Blood Rose Angel: A Medieval Black Plague Novel by Liza Perrat

Dec 06, 2015 Magdalena aka A Bookaholic Swede rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2015

Midwife Héloïse has been an outcast since she was a child. She is called a non-born. Her mother died while giving birth to her and her aunt Isa had to cut her out of the womb. The local children teased her about that, and as an adult have the taunting children grown up to taunting adults. But she has always been strong in herself, and she has a wonderful husband and a beautiful daughter. Life couldn't be better. But then her husband arrives home after being away for two years and this should be Midwife Héloïse has been an outcast since she was a child. She is called a non-born. Her mother died while giving birth to her and her aunt Isa had to cut her out of the womb. The local children teased her about that, and as an adult have the taunting children grown up to taunting adults. But she has always been strong in herself, and she has a wonderful husband and a beautiful daughter. Life couldn't be better. But then her husband arrives home after being away for two years and this should be a young full event, but then people are starting to get sick and die. The Black Death has come to their village.

There were a couple of times I had to stop reading this book and read something else, not that it was anything wrong with the book. But because I was so frustrated with the superstition that characterized the people at the time. How the fear made the people accuse, cats, lepers, and Jews for the plague. Héloïse tries to help everyone that is sick, despite her husband being against that. And, he, in the end, tries in his own way to protect her, but that backfires completely. I was so angry with him at that point. It's hard to read a book about a time when women weren't better than a kept slave.

Héloïse is such a wonderful character, strong and kind, but the superstition against her and the bone-sculpted angel pendant she has after her mother is strong among the people in the village. There are some that see her for the kind person she is, but she has some enemies with power in the town. And, a deadly plague is the kind of thing that could make her situation worse. Especially since she is quite outspoken and brave. A threat, for instance, could easily be interpreted as a curse...

But for all the darkness in this book are there also light moments, and I think the balance between the darkness and the light is the thing that makes this book so wonderful to read. It's an emotional reading experience. Sadness at the death of a child, joy of a birth and anger at the injustice towards women. I was deeply moved by the story.

I received a copy from the publisher and france book tours in return for an honest review! ...more

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Jan 22, 2016 Frances rated it really liked it · review of another edition

It’s 1334 in Lucie-sur-Vionne market place, with children running about taunting a young girl Heloise for being a non-born; a babe cut from her dead mother’s womb. Her aunt Isa takes Heloise under her wing and trains her to be a midwife generating a passion and dedication to help others in poor health. In spite of a great deal of superstition among the townspeople, Heloise tries her best to assist those in need, even though her path chosen is a dangerous one. With each chapter the story grows st ...more

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Dec 29, 2017 Kathy rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Set in the 1300’s (one of my fav settings) we once again are taken to Lucie-sur-Vionne in Liza Perrat’s third novel in the Bone Angel trilogy. There is no need to have read the other two books though, but it was nice to be in such a familiar setting again. Heloise is an amazing character in this book – a character you cannot help admire and love as she tries her best to help the people of her village when the plague comes to visit. The author has well researched each of books so well and has a s ...more

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Nov 01, 2015 Melinda rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2015

I could not tear myself away from this book. Liza Perrat has now joined the ranks of my favorite authors.

The first few pages hook you and never let up. I tore through this book so quickly I was sad when it ended. Yes, I found it that enjoyable.

Perrat has a way with words, her style is fluid and flows easily, downright solid and mesmerizing.

I completely connected with Héloïse from the start. She is compelling, possessing strength and kindness while dealing with acceptance by few and disdain from ...more

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May 05, 2016 Patricia Sands rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Let me begin by simply stating I did not want to stop reading Blood Rose Angel. The story of midwife Héloise and her true love, Raoul, in the 14thC French village of Lucie-sur-Vionne during the time of a deadly plague, will resonate with me for a very long time. Themes of family, friendship, love, politics and fear are explored in compelling fashion. At the same time, we have a fascinating opportunity to gain an understanding of some of the roots of modern medicine. As much as I was offered a ri Let me begin by simply stating I did not want to stop reading Blood Rose Angel. The story of midwife Héloise and her true love, Raoul, in the 14thC French village of Lucie-sur-Vionne during the time of a deadly plague, will resonate with me for a very long time. Themes of family, friendship, love, politics and fear are explored in compelling fashion. At the same time, we have a fascinating opportunity to gain an understanding of some of the roots of modern medicine. As much as I was offered a rich and satisfying reading experience, I also learned a great deal.

