Author: E L Parfitt
Publisher: Self-Published
Publication Date: 24 April 2017
Pages: 50
Format: eBook - PDF
Genre: Fairytale Retelling
Source: Review Copy from Author
A book for all Beauty and the Beast fans! A contemporary retelling viewed through the eyes of a teenager. Sixteen year old Megan wants to be a doctor. When Megan volunteers at a residential home she meets Lady. Lady tells a fragmented and confusing story of a duke who never aged; his fate tied to the roses that grew in his garden. As Megan hears more of Lady’s tale she is intrigued to know whether the duke existed or if he is a figment of Lady’s imagination. As Megan embarks on unravelling the mystery of the beast a hidden family secret emerges... will it shatter her life forever? (Goodreads Synopsis)
Shattered Roses is a tale I struggled to rate, finally settling on 3.5 stars. The reason for my dilemma will soon become clear. First off, I loved the premise. I thought Parfitt brought an interesting take on the classic story and, aside from a few minor typos and grammar slips, I liked her prose. However, the book didn't quite work for me because I felt as if we didn't get the full story. Both Megan's tale and Lady's, on their own, would have been worthy of an expanded word count to explore them fully. In the limited pages of this tale, it was as if something were missing. I wanted to know more about the characters and felt that too much was skimmed over. I would dearly love to see Parfitt expand this, maybe even to a short novel, to have the time to give us greater detail on both plot lines and to give us longer to connect to the characters.
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