Winter War Awakening

Blood Rose Rebellion #3

by Rosalyn Eves

The Binding is broken. Mátyás is alive. And Anna Arden is on the run.

It seems, yet again, that breaking the Binding has shattered the world. And the only hope of mending it is Anna and Mátyás, working together. But it's never that simple, is it? The praetheria, the creatures once held captive by the spell, are now waging war against the Austro-Hungarian empire. And they are holding Noémi hostage--using her life to manipulate Anna and Mátyás, like marionettes on a string.

Gábor has elected to stay behind, to fight in the Hungarian army's resistance, while Anna and Mátyás search for their beloved Noémi--a mission doomed from the start, cloaked in praetherian magic. Magic that relies on illusion and misdirection. Eventually, there's only one way to save her: to split up. And to walk right into the lion's den.

When everyone thinks they're fighting each other for the same thing--freedom--can anyone truly win?

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Magic, Historical, Fiction, Romance

368 pages, Hardcover

First published March 19, 2019

About the author

Rosalyn Eves grew up in the Rocky Mountains, dividing her time between reading books and bossing her siblings into performing her dramatic scripts. As an adult, the telling and reading of stories is still one of her favorite things to do. When she's not reading or writing, she enjoys spending time with her chemistry professor husband and three children, watching British period pieces, or hiking through the splendid landscape of southern Utah, where she lives. She dislikes housework on principle.

She is the author of the BLOOD ROSE REBELLION trilogy, BEYOND THE MAPPED STARS, and AN IMPROBABLE SEASON

Review policy: I only review books that I enjoyed and would recommend to others (hence the predominance of 4-5 star reviews).

Reviews

[Cesar (Inactive) · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars.

I've been holding myself back from writing a review because I'm not sure what I should write. I could just say in a paragraph or two that I just didn't enjoy it and just give my star rating. But I wanted to at least give my honest thoughts on Winter War Awakening and the series as a whole.

Winter War Awakening is the last book in the Blood Rose Rebellion trilogy. War is about to break out between countries as well as with the praetheria. A war which could have the praetheria being the dominant species and humans at the bottom. Anna and Matyas have to stop the war by any means necessary.

This being the last book in a series, I was really disappointed. It reminds me a lot of War Storm, the last book in the Red Queen series where I was left disappointed with the ending and the war in general. Winter War Awakening had the promises of being a somewhat decent ending involving war and political intrigue.

That wasn't the case, however. Similar to War Storm, WWA started out promising but ended poorly. The main reason for the low rating is because of how bored I was. That's it. The 'war' in the title was boring and lacking. I actually skimmed read the last 100 pages because it was so boring.

Part of the reason why I thought it was boring was because of the setting. If you look into my review of Lost Crow Conspiracy, I said that this series should've taken place in a fantasy setting, not a historical fantasy setting. Since the story is based on real-life events, it's pretty easy to know what happens. And with that in mind, it makes the war redundant considering what actually happens if you look into it.

I don't want to go off on a tangent because I already said what I think of alternate historical fantasy books, but this series has a very unbelievable world. I know the point of historical fantasy is to suspend your disbelief and enjoy it. I've done that before and I had fun reading the genre. But Blood Rose Rebellion tries to be serious about the magic system and how it affects the world to the point where not even suspending my disbelief would work.

Lastly, the characters were just as boring as the plot. Anna continues to remain an unchanging character even when she's faced with lots of hardships. Plain and nothing more. As for Matyas, I really didn't care for him. He was just there and his chapters can be unnecessarily long.

Verdict

Winter War Awakening was overall, a bland ending to a bland series filled with flaws. I can honestly say that I will not be missing this series now that it is over.

Thanks for reading my review.

-Cesar

[Shelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good ending to the series.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible finish to the trilogy. As soon as I started, I didn't want to put it down. Eves creates beautiful images with her mastery of language. It is a timely book dealing with the ugliness of prejudice, as well as the importance of accepting oneself.

I would recommend this book as well as the rest of this series to anyone who loves fantastical creatures, history, or a book well written.