When I write a review, I prefer to explain why I enjoyed a book, rather than recount the story.

Liza Perrat is truly an artist. She weaves magical threads through her stories combining historical and scientific fact with human emotions and behaviours. She paints landscapes, villages and personalities with broad brush strokes and follows with such attention to detail that the reader clearly grasps the images and eagerly enters the narrative.

Each book in the Bone Angel trilogy, can be read as a stand-alone and each is equally mesmerizing, horrifying, and enthralling. Perrat is simply brilliant at exposing life for what it was in the Middle Ages: harsh, challenging, and yet still filled with moments of joy and simple pleasure. Through her words, we see, smell, taste, and viscerally feel what is described on each page. The cast of characters she creates breathes life into a time we know from movies and history books. We live it in her stories.

As did Wolfsangel and The Spirit of Lost Angels, Blood Rose Angel gripped me from the beginning and held my attention to the last word. I have found all of these novels to be immensely satisfying reads. Historical fiction is my favourite genre and I have great respect for the tremendous amount of research that is required to produce the kind of high quality literature that Liza Perrat offers us.

I highly recommend the entire trilogy and eagerly await news of her next publication. ...more

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Nov 24, 2015 Chris Curran rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Blood Rose Angel is the third in Liza Perrat’s series about a family from the French village of Lucie-sur-Vionne who pass a bone angel talisman down from mother to daughter. The novels focus on the women who owned the talisman at three tumultuous periods of history. We’ve seen it in the time of the French Revolution and of the 2nd World War, but Blood Rose Angel takes us even further back to the medieval world. If like me you’ve loved the earlier books you’ll have been eagerly awaiting this late Blood Rose Angel is the third in Liza Perrat’s series about a family from the French village of Lucie-sur-Vionne who pass a bone angel talisman down from mother to daughter. The novels focus on the women who owned the talisman at three tumultuous periods of history. We’ve seen it in the time of the French Revolution and of the 2nd World War, but Blood Rose Angel takes us even further back to the medieval world. If like me you’ve loved the earlier books you’ll have been eagerly awaiting this latest offering. But don’t be put off if you haven’t read the first two because Blood Rose Angel works very well as a standalone or as an introduction to the trilogy.

The 14th century was a brutal time riven by violent conflict and ravaged by the Black Death. and Liza Perrat doesn’t flinch from showing us scenes of terrible carnage or the horrors of disease. But this is no grim catalogue of death and despair because at the centre of the story is Heloise who shines with energy and resilience.

Raised and taught midwifery skills by her aunt, Heloise has never known her parents and, although respected by many of the villagers for her abilities as a healer, her illegitimate status makes her a natural scapegoat. And it can be dangerous to be a healer in the Middle Ages when belief in witchcraft is universal. Things get even more difficult when the Plague arrives and she must fight not only against the kind of prejudice and ignorance she’s grown used to, but the disapproval of her beloved husband, Raoul, and her own fears for her family. But Heloise is too compassionate and too proud of her skills to be deterred. In a time before modern medicine it’s fascinating to see her struggle to develop remedies from the simple ingredients and traditional knowledge available to her.

The author brings this medieval village to such vivid life so that we can almost feel the heat of summer and the snows of winter. The dust, the stench of blood and death may be here but also the joy of a baby’s first cries after a difficult birth, the scents of the herbs Heloise collects, the food she cooks for her family and the delight she finds in the arms of her husband and the smile of her child. For me Heloise represents those forgotten women, intelligent, brave and indomitable who have formed the heart and soul of every town and village throughout history. Wonderful.
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Mar 01, 2017 Helen Hollick rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This book has received a Discovering Diamonds Review:
'a powerful novel, well written, engrossing, and a superbly sensitive study of life, birth and terrible and devastating death in the 1300s. '
Helen Hollick
founder #DDRevs

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Nov 23, 2015 Vanessa Couchman rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Having read and enjoyed the first two in Liza Perrat’s historical trilogy, I was looking forward to number 3 – and I wasn’t disappointed. All three books are stand-alone but are linked by a bone talisman carved in the shape of an angel and by the destinies of three strong women from the same French village who make their way in a man’s world.

