Skip to main content

Under the Rose by Diana Peterfreund

Reading Secret Society Girl put me in righteously indignant mode for two days straight. Now, admittedly, it doesn't always take much to send me there but, since my indignation was on behalf of fictional characters and couldn't hurt anyone, well, real, I figured it was okay to let the wrath reign. Besides, some of those dudes really deserved it. My wrath, that is. Reading Under the Rose was an entirely different experience. I spent the majority of the time grinning madly, silently egging certain characters on while berating others for their a) lack of the barest trappings of a conscience or b) inability to just come out and say what's really bothering them.

And boy was there a lot of bothering going on. At the start of the book, it quickly becomes apparent someone within the secret society is leaking information to outsiders intent on destroying them. Amy, known within the Rose & Grave annals as Bugaboo, is dismayed to find out she's lived up to her society nickname when none of the other Diggers will listen to her pleas for help investigating the leak. Caught up in their own lives and dramas, her fellow Diggers leave Amy alone to fret and fester over the fraying society she's been so loyal to (and so instrumental in saving in the last book). And Amy has her own heady distractions in the form of her senior thesis, her roommate Lydia's love life woes, and the persistence of one George Harrison Prescott.

I thought Under the Rose was an even stronger story than its predecessor. The pace never flagged, the dialogue was sharp, and the characters became more interesting and more dear, as evidenced by the fact that my heart went out to two of them who'd done nothing but irritate me in the first book. I love it when that happens! I was particularly enamored by the unwilling alliance Amy forms with a certain caustic law student and the verbal sparring that ensues. Ah, the things she gets roped into doing in the name of the greater good. This book was a smooth, delicious treat and when I closed it I felt like we'd all of us had a good time. And now was a darn good time to discover this series as it's just a week and a half till Rites of Spring (Break) comes out. I'm all jumpy.

Links
Book Divas Review
Darque Review
Speed-Reading Book Nerd Review

Comments

  1. That was definitely great timing on finding the series! I can see how caught up you are with the characters. :) Thanks so much for the DR link!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Lol. Pretty obvious, isn't it? I can't wait to find out what happens between Amy and the caustic law student. And I'm definitely looking forward to your review of Rites of Spring.

    ReplyDelete
  3. It's a series that just manages to suck you right into it. lol Not long now! :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Grin. I can making it five more days, right?

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

You Might Also Like

$50 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway!

I'm excited today to be giving away a $50 Amazon Gift Card to one lucky reader!   This giveaway is sponsored by   Appliances Online   and is open to the US and the UK.  To enter, fill out the Rafflecopter letting me know what you'd spend your gift card on--books like me (which ones, which ones) or something else you've had your eye on?  The giveaway will run one week from today (6/13). Good luck! a Rafflecopter giveaway

Triple Prize Pack Giveaway!

Not long ago I discovered a few of you tweeting to get me to the 300 follower mark. As little things I read on Twitter often do, that one sort of made my day. You're all really too sweet for words and I joked that perhaps it was time for a giveaway. The truth is I've been in the mood to have one for awhile now and this is as good a time as any. So here's the deal. This will be a triple prize pack giveaway , meaning there are three packs and you can indicate which one you'd like to be entered to win in the comments. I will choose three random winners and contact them. This giveaway is open to anywhere The Book Depository ships! Here's the list of countries , FYI. Since I tend to read a lot of urban fantasy, straight fantasy, and young adult, I've chosen a set of each including all books currently in print in that series. The Urban Fantasy Pack The Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews (My reviews here , here , & here )   The Fantasy Pack The Queen's Th...

Interview with Sara Creasy + Children of Scarabaeus Giveaway!

Today is the release day for Sara Creasy 's Children of Scarabaeus --the second book in her wonderful Scarabaeus duology. I'm delighted to be celebrating release day with an interview with Ms. Creasy. I picked up Song of Scarabaeus a couple of weeks ago, fell immediately in love, and set about getting my hands on an ARC of   the sequel as quickly as possible  (you can read my reviews  here and here ). This is the kind of science fiction I love--character-driven and exciting, set against the background of a fully developed and eerily fascinating world. If you haven't had a chance to pick up these books, now is the perfect time. Please welcome Sara Creasy!  First things first: The Covers. I am kind of a fan of Chris McGrath ’s covers, and I love the little touches on these two that make them unique to Edie & Finn’s story. Did you have any input on the covers and what was your reaction upon seeing the first one? Isn’t his work amazing? As soon as I found out he wa...