Very hard to get into. A bit confusing on the direction of the story.

Rosemarked is the tale of Zivah, a healer who catches a disease for which there is no cure and Dineas, a soldier spy who is trying to save his people from the Emperor's army. Together they work to sabotage the Emperor's plan and save their people from war. This is a good premise, healer who cannot heal herself and the plot they devise to learn about the Emperor's plans yet the story is a little slow moving. More action and suspense would improve this book. Still an enjoyable story.

I enjoyed the alternating perspectives in the book and overall thought the book was a pleasant surprise. It wasn't what I expected, but that was a good thing this time!

For Zivah, a newly credited healer, the marks left on her skin from the rose plague come at a great cost. In an instant her future is lost. Along with it, suspicion is cast on her people as the only leads to the spreading of the plague are directed at her village when a large enemy army comes through.

For Dineas having recently come out of the dungeons and torture sessions of the same army the rose plague was something to be survived...and it became a means of escape. Having left his body marked but not diseased his only focus is the revenge he hopes to deploy.

When these two characters from different tribes collide in a mission to save their people they must learn to trust one another, but can they? Zivah erases the memories of Dineas to help him infiltrate the enemy army while Zivah tries to learn all that she can from within the rosemarked compound outside of the city. Their mission is dangerous but what do they have to lose?

This was a great book. The story line was great--I appreciated that the characters had the extra struggle between Dineas and the Dineas that was born from the need of him. Blackburn handled that well.

Adventure, and a bit of romance, paints this story. It feels like this is a standalone book, but I also believe that there was room left over to write a followup.

I've realized that I enjoy the ideas in Blackburne's work more than I like the execution. Everything just feels so prolonged--it's kind of exhausting to read. I also thought that there would be more deadly plague goodness in this book instead of memory stealing serums and so forth. Rats. Not a book for me, but I know many people will enjoy it.

I don't know what I was expecting, but I loved this one. And as a Sp.Ed. teacher, I especially liked how characters work through adversity

Rosemarked is a richly detailed fantasy that has a fairytale feel but is entirely unique and cleverly crafted. I so enjoyed sinking into this delightful story. I was enraptured by the first chapter. Here are just a few of the things I loved most about it: the references to herbs and their uses for healing; the complicated morality aspect and the way in which is this so cleverly conveyed through the chapters; the girl who takes down a trained warrior by using her poisonous pet snake; the use of a variety of weapons from bows and arrows to swords, daggers and poison; the messenger crows; that tantalising hint of romance, high-stakes tension and the quote: "I may not be a walking armory, but I'm not completely helpless".

Zivah is a healer. She has trained many years and undergone many trials to finally earn her healer's sash. But when there is a sudden outbreak of the rose plague in the soldiers patrolling her mountain village, Zivah also finds herself falling ill with the deadly and highly contagious disease. Now she is an outcast, unable to use her healing skills, her final days numbered. Until she discovers that her village leader has been conspiring with a group of rebels. She is tasked with a job no one else can do - journey to the enemy Amparan Empire's Rosemarked settlement to act as a healer. Along with her is the rebel fighter Dineas. He has been captured and tortured by the Amparan's before, has had the Rose plague and survived as one of the few immune Umbertouched. Her job is to use her skills with herbs to remove Dineas' memory so he can infiltrate the Amparan forces. Together, they risk discovery to steal information that might help protect their people.

Rosemarked is written in alternating chapters from both Zivah and Dineas' points of view. This allows the reader to get a good understanding of both characters, really get inside their heads. This is particularly effective when Zivah takes away Dineas' memories. Gone are the terrors of his time being tortured. Gone are his first, rather unflattering, impressions of Zivah. Gone is his history of fighting for his freedom and loathing the Amparan Empire. It's almost like there are suddenly three characters. Zivah struggles with the morality behind her actions, liking the Dineas without his memories better than the one, in those few moments when she temporarily restores his memories, with them. Dineas also struggles, especially with his thoughts and the actions he must take when he has no memory of his true people or the real reason he is now fighting in the Amparan army. This complex morality question, the way it confuses Zivah and Dineas, the way in which it affects how they grow to feel about each other was so very interesting. It makes the hint of romance so very tortured and delightful, bitter and sweet. Loved it.

