‘Withering Rose’ (Once Upon a Curse #2) by Kaitlyn Davis

3.5 stars

Aptly named, ‘Withering Rose,’ is a tale about a girl named Omorose whose magic sometimes forces its way out of her, costing her a bit of time off her life expectancy with each outburst.  Set in the same universe as Kaitlyn Davis’ ‘Gathering Frost’ retelling of Sleeping Beauty, ‘Withering Rose’ tells the re-imagined tale of Beauty and the Beast. 

Omorose and her father are left stranded in the ‘real world’ as a result of the same earthquake that affected members of the Fairytale kingdom in ‘Gathering Frost.’  For ten years, she has carefully hidden her magic from those who would cause her harm if they knew, but when we meet Omorose, she has had enough.  She leaves the relative safety of a military base and flees to the Beast’s kingdom, seeking other magic wielders and freedom from hiding.

Beauty and her Beast, here named Cole, enjoy a slow building friendship which turns to romance.  Characters from ‘Gathering Frost’ appear in ‘Withering Rose’ and set us up for the third entry in this series, expected in 2017.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.