Sandy Benitez

Overall I liked, The Rosegiver. I liked the very unique concept of a rosegiver and was intrigued by the idea. As a YA supernatural/horror book, it was chock-full of scary sweet spots. I especially liked the rugged Ronan character and the too-handsome-for-words Thomas character. But, I found Rachel somewhat predictable which prevented me from thoroughly enjoying the spooky goings-on at Thistlegrove. Overall Sandy Benitez is a very talented author with a quick wit and a keen eye. I look forward to her next book.… (mehr)

I am an avid reader of all things supernatural and occasionally dive into the kiddie (teen) pool.
This story started out as a "who-done-it" vampyre mystery about a "rosegiver" who reads people and hands them a rose colored according to their result. This is set in the late 1800s England and Rachael is approaching her 18th birthday. She is sent to stay with her aunt who will hone her skills as a rosegiver. There is some romance between her and Ronan, a graveminder, who also assists her aunt, as well as a handsome young man she meets on the train, Thomas.
The story progresses well but comes up short at the end. At the end of the tale (I won't reveal any spoilers) Rachael makes some bold moves for a young lady of the time traveling about unescorted, which of course, leads her into trouble. It is an abrupt solution to the mystery followed by unbelievable actions for someone who just had her life threatened. I don't know about you- but a I would have been screaming home instead of opting for a walk in the night woods after her ordeal.
I realize this is a YA supernatural/romance novelette but I would give a little more credit to my readers, unless she's going pre-teen and just wants to gloss over the "scary" parts.
I received this book as an early reader for LibraryThing and is my own personal review.… (mehr)

Thank you goes out to Sandy Benitez for choosing me as a winner of her book on LibraryThing! I couldn't put the book down. Yes this is YA but I like that I was on the edge of my seat but not so scared that I had to read it only during the day. I loved that there were different elements of each character, I won't disclose those because you should read this book yourself to get to know them. 🙂 Elements that were new in the fantasy arena. I also loved that it had a gothic setting. So many books today are contemporary fantasy. The gothic setting set the dark message perfectly. A great read!… (mehr)