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Roses and Rot Hardcover – May 17, 2016

by Kat Howard (Author)

4.2 427 ratings

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Imogen and her sister Marin escape their cruel mother to attend a prestigious artists’ retreat, but soon learn that living in a fairy tale requires sacrifices, whether it be art or love in this critically acclaimed debut novel from “a remarkable young writer” (Neil Gaiman, American Gods).

Imogen has grown up reading fairy tales about mothers who die and make way for cruel stepmothers. As a child, she used to lie in bed wishing that her life would become one of these tragic fairy tales because she couldn’t imagine how a stepmother could be worse than her mother now. As adults, Imogen and her sister Marin are accepted to an elite post-grad arts program—Imogen as a writer and Marin as a dancer. Soon enough, though, they realize that there’s more to the school than meets the eye. Imogen might be living in the fairy tale she’s dreamed about as a child, but it’s one that will pit her against Marin if she decides to escape her past to find her heart’s desire.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Kat Howard is a remarkable young writer, and she's written a powerful first novel, as strong as Emma Bull's War For The Oaks. This is a book about family, about the price we’re willing to pay for art, and the strange music and haunting glades of faerie." -- Neil Gaiman ― , bestselling author of American Gods and The Ocean at the End of the Lane

Howard weaves a dark and enticing tale of sisterly bonds, fairypromises, and the price of artistic success in this lushly written debutfantasy set in the present-day U.S. As a child, Imogen was certain that nofairy tale stepmother could possibly be crueler than her own mother, acontrolling tyrant. Fortunately, Imogen and her younger sister, Marin, escapedto pursue their dreams: Imogen as a writer, Marin a dancer. After seven yearsapart, the women are reunited when both are selected to be fellows at Melete, aprestigious artist colony in rural New Hampshire. Melete’s fantastical campusseems perfect, but the sisters learn it’s hiding an extraordinary secret:Melete’s creative energy feeds the Fair Folk. Every seven years, the mostpromising Fellow is taken to live in Faery—and Imogen and Marin are shortlistedfor this dubious honor. Howard’s characters are deftly drawn, and her writingis seductive as fairy magic. This story will resonate with readers long afterthe last page. -- Publishers Weekly *STARRED REVIEW* ― April 4, 2016

The realm of fairy tales meets the harsh world of the Fae in this starkly enticing debut. With undercurrents of darkness in the midst of the beauty of the arts, this is a Brothers Grimm tale for the contemporary reader. -- Library Journal, *STARRED REVIEW ― March 15th, 2016

“Captivating, fiercely smart (about sisters, artists), utterly transporting. I read it so consumingly, it was more akin to swallowing it whole. Not to be missed.” -- Megan Abbott ― , Edgar-winning author of The Fever and You Will Know Me

“A contemporary dark fantasy full of dark magic, the hidden traps of fairy tales, and painful humanity. I loved every page.” -- Christopher Golden ― , New York Times bestselling author, Dead Ringers and Snowblind

“Kat Howard seems to possess a magic of her own, of making characters come alive and scenery so vivid, you forget it exists only on the page. Roses and Rot is both beautiful and dark, lovely, and haunting." -- Anton Bogomazov ― , Politics and Prose Bookstore

"Lyrical writing." ― , Booklist

"This book is a love letter about creating art, directed at artists and creators in general and to the specific stories and authors that have preceded it—from Narnia to Angela Carter, Tam Lin to The Little Mermaid, from Ray Bradbury to Ellen Kushner to Delia Sherman to Neil Gaiman to Terry Pratchett to Maria Tatar." ― , Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

Kat Howard’s short fiction has been nominated for the World Fantasy Award, anthologized in best of and annual best of collections, and performed on NPR. You can find it in her collection, A Cathedral of Myth and Bone. She is the author of the critically acclaimed Roses and Rot and the Alex Award–winning An Unkindness of Magicians. She is also one of the writers of the Books of Magic series, set in the Sandman Universe. She lives in St. Paul, Minnesota, and you can find her on twitter at @KatWithSword.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ 1481451162
Publisher ‏ : ‎ S&S/Saga Press (May 17, 2016)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9781481451161
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1481451161
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 14.3 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 1.1 x 8.25 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #3,207,312 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #11,320 in Magical Realism
- #22,951 in Folklore (Books)
- #61,113 in Paranormal & Urban Fantasy (Books)

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4.2 427 ratings

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Nicole Fuschetti

Greatest Faerie Story Ever

Reviewed in the United States on May 29, 2016

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Roses and Rot is quite simply one of the greatest stories about the Faerie that I have ever read. It was spun like a fairy tale, gorgeous and beautiful. I love Kat Howard's short stories so it was amazing to read her first novel.

A quick synopsis of the story: Imogen and Marin are two sisters who love each other dearly. Imogen is a writer and Marin is a dancer, both with the dreams of being successful in their creative endeavors. They both have the chance to spend nine months at Melete, a place where all types of artist come to work and learn from mentors in their field. At first Melete seems like a dream come true until strange things begin to happen. Soon Imogen and Marin find themselves up against the world of Faerie and all of its beautiful and dark promises. I don't want to say much more than that because it's really worth reading.

This book is beautifully written. It's lyrical and the imagery is stunning. I felt like I was really at Melete. If I had to compare this book to others, I would say it is far superior to any Faerie story written by Holly Black. It's as if Charles de Lint, Freda Warrington and Catherynne Valente all combined and even better. Absolutely amazing read!

