Book Review: Grump & Rose

Grump & Rose by Aaron Burdett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Grump is a secondborn troll. He’s large, ugly and violent. But he’s not nearly violent enough for his clan, and when he starts keeping a pet, he stepped over the troll line. Rather than let them know he’s still alive after their latest attempt to beat the troll into him, he stays where he lands and learns how to garden from a strange old lady. That strange old lady tells him where his life is going, but he still didn’t expect to meet Rose. Can he care for her while still protecting her from that prophecy? Or is he doomed to always screw things up as a troll?

Grump and Rose is a fantasy tale that strangely mixes Tolkein with Shrek as the determined antihero reluctantly faces off against powers beyond his reach. I really enjoyed the obvious stereotype busting and bromance between Grump and Boil, and am interested to see how the two wizard camps decide to duel. I was a little put off by the inconsistent language, as it begins very solidly in the more formal fantasy genre speech but devolves slightly into Boil using phrases like “Buddy” and other less formal idioms. Overall though, this is an excellent read and offers a different spin on traditional fantasy villains. I think anyone who enjoys fantasy should give this series a look.


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