Welcome back to #WorldKidLit month on GLLI. Today’s post comes to us from Mairin Raisdana.

Published in 2019 and translated in 2023, Roses and Violets is the first book in the Rosenholm fantasy trilogy by Danish author Gry Kappel Jensen, translated by Sharon E. Rhodes. The book is set in Rosewood Boarding School, a school for students who possess various types of magic. After completing a series of unique entrance exams, four students – Kirstine, Victoria, Malou, and Chamomile – are selected to join and find themselves as roommates, despite their very different backgrounds and branches of magic. The reason why the girls are invited to participate in the entrance examinations is unknown, as only one has a connection to the school. This will likely come out in the following books. 

The main plotline includes an angry spirit of a girl named Trine who was murdered when she was a student in the school. She plagues Victoria in the first part of the book. When the girls perform a forbidden ritual to contact her, she demands that they find out who killed her. However, something starts attacking students and as shapeshifters and rune powers enter the story, it’s clear that dark magic is at play in the school and some characters are not what they seem.

Fans of dark academia, magic, and fantastical creatures will find themselves pulled into this YA read. I thoroughly enjoyed the friendship between the main characters and the mystery of Trine’s murder. Just a note that as this is a trilogy, storylines are not wrapped up at the end, compelling readers to continue with the other books in the trilogy to discover the truth.

What also needs to be highlighted is the differences in contexts of international literature. Norse mythology and Viking traditions are centered in the book, including rituals involving animal sacrifices and celebrations in which teachers and students drink alcohol together. Additionally, one of the main characters begins a romantic relationship with one of the young teachers at the school. 

All in all, this is a very engaging read that will likely make readers want to continue with the following books.

Book details:
Violet and Roses 
By Gry Kappel Jensen
Translated by Sharon E. Rhodes
ISBN: 9781646900121
2023 Arctis

Readers who like this book may also enjoy:

Ansuz (2023) by Malene Sølvsten, translated by Adrienne Alair.

Another Danish fantasy thriller series! When a series of brutal murders of red-haired girls begins, each marked with a strange rune, Anna discovers her ability to see into the past is related to the crimes. She witnesses an ancient murder that mirrors the recent killings and soon finds herself at the center of a growing conflict. Her small town is suddenly filled with mysterious strangers who have otherworldly powers and are all drawn to her, making her the key to an ancient prophecy about the end of the world. As Anna navigates a world of Norse gods and mythical beings, she must quickly learn who she can trust to help her stop the murders and prevent the prophecy from coming true.

Book Details:
Ansuz (The Whisper of the Ravens #1) by Malene Sølvsten
Translated by Adrienne Alair
ISBN 9781646900268
2023, Arctis

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Vita Nostra (2018) by Marina Dyachenko and Sergey Dyachenko, translated by Julia Meitov Hersey.

A Ukrainian dark fantasy novel. As she vacations with her mother, teenage Sasha Samokhina is drawn into a world of mystery when she meets the strange and sinister Farit Kozhennikov. Compelled to do his bidding, Sasha earns a collection of bizarre golden coins, which she is eventually directed to use to enter the Institute of Special Technologies. Despite her mother’s strong objections, Sasha enrolls in the remote school where she discovers that the curriculum defies all logic and her ruthless instructors punish failures by targeting students’ families. While at the institute, Sasha begins to undergo a series of reality-bending transformations, and she must decide whether the power she is gaining is worth the terrifying price she and her family may have to pay. [See Rachel Cordasco’s full review of Vita Nostra on GLLI here.]

Book Details:
Vita Nostra (2018) by Marina Dyachenko and Sergey Dyachenko
Translated by Julia Meitov Hersey
ISBN 9780062694591
2018 Harper Voyager

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Grim (2023), written by Sara B. Elfgren and translated by Judith Kiros, is a dual-narrative story that spans three decades, connecting a father’s past to his son’s present. In the 1980s, sixteen-year-old Håkan’s dream of a death metal band with his best friend, Grim, is shattered by Grim’s sudden and mysterious death. Thirty years later, Håkan’s eighteen-year-old son, Kasper, starts a new job at an amusement park and begins to have vivid dreams about his father’s deceased friend. Driven by a need to understand the past, Kasper and his new friend Iris embark on a journey to uncover the truth behind Grim’s untimely death, delving into the secrets and myths surrounding the band and the unexplained tragedy that changed his father’s life forever.

Book Details
Grim (Stockholmsserien #2) by Sara B. Elfgren
Translated by Judith Kiros
ISBN 9781646900305
2023 Arctis

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Mairin Raisdana is an EAL teacher and qualified teacher-librarian living and working in Singapore. Before moving to Singapore, she taught in New York City, Malaysia, and Indonesia.