Rosemarked has been likened to one of my absolute favourite fantasy series, The Lumatere Chronicles by Melina Marchetta. I agree, as it shares many of the same themes: two young people living in a world where their land has been taken, where they must fight for the survival of their people, and the same fantasy feel without there being a whole lot of magic. Rosemarked also reminded me of the Study series by Maria V. Snyder. Perhaps it is the use of herbs, the way animals are used, the fighting, or the banter between Dineas and his fellow Amparan soldiers, but it has the same feels as Poison Study. I cannot give two higher recommendations. But even better, Rosemarked is suitable for readers aged 12 and up and there is no reason why I can't give it to slightly younger readers, which makes it perfect for fantasy YA fans of all ages.

I could go on forever about everything I loved about this book - the setting, which feels part Asian mountains to Arabain-nights-esk desert, or maybe the romance (can't wait to see how this develops in the next book!). The risk of Zivah and Dineas' deception and how this draws them closer to each other but also, conflictingly, closer to their Amparan enemies is tantalising, and I just loved the messenger crows. I want my own Scrawny. Or maybe Zivah's very poisonous pet snake, Diadem. This is a fantastic new fantasy book, the first in what promises to be an amazing series. Very highly recommended.

The publishers provided an advanced readers copy of this book for reviewing purposes. All opinions are my own.

Livia Blackburne's new novel, Rosemarked, is fantasy of the most enjoyable kind. Full of adventure, with just a touch of romance, this story will transport you to Zivah and Dineas' world and keep you reading late into the night. I really enjoyed Zivah's strength. Despite being "rosemarked" she continued to serve others and to step up when needed. She matches Dineas pace for pace in ways that he least expects. Go Zivah! :) I'll be impatiently waiting for the next book in this series.

Rosemarked, by Livia Blackburne is an adventure from start to finish!

This story follows two characters, Zivah - a young healer to her people, and incredibly talented at her craft, and Dineas - a young fighter who is skilled and highly regarded among his people. Rosemarked is told from both of these perspectives.

Without giving too much away, the story follows these characters during a time when the Amparan empire is slowly taking over all of the territories, either by peace or by force. Additionally, there is The Rose Plague spreading through the people of this land, and if you become touched by the plague and "Rosemarked", you will either die or survive one of two ways: as umbertouched, and immune to future sickness, or still Rosemarked, and your days are numbered - a delayed death.

The adventure comes when the two main characters begin a journey into the heart of the empire to gain as much knowledge as they can and protect their people - with the help of Zivah's medical genius and Dineas' aided ability to pose as a soldier and loyal to the empire, this adventure will have you on edge and worrying about whether or not they'll be successful in their task.

This story has additional twists and turns that were unexpected when first going in, and the way that the characters adventure plays out had a unique element which, while I'm trying very hard not to spoil, I deeply enjoyed!

The different perspectives and headspaces throughout this adventure were simply awesome, and this book kept me up until 1AM eager to find out how it ended!

Rosemarked is one that our library will definitely be purchasing when it is released in November!

I had hoped to love this book. Because it looks gorgeous and sounded pretty amazing too, and I adore Livia. But, yeah. This one ended up being so disappointing for me. I just didn't care at all. I didn't like the writing, I didn't like the characters, and only somewhat liked the story. So I'm sadly giving this one two stars.

And oh, I will have you know that two star books are the worst to write reviews for. At least with a one star you know you hated everything. But that wasn't truly the case with this book. Because there wasn't anything for me to hate. It was just boring. Nothing happened. I felt nothing for any of the characters. Disappointing.

