By: Cecil Castellucci
Copy received from publisher for review
Synopsis (From Goodreads): Rose has given up. She's given up on friendship, on happiness, on life being anything other than black, black, black. Yrena wants out. She's a dancer who doesn't want to dance, a prisoner in her own home, a resident of New York who never gets to see the city. To Rose, Yrena has always been the Russian girl who lives next door, seen through the window but never spoken to. At least not until Yrena crashes into Rose's room-and Rose's life-and sets in motion a night in New York City that none of them will ever forget.
From YA superstar Cecil Castellucci, this is the story of cold hearts and cold wars warmed by simple human connection and the liberty of being young and free in the early hours of a new day.
My Review: Here are some facts about my reading experience with Rose Sees Red:
- It took me almost two weeks to finish
- When asked by Angie what the book was about, I was unsure. (I was 3/4 of the way finished)
- I am still not entirely sure how I feel about it.
I think the book was about all those things. And I liked it. I really loved Rose's journey to come to know herself. By making spur-of-the-moment decisions and putting herself out there, she had some wonderful experiences. Castellucci is a master at her craft. I cannot complain at all about the quality of writing, it was impeccable.
I think my hang-up over this book was my own personal preference. And since this blog reflects my opinions, I feel comfortable sharing it. The ending was entirely too political and naive for my taste. I have come to the realization that because my career is in politics/government, I am not interested in reading about political/government things. Particularly when they preach such a strong platform.
Not that this is a bad thing in and of itself. I think many will like the development of Rose's political feelings, and will really be able to identify with them. I was not able to. The conclusions that she came to were really foreign to me. Again, it's not that I don't appreciate opposing views or don't ever listen to them. I do. Every single day. I just find it exhausting when it worms its way into my fiction.
I'm not really sure I know who to recommend this book to. I think it's more appropriate for an older, more mature YA reader. Not because of possibly inappropriate content, but more because the themes are a little older, and I probably would not have appreciated it until I was at least 18.
Getting beyond my own personal tastes, I do believe this book serves a purpose. This book read more to me like a book that a teacher would use as assigned reading in a classroom than something I would pick up off the shelf and say, "Huh, that looks good. I guess I'll read it."
My Rating:
Profanity: Moderate
Sexuality: Mild
Drugs and Alcohol: Quite a bit of drug use
Violence: None