Blood Rose Angel is set in the 14th century at the time of the devastating plague pandemic that killed up to 50% of the population of Europe. Liza Perrat p ...more

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Jan 03, 2016 Meg - A Bookish Affair rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2016, fiction, historical-fiction

4.5 stars. "Blood Rose Angel" is the third book in the series that includes "Spirit of Lost Angels" and "Wolfsangel" by Liza Perrat. Although this book is part of a series, you don't have to have read the other books as the thing that links the books is a talisman. I would suggest reading the other books though because they are true treats for historical fiction fans. In this book, we meet Heloise, a midwife, that lives during the time of the Black Death.

This time period in France is one that I ...more

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Dec 02, 2015 Alyssa rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: france-book-tours

This book was a fantastic historical novel, filled with more detail than I could almost take in. The time period, when the Black Death was rife in Europe, made for a tense, even sometimes suspenseful backdrop for the story. At times I felt every horror-stricken moment, when Heloise had to choose between caring for her own family, and caring for those in her village struck down by the plague.

Most fascinating was the detail of midwifery, and of Heloise's skill. And of course the knife-edge of bein ...more

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Nov 10, 2015 Cindy rated it it was amazing

I can’t remember exactly how I came to read my first Liza Perrat novel, but I am so glad that I found her books because she has quickly become one of my favourite authors. In her new sweeping tale, Blood Rose Angel, emotions overwhelmed me right from the start and kept me on the edge of my seat with my heart in my throat right through to the last page, when I sat there stunned that it was all over. It was like leaving a best friend behind. As I get older I find that I am easily distracted when r I can’t remember exactly how I came to read my first Liza Perrat novel, but I am so glad that I found her books because she has quickly become one of my favourite authors. In her new sweeping tale, Blood Rose Angel, emotions overwhelmed me right from the start and kept me on the edge of my seat with my heart in my throat right through to the last page, when I sat there stunned that it was all over. It was like leaving a best friend behind. As I get older I find that I am easily distracted when reading, but from the moment I started Blood Rose Angel it was like I was put under a spell. Everything around me faded away, and I was right there in Lucie-sur-Vionne watching the horrors of the Black Plague sweep through this quaint French village and snuff out life after life with seemingly no way to stop its destructive path. I resented my life when I had to put the book down to go to work, and there was one morning where I almost called in sick because I was so engrossed in the story.

The story begins in 1334 and revolves around Héloïse, a bastard child of a bastard midwife, who is being raised by her aunt, Isa, her mother’s twin sister. Héloïse’s mother died of what sounds like toxemia one month before her due date, so Isa had to perform a c-section, resulting in Héloïse being referred to as a non-born birth and leading to a childhood of taunting by other children and villagers. However, she comes from a long line of midwives and eventually feels the calling herself, vowing to become a midwife and do something worthwhile with her life so her mother’s death won’t be in vain. The years pass and Héloïse becomes a full-fledged midwife and healer and feels guided and comforted by the bone-carved angel talisman necklace which has been passed down from generation to generation of midwives in her family.

By 1348, Héloïse is married and has a daughter of her own to carry on the midwife tradition – a perfect life. However, multiple tragedies descend on Lucie-sur-Vionne, including the Black Plague, which ravages their village, invoking fear and panic in its people. As is common in situations like this, they have to find someone to cast blame upon, and a midwife with her mysterious potions and talisman seems an easy target. What follows is a wonderful portrayal of an incredibly strong woman, who will stop at nothing to save her people, despite the despicable way they begin to treat her. It is a story of immense struggles, as Héloïse battles with her husband and her own conscience over whether to obey her calling and help the villagers to eradicate the pestilence or stay away from the sick to keep her family safe. Her internal battles and her fortitude are what make you root for her over and over, as there is nothing better than reading a story with a fiercely strong and giving female character who is made stronger by battling through the challenges. This is a story steeped in history, tradition, religion, and superstitions, and there is a lot to be learned from Héloïse. When all is said and done, the reader comes away knowing that nothing is impossible if you want it enough and it doesn’t matter what you believe in as long as you have faith in something.

