An interesting concept, and one I have definitely never heard of, so I appreciate the uniqueness! Overall, it was enjoyable. Thank you to the author and publisher for the copy in exchange for a review.

Definitely a very unique premise & world. I enjoyed the story very much.

*Thank you to the publisher for this eARC.

Sadly this book just didn’t grab as much as I hoped it would. I put it down and picked it up multiple times but I just couldn’t connect with it. Super bummed.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the gothic feelings and the vibes that matched The Portait of Dorian Gray and Stalking Jack the Ripper! I enjoyed reading about Myra and the bond she has with her sister; it was very sweet to read. I think my favorite part of the whole book was the magic system where Myra can alter reality through her painting. This magic system made me realize that I want more books with magic systems based on talents and hobbies like sewing, painting, stuff like that. I also love that more and more books are coming out lately with disability representation and this book had such a great representation through Myra’s sister.

A Forgery of Roses is such a beautifully written YA fantasy. The world-building is outstanding. The romance is swoon-worthy. The story is well written with romance, murder, action and well-developed characters that engage from start to finish. The world is atmospheric and feels real. Jessica S. Olson has earned herself a spot on my auto-buy authors list. I cannot get enough. Highly recommended! Be sure to check out A Forgery of Roses today.

Loved this. Had all the elements I was wanting: romance, gothic, magic and murder. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for granting me access to an e-arc.

Gothic theme, lush standalone fantasy and romance. What is not to love?! It was a bit hard for me to get into at the beginning, but once I got ahold of the plot, this story was very interesting! I read this in Fall so the weather complemented perfectly. Highly recommend for fantasy lovers.

Thank you Inkyard press for the e-arc

One of my favorite aspects of this novel is that it reminded me of Margaret Rogerson's "An Enchantment of Ravens," specifically the plot point of Myra depicting figures in her art in unusual ways. No spoilers but I absolutely love the trope of the oldest sister giving up everything to protect her younger sibling and this happens to be the premise of "A Forgery of Roses." I think it's important to have more books with this trope because, just like in the real world, life usually revolves around younger siblings (i.e., their needs and wants) and often the older siblings get left behind. So something that this novel does that I love is really putting Myra in the spotlight, making her her own main character whereas before only her younger sister's story was being told.

A Forgery of Roses was promising, but I felt it fell a bit short. 4 out of 5 stars.

The book follows Myra, a talented artist who has magic beneath her paint brush. But not good magic, more of a dark magic that could go horribly wrong. The story takes a turn when the governor's wife finds out about Myra's magic, plunging Myra into the fight to stay away from the same fate that stole her mother.

Overall, I would say this book was interesting and unique in it's plot line. The gothic undertones were so different than anything I've read that it was an instant pull.. However, I slowly started to lose interest when Myra experienced what is not so fondly referred to as insta-love. If romance is going to be a plot point, it has to be realistic or else I sort of check out.

I did love how gritty this book was (but if you dislike gore this might not be the book for you). Also, the ending had me sweating and it almost made up for everything leading up to it. Almost.

I got bored with this book and just couldn’t finish it.
It sounded interesting but unfortunately it was poorly done.
I do not recommend

I wanted to like this young adult novel about a girl with magic painting abilities but it just wasn't for me. I found the protagonist shallow and difficult to root for and the romance tepid. The world building felt incomplete. Ultimately the book did not live up to its premise.

I am a bit late to this review. Generally, I don't dish out less than 3 stars for the majority of my reviews, but this novel felt a bit flat. While I don't regret reading Forgery of Roses, I was really disappointed by the story as a whole. Myra and the magic system were super interesting and well done, and I did enjoy the murder mystery plot. While it was great to see disability and anxierty represented, the way it was written didn't jive with me. That could have more to do with the setting and time period though, because I never could figure out what either was. Where were the characters? England? and when? there were carriages and shops with working artists, but what time period?

