Ari is far from being a helpless damsel in distress but a stalker is making her feel more and more vulnerable by the day. As the star guitarist in Shattered Crystal Enigma (SCE), one of the universe’s up and coming slam-thrash bands, she’s used to getting her share of attention though, especially as the band is getting ready to go on tour. Rhynn is a drummer with a much less famous band and one of Ari’s biggest fan. When she’s asked to join SCE for the duration of the tour, she’s super excited.
Why do stalker stories terrify me more than serial killers? IRL they both scare the shit out of me but in books, I guess I manage to distance myself better in one case than the other.
I read Saving Morgan and Running Toward Home a while ago so I was a bit worried about not remembering enough. I do remember enjoying the former very much but I don’t really have any memory of the latter. Which doesn’t mean anything since, as I have written in many reviews, my memory is a joke. Still, I know I liked Saving Morgan a lot, so that’s something.
Anyway, back to Blood and Roses. It doesn’t really matter if you haven’t read the other books in the series, the MCs are whole new characters. I was happy to be back in this universe, and found myself at home – so to speak – right from the start. The best part is that, from book 1, I loved how important music was in the story, loved the idea of slam-thrash and zero-gravity dance cubes. To have this new instalment take place in that environment and the MCs be musicians was a very welcome surprise.
I loved Rhynn, I loved how laidback she is with things out of her control but how serious she acts when it matters. She’s so cute when she meets her idol, trying not to act starstruck, it’s no wonder Ari liked her instantly. Other characters were good too, from the band to the various crew members, Morgan and Shaine’s foster daughter Friday and Rhynn’s mother.
I liked that the story was told from Ari’s POV in first person and from Rhynn’s (and others) in third. And it was nice seeing Shaine and Morgan again, and that Morgan got to use her skills once again. In addition to being a very enjoyable (and at times chilling) read, this book made me want to read both previous ones again.
Jude in the Stars 