Perrat’s writing is brutally vivid and honest, never sugar coating what went on in that time period, and that’s what makes her stories so riveting. She definitely has a gift for writing – her words flow like the River Vionne itself, surging here, calm there, but mesmerizing either way. I simply can’t say enough about her talent and highly recommend Blood Rose Angel and her other books to anyone who loves historical novels. However, just remember that you may have to put your life on hold because, trust me, you won’t be able to put it down, and you will be left with the worst book hangover you have had in a long time.
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Jan 25, 2016 Bernice Rocque rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I just love artful storytelling. From start to finish, I was immersed in Liza Perrat's latest novel in the Bone Angel series. Though BLOOD ROSE ANGEL is a work of fiction, many readers know a Plague, later called the "Black Death," killed half the population of Europe in the late Middle Ages.

BLOOD ROSE ANGEL melds all the constructs of a well built novel: a compelling story with the twists and turns of a thriller, the wide range of fascinating and archetypical characters, a few mysteries, the pl I just love artful storytelling. From start to finish, I was immersed in Liza Perrat's latest novel in the Bone Angel series. Though BLOOD ROSE ANGEL is a work of fiction, many readers know a Plague, later called the "Black Death," killed half the population of Europe in the late Middle Ages.

BLOOD ROSE ANGEL melds all the constructs of a well built novel: a compelling story with the twists and turns of a thriller, the wide range of fascinating and archetypical characters, a few mysteries, the plying and slow reveal of secrets, and a solid historical foundation. But, in my opinion, it is the author's medical background, her artistic brush strokes in language, and the so deftly integrated literary devices that bind the key elements above, elevating this novel to a very fine work of historical (and literary quality) fiction. I won't be a spoiler --- will leave the literary architecture for you to discover! Well, maybe just a glimpse... Here is a favorite line that works on multiple levels: "...the breeze around the farmers' cots sighing and whispering like a chorus of haunted voices..." And, here is another: "Limping about on spindle-thin legs, she seemed like the last withered piece of fruit clinging to the tree."

From the first page of BLOOD ROSE ANGEL, I found myself inside the head and heart of Midwife Heloise, a resident of Lucie-sur-Vionne, France. The circumstances of her own birth and of her mother Ava's will fuel the action in the novel as the merciless "Black Death" envelops the village in 1348. The bond between women, and especially mothers and daughters is a theme of the novel. I especially loved this poignant moment: "...the more a girl knows about those who came before her, the stronger she'll be. That's how we keep our mothers' memories alive." (This is the reason I became a writer; to go beyond facts and preserve the "essence" of my family and friends.)

BLOOD ROSE ANGEL is a page-turner, but written with a nice balance of action and description. I thought the graceful word structures of WOLFSANGEL, one of the other novels in the Bone Angel trilogy, were superb. I am thinking now that the prose of BLOOD ROSE ANGEL is even finer. So beautifully poetic and SO sensory... Isn't reading remarkable when you can see, hear, taste, smell, and feel the spectrum of life and death in another time? Childbirth before our modern technology, the art of making herbal remedies, and especially the physical horrors of infected human bodies and psyche wrought by the pestilence AND by humans in a panicked state. All seem so real and elicit our emotions ---empathy, disgust, anger, terror, compassion and more, as if we were there. We even cringe as the "spidery fingers" of clergy, rulers, and other self-serving forces manipulate and control the characters we care about. I was sad when the story ended --- will particularly miss Midwife Heloise. Though well suited to the story path, the climax and ending of BLOOD ROSE ANGEL did suggest a possible sequel... We can hope!