And so I am unsure what to write about this book. As I feel pretty meh about it all. Wishing I could say the characters were unique and exciting to read about. But they really weren't. This book is told from two point of views, Zivah and Dineas. It takes place in a regular sort of world, just far in the past, it seemed like. They live in different villages and have different beliefs and such. I wish I had found all of this interesting, but I did not. I didn't care about their village or their lives. Or what they were fighting against and such. I just found it to be boring. Sigh. Zivah is a healer in her village, and she has a great family. But I cared nothing for any of it. Her family was just there, in the background. She thinks about them a few times, but I didn't feel a connection, tbh.

And I simply did not care one bit about the healer parts of the book. Probably because I felt like it was written a bit badly. I'm not sure. I just was not able to get lost in this story or care about these characters. Like, Dineas. The book starts with him just having gotten away after being a prisoner of war and being tortured all the time for a whole year. Yet there are only a few flashbacks about it, and they were so tame and boring, and I cared not one bit. It wasn't exciting. It wasn't heartbreaking, like it was supposed to be.

And so I just did not like the main characters at all. I didn't see anything to like about them, sadly. And that made the book even harder for me to finish reading. But the one thing I was curious about was parts of the plot, the rose plague. I wanted to know more about it, but yeah, again I felt like it wasn't written well enough or focused enough on at all. Zivah fell ill, but survived, though she is now rosemarked and fated to die in a few years, and she can never touch anyone healthy, as she would infect them with the plague.

Dineas escaped from the prison because they thought he was dead from the plague, but he wasn't. He survived and ended up with the lighter marks, which means he can't infect anyone and he won't die. I was curious about this plot. And wanted to know more about this plague. But yeah, didn't get to read enough about it at all. Aw. The thing that I didn't like very much about this book at all was the whole memory loss thingy. I guess some will find it exciting and different, but I simply did not. It annoyed me, to be honest.

See, this whole book is about Zivah and Dineas going undercover for their villages. They are sent to the main city in this world, and are supposed to report back on things going on with a war. Sadly this didn't make much sense to me, sending those two young people in there. I didn't find it exciting at all. Because most of the book is just time moving ahead, and nothing happening. Zivah is busy treating patients that are infected. Dineas is busy fighting in the army now. And it was just so incredibly boring to read about.

But back to the memory thing. Since Zivah is a healer, she knows of a venom that makes it possible for a person to control their memories. And so she and Dineas uses this on him. They erase all his memories. Then give them all back again at certain moments in the book, so that he can remember hidden details and such. And so of course Zivah is falling in love with this new Dineas that doesn't remember anything. He isn't angry and broken like the old one, hahaha.. Yeah. I cared nothing for this. At all. Disappointing.

I'm not going to say more about this book. Simply because there isn't anything more to say. I spent the whole book thinking about how boring it was and how I didn't care for the characters or their fight. And that small romance was way too small and weird and I did not approve. Feels like it might be better in book two, so that's good, but yeah, I did not care. I did like some parts of the plot, which is why this is a two star. And because I didn't hate the book. Just felt nothing. Which is worse, to be fully honest. Aw.

Huge thank you to Cassie at Disney Hyperion for letting me reading this book early via NetGalley. I'm glad that I was able to read this book, I just feel so sad that I didn't end up enjoying it. I really wanted to, though. And I'm still going to get my pre-order of this book, as I have already ordered it, and, well. It do look gorgeous. And I am still curious about the second book, as I do wish to know what happens next. But mostly Rosemarked was disappointing for me. I'm curious, though, what others will think of this one.

Alright, this one was a bit difficult to get through.
That's not because it's bad because it's a far cry from it, I just don't do so well with all of the politically-ness stuff.
Pop this book in my boyfriend's hand, and he can absolutely make sense of it, and enjoy it greatly.

I tend to have some difficulties reading fantasy books, while I love the whole mythical side of it I tend to really struggle with the longer names, and having memory loss makes getting through books like this even tougher. However that is a fault of mine, and I don't take that into consideration when rating a book.

