Review: adored!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 11, 2013
Rosethorn is the debut work from author Ava Zavora and I was 100% wholly unprepared for how much I ended up loving this book.  Yes, this title goes on the list of books I've read in 24 hours and I loved every minute!Growing up with only her grandmother and not ever knowing the parents she was born to, Sera dreamed of where her life would take her and all of the magical places she would travel to and see.  Now, after realizing those dreams, she knows a piece of her is missing.  The piece she left behind years ago with the memories of her first love and the magical place they shared...Rosethorn.  Now, faced with the decision of accepting her boyfriend's proposal to take their relationship to the next level, she realizes she has to go back.  Back to Rosethorn and hopefully be able to bury the still potent longing for that lost love once and for all. But she sees the fates have other plans in store for her once she steps foot onto the lands Rosethorn stands upon....Andrew cannot believe she's back.  Restoring Rosethorn was a dream of his since he first found the old home with Sera all those years ago.  Now, she's back and standing here...at Rosethorn.  So many unanswered questions immediately plague his brain.  The most important one being: Would there ever be another chance for them? He had tried for years to put his life back together but the girl who he had always noticed in his peripheral, ever since they were little kids in grade school, was a constant pain in his heart and thought in his mind since she left him years ago.  He knows what they had was so much more than a first love...and he's determined to make her see that they were always meant to be together.What.  A.  Book.  Sera and Andrew's story was so pure and real that it brought me back to the innocence of the first crush and all of the emotion that goes along with it.  Watching their relationship grow from the teasing when they were kids to the realization they both had feelings that went way beyond that as they grew up, was such a treat.  Add the magic of the house itself, with its mystery and allure, and I was completely hooked.  Reading about the adventures Andrew and Sera shared and the stolen moments in an old abandoned charming mansion and it ended up being like their very own fairy tale.  Of course, there was plenty of mystery beyond the house.  Sera never gave up trying to find the truth of who her parents were and what had happened to them.  Never has the phrase "be careful what you wish for" been truer than in this situation.  Sera finds out more than what she had bargained for and, even though her and Andrew had been drifting apart, what she learns about her past stiffens her resolve to go her own way...far from Rosethorn.  I went through every emotion while reading this book...I laughed, got super angry and cried my eyes out.  If you know me though, I love when a book gets the reader to feel and Rosethorn certainly did just that!Hopefully I haven't bored you with my blathering!  In the end, I highly recommend Rosethorn (if you haven't guessed!).  If you enjoy stories about true love, second chances, mystery and self-discovery all wrapped up in an extremely well-written package, then this is a book for you! So, get to downloading, clear your schedule, grab some tissues and ENJOY! Thank you, Ava, for a story that will stay with me for a long time to come.*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review