Rosemarked by Livia Blackburne
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A healer who cannot be healed . . .
When Zivah falls prey to the deadly rose plague, she knows it’s only a matter of time before she fully succumbs. Now she’s destined to live her last days in isolation, cut off from her people and unable to practice her art—until a threat to her village creates a need that only she can fill.
A soldier shattered by war . . .
Broken by torture at the hands of the Amparan Empire, Dineas thirsts for revenge against his captors. Now escaped and reunited with his tribe, he’ll do anything to free them from Amparan rule—even if it means undertaking a plan that risks not only his life but his very self.
Thrust together on a high-stakes mission to spy on the capital, the two couldn’t be more different: Zivah, deeply committed to her vow of healing, and Dineas, yearning for vengeance. But as they grow closer, they must find common ground to protect those they love. And amidst the constant fear of discovery, the two grapple with a mutual attraction that could break both of their carefully guarded hearts.
Having read Blackburne’s Midnight Thief series, I already knew that I’m in for some good world building and great storytelling, and this first book in a new fantasy series certainly didn’t disappoint. A fantasy world loosely based on the expansion of the Persian empire, Ampara is an empire that has taken over it’s neighboring cultures.
Perhaps the highlight of this novel is how it presents the PTSD of Dineas, which also serves as the basis for the major arc if the plot – him going undercover as an amnesiac spy. Helping him infiltrate the Amparan military is Zivah, the other main character who, after saving a Commander from the rose plague, herself becomes infected and Rosemarked. She is a talented healer, and knows how to make complex concoctions, including the one that makes him lose his memory (he volunteered for it) so that his trauma wouldn’t come in the way of his job.
Now, another thing to consider is the dehumanization of infected people in this world. They are treated as outcasts (think leprosy) and kept away from the general populace in a gated community, where it’s a bit of anarchy going on. Meanwhile, Dineas enrols and becomes a loyal soldier of the very army he hates. From time to time, she brings him out of the amnesia and he can report, but it soon becomes apparent to him that the person he is when he is an amnesiac is different from himself. This brings out his questions of loyalty and feelings and how he can distinguish between them.
Meanwhile, there is also a romantic arc going on – the other Dineas starts falling for Zivah and she, despite knowing he’s just a part of another person, starts having feelings for him. This makes things complicated as she definitely doesn’t want to take advantage of him, yet for the sake of her mission, she can’t keep away from him. Also she can’t keep pushing him away without telling him the real reason – and the first Dineas, though slowly warming up to her and starting to respect her as more than just a Dara maiden, is not in love with her. Yet.
Zivah is still seeking out a cure, but she is also learning new techniques, understanding the virtue of patience but there is also the moral dilemma about how much she can use her skills as a healer to aid the mission while not causing harm to people. She is quite a force, too – like, imagine becoming a spy with no training and having to constantly balance the double lives you’re leading!
I loved the fact that this book is both driven by the politics of the Amparan empire, yet also by the character arcs. It’s an interesting story overall, and told through some really well written characters. One of my problems with it is maybe the inconsistency of the quarantine measures. I can’t help it as a bio grad! Sometimes it comes across as very strictly enforced whereas sometimes they forget that people can be fomites, too, if not carriers! Also, there is the fact that despite the high stakes, these two get away with pretty much their whole mission quite smoothly?
Overall, a great start to the series and I’m eager for Umbertouched.
Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review from Disney-Hyperion, via Netgalley.
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The characters are all described as POC (it is sort of inspired by the Persian empire). Additionally, there is mental health rep (PTSD) in Dineas.
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