It is my honor to highly recommend BLOOD ROSE ANGEL by Liza Perrat. I was given a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
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Dec 23, 2015 Claire Whatley rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Having loved the first two books in Liza Perrat’s bone angel series, I’ve been very much looking forward to the third in the trilogy, Blood Rose Angel. I did wonder if it could possibly match the first two, but I’m thrilled to discover it’s every bit as good. For those who don’t know, the books follow the journey through history of a bone-sculpted talisman that is passed down from mother to daughter through generations of the same midwifing family, who live in the village of Lucie-sur-Vionne. Th Having loved the first two books in Liza Perrat’s bone angel series, I’ve been very much looking forward to the third in the trilogy, Blood Rose Angel. I did wonder if it could possibly match the first two, but I’m thrilled to discover it’s every bit as good. For those who don’t know, the books follow the journey through history of a bone-sculpted talisman that is passed down from mother to daughter through generations of the same midwifing family, who live in the village of Lucie-sur-Vionne. The first bone angel book was set in the time of the French Revolution, the second in WWII: the latest book takes the reader back to the fourteenth century during the years that Europe was in the grip of the Plague.
The main character in this story is Héloïse and the novel follows her battle to continue to care for the people of her village both as midwife and healer as the Plague decimates the region. Her struggle is made worse by the fact that her husband, Raoul, forbids her to go near Plague victims, for fear she will succumb to the disease herself, as well as possibly infecting their daughter, and so to continue to perform her medical duty she is forced to defy him. In an age when women were generally nothing more than chattels she takes an enormous risk to do this.
I loved seeing the town of Lucie-sur-Vionne as it would have been in the fourteenth century: as always Liza Perrat’s writing takes the reader there so vividly that you see, hear and smell life as it would have been with all its beauty and horror, noise and stink. Her descriptions of the Plague are equally vivid and not for the faint-hearted, but far worse to stomach was the terrible cruelty of the age. When the town is plundered by a group of horsemen, their savagery to the local people is harrowing enough, but later in the story when the local leper community is scapegoated, the reader needs a very strong stomach to bear the scene that ensues. Later in the novel, the memory of this returns to haunt Héloïse when she finds herself imprisoned and fears what her own fate will be.
To avoid any spoilers, I won’t reveal any more about the story, which is full of delicious twists and turns. One of the joys of the book for me was learning so many everyday details of medieval life and in particular, about the herbs used by the healer-midwives of that era. I also loved returning to the same beautiful French landscape, which I’ve ‘seen’ now in the eighteenth century and the mid-twentieth century, but as it would have been in a much earlier time. Watching the farm-workers and the merchants and tradespeople go about their everyday lives as Liza Perrat describes them is almost a cinematic experience. The images and the story will stay with me. Essential reading for lovers of historical fiction.
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Dec 25, 2015 Shree rated it really liked it · review of another edition

HOW I GOT THIS BOOK: Review copy as a part of France Book Tours

REVIEW:

Historical Fiction is always a pleasure to read if the writer has a way with words. The story when written properly would have the potential to transport the reader to the period in which it is set. Time travel otherwise isn’t technically possible. I experienced that absolute bliss of time travel with this book.

Midwife Heloise, born a bastard, heals and tends to childbirths in her small town. Taunted by her status as a bastard HOW I GOT THIS BOOK: Review copy as a part of France Book Tours

REVIEW:

Historical Fiction is always a pleasure to read if the writer has a way with words. The story when written properly would have the potential to transport the reader to the period in which it is set. Time travel otherwise isn’t technically possible. I experienced that absolute bliss of time travel with this book.

Midwife Heloise, born a bastard, heals and tends to childbirths in her small town. Taunted by her status as a bastard, she resolves never to give up on her profession of healing and swears an oath on her mother who was a healer/midwife herself. Married to a handsome stonemason, Heloise’s future looks blissful until the gory disease of pestilence threatens to wipe out France. Fearing death, Heloise’s husband prohibits her to treat any pestilence patients. Torn between her husband and the oath she swore, Heloise is forced to make a choice - A choice that ultimately ends up impacting the life and death of her village folks.

With flawless and progressive characterization and each characters emoting to dot, the story was simply magnetic. I had to finish the book off! The writer managed to show all possible shades of a character along with all possible emotions. That is one absolute rarity these days. For some reason, writers tend to “write” actual history and facts in the middle of the story if the story in such a background. That is absolutely boring and results in one huge drop in the pace of the book. Thankfully, this writer really did no such thing. Of course, there was a bit of “history” but it was totally in context and essential to understand the story line. To satisfy history buffs who expect historical facts, the writer had an appendix that talked about the time period of which this story was set in. That made an interesting read for me. It is needless to mention, the writing was fluidic and simple. The only peeve point I had was with the pace of the story midway. I felt she gave too much importance to gory deaths that the pestilence caused, but however, I later felt that she did only to emphasize what risk Heloise was actually taking.