[Sarah {The Clever Reader} · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was everything I would have hoped for when it came to the ending of this trilogy. If you're looking for a unique YA Historical Fantasy than you'll love this one! It's set in Hungary and is loosely based on the events of the Hungarian Revolution of the 19th century. Rosalyn put so much heart into this trilogy and making sure she stayed as true to the history as she could.

Anna's character arc from the beginning of this trilogy grew immensely and she just continued to get braver as the books progressed. Matyas, Gabor, Noemi, and Hunger are all unique characters in their own way and this group brings about so much change for the country throughout the story. I am going to miss them but I'm grateful I can read them whenever I want to!

The audio was fantastic! It's narrated by two of my favorites, Fiona Hardingham and Steve West. They have narrated so many of my favorites and this one is no exception!

[Zaira's Bookshelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.

Don't be afraid of your gifts. You do no one a favor by making yourself small.

Winter War Awakening took my heart and tore it into little pieces. Anna's and Matyas's story unmade me.

Maybe it's too soon after reading this book, but I can barely untangle all of my feelings about this book. Suffice it to say, I loved it. It was the perfect conclusion to a beautiful series. Here's why:

1. Seeing Anna's growth throughout this series has been wonderful. She continues to discover herself, learn to accept herself. Her maturity shines with her decisions, with her growing selflessness. I've been cheering her on from book one, but by the end, I was crying, grieving, laughing, loving with her. She is by far one of my favorite heroines right now.

2. Matyas. Matyas, Matyas, Matyas. He's so impulsive, funny, self-deprecating, honest... how can I not love him? It's not secret that I live off of character development, and that's one of the reasons I love Matyas so much. He's so wonderful.

3. The expansion of the magic system. It happened in Lost Crow Conspiracy with the praetherians. In Winter War Awakening, Eves further explores the magic system, and it is so intriguing: with more folklore, Anna's and Matyas's powers, and the nearness of the praetherians in this book, I am just in awe.

4. This book goes at break-neck speed, just as Lost Crow Conspiracy had. My heart was continuously pounding, and I couldn't stop turning pages because I just needed to know what happened. I was so invested--in this story, in the characters... I couldn't pull myself away.

5. Eves doesn't sugarcoat the brutality of this war. In fact, it's horrible, but realistically so. Everything was at stake, and I felt it because of this.

6. All of the side characters. Noemi, Hunger, Emlijia, the liderc, Gabor, and so many more. I loved them all. So, so much.

7. The themes, the meaning, weaved into this book are so timely and lovely. It made my heart both hurt and soar at the same time.

Honestly, I could keep writing more. There's so much to love about this book. Eves completely smashed my expectations and I couldn't be happier because of it (also a little sad because it's the end, but that's normal.) I cannot wait to read more from Eves.

Favorite Quote: I might lose my whole life to waiting, and I'd rather have an imperfect happiness now than the hope of a more perfect one later.

Sigh. I just want to read mooooooore.

[Christina (A Reader of Fictions) · Rating 2 out of 5]

A lackluster finale that failed to capture my interest pretty much from beginning to end. To be fair, this may have been due to my memory being relatively limited of the prior novels because I didn't reread. However, Eves does do a nice job of recapping key plot points, so I wasn't totally lost either.

Mostly, I felt like the characters didn't evolve enough in this final installment, so the book felt static even though the whole thing consisted of battles pretty much. Mátyás and Anna really feel like the same people in this book as they did in the second, only they conveniently get control of their powers right at the exact instant they need them. The ending felt very convenient, with each of them fighting a battle with a boss, and boring because they failed to grow emotionally at all.

I end this series with a shrug. There were cool elements to this series, but the conclusion lacked the emotional impact and consequences of the prior two novels.

[C.P. Cabaniss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe more of 3.5 stars.

I quite enjoyed this conclusion to the Blood Rose Rebellion trilogy. There were things that irritated or annoyed me, but the more I listened to the book, and the more I thought about it, I realized that many of the things that annoyed me were also things that I appreciated. I liked that the characters made stupid mistakes and that everything was messy, because that's reality.

The end was rather abrupt, but not completely unsatisfactory. In my head I had it ending one way, at least as far as certain characters are concerned, so I was a little miffed not to see that happen. Still, I enjoyed the magic and the world, the characters, and the weaving with history.