With that being said - the world building in this book is outstanding.
Things are well explained, especially with the plague - and I did enjoy the characters greatly.
I absolutely love that this isn't romance riddled. While there is a smidge - it isn't over the top. That's very refreshing in a YA book.
I really like that the story is original - it didn't immediately bring some other book to mind when reading it - another strong point as many books sound so very similar to others.
I can't wait for the sequel for sure!

I really enjoyed the book. The story is simple but absorbing: I especially like the worldbuilding and the characters developement. Zivah and Dineas stand out and have little in common with those conventional fantasy heroes that save the world even if isn't believable. They are strong, but fragile at the same time and the romance is subtle, soft and discreet.
The author's style is very good, even if I found the beginning a little bit 'cold' and impersonal. After a while I got used to the writing and ended up appreciating every single word. Maybe you get the impression that the story is too slow and uneventful, but for me less is more because Zivah and Dineas have the time to develop and become real key players.
The ending was a little rushed for me, I hoped to have _more_ but I don't mind opend endings and after all the story was so good that I didn't care.

Wow it's amazing!I It's been a long time since I've enjoyed a YA fantasy book. This was so well written and the plot was absolutely brilliant. I loved the characters and the romance was subtle but definitely swoonworthy. I highly recommend it!

Blackburne has set her latest page turner in a war-torn world beset by plague. The perspectives of Zivah, the healer, and Dineas, the rebel warrior, are cleverly alternated throughout the story as the political intrigue - and tension - rises. The characters are engaging and believable, and as the story progresses, their conflicted feelings advance the story line. I Looking forward to the sequel!!!

I requested to read an ARC of this from netgalley in exchange for my honest review because the description said that it was for fans of Ember in the Ashes and this did not disappoint! It took me a little while to really get sucked in to the story but overall this was a great read! In a time where the Rose Plague can quickly kill and destroy lives, Zivah has just become a healer. She is very talented and her talents lead her to being Rosemarked after she comes in contact with the disease. Her life takes a turn to isolation, even when she is offered a job far away by a man she saved. Fate brings Dineas into her life, an escaped rebel looking to make a dent on the problems of the world around him. Dineas and Zivah become involved in a plan that will involved a lot of danger for both, memory adjustments and trust of enemies. The story was slow to get started but once I was engaged in Zivah and Dineas story, I really enjoyed it. The plot was well done and the ending definitely left me wanting to see where the story continues!

I am not sure how to categorize this book … is it a fantasy? Is it YA? What is this book?

It’s Good. That’s what it is.

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.

That is a partial description but I think it focuses on what I liked best about Rosemarked, the two main characters. I am a very character driven reader. I’m not very good at reviewing the technical aspects of a story, but I do respond strongly to character and emotion. This book has both in spades.

The book deals a lot in the issues surrounding trauma and the response to trauma. Dineas is a tortured soul. He survived his captivity and physical trauma, but it has changed him as a person. This book uses an excellent fantasy device to enable the reader to really see just how much he has been crippled by the torture he suffered.

Through Zivah, we experience the fear of a people being slowly subjugated by an invading empire. She is driven to act in ways that defy her peaceful, kindly nature. When she realizes she is terminally ill, she has nothing left to lose. She will find a way to help defend her home and family, though she is not really prepared to do so.

They make an interesting pair. Don’t worry, there is no insta-love to be found here. They do come to slowly appreciate one another, and this is my favorite kind of love story. I will admit that there are a few plot devices that seem a little out there. As an example, Dineas has pet crows who seem far more intelligent than I would give them credit for, but it doesn’t detract from the story. Is that where the “fantasy” comes in? I’m not sure exactly. It’s hard for me to find any magical or supernatural elements, so I’m not really sure why it is being billed as such.

As far as I know, there haven’t been any announcements about Rosemarked being part of a series, but from the way it ended, I’m guessing so. Either way, you should read it! It’s a well-written, engaging book, and I couldn’t put it down.