MY SAY: The perfect historical fiction!

RATING:

PLOT: 8/10

CHARACTERISATION:9/10

NARRATION:9/10

BOREDOM QUOTIENT:1/10(lower the better)

OVERALL RATING: 9/10 ...more

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Jan 10, 2016 Tracy Terry rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

One of those books that once started was nigh on impossible to put down and yet at the same time one of those novels that you didn't want to pick up knowing that every page read was a page closer to having to say goodbye to some wonderful characters not to mention the end of an exceptional trilogy.

The third in the Bone Angel Trilogy. Whilst the books are connected by three generations of women proud to have been passed down an angel talisman they are quite different stories (though perhaps the f ...more

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Jan 03, 2016 Mave rated it really liked it · review of another edition

It 's a historical medieval novel really engaging and interesting. I have been captured from the first page and I could not put it down. With well defined, complex characters, an engaging and well developed plot, this is a fantastic story to get lost in. There are twists and surprises that the reader is unsure what will happen when you turn to read the next page.
The life of Heloise begins in the worst way: she doesn't know who her father is and her mother died shortly after giving her birth. But ...more

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Oct 27, 2015 C.P. Lesley added it

Shelves: historical-fiction, nbhf

The year 1348 is not a good time to be a healer in Europe. Midwife Héloïse lives in a cottage outside Lucie-sur-Vionne, where she walks an awkward line between villagers who need her services and others who fear that she owes more to the black arts than their medical counterparts. When she threatens an invading bandit chieftain with the power of her angel talisman, her enemies are more than ever convinced that she dabbles in witchcraft. But Héloïse has sworn an oath on her dead mother's soul to ...more

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Dec 10, 2015 Maryline M's Bookshelf rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This review was first published at M's Bookshelf - http://mssbookshelf.blogspot.com

Unfortunately there's no such thing as time travel. Lucky for us history lovers, we do have authors like Liza Perrat.
Blood Rose Angel is the third installment in The Bone Angel series - however all three of them can be read as stand alone novels and/or in random order. As with all her novels, Liza really invests in getting her readers acquainted with the historical setting. She gives you an amazing insight in the ...more

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Oct 27, 2015 Tricia rated it it was amazing

Liza Perrat’s books are the next best thing to time travel! They are full of details that bring us to the depths of despair and raise us to the heights of elation.

Midwife Heloise stands apart from her fellow villagers. She lives on the edge of the brilliantly evoked Lucie-sur-Vionne and brings many of its children into the world. She is both a part of things and an observer, almost one of us with some startlingly modern ideas about medicine and religion, but also very much of her time. What a wo ...more

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Feb 08, 2017 Naomi rated it liked it · review of another edition

3.5/5 Stars

I find that it is really rough for me to write this review. I have been a fan of this series and this author since the release of the first in the series. Ms. Perrat's standard high quality of writing is present in the book.

For the first time, I found myself unable to connect AT ALL with the main character or the storyline, evidenced by the year it took for me to read the book. I wasn't able to attach at all. A first for me in regards to this author.

Will I continue to seek out her wo ...more

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Dec 11, 2015 JJ Marsh rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Karen Maitland switched me onto how enthralling mediaeval fiction can be and I've not looked back since. Both Perrat's previous novels (set in times of upheaval in France) and her individual take on rural, female, peasant population is a spring wind in comparison to so many stories from the privileged classes.
In contrast to her previous novels, set during the Revolution and WWII respectively, this book is set during the Black Plague, a disease which spread across the country showing its first sy ...more

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Jan 05, 2017 Clare Flynn rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: alli-indies, historical-fiction

A very absorbing novel. A vibrant evocation of Medieval France during the Black Death.
Feisty midwife Heloise has a lot to put up with - as well as fighting the plague, a proud and impatient husband, jealous rivals, the resentment, ingratitude and hatred of other townspeople, she has to deal with accusations of heresy, witchery and more. Perrat doesn't hold back in recreating the stench and filth of a town in the clutches of pestilence. The insights into 14th century midwifery and herbalism were ...more

