Roses and Rot
The turmoil of an artist's life is perfectly portrayed in this story about two sisters and their memories of a monster of a mother. Imogen writes fairy tales and her younger sister Marin is a ballet dancer. They're both victims of an abusive childhood, but artists who gain entry into the exclusive art colony of Melete, which, they both learn, is secretly run by the faerie folk. Imogen is soon fighting her past, not only hoping to succeed at Melete and become one of the rare chosen, but to save her sister. The chosen spend seven years with the faerie folk, and not all survive, but those who do find success in the true world. Imogen's choice is agonizing, her narrative sprinkled throughout with bits of her own fairy tales. The faeries are portrayed as sinister, bizarre, and parasitic. But the true monster is confronted at the end. A beautiful, dark fairy tale that asks: How far would you go for your art? Naturally, I loved the faerie folk and the art school atmosphere and the story of two sisters.