I listened to the audio of this, which was narrated by Fiona Hardingham and Steve West, who are two of my favorite narrators. I highly recommend that format. Their performances were wonderful.

[Julie Nichol · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my second favorite book in the whole series because I love how strong Anna is. In the other ones I felt like she was good, but always ashamed of who she was. She shook that off in this book. Anna was also strong for who she is and not just for what she feels like she has to do. I also loved the character development in Matyas because he stopped being so... grumpy? I can't think of a better word, even though that doesn't fit. I only say that it is not my favorite book in the series because the deaths, though necessary for the plot, were sad. I still loved this book and would recommend it!!! I have read it twice and loved it both times.

[Ro · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating: 3.5/5 but rounded down to 3/5

[Angela Jones-Cuéllar · Rating 5 out of 5]

pooled ink Reviews:
4.5 Stars

Winter War Awakening is a stunning conclusion to this trilogy of fantasy and fate. Shining with hope in the thick of brutal rebellion, shedding blood for each player's dream of freedom, and steady with the beat of a heart who knows victory cannot sacrifice goodness or else all dreams shatter. Written in Eves' lovely prose this final installment will both twist your heart and satisfy the story's journey.

Read my FULL review here: https://pooledink.com/2018/12/12/wint...

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was good, but it was hard for me to invest in what was going on because it had been a while since I'd read the second book in the series. Though there is a large section in the back of the book with a glossary, characters, and notable figures, this book is still a lot to process, even for advanced readers like myself. Because I finished reading this when I did not have access to the Internet, I might have forgotten some details, but I will do my best to share my thoughts here.

Winter War Awakening continues the story of a young woman named Anna Arden, living in Austria during a time of great unrest in the 1840s. In the first book of the series, Anna broke an ancient spell known as the Binding, keeping creatures known as praetheria tethered by a magical leash. Hungarian rebels are now in an all-out war with the Austro-Hungarian empire, while the newly freed praetheria are fighting back against the human tyrants who held them captive. Anna, who has the twin souls of both a human and a praetheria, struggles to choose a side, while her lover Gabor decides to enlist in the war efforts against the Austro-Hungarian empire. This historical fantasy trilogy culiminates in the ultimate battle, changing the lives of everyone involved forever.

As I said before, this is a particularly difficult series to digest, even for advanced readers like myself. I read the second book in this series a while ago, and even after reading my review of that book to refresh my memory, I felt lost in the words of the story at times. Rosalyn Eves likes to slam the reader with unfamiliar terms, both fantasy terms and those from other languages (Romani, Hungarian, and German, to name a few). Though there is a glossary in the back, it sometimes becomes tedious to constantly flip to the back, removing oneself from the action taking place in the story. It also doesn't help that I knew absolutely nothing about the wars taking place in Austria and Hungary in the 1840s, and thus had to really rely on the context provided by the book and the character list in the back. That being said, however, I think fans of historical fiction (especially European historical fiction) will really enjoy this fantastical twist on a particular time in history.

Despite the fact that I spent a large portion of this book confused and out of the loop, I really enjoyed the elaborate writing style and complex characters. I mentioned in my review of Lost Crow Conspiracy that it read a lot like a Jane Austen novel, and the same is true for this book. It's clear to me by her references and writing style that Rosalyn Eves did a tremendous amount of research on both the time period and its writing style, as this book feels as though it could've been written in the 1800s. The downside to this is that reluctant or struggling readers will probably have a lot of trouble with this series, as it has very dense language that can be hard to process. Like I said, I'm an avid reader, and even I struggled with some of the language and terminology in this book.

As for the complex characters, I absolutely adored how three-dimensional and real all of the characters in this book felt. Anna is strong but still unafraid of being feminine, and shows this strength in ways other than fighting. Matyas is well-meaning but makes a lot of mistakes, and Hunger struggles with shifting loyalties and complicated feelings towards Anna's cousin Noemi. Gabor, Anna's lover, struggles both with wanting to help aid in the war effort, as well as being a Romani gypsy looked down upon by polite society. He and Anna want to be together, but their cultures and social statuses clash at every turn. I loved that this book tackled sensitive subjects like war and prejudice, and how both sides of any given conflict can behave in less than ideal ways. For example, we are meant to feel sympathetic towards the praetheria, but they do terrible things like kidnapping and threatening Anna's friends for the sake of their cause. I was impressed by the humanity and realism Eves was able to inject into these characters, despite the fact that this was a work of historical fantasy.

