Official Review: Rosegrant by Jason Beam

Amy Murdoch Coleman · Post by **Amy Murdoch Coleman** » 19 May 2020, 17:16

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Rosegrant" by Jason Beam.]

1 out of 4 stars

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Horror novels are typically good for making readers think twice about the unknown, and Rosegrant by Jason Beam is no exception. This novel takes place chiefly in modern-day Oregon and follows the troubled life of Kelsie, a drug-addicted and lovesick teenager plagued with a tragic past. To protect herself, Kelsie has constructed a metaphorical glass shield around her mind that keeps her emotions and impulses in check. When the glass starts to shatter, nothing remains to hold Kelsie back from wreaking havoc on her town with an old book of witchcraft. Her rivals have no defenses against her wrath, and the town of Rosegrant will learn that their ancient demons have not disappeared; they have merely been lying in wait.

The premise of this novel had me jumping to snatch it up, and I tried desperately to like it. However, the book is filled to the brim with errors, both typographical and logical. Nearly every paragraph has some kind of spelling or punctuation error, and I take major issue with a good portion of the content.

The shock value of Rosegrant is unbelievably high, as the amount of gore, violence, sexual encounters, and profanity included would be tough to match. These factors all have their place but when overused can become tasteless, which is the case in this book. The story is so focused on shocking the reader that most of the elements that make up a good story are missing.

It is very problematic that a horror novel leaves nothing to the imagination. Readers are not trusted to make any deductions for themselves, so there is no sense of mystery, surprise, or even general creepiness. Every problem is solved quickly and easily with the most obvious solution. Because the story alternates between the third-person limited and the third-person omniscient point of view, the reader is inside every character's head and knows every secret.

I am also troubled by some logical real-world problems within the story that could have been amended with some research. For example, the police officers give out far too much sensitive information to locals when conducting an investigation. There is also a misconception about how tranquilizer darts work.

The setting is rarely described in detail and the pacing is nothing if not jarring. Sentences tend to be short and choppy, much like this excerpt from page 101: "The gym was a sacred place to him. He worked every muscle group. He just wanted to keep a perfect body."

Despite its shortcomings, there are several admirable points about this story. The author handles the concept of helplessness and terror skillfully, and the tension-filled relationship between two of the main characters feels realistic and engaging. Most characters are epitomes of various stereotypes, but the author allows them to maintain those characterizations in a way that does not feel particularly caricatured.

Because of the excess of errors and problematic elements, I give this book a rating of 1 out of 4 stars. I would recommend it to readers who are looking for a particularly gory experience. However, I would caution anyone with sensitivities to profanity or explicit sex scenes against it. It is also worth mentioning that those with religious proclivities may want to steer clear due to the overabundance of details concerning satanic rites and sacrifices.

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Rosegrant
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Adanna Inya · Post by **Adanna Inya** » 21 May 2020, 04:24

Ah! I'm wondering how someone goes from a drug addic to a witch. How does that work? Well, I don't do great with horror, so I'll skip.
Thanks for an honest review.

NetMassimo · Post by **NetMassimo** » 21 May 2020, 05:10

This seems a novel that had some potential, but it wasn't developed properly and relies too much on the shock factor. Possibly an editor could help the author in that task. Thank you for your honest review!

Mizrob · Post by **Mizrob** » 21 May 2020, 05:25

A horror story without elements of surprise. It must have been a boring read. Thanks for the review. Not a fan of horror anyways.

JKO · Post by **JKO** » 21 May 2020, 15:48

I am sorry you had to read a book that had all the problems you talked about. I am not looking for gory experiences, so I'll skip this book. Thanks for the review.

rdrumsey · Post by **rdrumsey** » 21 May 2020, 16:33

Thanks for the review! Horror is a tricky genre. It needs a backstory somewhere in the book to help them understand why this is happening. As you said, it needs some elements of mystery along with a few surprises. Too much information in a horror story makes it dull. Creepiness has to be there somewhere to build some suspense.

GiselleBengochea · Post by **GiselleBengochea** » 22 May 2020, 13:12

Rosegrant by Jason Beam, is a horror novel that recounts the life of a lovesick teenager who has a drug addiction and is tormented by her tragic past. The character development in the narrative is lacking. Thank you for your honesty in the review. Great job!

Amy Murdoch Coleman · Post by **Amy Murdoch Coleman** » 23 May 2020, 10:04

Adanna Inya wrote: ↑21 May 2020, 04:24 Ah! I'm wondering how someone goes from a drug addic to a witch. How does that work? Well, I don't do great with horror, so I'll skip.
Thanks for an honest review.

Probably not a bad idea. Thanks for stopping by!!

Amy Murdoch Coleman · Post by **Amy Murdoch Coleman** » 23 May 2020, 10:31

NetMassimo wrote: ↑21 May 2020, 05:10 This seems a novel that had some potential, but it wasn't developed properly and relies too much on the shock factor. Possibly an editor could help the author in that task. Thank you for your honest review!

I totally agree that pretty much everything about the book could have been improved with the help of a solid editor (and possibly a beta reader). Thanks for stopping by!

Amy Murdoch Coleman · Post by **Amy Murdoch Coleman** » 23 May 2020, 11:00

Mizrob wrote: ↑21 May 2020, 05:25 A horror story without elements of surprise. It must have been a boring read. Thanks for the review. Not a fan of horror anyways.

Yeah, it wasn't the best. Thank you for stopping by!

Amy Murdoch Coleman · Post by **Amy Murdoch Coleman** » 23 May 2020, 11:11

JKO wrote: ↑21 May 2020, 15:48 I am sorry you had to read a book that had all the problems you talked about. I am not looking for gory experiences, so I'll skip this book. Thanks for the review.

I really wasn't looking for a gory experience either, haha. Thanks for reading!!

Amy Murdoch Coleman · Post by **Amy Murdoch Coleman** » 23 May 2020, 11:20

rdrumsey wrote: ↑21 May 2020, 16:33 Thanks for the review! Horror is a tricky genre. It needs a backstory somewhere in the book to help them understand why this is happening. As you said, it needs some elements of mystery along with a few surprises. Too much information in a horror story makes it dull. Creepiness has to be there somewhere to build some suspense.

I totally agree, and unless tons of blood and killing and sex add up to creepy, then this one just didn't have it. Thanks for reading!

Amy Murdoch Coleman · Post by **Amy Murdoch Coleman** » 23 May 2020, 11:31

GiselleBengochea wrote: ↑22 May 2020, 13:12 Rosegrant by Jason Beam, is a horror novel that recounts the life of a lovesick teenager who has a drug addiction and is tormented by her tragic past. The character development in the narrative is lacking. Thank you for your honesty in the review. Great job!

Thank you for taking the time to read my review!