Book Review: A Constellation of Roses by Miranda Asebedo (ARC)

A Constellation of Roses

Author: Miranda Asebedo

Publication Date: 05 November 2019

Genre: YA Contemporary

Pages: 336 pages

Publisher: HarperTeen

Ever since her mother walked out, Trix McCabe has been determined to make it on her own. And with her near-magical gift for pulling valuables off unsuspecting strangers, Trix is confident she has what it takes to survive. Until she’s caught and given a choice: jail time, or go live with her long-lost family in the tiny town of Rocksaw, Kansas.

Trix doesn’t plan to stick around Rocksaw long, but there’s something special about her McCabe relatives that she is drawn to. Her aunt, Mia, bakes pies that seem to cure all ills. Her cousin, Ember, can tell a person’s deepest secret with the touch of a hand. And Trix’s great-aunt takes one look at Trix’s palm and tells her that if she doesn’t put down roots somewhere, she won’t have a future anywhere.

Before long, Trix feels like she might finally belong with this special group of women in this tiny town in Kansas. But when her past comes back to haunt her, she’ll have to decide whether to take a chance on this new life . . . or keep running from the one she’s always known.

With lovable and flawed characters, an evocative setting, and friendships to treasure, A Constellation of Roses is the perfect companion to Miranda Asebedo’s debut novel The Deepest Roots.

I don’t typically do trigger warnings, but before I even start this review, there are some trigger warnings that I need to highlight for vulnerable communities: adultery, abandonment, abuse, suicide, depression.

Trix McCabe is a seventeen year old girl who is gifted with being able to pickpocket strangers in mere seconds without raising any red flags. Since her mother abandoned her, she is living at a motel that she rents by the week in cash, which is frequented by drug addicts and johns. Her life wasn’t great by any means, but it was better than being thrust back into the foster system. Everything was fine until the police caught Trix and gave her two choices: 1) go to jail or 2) move to the middle of nowhere Kansas with her long lost relatives.

When Trix moves to Rocksaw, she meets her great-aunt (Auntie), her dad’s sister (Mia), and her cousin (Ember). She went from having no family at all to living in a house of strangers that she’s related to…and on top of that, apparently the McCabe women all have some sort of magical gift. Auntie can tell incredibly accurate fortunes. Mia bakes pies that can alter your emotions. Ember can read your deepest secrets all with the touch of her palm. What in the hell did Trix get herself into?!

I don’t want to give away a lot of the plot because this is one of those stories that you just need to experience the myriad of feels. There were parts of this book that brought tears to my eyes, made me chuckle, and made my heart burst. This is one of those character driven novels where you love each and every person in this story, no matter how flawed, and what they have to offer. Trix is broken and troubled, but with love (and a firm talking to from Auntie), she’s the girl that you’ll be rooting for at the end.

I want to re-emphasize that this book discusses some pretty dark and disturbing topics. I don’t want anyone to go into this book thinking that it’s going to be light hearted because it’s not. This one is going to rip your damn heart out and then piece it back together bit by bit.

Thank you to the author for providing an ARC for an honest review. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.

Pre-order A Constellation of Roses here.