Thanks so much to Olivia Wildenstein and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen and review this audiobook! 4/5 stars and I can’t wait to read book 2!
 
I’ve loved Olivia Wildenstein since I first picked up Feather by her, so I was super excited for this opportunity to listen to a book from her back list. Rose Petal Graves is a book about faeries, mixing Native American culture in there as well. Cat returns back home to Michigan from Boston after the death of her mother, only to discover that the stories and tall tales told by her mother may not be fables at all, and her mother’s death may not be as straight-forward as the medical examiner, Cruz, made it out to be to the rest of the town.
 
I listened to the audiobook on a road trip and was so easily invested in the story and the narrator. Following Cat and her new “friends” as she discovers more about her history and opens her eyes to a completely new world filled with magic and faeries and faerie hunters was so exciting, and I can’t wait to hear how the rest of her story plays out. The relationships she forms with Cruz, Ace, Lily, and Kajika leave me excited for more and I’m ready to learn more about Cat’s ancestors and how her story plays out in the next 2 books of the trilogy!

At first I really enjoyed this YA it was fast paced and had me hooked from the beginning but then it kind of fell flat. I’m not sure I will continue the series.

I’m giving it 3 stars because it kept me interested but I feel like I’m missing something.

I did not like this. It was slow and disappointing. The writing style was off and the audio seem sketchily recorded. Also what funeral home do you know of that has an examiner do an autopsy in the basement of the owners house. I’m sorry but this just wasn’t for me.

This was a YA fantasy story featuring fae. It's about Catori who's very determined to know the real cause of her mother's sudden death. Upon returning to their hometown to investigate what really happened, she then discovers who she really is and that faes and fae hunters are actually real.

Kinda confused as to why the undertaker lives in a funeral home with a morgue in the basement. Also why would Cat want to watch the autopsy? Specially it's her mom getting sliced open. Uhh gross/creepy? I was washing the dishes when I heard this part and I almost dropped the plate I was holding. There are some funny lines though and a lot of twists and turns so these helped me to keep going. I was so curious to what really happened to Cat's mom. Overall, it was 'meh' for me. Sorry.

Super thanks though to the author Olivia Wildenstein and NetGalley for providing the audiobook for free in exchange for a review.

This audiobook took me a long long time to get through, but that is because I think this book is a bit complex and long to listen to via audiobook. The plot of the book was a bit hard to grasp at first, but overtime the "magic" of this world started to make a lot more sense. In effort to avoid spoilers, there are Fae but NOT in the way you may be used to. There are also Fae hunters, which I have not come across in prior books.

I would rate this 3 stars after listening via audiobook, but I think it would have been higher for me if I would have read a physical copy.

I enjoyed this read. It was reminiscent of books like Twilight and Vampire Academy, just without the vampires and werewolves. Instead it was fairies and fae hunters. It is the first in the series and I am interested in reading the rest of the series to see what happens. I also like the way the narrator performed the story.

Amazing story, well written characters. It's not often you get to read about elves and hunters. At least not that I have seen yet. The story flows really well and i can't wait to read the next one. The narrator was also perfect!

This was surprisingly good. A lot of things happened at the same time, I was never bored. If you want a fun ya this would be a fun ride.

Ps: it reminds me of twilight

Rose petal graves has everything I love, mystery around a myth, hope for more, family, discovery, betrayal and I guessed wrong all the way through. Add in the blurred lines of good and evil because life is not black and white and that’s this book. I loved that I had no clue on which was a good guy or bad guy or just a guy. I loved that, I had no clue what would happen next or way and that works in this book. My fear (unfounded but real) of glow worms (fire flies scares the hell out of me) honestly I would run for the hill and this book gave me more reasons to run.
I laughed and huge lumps in my throat during this book. It’s not something I have read before, I love the concept and the honest story.

Oliver is so cleaver with your writing that I feel like I’m with your characters in their world.

Only problem with this book was I was not convinced that the right narrator is reading this book. But I did enjoy it all the same

Rose Petal Graves by Olivia Wildenstein is a cool twist on the fae / monster genre that incorporates Indigenous storytelling mythology into a fantasy romance. Catori is a young woman pursuing a medical degree who is called home when her mother unexpectedly passes away. She feels like the circumstances surrounding her moms death aren't what they seem; an idea compounded by the eerie arrival of out of towner Cruz. This fantasy was done well and had the unique aspect of Native American folklore that added to the interest of the story. I think the love triangle is interesting and I'm excited to see what unfolds next for the Hunters and the Fae.

