OKAY, OKAY, this might be a spoiler. BUT! A Constellation of Roses is one of the best YA novels of the year. (Seriously, 2019, I NEED A BREAK but also KEEP IT UP, we're totally killing it with great releases this year.)

by Miranda Asebedo
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: November 5th 2019



 
As always, a copy of this book was provided by the publisher or author in exchange for my honest review. This does not effect my opinion in any way.

A Constellation of Roses is a thing of beauty. If you are to know only one thing of the novel itself, one tiny fact to spark your interest, it would be that. From its frank exploration of its subject matter, to Miranda Asebedo's beautiful prose, A Constellation of Roses will capture the attention of its audience and remain in their minds for days after finishing.

For readers, what we want most of fiction is it to feel like non-fiction. We want to create a world that can be equal parts fantasy and reality. We don't want half-truths and lackluster explorations of them. We want the best and this is one of them.

A Constellation of Roses' beauty is in its sharpness; its intelligence and care in handling triggering, and obviously serious, topics. There's a magic to it--literally and figuratively--but its heart and soul remains in the way it takes real issues and doesn't allow them to become half-hearted, lifeless tropes. A novel, and the issues it tackles, is only as good as its author--and Miranda Asebedo is a standout.

The characters, and plotlines, readers will find in A Constellation of Roses weave themselves in a way that prevents them from ever growing into cardboard cut-outs. Every page is breathtaking. Not only is the prose compelling, every character we meet in A Constellation of Roses is, too. (In short? The character development is as stunning as the novel itself.)

Something about the journey we go on with our leading lady, Trix, is poignant and unforgettable. Trix is the type of character that is important to YA as a whole and is one of the things that makes the story soar. Whether you relate to her only subtly, or on a deeper level, she is the best type of character to connect with: flawed, realistic, brave and utterly human.

Ultimately, I adored A Constellation of Roses.

It holds close all the traits I love most in a good coming of age story: magic, finding where you belong and a family. It is modern YA, and coming of age stories, at its best and most poetic.



Miranda Asebedo was born and raised in rural Kansas with a love of fast cars, open skies, and books. She carried that love of books to college, where she got her B.A. and M.A. in English, with an emphasis in Creative Writing and Literature. A Seaton Fellowship recipient, her short fiction has appeared in Kansas Voices, Touchstone, and Midway Journal. 
Miranda still lives on the prairie today with her husband, two kids, and two majestic bulldogs named Princess Jellybean and Captain Jack Wobbles. If Miranda's not writing or reading, she's most likely convinced everyone to load up in the family muscle car and hit the road.

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