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Margaret Kingsbury

A must read novel for fans of fairy tales and of novels about creativity

Reviewed in the United States on May 26, 2016

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"Once upon a time, there were two sisters, and there was a forest. The forest was, in the way of these things, full of secrets.
Not just the secrets of leaves and trees, of fur and feathers, of shadowed spaces. Certainly it had all of those, but it had other secrets as well."

Two sisters:
Imogen, the eldest. A writer of fairy tales, and
Marin, the youngest. A ballet dancer.

Both are invited to the prestigious artist retreat Melete for nine blissful months of full concentration on their art. They're excited about going, not only to improve their art, but also to get to know one another better, for after an abusive childhood Imogen fled to a boarding school, and the two haven't been close since.

But while the program at first seems too good to be true, strange things start happening, for Melete is run by the Fae. Every seven years the Fae claim an artist as their 7-year tithe, and this year is tithe year, and the first time there's been 2 sisters at the retreat. Who will the Fae choose as their tithe?

A novel about how far one would go for their art, about the bond of sisters, about what happens when magic and reality collide, Roses and Rot is a fast-paced, thoughtful novel that I would highly recommend to any fan of fairy tales or of fiction about creativity. I read it in 3 sittings, and I would definitely reread it!

I wish I'd been reading this with someone else, because it's a great discussion novel, especially with people in the creative arts. I'm currently finishing up a third draft of a fairytale novel, so I kept putting myself in Imogen's shoes and asking myself what choices I would've made (I'm on Ariel's side, by the way. Also, I WANT ARIEL AS A FRIEND PLEASE!). And I have three sisters, too. I love sister novels.

I've been reading Kat Howard's short stories for several years, and I was so excited when I heard she had a novel coming out. I was not disappointed. It's an excellent debut novel (and novel in general). So glad I splurged on it!

4.5/5

One person found this helpful

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Shauna S. Roberts

Sisters caught between ambition and their love for each other

Reviewed in the United States on September 12, 2016

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This novel takes elements from the ballads of Tam Lin and of Thomas the Rhymer (and possibly some other ballads I did not recognize) and mixes them into a plot about two talented sisters broken apart and bound together utterly by their shared childhood abuse by their sadistic, narcissistic mother. As adults, the sisters both get into an exclusive and prestigious program to be mentored one-on-one for nine months by a successful artist in her own genre. But there's more to the program than meets the eye, and some student must bear the cost.

The two sisters both want success in their artistic fields more than anything. The questions that become more and more pressing as the novel goes on are, what is each willing to risk to be successful? which is stronger, their love for each other or their jealousy? what happens when each must choose between her sister and her success?

I enjoyed the book very much, and thought the characters were realistic and vibrant. I loved the program's campus and its many mysteries. The several love stories in the book were nuanced, and none had a predictable ending.

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imastone3

weekend at the beach read.

Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2017

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Didn't know what to expect. Ended like any other fairy tale. Interesting concept and story. Liked the characters. Would recommend as an easy read

Reviewed in the United States on June 21, 2016

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I so enjoyed this book. Here's the thing: it's a modern-day fairy tale for those of use who grew up loving *and* hating fairy tales. I loved reading about the princesses and princes and their trials and tribulations, and I loved reading about creatures from other worlds, but I hated everything always being tied in a neat little package. I guess I read the Disney versions of these stories more often than not, but still. Happily ever after always left me wanting more.

Imogen and Marin are two sisters who wind up living next door to the Fae...but these aren't the wish-granting, human-loving kind of Fae. These are the darker ones, the riskier ones, and with an ugly past and a future that looks (at times) to be just as grim, they must turn to each other in order to save the day...or the girl...but not the boy...this isn't *just* a story about boy-meeting-girl, after all. Like the true Grimm fairy tales, Roses and Rot is much more than that.

Great characters, believable motives, and beautiful scenery combine in Roses and Rot to create an unforgettable world and a fun and engaging story.

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L. Unrau

Dark fairy tale

Reviewed in Canada on October 4, 2016

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I can't believe there is currently only one review up! I've been recommending this book a lot because I found it very emotionally impactful and can't think of another quite like it. It is definitely a dark fairy tale, but it's the first book I've read where I felt like there was someone watching over my shoulder as I read it. The tone of the story really impacted me.

I also think anyone who considers themselves to be an artist would enjoy this book. I used to dance ballet and that part of the story really spoke to me and made me sad that I'm no longer dancing.

I wish I knew how to record my thoughts about this book better, so that anyone reading this review would get a real sense of whether it's right for them. I hope you'll give it a try, and love it as much as I did.

One person found this helpful

EMJ

A different take on Fairy Tales

Reviewed in Canada on September 11, 2019

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I purchased this after reading The Unkindness of Magicians. I was not disappointed; loved the story and love her writing. I would recommend reading both of these books.

One person found this helpful

Artur Nowrot

Great idea (based on some well-known folk ballads and tales)

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 13, 2017

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Great idea (based on some well-known folk ballads and tales), but parts of it felt not as fleshed-out as they could have been.

Kindle Customer

Kept me interested!!

Reviewed in Canada on March 1, 2017

Verified Purchase

I liked how descriptive it was and the originality of the story. It was a little predictable toward the end for me. This book kept me turning the pages. I would definitely read another book by this author.

neili

Fairy tale

Reviewed in Canada on July 25, 2019

Verified Purchase

The read was easy at times predictable. Seemed to be aimed towards a younger audience.
Overall a happy ending faerie tale .

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