I also really enjoyed the friendship between Anna and Noemi, as I think strong female friendships are incredibly important in young adult fiction. Similarly, I thought the romance between Gabor and Anna was well-developed, and never felt forced or insincere. I liked that there was an element of Romeo and Juliet thrown in, with two people from different cultures and classes falling in love and navigating a less than accepting society. While I can't vouche for the accuracy of the historical information, I trust the apparently extensive research Eves has done to bring it to life on the page. There also also heavy stakes in this book about war, and not every character is safe and well at the end. I appreciate any author with the guts to kill off or injure beloved characters, as it helps the reader to understand the gravity of the situations the characters find themselves in. Eves did a great job of making the reader take the realities of war seriously, even with the fantasy elements thrown in.

While this series is most definitely not for every reader, I think it's the perfect series for fans of historical fantasy, as well as advanced readers who feel as though they've read everything there is to read. This is the perfect series to challenge advanced readers, while also potentially teaching them a little bit of history along the way. Though there is nothing overtly foul or sexual in this book, it does contain advanced language and a few instances of graphic violence, making it more appropriate for older high school readers than for a middle school audience. I would steer reluctant or struggling readers away from this book, as its intricate language and large cast of historical characters might make it a frustrating read for the uninitiated. Despite being slow and hard to follow in some parts, I enjoyed the beautiful language and interesting characters found in this series, and would gladly read other works by this author in the future.

[James Tullos · Rating 1 out of 5]

See my full thoughts here: https://youtu.be/6nlIuGl8BCM

I just... I can't anymore. This is the worst series I ever read, and I only came this far out of a sense of morbid curiosity. I don't want to retread old ground too much, so I'll just say a few positive things.

Winter War Awakening is better than those that came before it. It's still shit, but there's a little bit of improvement. Anna realizes that she's made some awful decisions and develops into a somewhat better person. Near the end she even gets a couple of genuinely badass moments fighting the villains. And the climax as a whole is... competent. Not great or even that good, but it feels like it was written by someone with some level of skill.

I can't recommend this series, it's awful by just about every conceivable metric, but I'll give credit where it's due. Winter War Awakening had a few parts I liked.

[Ashley Schooley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such lovely, lyrical writing in the is trilogy. Usually not a fan of historical fantasy, but this one has inspired me to seek out more. Also Fiona Hardingham and Steve West were a pleasure to listen to on the audiobook.

[Erin Arkin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Winter War Awakening is the third book in the Blood Rose Rebellion series and if you haven’t picked these books up yet, now might be a good time. Plus…these covers are some of my favorites. Since this is the third and final book, I will do my best to not spoil anything.

This book picks up right about where Lost Crow Conspiracy wrapped up and the journey these characters have been going on is a big one and they aren’t done yet. Noemi is being held hostage and Anna and Matyas are going to do whatever it takes to get her back.

Similar to the last book, we get to experience what is happening from two perspectives – Anna and Matyas and it helped tie everything together for me as they end up splitting up. There were times that I felt that the story dragged a bit but as the book progresses, we not only get to learn more about what happens with the characters, but we get to see how they continue to grow and figure out who they are.

Anna is strong character and doesn’t want to be a weapon…for anyone. Unfortunately, Vasilisa and the praetheria aren’t really going to give her a choice. As she is held captive, Vasilisa pushes and threatens Anna to get her to learn more about her magic and what she can do. Of course, it is all in an effort to get her to help the the praetheria but Anna isn’t willing to do what they want.

Matyas continues to grow over the course of this installment and I love that. He is definitely not the same character he was in book one. Eves did a great job with the secondary characters as well. Noemi, Hunger, Gabor, and Emilijia are all so well developed and kept things moving along which at times was needed.

