A Constellation of Roses

Written by Miranda Asebedo

Narrated by Katherine Littrell

Perfect for fans of Tell Me Three Things and The Astonishing Color of After, A Constellation of Roses is brimming with a magic all its own—lovable and flawed characters, an evocative setting, and friendships to treasure.

Ever since her troubled mother abandoned her, Trix McCabe has preferred to stay on the move.

But when she lands with her long-lost relatives, she finds out that the McCabe women have talents like her own that defy explanation: pies that cure all ills, palm-reading that never misses the mark, knowledge of secrets that have never been told.

Before long, Trix feels like she might finally have found somewhere she belongs. 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.

More magic awaits in the stunning companion novel, The Deepest Roots, which Booklist called “a must-read” in a starred review!

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Nov 5, 2019
• ISBN: 9780062986856

Miranda Asebedo

Miranda Asebedo lives on the prairie with her husband, two kids, and two majestic bulldogs named Princess Jellybean and Captain Jack. She is the author of The Deepest Roots and A Constellation of Roses, and she can be found online at www.mirandaasebedo.com.

Reviews for A Constellation of Roses

[Micmayyy · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

this is a slow building story. it hit too hard for me. I feel relate to Trix in many ways and I got scared reading how she feels and that exactly how I feel right now. her scared of being abandoned and alone had put her in this situation. she has flaw but it hard to not like her. I love the relationship building between all McCabe's woman and a little bit of a magic realism. at the end of this I was shed a tear or two for her to finally find a place to call home.

[Melinda Lönnberg · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed how the story unfolded, how it let the personalities grow. Especially good was the logic of actions of the characters: the abandoned teen that falls into the same patterns until true change grows inside her-made possible by her own choice and supported by the ones around her. The motherly Mia slowly growing hope of trust, but also momentarily falling into her own patterns of behaviour created by her hidden fears-to later on release those fears to actions of good. The human touch of all characters was good, it let the personalities have their flaws and STILL be lovable. Also well written about small-town psychology, the "klicks" of people, the pretense of "all is good", and touching also the topic of how the feeling of ahame can be so utterly destructive to both individuals and communities. I was also positively suprised that no unnecessary long"erotic" description occurred. Over all a positive, and in a way calming book-there was no random action thrown in, and the rhythm of events was soothing-also, as it wasn't preachy about the different kinds of prejudice and sexism in society that women and girls face, it still lifted it to the forefront as the weave of the patterns of pain and fear that the characters had often were rooted in just those things. A strong "sisterhood"-book.

[wyvernfriend · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Trix has always known that she has a gift, an ability to steal without really being noticed. It's got her into trouble a few times. Now she's 16 and her mother left her so she's alone in the world and stealing to survive, staying only a while in every place. However she has friends, friends who want her in their lives so she makes a choice to stay one place too long. And the law catches up with her, finding family that she never new about, family who seem to want her with them.It's all about family, learning to live with yourself and not being ashamed of it even if you do need medication to help the chemicals in your brain stay good.It's very much in the Alice Hoffman Practical Magic / Sarah Addison Allen Magic Realism type of magic but it's also charming and relatable and you can see that while Trix sometimes makes mistakes she often owns up to them and tries to make good. You can see that it's often hard for her and this doesn't gloss over the messiness of life. There is a romance but it's also new and could get messy but the two main characters are enjoying themselves finding out stuff about each other.I would recommend.

[heatherlinc · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

"A Constellation of Roses" was a lovely story and I was captured from the first sentence. From the start it was raw, emotional and beautiful! I loved Trix and was inspired by her growth throughout the novel. Her life was s difficult one until she went to live with her previously unknown family on her father's side.Mia, Auntie and Ember, three generations of McCabe women were fabulous secondary characters and I smiled that they all had a touch of magic. They were strong, supportive and compassionate which made them very easy to like, and I adored them all.Dealing with loss, family and forgiveness," A Constellation of Roses" was beautifully written and I will be looking for other books by this author. A delightful read.

[krau0098 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I got this through NetGalley to review. I really loved this book. I did not realize that this is a companion novel to “The Deepest Roots”, however this book stands alone very well on its own. It was sweet and thought-provoking and had some magical realism as well. It's an excellent coming of age story and has some wonderful themes about friendship and family.Trix McCabe is struggling to survive on her own after her mother abandons her. She is dodging social services and making a living via her uncanny ability to steal things and not get caught. Then someone turns her in and social services is involved again, this time they place her with her Aunt...family she didn’t even know she had. As Trix starts to try and make a living with the McCabe family she learns secrets about her past and realizes that this may be just the fresh start she needs to turn things around.I really loved this story, it grabbed me right from the beginning and was impossible to put down. It was weird how similar this book was to “Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe” which I just finished the week before I read this. Both books have magic pie, a small town setting, and themes of family, friendship, love, and overcoming hardship.This book is humorous, heartbreaking, and hopeful all at the same time. Trix is a smart girl with a tough past and she is really trying to make her new situation work but old habits die hard. My heart broke for her over and over. I enjoyed watching Trix put everything back together in her life and also enjoyed the small elements of magical realism throughout the story.There is a lot about friendship, family, coming of age, and getting over a tough past in this book. The book is beautifully written and very hard to put down.Overall I really loved this book and plan on going back to pick up Asebedo’s first novel as well. I would recommend to those who enjoy coming of age type contemporary fiction with some elements of magical realism.