The Unbroken Rose. Christina C. Jones. 2020. Warm Hues Creative. 166 pages. [Source: Kindle Unlimited.]
I’ve been waiting for Dacia’s story. She was introduced in Deuce’s Wild, and the sliver of her experience detailed in that book was shocking and sickening. The Unbroken Rose catches up with her while in the process of adjusting to life outside The Garden. She’s building her relationship with her sister Alicia, and figuring out what will come next for her. What she doesn’t expect is to run into the person she was closest to while she was inside The Garden, who also happens to be someone she might not want to get away from.
Dacia is a somewhat complicated character. She’s sometimes perceived as sheltered by her familial connections but also broken by her experiences. While she is certainly healing from trauma, she’s also tougher and more in control than she gets credit for. To that end, some of the relationships she wants to foster are complicated by her need to gain independence and really define life on terms she can be at peace with.
The introduction of Isaiah as a former Thorn and acquaintance of Dacia’s provides both sexual tension and conflict with her new beginning. Isaiah is fine but she’s not checking for him after their past; he represents a life she’s struggling to forget but also the challenge she’s had connecting with other Roses and Thorns who are acclimating to normal life. Their experiences were starkly different but no less disturbed. I enjoyed seeing the differences and similarities in how they each reconciled their trauma with the life they never knew they’d have the freedom to live.
Dacia is perhaps one of the most interesting character to come from The Garden. In seeing her reshape her life, there’s also a check-in with familiar faces from the other books in the series. Despite the heavy content of the book, it’s an enjoyable read that feels like the healing they all needed. I recommend it, without question.
No Comments