As a reader, you can’t forget that there is a war happening and that means there is danger and, in all honesty, not a single one of these characters is safe. Keep that in mind as you read and the only thing I will add to that statement is that I was pleased with how everything wrapped up.

If you’re looking for a book / series that has magic, danger, politics, a solid story, and well-developed characters, consider checking this one out. While there were a few times I struggled to stay engaged, in the end, the story was a good one. I’ll be watching out for what Eves writes next as she has an engaging writing style.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the early copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Mbilmey · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's something fantastic about seeing an author grow. I was so ready to review this book with another rant after the last two, but after that ending, I'm pleasantly content. It's almost like the author knew her problems with the other books and intentionally avoided them in this. Also, all that research pays off because her battle scenes were amazing! She is reaaallly good at those!
There is a lot of focus on Matyas, who is my favorite and the reason I read on. Also, all the nonsense things that bothered me, all the relationship things I hated, are pushed aside in the face of war. I thought it wraps up the series really well with very satisfying character arcs. I enjoyed it to the point that I almost forgot the book's flaws. It's been so long since a YA fantasy has been so good.
I was occasionally reminded that the characters were prone to stupidity and lack of moral direction or priorities, but I felt some of this corrected itself by the end. The stupidity persisted in some really terrible war decisions. Also, I hated that the 'bad guys' were ridiculously powerful, and the other characters dropped liked flies. According to this, Hungary has the weakest most incompetent gods ever to exists. (Are you trying to tell me a god of war doesn't know that there's no such thing as a safe exchange?) I actually rolled my eyes at one of the character deaths because #melodrama. But by the end, these things were kind of just part of the ride. (Also, she's still not great at relationships, but it was waaaay better than before).
I do however wish that Hunger had been better developed. I adored him in the first book, and I feel like his character just kind of floundered until he became a bit of a cardboard sap here.
Idk if I'll read it again any time soon, but it was well-written with great descriptions and a great ending, so hence the four stars.
Content: There is kissing, but nothing overly invasive. There is a lot of violence, but I honestly was not bothered by it. It was normal-battle violence and gore was mentioned, but not dwelt on.

[Stephanie Ward · Rating 5 out of 5]

'Winter War Awakening' is the stunning final book in the Blood Rose Rebellion Trilogy. I thought it was a wonderful way to end the series and tied everything up nicely. The story picks up where the last book left off, with our main characters Anna and Mátyás working together after the Binding was broken. In order to fix everything that has been destroyed in the process, Anna and Mátyás have to team up and fight to right the wrongs that have been done. The story was exciting, full of action and adventure, suspense, and lots of important topics like fighting for what you believe in and accepting yourself for who you are, among others.

The writing was once again amazing. The author uses such vivid imagery and detailed descriptions that the world comes to life in front of our eyes and pulls us in from the very beginning. I loved that I could clearly imagine myself alongside the characters as their journeys continued. One major plus for me was the author's writing style. The story is told from dual perspectives - that of Anna and Mátyás. But both narrators speak in the first person, which is always my favorite because it allows the reader to really get to know the characters and connect with them on a deeper level than any other point of view. This was definitely the case with this story and I adored learning more about both Anna and Mátyás as well as watching them really come into their own - accepting themselves for who they are, fighting for what they believed in, maturing and overcoming huge obstacles. It was a treat to see how much each of them changed throughout the series. This is a fantastic mashup of historical fiction and fantasy, which made it intriguing for me because it's a kind of alternate history. Add in magic and I'm done for - no matter the book. Overall, this was an awesome trilogy and I highly recommend it to fans of YA, historical fiction, and fantasy.

Disclosure: I received a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

[Elsa Munoz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had everything a conclusion should have. There were moments of tension, happy moments, moments of questioning if you have the guts or strength to do a difficult task, and obviously there were many, many heartbreaking moments.... Especially chapters 19-22.....
My favorite character, Hunger, was definitely a very compelling person. I wasn't sure if I should like him, considering the fact that half the time I wasn't sure where his loyalties lied....but then I saw a brief glimpse of who he really, really is deep down and I was just in awe. He's one of those examples of "what's a monster but someone we don't understand". Hunger is just amazing and I started loving him the moment we first met in book one And then there's Mátyás 😍😍 he's so full of flaws and doubts, that it's so easy to identify with him. But despite all his short comings, Mátyás pulls through. He might not want to rise up to the challenge but HE DOES. And that right there takes strength. Anna was a character that I honestly didn't really like in book 1....she was kinda whiney...but she also goes through a ton of ordeals and learns from her mistakes. She grows so much and learns to deal with situations a lot better. She stops blaming herself for every little thing and comes to terms with who she is and I love that!
I definitely recommend picking this book up of you like historical fiction/fantasy.