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Apr 25, 2017 Terry Tyler rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

4.5 stars

Blood Rose Angel is set in the 14th century, in the village of Lucie-sur-Vionne, and centres round midwife and herbal practitioner, Heloise. Her husband, Raoul Stonemason, has been working in Florence on the cathedral for two years, but when the plague hits Italy, work halts and he knows he must flee. On the way home he accepts a lift from a merchant, who is to stay a while in Lucie. Alas, he brings with him the plague, and dies of it the next day. From then, it spreads rapidly. As a mi 4.5 stars

Blood Rose Angel is set in the 14th century, in the village of Lucie-sur-Vionne, and centres round midwife and herbal practitioner, Heloise. Her husband, Raoul Stonemason, has been working in Florence on the cathedral for two years, but when the plague hits Italy, work halts and he knows he must flee. On the way home he accepts a lift from a merchant, who is to stay a while in Lucie. Alas, he brings with him the plague, and dies of it the next day. From then, it spreads rapidly. As a midwife and herbalist, Heloise feels duty bound to aid not only those about to give birth, but also the ill of the village, and this causes great friction between her and Raoul, who is terrified that she will bring the pestilence into their own house.

I was pleased to discover that Liza Perrat can write historical fiction as convincingly as dark (yet humorous) contemporary drama The Silent Kookaburra, which I read a couple of months ago. The research that must have gone in to this book is some feat; there is so much intricate detail about the herb lore of the period, the every-day lives of the peasants, and most interesting of all, the superstitions and religion. The villagers' lives are ruled by their fear of a wrath-like god, and have faith in all manner of charms, talismans, portents of doom, etc; a minority dared to voice their derision of these far-fetched beliefs, but it was so sad that, of course, they had no idea of the cause of the pestilence; as I read with frustration, it made me wonder what generations far into the future will think of the beliefs that still exist today, that our lives are watched over by invisible, judgemental, parental style entities. The parallels with our 21st century life are many, and it gave me much food for thought.

The story itself, of how Heloise deals with the prejudice towards her, and how she climbed from her darkest hours back into the light, is well thought out and so well written, but aside from this, the novel is a fascinating exploration of the rural life of the time, of the societal structure and the way in which the pestilence affected the people and changed the way they thought and lived. I hope to read another book in this trilogy soon; this is the third book, and a complete stand alone.

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Jan 22, 2016 Laurie • The Baking Bookworm rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: ehbooklover

Shelves: arc-book-directly-from-author, historical-fiction

Author Liza Perrat once again has written a vivid tale set within a notable historical setting as part of her Bone Angel series. This is the third book in her historical fiction trilogy but all three books are great as stand-alones (I had only read 'Wolfsangel' before this book) so readers can pick up any of the books without the fear that they're missing out on personal histories/story lines.

Blood Rose Angel centres around the 14th century pandemic plague that killed nearly fifty percent of Eur Author Liza Perrat once again has written a vivid tale set within a notable historical setting as part of her Bone Angel series. This is the third book in her historical fiction trilogy but all three books are great as stand-alones (I had only read 'Wolfsangel' before this book) so readers can pick up any of the books without the fear that they're missing out on personal histories/story lines.

Blood Rose Angel centres around the 14th century pandemic plague that killed nearly fifty percent of Europe's population. It was a time of great terror and extreme loss that was only exacerbated by superstitious, prejudicial and ignorant beliefs of the time. Perrat paints a vivid picture of life in a small French town during this plague complete with social, religious and personal issues that draw the reader into her story. That doesn't mean it didn't have its frustrating parts that were hard to read - namely some of the (now silly) views that somehow everything from cats, lepers, amulets or Jews were the reason for the pestilence and disease spreading and killing so many. Or how superstition trumped science when it came to hygiene, health and the treatment of women as lesser.

Perrat tells her story using a wide array of characters within the small French town of Lucie-sur-Vionne each with their own vibrant personalities. I guarantee that you won't like all of them but you will remember them. I found Héloïse to be a strong female character. She was smart and went to great lengths to protect her family, friends and townspeople. She was also stubborn and sometimes hard to support as she brazenly and sometime stupidly would put herself in harm's way because of her actions or, more likely, her big mouth. There were a few times when I wanted to shake her and yell "Just shut UP!" because you could see that her mouth was, at times, her biggest adversary.

