Review of The Black Rose Collection

[Saint Bruno]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Black Rose Collection" by Justin Wamsley.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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The Black Rose Collection by Justin Wamsley is a 62-page book that contains seven short fiction stories and four poems. The author wrote the stories like parables with underlying messages and left a thought-provoking question at the end of the book. Also, the poems touch on themes like pain, forgiveness, regret, leadership, etc.

The first story in the book is about a boy who was left to die in the woods because he was unwanted. However, a woman picked him up and housed him in her old, scary house located at the edge of the woods. Unfortunately, the woman was a sadist. She kept the boy as her prisoner and derived joy from beating him with her bullwhip. In fact, the lashing was a routine. One day, a curious girl, Esmeralda, wanted to know what was in the feared woods, so she secretly went there. When Esmeralda got close to the old house, she heard someone sobbing and decided to see who it was. She found the poor boy and introduced herself. Would she help save the boy or cause him even more pain? Read the book to find out and also enjoy the other intriguing stories therein.

Even though I love well-developed stories with full-fledged characters, I must say that I enjoyed every one of the short stories in this book. However, I must advise prospective readers that some tales in the book are dark and don't have a happy ending. Mr. Wamsley uses the third-person point of view and simple language to narrate the stories, making them easy to understand. Despite how concise the book is, the author's writing prowess shines through. I enjoyed how the author maintained an atmosphere of suspense in all the stories, making it hard to put the book down. Amazingly, I could relate to some of the characters and didn't want any harm to come to them, as the author managed to squeeze in some backstories for the main characters.

What I like most about this book is that it contains moral lessons. For example, one of the tales was about an arsonist who burned down churches. The story exposes how society and even parents contribute to creating criminals. I believe that with empathy and compassion, we can all make the world a better place. Furthermore, readers who love poems would find the ones in this book fascinating. I especially like the one titled 'Coronated Virus.' It is about unfit leaders who don't care about the well-being of the masses.

In conclusion, I am happy to rate The Black Rose Collection four out of four stars. I enjoyed all the stories and poems in the book and honestly didn't dislike anything about the title. The book's editing is also commendable, as I found only a few errors in it. I highly recommend the book to readers who love short, intriguing stories and poems. Nevertheless, readers who don't like dark stories about topics like suicide, torture, death, among others, might want to skip this one. Otherwise, grab the book and enjoy!

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The Black Rose Collection
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[Reema Aydieh]

I enjoyed this review. The book has an interesting name and the pages seem to have an interesting story to tell. I’ll be checking it out.

[collinsogw555]

From the review, the book sounds interesting and I would love to read this book. Great review.

[Jagiine]

I think it's great that Wamsley didn't fall to fan-service, creating predictable endings just so they could be considered "happy." Not all tales need to end unhappily, but this many pieces calls for some variety. It's also admirable that the author managed to fit background information into such short works. All in all, it sounds like some good writing! Thanks for your review.

[Edria Dayyinah]

The fact that the author put a lot of dark and scary themes in here is interesting. I enjoy when authors are able to deliver the right emotion through their words, especially in not so happy tales

[Ellylion]

Seems to be a very captivating read that touches on hard subjects. Really worth exploring. Thank you for this wonderful review!

[Tarie07]

The title of the book itself had my attention immediately. It's so sad what the young boy has to go through. I would love to see what happens to him. Thanks for the great review.

[Sou Hi]

Thanks for your interesting review. Black roses have many meanings, both positive and negative, and the title seems to be a fit with the stories' themes.

[Nqobile Mashinini Tshabalala]

This gloomy weather ignites a desire to sit on a comfy couch, next to a fireplace and read this book because of its relatable themes. Awesome review!

[peter-turo]

This review is so enjoyable. The first story has already sparked an interest to read even other stories. Considering it just a short book, I look forward to grab this.