[Megan Olds · Rating 5 out of 5]

This wrap-up to the trilogy was super good!! It starts as a continuation of the characters you know and love and all that you’re used to pertaining to this historical fantasy world and plot—with the addition of some new details to Mátyás’ and Anna’s powers, abilities, and identities, even, however, within the realistic limits of the first law of thermodynamics; gotta love that! Other powerful characters’ true mythological origins get explored, too, which is very cool.

Then there are some kill-offs, which wrench your reader heart (as well as humour and a theme of how we’re all imperfect but doing our best.) And then everything toward the end is appropriately epic, including the revelation—at least from my perspective—of who the “biggest villain” all along has been. Although another theme of this book is that everyone is an empathetic villain in their own right.

Overall, I love the thought expressed throughout that each of us feels so small in trying to change or save the world, especially when it seems like the end of it. But we each have our parts to play and our gifts.

So this series was awesome—so well-done, and I’m glad to have read it! I highly recommend Rosalyn Eves!!

[Laura *Little Read Riding Hood* · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoy all the history and magic being mushed together. I think that is my "thing" right now. I especially love the history that isn't focused on Western Europe, because I get to learn about cultures I am less familiar with. Also MAGIC.

Short review time - so basically I was anxious, then sad, then relieved, the surprise-sad, then grateful, then worried, then happy, then sad for real, then bittersweet, then the end. Does that help? :-)

This story wraps things up beautifully, but it isn't a "neat" package at the end. There is joy and sorrow in real life, and this book, excepting the magic, is REAL. War is dirty and messy and loud and horrible and this book and the story it tells is dirty and messy and loud and horrible, but the relationships (not only romantic) forged in this fire are for LIFE. Those bonds don't break.

I don't want to say much more, because this is the end of a trilogy, and I really don't even like spoiling things from previous books if I can help it. But if you like history and magic and war and strong female leads, then please check this series out. I promise you won't be disappointed.

[Kamis · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

Good, but a little underwhelming. I kept expecting more to happen but it didn't. There really isn't a whole lot going on until the final battle of the story, which in itself felt underwhelming as well. I guess I just expected more to be happening since it was the conclusion.

I did enjoy reading a series based on historical events in Europe that did not happen in France, Germany, or the UK. Not that there's anything wrong with that if there's a specific event or point in history that's being depicted. But it's so nice to read something based in a country that doesn't often get a lot dedicated to it. I also enjoyed the use of Hungarian and Romani words, and the pronunciation guide at the end. The author does seem to have spent a good deal of time researching these things. Obviously some liberties were taken, which the author states, but it's nice to have something set in a different time period featuring historical events that not everyone may know about. It gives people a chance to be curious and look up the actual history of events described.

[Amanda-Has-A-Bookcase · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hold onto your Chimera self folks because you are in for a very exciting ride! Winter War Awakening picks up pretty much right where Lost Crow Conspiracy ends - searching for Naomi. Author Rosalyn Eves pumps up the drama compared to what was in the two previous books and right away the reader is pulled into the action. This book has the duel narrative as seen in the last book and we get an even better insight into the characters. I love the themes of finding oneself and learning to become more than what is expected of you. A strong female lead backed by an equally strong cast of characters the Blood Rose Rebellion series mixes a high does of fantasy overlaid with historical settings. Winter War Awakening was the perfect conclusion to the series and let me just say again action packed! Wow!

[Leanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yet another series finale I couldn't wait to be over and done with. This was so disappointing compared to the first two books - it did not have the high-stakes tension a finale should have, especially considering everything that was built up in the first two books - at no point did I truly fear that Anna or Matyas would not succeed, merely that the obstacles they faced were but blips. The first two books had such a rich cast of characters, but this fell flat, with so much focus on Anna and Matyas, and like, yeah they're the Mains but there was no... point?? to them. It just felt like them going along with the plot instead of them making decisions actively affecting the plot.

Hunger should have been in this more and as more than a love interest for Noemi; he was imo the best character in the series even since he's introduction.

[Panderp · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was interesting, to say the least. It took a dozen different turns that I wasn't expecting. I still really love Anna Arden as a character. It's just the heteronormative romances that were nearly unbearable. Like Jesus Christ there is an entire war going on! We don't have time for you feelings! But I appreciate that, unlike most other YA female leads, Anna didn't just blindly dive into her powers without considering the consequences. She was constantly thinking about the consequences and how her actions would effect those around her. Kudos to that.

Don't even try to tell me that Matyas and Badhir were not a couple.

How could I choose human or praetherian when each side held a part of my heart and choosing would mean setting my heart against itself?

[Meghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

While reading Winter War Awakening, I could not help but wonder what if Lucy from the Chronicles of Narnia and Meg Murray from A Wrinkle In Time were to meet, it be in this book. Befriending a stranger and having that person be your key survival buddy in getting through a Winter War does not get more conflicting than that. There were some parts however, that went off on small tangents making it hard to follow but when it got back on point, you could not stop reading.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Children's for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. We will definitely consider this title for our YFantasy collection. That is why we are giving this book 4 stars.

[Laura Holt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a huge fan of Rosalyn Eve's Blood Rose Rebellion series, and this final installment, while bittersweet because it is the end of the story line, did not disappoint! From the romance and action to the plot and character arcs, Rosalyn weaves a heart wrenching tale of why things like love (of others as well as yourself) and equality are vital to the survival of any race. Add a dash of fantasy and a pinch of history, and you have a literary masterpiece, which is exactly what this book is! Not to mention that Rosalyn once again succeeded in spinning me full tilt with her plot twist. 5 magnificent stars for a magnificent book!

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the characters in this series and so I wanted to find out what happened to them but this book took me 3 months to read.. I had issues staying involved in the story and so had to force myself to sit down and finish it before my libary due date went by again. I was happy with the ending but I found the battle details a bit much. I loved Gabor and Anna together and so enjoyed finding out how they progressed. I found some characters who died to be disapointing...
But any book that makes me care about the characters this much deserves at least a 3 star reveiw. If I could give it a half star I would.. It was more 3 1/2 stars in my opinion.

[Samantha Hastings · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful conclusion to an epic historical fiction trilogy. The character development is beautiful and both Anna and Matyas have to accept their whole selves, the good and the bad, to accomplish the impossible. The romance between Anna and Gabor is sweet, but with plenty of kisses (I’ve waited two books for these kisses, thank you very much). Author Rosalyn Eves’ research shines throughout the story in the smallest details, traditions, and folklore. It’s a must read for all historical fantasy fans!!!

[CR · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Review: Everything heats up in this final installment to the Blood Rose Rebellion series. This one was WAY speedier than book one and two and I have to say that it worked out well through my binge reading of this wonderful series. I could not put it down and this one ends so well. I could not think of a better ending.

I didn't want this one to end and I am so sad now that this much loved series is now over. I know that I will have to revisit this one sometime soon.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely a good end to the series. I feel like everything ended just right for Anna and Máthyás. The majority of the flow of the books didn’t feel like it was forced. I finished it in. Two days. I was sucked in. Definitely a good fantasy read.
The magic plus the history is a big yes for me! I love when authors blend that together. There were some moments that seemed to drag a bit through out the book/series, but it was good.

[Brittney Perry · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

This one gained the half star I took away from the last because it had a lot more action, plot twists, and character development, and I liked the ending.

Mostly similar to the first two, but with some improvements made. Not enough to bring it up to 4, though, as there were still many parts that drug on or didn't make sense.

I did enjoy this one overall, but if you don't like the extremely slow pace I would say it's not worth sticking to the end to get to this point. Again, it's not terrible or a terrible series, just more of an acquired taste.