Book Review: The Rose Bargain by Sasha Peyton Smith

Ever since Queen Moryen of the Others helped the Yorks win the War of the Roses and subsequently took the throne at Hampton Court Palace, England has lived under the immortal fae Queen’s reign. She grants each of her citizens one magical bargain and high society girls are expected to request qualities that will win them suitors and secure their futures. The greater the ask, the greater the cost. But Ivy Benton’s debut season arrives with a shocking new twist. This year there’s to be a competition to win the hand of the Queen’s faerie son, Prince Bram.

Knowing this is her chance to turn the declining fortunes of her family around and free her sister from the mysterious bargain that destroyed her, Ivy enters the marriage competition with the help of Bram’s human brother, Prince Emmett, who seeks his own revenge against the cruel monarch. But as the competition between the girls gets more devious and the Queen’s methods more vicious, Ivy finds herself torn between the two princes. To stand a chance at overthrowing the Queen, she’ll have to choose between love and victory, a decision that gets more difficult the closer she gets to the finish line.

When one makes a faerie bargain, one must be prepared to pay the price. There is one silver lining. I have nothing to lose.“

If you’re looking for a book that weaves faerie mythology with The Cruel Prince level darkness and a Bridgerton-esque alternate 19th century backdrop, then you’ll find all that and more with Sasha Peyton Smith’s YA romantic fantasy, The Rose Bargain. Taking a group of hopeful high society girls and pitting them against each other for the affection of a man isn’t a new concept; it’s history as we know it. But this story throws in twist after Machiavellian twist. Ivy is in over her head from the very beginning, so it’s easy to root for her. But it’s just as easy to root for the other girls in the competition too, because they’re all so desperate and outmatched. They’re not just competing against each other – they’re competing against a powerful, uncrossable Queen.

Running alongside the girls’ battle of elegance, morals and wits is a love triangle that will remind fans of the trope just why they adore it so much. Ivy is instantly drawn to golden boy Bram, who seems every bit the handsome fairytale prince, but it’s brooding, forbidden Emmett who quietly sneaks into her thoughts and eventually her heart. You really feel the push-pull that Ivy grapples with; her desire to give in to her feelings and deal with the consequences later, and her genuine need to follow her plan through to the bitter end so that she can protect her family. This book might not have invented the word ‘pining’ but it sure knows how to torture its characters by having them long for things and people they can’t have. It’s full of delicious yearning and wonderful world-building, which counterbalances the book’s darker themes.

Whilst the pacing certainly isn’t perfect and the relationships feel at times a little rushed, The Rose Bargain has everything fans of YA romantasy could possibly ask for in one beautiful book. With dangerous trials, daring political scheming, devoted sisterly bonds, wicked villains and a complicated love triangle, this is a story that’s as heart fluttering as it is brutal. And if you want an end that has you sitting right on the edge of your seat, mouth hanging open in shock, Sasha Peyton Smith is more than happy to oblige.

★★★★

The Rose Bargain was published by Electric Monkey on 13 February 2025