen and her sister Marin are accepted to an elite post-grad arts program—Imogen as a writer and Marin as a dancer. Soon enough, though, they realize that there’s more to the school than meets the eye. Imogen might be living in the fairy tale she’s dreamed about as a child, but it’s one that will pit her against Marin if she decides to escape her past to find her heart’s desire.
Popular Reviews(1)
Reviewed by Natália Oliveira<blockquote><b><i>“Perhaps the only happily ever after is to survive to tell the story.” </i></b></blockquote> I really enjoyed this book more than I thought I would after I started it. Yes, it was slow at times and things took a while to happen and the plot to unfold itself, but the characters relationship, their dynamics and personalities, their past and traumas were just as interesting, so in the end it didn't bother me as much. I like how the author wove some 'fairytales' in-between the actual story, as a paralell of sorts, and as a sample of the stories the main characters was writing. This was a dark fairytale-like book, where magic isn't always good and everything has a price. The sibling relationship between Imogen and Marin was well worked and they coming to terms with their past and how some of their actions impacted on each other, but how their love and wish to protect the other above all else was really well done and shined through the book. I was expecting a more bittersweet kind of ending, despite everything, because it seemed like the theme of the novel, but I was happy as to how it all played out. I don't know why I dragged this for so long, maybe because I needed to be in the right mood to appreciate this story. I'm happy it was my first book of 2019, though.