Book cover of A Curse of Roses

Book description

17-year-old Yzabel of Aragon is engaged to the young King of Portugal, and under her touch, food turns into flowers.

With the populace starving, and barely surviving herself, Yzabel doesn't only need to end her curse - she must reverse it somehow. Turn flowers into food. Desperate, she sets to…

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Why read it?

2 authors picked A Curse of Roses as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

In this atmospheric Portuguese historical fantasy, Princess Yzabel’s got a serious problem: Her country is plagued by famine and she can’t stop wasting food. Why? Every bite turns to flowers in her mouth. She’s crumbling under a mountain of royal pressures. What sets her apart from the “unlikeable” natures of the others on this list is that her niceness, not her dark side, is what landed her here. Decision paralysis and Pinguicha’s exploration of being “good” to a fault make Yzabel a girl worth getting to know.

Set in the patriarchal 1200s, this book fascinated me with a look at the lengths people are willing to go for their beliefs. Yzabel tries to turn a curse into a blessing but is hindered by men who think they know better and believe they need to keep the women in line. I was absolutely taken with the intelligence, cunning, and magic Yzabel and a few other women use to try to save the people of Portugal!

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December on 5C4 by Adam Strassberg,

Magical realism meets the magic of Christmas in this mix of Jewish, New Testament, and Santa stories–all reenacted in an urban psychiatric hospital!

On locked ward 5C4, Josh, a patient with many similarities to Jesus, is hospitalized concurrently with Nick, a patient with many similarities to Santa. The two argue…

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