Song for this book: Myth by Beach House

(3.5 stars)

This is a novel of that strange genre that has the feel and setting of a high fantasy, but doesn't actually contain any fantastical elements. (I like to call it 'pseudo-high fantasy. Possibly it could also be described as spec fic, but I've always found that definition to be almost uselessly broad.) The plot relied heavily on political machinations rather than containing magic, although it could be argued Zivah's potions have some element of magic.

This is rather an atypical YA. It has a romance, but not a love-triangle, and the romance was subtle and not forced at all. Whereas I wouldn't exactly say I liked it, being a pretty unromantic person in general (and also thinking it would have been more interesting if the romance had been between Zivah and Mehtap tbh), I could tolerate it, which is actually quite impressive if you consider how apathetic I am to romance.

The pacing was quite slow, which I felt worked for most of the book but there wasn't much action, and when the stakes were raised you could pretty much tell what the outcome was going to be. Also, there weren't any particularly shocking turns or twists in the plot and by the end of the book I didn't really feel that anything had particularly been resolved.

Overall I enjoyed it, but I'm not sure if I'm going to read the next one. The plot wasn't quite gripping enough, and I don't know if I want to read the second only to find that nothing has still been resolved and I'll have to read a third one to find out what happens.

Definitely promising though, and I'll keep an eye out for the author's next books (and perhaps go through her backlog, although writers' abilities tend to develop as time passes so idk if her previous ones will be better... might check them out if the blurb is interesting tho)

The book reminded me a lot of The Winner's Curse, except the two protagonists were both oppressed by the Empire instead of one of them being privileged, with added plague - always good -, with added character development, and basically better in every way so if you liked that book you'll LOVE this one (and if you didn't like that book then read this anyway because it's twenty times better)

ARC received from Netgalley and Disney-Hyperion for an honest review.
I really enjoyed this book, it has a great plot and Livia Blackburne has great writing skills. She keeps your attention and the plot is not lacking on adventure. It is a little slow, but I think that is because the author is world building for the first book. The two main character's are why you should read this book. They are the glue that makes this book worth reading. It's alternating viewpoints between the two main characters.

When I was sent this book from the lovely people at Disney I was told that it was a special book that the publicist was very excited about. So of course I have no self control and had to read it immediately instead of reading the books I had in my TBR for the month. Whoops.

Fast forward to the time you’re reading this. It’s been several months. I know, I’m the worst. But I couldn’t help it. I read this book in 2 sittings, something that for a Kindle book is usually impossible. It’s usually so hard for me to read on that screen. But there I was and there it was and suddenly it was over. Just like that.

I love plague books. The way in which diseases can take down a species as complicated as we are (even in fiction) is both terrifying and kind of beautiful. This book handled that so well as it shows the plague taking hold on whole communities and dismantling them with no regard for wealth or station.

The romance in this story is so different, being that the MC is falling for a character who essentially doesn’t exist. She also falls for his real self, albeit much slower. It’s an incredibly satisfying love story, which for a person who doesn’t care for romance that much, is nice. There are so many characters to love in this book, from the MC, to the love interest, to the colorful side characters . They’re all so fun and interesting. Yes please, we want more!

The more I read the more I knew that this book was not going to end with a final conclusion. A second book was a necessity or the ending was going to be unsatisfying. And so as the book came to a close and I realized another book was going to be coming I sighed to myself thinking about how painful this wait was going to be. The story is compelling to the point of being addicting.

This book was fabulous, and a great look at how different classes even in fiction can handle such problems as disease. The twists are fantastic, the story obsessively addicting, and now I really have to go read some more of Livia’s books. I recommend this book to all YA fantasy fans.

Zivah is a healer, one of the youngest to ever earn her healer's sash. But immediately upon reaching this goal, she has to care for enemy soldiers with a deadly disease which leaves her Rosemarked, a result of the fever and a condition that makes her contagious to others. So she is quarantined and is unable to practice her healing arts. She has an opportunity to move into the quarantined village of the enemy soldiers, where she and Dineas, a rebel from near her village who is immune from her disease, plot to overthrow the same enemy and save her village. Partly fantasy, partly romance, this will appeal to either reader.