Overall, I do not regret the read, and I did find parts enjoyable, I just felt things culd have been expanded more. I do hope that is a sequel happens the readers might get more details and questions answered.

I really enjoyed A Forgery of Roses. Its described as Dorian Gray meets Stalking Jack the Ripper and I think that description was spot on. I liked the writing and the characters. I thought the story was original. I will be purchasing this book for my library.

The thing I want to share about this one right off the bat is that I loved there was some diversity in terms of disability rep. There was also a lot of discussion surrounding anxiety, which was great to see.

There was some insta love and a triangle going on which I didnt love but the magic system made up for it-- it was interesting and unique .
I think anyone who really enjoys YA fantasy will like this one

A Forgery of Roses was a great dark gothic fantasy novel! I love that art is incorporated in the magic system, it felt very whimsical. I did find the story dragging a little at times but I found myself engaged enough and cared what happened to the characters, and where the story would go. Overall, I will definitely recommend this book and will for sure lookout for more by Jessica S. Olson!

I'd recommend this for YA fantasy/romance readers.

The book has some gore and violence as well as death so it's most appropriate for those 14+.

My take away is that the book is a sort of retelling of The Picture of Dorian Grey.
I will admit it's a bit confusing as the book jumps right into the thick of things without much explanation; one must read the synopsis to figure out what is happening.

However,the story is somewhat unique and the ending is suspenseful.

A lush fantasy that ably walks the line between a beautiful dream and a terrible nightmare. The world Olson conjures is one steeped in ancient magic, mystery, and danger: a world of gaslight and mist-shrouded streets. The way that magic functions in this world is unique and interesting-- these elements combine for an unforgettable story.

I received a copy of this book for a fair and honest review. I think it is an interesting concept for painting magic. It is not something I have really heard about as a gift. I did enjoy Myra and what she was going through. Though there were times that she talked about not having money and having to take care of her ill sister a lot. I did not think it had to be mentioned as much as it was. I like that anxiety and panic attacks were included since so many could relate, but it does not come across as represented correctly. I also did not expect the way the story turned out. I thought I knew who was all involved but I was wrong.

See this review and more at the blog, The Scribe Owl!

3.5/5 stars

As soon as I read the synopsis I was extremely excited to read A Forgery of Roses! The premise was unique and interesting, and I read it the first opportunity I got. Stalking Jack the Ripper meets The Picture of Dorian Gray?? Yes please, absolutely! Unfortunately, it fell a little short of what it wanted to accomplish. I can see all the great ideas that went into it, but they got all muddled up in the execution.

The characters are where Jessica S. Olson had the greatest chance of selling me and she got me about three-quarters of the way there. I loved Lucy and her relationship with Myra! The bonds between the two were palpable and that single relationship simultaneously brought so much levity and despair into the story. I honestly didn't like August at first (which is weird because he's exactly my type) but I warmed up to him over the course of the novel. Myra herself was a great MC and did a great job centering the cast of characters.

The magic system in A Forgery of Roses was really unique! I loved the whole idea of sevren, which are described as "soul threads" and the discovery and manipulation of them through painting. I will add though--the religion created for this story is really weird. It's really just a plot device to make Prodigies (people who can manipulate sevren by painting) outcasts, but it definitely weirded me out when they attempted to explain it.

Okay I'm sorry but I have to add one more thing real quick that is probably not that important in the grand scheme of things but bothered me to no end. So Myra's trying to figure out how this guy died, right? So she's looking at the body and she's like "hmmm he fell off a balcony so it had to be blunt force trauma." And then she finds this super suspicious-looking wound she identifies as a KNIFE WOUND and goes "yep! Blunt force trauma!" And continues with her day. I MEAN WHAT????? GIRL--

A Forgery of Roses is a very creepy gothic novel. It tells of an artists who bring things back from the dead. The writing is very creepy with horror elements. I found all the characters to be very likable. The story is dark and eerie with a sweet romance! I recommend this for fans of Kingdom of the Wicked, Hotel Magnifque, and The Kingdom of Back!