» overview «
stars: ★★☆☆☆
plot: ★★☆☆☆
readability: ★★☆☆☆
characters: ★★☆☆☆
writing: ★★☆☆☆
recommend: ✗

» liked «
- that last line from Cruz about waiting for Catori

» disliked «
- the main characters share everything with each other, even though they just met each other
- plot is very winding
- Cruz tells Catori that she is descended from a fae hunter. why in the world would he tell her that. what's the point? wouldn't it just make his own life harder?

» overall «
i love the cover of this book. it's not unique or special, but it's not as bad as those cartoon covers.

i wasn't expecting a fae book, but i'm not peeved.

overall, this book is just very average.

as for the audiobook performance, it was good. nothing to complain about.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) for providing me with the audiobook ARC in exchange for a review with my honest opinions.

Typische Romantasy Geschichte.
Hat mir gut gefallen, ich habe bekommen, was ich erwartet habe.
Irgendetwas hat für mich aber leider gefehlt, so ein richtiger Sog ist nicht entstanden.
Das Hörbuch war sehr angenehm gesprochen und hat mir gut gefallen.

I was really hoping I would like this one but it just fell flat. The premise sounds amazing but the execution just wasn’t there. The plot was a little all over the place and the love triangle quickly felt like a love square. Just too many male love interests. Catari was annoying and I just couldn’t get over it.

Rose Petal Graves is a beautiful book with an amazing voice actor to make you really fall into the story.

It's short and only takes a little while to read but it's instantly one of the best audiobooks I've listened to in a while.

I received a copy of this book as an audiobook from Netgalley and listened while I packed. I enjoyed this story overall, it has a different approach to the fae and hunters and managed to keep my attention the entire time. It is the story of Catori and her journey of self discovery after returning home town after her mother's mysterious death. I love the dynamic between Catori and Ace and I shall need to obtain the next book in the series!!

This one was a strange one to rate because to me I am rating the audiobook (reader, voice, etc) but clearly there is a book here.

Audiobook wise - not a fan. I’m not a general audiobook user just because I read something one way and having someone else read out loud to me makes the book feel different to me and then I get judgy. It sounded a little robotic in some instance and that is what I generally focused on and it left me not paying attention to the book itself. The reader was a little monotone in my opinion too.

Book wise - once I got passed the reader I could finally enjoy what was being read. While I would have expected different or more, I did enjoy this. Not sure that I would have finished had I read it myself though.

This was an enjoyable read. Nothing outstanding but worth reading. The story was unique and I appreciated how the author built the tension.

4.5 rounded to 5 stars!

This book through me for a loop from the first or second chapter. Not at all what I was expecting, but in the best way possible. A really unique story. I love the Native American background to it all, the high fantasy added. Very well written. I would likely recommend this to anyone, especially lovers of fantasy. Well done!

(ALC received from NetGalley in exchange for honest review. Thank you.)

Olivia Wildenstein is never a miss for me and this book is no exception!

It starts off grim and our main character, Catori, is one who can never seem to catch a break. Bad things keep happening to her and the latest is the death of her mother under mysterious circumstances.

And the story only gets eerier from there, catapulted by the arrival of the medical examiner Cruz, who is just a little too perceptive and a little to interested in more than just the manner of Catori’s mother’s death.

This book has an air of the supernatural hanging over it constantly, and for good reason. Catori isn’t just plagued by the death of her mother, but of her mother’s stories of the fae and the indigenous tribe they’re descended from, the Gottwa. Add in an unfamiliar relative attending her mother’s funeral, who is more stranger than not, and the story really kicks off with a heady dose of suspense and magic.

And, as the story progresses, Catori realizes those tales weren’t simply fiction and not everything is as it seems.

I really enjoyed the twisty and haunting aspect of this story, as well as the slower burn romance between Catori and Cruz. It’s absolutely a solid start to the series and one I’m excited to have read, as it’s been on my shelf for a few years!

The ending only left me wishing for more, and I’m excited to see where the story goes in the rest of the series!

The premise for 'Rose Petal Graves' caught me immediately, and the use of indigenous North American folklore was unique enough to convince me I needed to read this book.

Unfortunately, the story and writing failed to keep me captivated, and I found myself struggling to care about characters and stakes. While the narration was well done— I especially appreciated the accuracy of the Midwestern accent, whether that was a result of a talented narrator or an actual Midwestern narrator—I simply could not bring myself to get excited about Catori's story. The entirety of 'Rose Petal Graves' felt like what should have been the first 30-50% of a novel in the genre; all slow repetative exposition with little to no character development or excitement.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of the 'Rose Petal Graves' audiobook in exchange for an honest review.