R E V I E W | Autumn Rose, A Dark Heroine Novel by Abigail Gibbs

 Autumn Rose is the second installment of The Dark Heroine Novels by Abigail Gibbs. Sadly I didn't enjoy this one quite as much as I did the first. I got to a point where I just desperately wanted to finish it and not for the 'omg I love this so much I must see how it ends' reason.

The story runs parallel with that of The Dark Heroine, Dinner With a Vampire, and follows fifteen year old Autumn Rose, a Sage living in the little sea-side town of Brixham.

She goes to Kable School and is the schools 'Guardian' against the threat of the Extermino - the main bad guys in this novel who target Sage and humans but I don't really know why. She also works in a cafe in the harbor and has the ability to do magic. As we learnt in the first book, Autumn lives in a parallel dimension to Violet and in this particular dimension the humans are aware of the Sage who live among them. Sage are beings who are essentially human, who can draw power from nature to do their magic, have whorls of scars that trace down the right side of their body and are strictly vegan.

One day the prince of the Sage, Fallon Athenea turns up at Autumns school throwing her life upside down. She's trying to live a quiet existence after having to move in with her parents due to the death of her grandmother. Autumns grandmother was a Sagean Duchess, and as her son - Autumns father, was born human the title of Duchess falls to Autumn. 

When Fallon first turns up she's not really interested in rekindling her friendship with the prince - she really doesn't seem to like him, and for no apparent reason! But through joint classes and the encouragement of one of their half Sagean teachers, Autumn gives in and ends up spending a weekend with Fallon and some of his family at his aunt and uncle's place and as she is the only Sage in the area of noble birth she is suppose to welcome them to the area.

Through their time together Autumn learns that Fallon and his family know the reason behind her grandmothers death but won't tell her 'for her own good' -which understandably makes Autumn mad.

From the start of the book Autumn has these almost premonition like dreams - turns out shes a seer, about Violet which is the only link in to the Dark Heroine story we have as the prophecy is not brought up until over halfway through the book. At this point it becomes clear that Fallon has had some sort of inkling that she is the first Heroine, but in the time line it seems to be after Violet is named a heroine? We still don't learn that much about he heroines though.

Throughout the book there are some relationships that I call in to question. The first being Autumn's relationship with her parents. Her father is a weak character who completely and utterly hates the Sagean royal court of Athenea, her mother just come across as a stone hearted bitch- even when Autumn's life is in peril and she's unwell and may die as she gave all her energy to heal someone from a curse, they refuse to go an see her as she is staying with Fallon's family and the Sage will be there - dicks.

Autumn and Fallon's relationship feels a bit fragmented, its I-hate-you-no-wait-I-like-you-wait-I-hate-you-again-hang-on-I-love-you-gah-you-know-why-my-grandmother-died-prick-back-to-I-love-you-again. Talk about teenage drama.

There is also bully who goes by the name of Valerie Danvers, and although I welcome the idea of Autumn being bullied for being different and how that can help develop her as a character, Valerie is just vile and nasty and I feel like its just not necessary. 

Things pick up towards the end of the book when we travel to Athenea, royal court of the Sagean on Vancouver Island, Canada. Here we have a court debates, Autumn finds out why her grandmother dies and Kaspar and Violet make an appearance - yay! Or not as the case maybe. I feel like this bit is so rushed and just doesn't add up. Violet is in a spiral of depression after being turned, and refuses to drink blood. Kaspar almost seems to be abusing her and all the other vampires come across as gigantic douche bags! 

The book ends with an attack on Autumns school by the Extermino - while she and Fallon are safe in Athenea, and one of her friends dies. She also has another premonition-but seen through the eyes of the Extermino's leader - ? - chri'dom:

"for the quest begins this day for the third Heroine of the Damned."

I gave this book ✰✰'s