Readers are given a startling look at life back in the 1300's. Perrat shows with vivid clarity the effects of the plague physically and emotionally on those who suffered its effects as well as the devastation it had on whole communities. There was rampant fear, fear mongering as well as their misguided beliefs in medicine, general hygiene and the blatant lack of women's rights.

Midwifery is a big part of the story line as are the real threats of witchery and heresy claims that many midwives had to deal with due to ignorance spread by fear and patriarchal powers. Within this tumultuous time Perrat also showcases the female bond between family members as well as women within the community.

My only negative about the book was that the pace in the middle lagged a bit and the big reveal of Héloïse's father was a little lackluster and felt like it was thrown in quickly to sum things up.

Overall, this was an enjoyable historical fiction book that was the wonderfully absorbing read that I've come to expect from Liza Perrat.

My Rating: 4 stars

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to author Liza Perrat for providing me with a complimentary e-book copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. ...more

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Jan 01, 2016 Gwenda rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Blood Rose Angel by Liza Perrat is the third of her wonderful Bone Angel series. This book is set in the same village of Lucie-sur-Vionne, near Lyon, France, as the other books, but this time it is 14th century France. Life is very tough for the villagers who are under control of the nobleman and brutal outlaws raid their village and kill many people. Worst of all, the plague decimates the villages' population. With all this tragedy occurring, Heloise, the midwife and healer, helps everyone she ...more

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Nov 18, 2015 Bookmuseuk added it · review of another edition

One of those books that once started was nigh on impossible to put down and yet at the same time one of those novels that you didn't want to pick up knowing that every page read was a page closer to having to say goodbye to some wonderful characters not to mention the end of an exceptional trilogy.

The third in the Bone Angel Trilogy. Whilst the books are connected by three generations of women proud to have been passed down an angel talisman they are quite different stories (though perhaps the f ...more

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Nov 15, 2015 Zoe Saadia rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Having read the previous two book in the Bone Angel Saga - completely independent reads, by the way - I had great expectations from this third installment. And wow, disappointed I wasn't!
What a breathtaking ride this novel turned out to be. From the rural French village of Lucie-sur-Vionne to the plague-stricken Florence, from the lively village markets, dealings, politics and brigand's attacks to the terrible aspects of Black Plague, from the most fascinating details of midwifery and healing t ...more

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Jan 31, 2016 Jo Barton rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

What I like about this author’s writing style is the way in which she allows both characterisation and plot to have equal importance, with neither one attempting to outshine the other. The medieval setting comes gloriously alive, with all the sights,sounds and smells of the medieval world, and yes, also the petty indifferences, which are so reminiscent of this dangerous time. However, Blood Rose Angel is also inhabited by vibrant and memorable characters who take command of their story and as th ...more

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Mar 24, 2016 Mirella rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I can't begin to describe how much I enjoyed reading this novel. It caught my attention from the very first page and held me in its grip until the fabulous ending.

A plague is raging through the French town of Lucie-sur-Vionne leaving death and destruction in its wake. Heloise, the illegitimate daughter of a midwife, is learning midwifery from her aunt Isa after her mother's death. She wears a leather thong upon which hangs an angel carved from bone. This talisman has been passed hand to hand fr ...more

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Dec 12, 2015 Elysium rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: e-books, for-review, france, historical, medieval, read-in-2015

I haven’t read the previous books but this works well as a stand-alone. I don’t think I’ve read anything set during the Black Death from the common people’s point of view so this was a change for me.

You can see how much superstitions affects everyday life, especially when something bad happens. Makes people accuse everyone from Jews to lepers and cats. How important midwives were to women during the dangerous time of childbirth, and yet how easy it was to accuse them of witchcraft, curses and he ...more

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Sisterhood of the...: Blood Rose Angel by Liza Perrat	10	11	Apr 23, 2016 10:45AM
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Blood Rose Angel: A Medieval Black Plague Novel

(The Bone Angel #3)

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