Jessica S. Olson
Author of A Forgery of Roses
Series
Works by Jessica S. Olson
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Gender
- female
- Agent
- Christa Heschke of McIntosh & Otis Literary Agency
- Short biography
- Jessica S. Olson claims New Hampshire as her home, but has somehow found herself in Texas, where she spends most of her time singing praises to the inventor of the air conditioner. When she's not hiding from the heat, she's corralling her four wild—but adorable—children, dreaming up stories about kissing and murder and magic, and eating peanut butter by the spoonful straight from the jar. She earned a bachelor’s in English with minors in editing and French, which essentially means she spent all of her university time reading and eating French pastries. She is the author of Sing Me Forgotten (out now) and A Forgery of Roses (March 2022).
- Nationality
- USA
- Associated Place (for map)
- USA
Members
Reviews
Another hit by Jessica S. Olson! She's fast becoming one of my favorite auto-read/buy authors. I fell in love with her and her writing with Sing Me Forgotten, which as a retelling of The Phantom of the Opera was the best and a new fresh take on it that I love, love, loved.
Back to A Forgery of Roses - this is another one that checks a bunch of my favorite boxes.
Gothic - Check
Fantasy - Check
Mystery - Check
Romance - Check
The whole of this amazing lush fantasy story - check, check, double-check, show more and triple-check. If you like me love gothic and lush fantasies with mystery and romance then get on it and go read this book!
This is about Myra, who has a gift that many would like to control, and a younger sister who has health issues that she is the caretaker for since their parents are gone. Her gift is that of being an artist, a portrait artist whose paintings can alter people's bodies. Her gift is something she wants to keep secret to protect herself and her sister, but one night, the governor's wife stops by where she works, asks for a portrait, and discovers the truth about Myra and her gift. She threatens to expose Myra and her gift unless she agrees to paint a portrait of her dead son that would resurrect him.
However, once she goes to the Governor's mansion she discovers that the death was no accident and that there's a killer obsessed with portrait magic roaming the halls. Myra is desperate to get out of the mansion so she turns to the older son for help to complete the painting so she can keep her secret, get the money she so desperately needs and escape.
There are so many twists and turns in this story. It's an emotional rollercoaster ride that takes your breath away with one or two swoon-worthy romances and shockers/twists that completely caught me off guard when I thought I was on the right track or thought I had it all figured out and then BAM haha no you didn't. That was a new experience to actually be off in a few of my guesses because she went places I didn't even think to go with this story and blew my mind.
This story is reminding me and giving me vibes of all or parts of multiple stories like the gothic and romance especially reminding me of the romance with part of Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan - if you've read this story you know what I'm talking about. Then reminding me of Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, and such with the Gothic vibes, etc. Also reminds me of the mystery and the twists etc. with The Picture of Dorian Gray.
The end has some of a satisfying ending, but at the same time there are things unanswered and I'd love to read more of this world and these characters. I don't know if there's more, but I'd love more otherwise I'll just have to keep reading this one.
If you haven't read this, go get it now! Thanks so much to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for letting me read and review this fantastic story. All thoughts and opinions are my own. show less
Back to A Forgery of Roses - this is another one that checks a bunch of my favorite boxes.
Gothic - Check
Fantasy - Check
Mystery - Check
Romance - Check
The whole of this amazing lush fantasy story - check, check, double-check, show more and triple-check. If you like me love gothic and lush fantasies with mystery and romance then get on it and go read this book!
This is about Myra, who has a gift that many would like to control, and a younger sister who has health issues that she is the caretaker for since their parents are gone. Her gift is that of being an artist, a portrait artist whose paintings can alter people's bodies. Her gift is something she wants to keep secret to protect herself and her sister, but one night, the governor's wife stops by where she works, asks for a portrait, and discovers the truth about Myra and her gift. She threatens to expose Myra and her gift unless she agrees to paint a portrait of her dead son that would resurrect him.
However, once she goes to the Governor's mansion she discovers that the death was no accident and that there's a killer obsessed with portrait magic roaming the halls. Myra is desperate to get out of the mansion so she turns to the older son for help to complete the painting so she can keep her secret, get the money she so desperately needs and escape.
There are so many twists and turns in this story. It's an emotional rollercoaster ride that takes your breath away with one or two swoon-worthy romances and shockers/twists that completely caught me off guard when I thought I was on the right track or thought I had it all figured out and then BAM haha no you didn't. That was a new experience to actually be off in a few of my guesses because she went places I didn't even think to go with this story and blew my mind.
This story is reminding me and giving me vibes of all or parts of multiple stories like the gothic and romance especially reminding me of the romance with part of Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan - if you've read this story you know what I'm talking about. Then reminding me of Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, and such with the Gothic vibes, etc. Also reminds me of the mystery and the twists etc. with The Picture of Dorian Gray.
The end has some of a satisfying ending, but at the same time there are things unanswered and I'd love to read more of this world and these characters. I don't know if there's more, but I'd love more otherwise I'll just have to keep reading this one.
If you haven't read this, go get it now! Thanks so much to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for letting me read and review this fantastic story. All thoughts and opinions are my own. show less
Pros: realistic characters, excellent romance, interesting magic system
Cons:
It’s been a year since Myra Whitlock’s parents vanished and with her sister sick, she’s desperate for money. The governor’s wife discovers Myra’s a Prodigy, a magician who can use paintings to change reality, and offers her a lot of money to resurrect her son. But the governor hates Prodigies and using magic comes with a cost. It’s quickly apparent that the son’s death might not have been accidental show more after all and Myra’s secret may not be the only thing at stake with this job.
There are three main threads in this book, the murder mystery, a romance, and the family love that causes Myra to risk everything to save her sister. The threads interweave beautifully. The writing occasionally veers into poetry with a lot of gothic overtones.
Myra is a complicated woman who has dreams of going to art school that are frustrated by her lack of money and her inability to control her magic. Her sister has a chronic illness they can’t identify and so don’t know how to properly treat. August has anxiety issues and has spent his life subsuming his desires and personality to save face for his family. None of the characters’ problems are easily solved and that makes them feel realistic. I loved how they variously helped each other deal with their mental and physical health issues, like Myra helping August breathe slowly to get through a panic attack.
I appreciated that magic couldn’t hand wave away illness or poverty and that there’s a physical cost to the user. It makes it feel like a precious commodity, hard earned and so used sparingly.
The ending wrapped things up in a satisfying manner. show less
Cons:
It’s been a year since Myra Whitlock’s parents vanished and with her sister sick, she’s desperate for money. The governor’s wife discovers Myra’s a Prodigy, a magician who can use paintings to change reality, and offers her a lot of money to resurrect her son. But the governor hates Prodigies and using magic comes with a cost. It’s quickly apparent that the son’s death might not have been accidental show more after all and Myra’s secret may not be the only thing at stake with this job.
There are three main threads in this book, the murder mystery, a romance, and the family love that causes Myra to risk everything to save her sister. The threads interweave beautifully. The writing occasionally veers into poetry with a lot of gothic overtones.
Myra is a complicated woman who has dreams of going to art school that are frustrated by her lack of money and her inability to control her magic. Her sister has a chronic illness they can’t identify and so don’t know how to properly treat. August has anxiety issues and has spent his life subsuming his desires and personality to save face for his family. None of the characters’ problems are easily solved and that makes them feel realistic. I loved how they variously helped each other deal with their mental and physical health issues, like Myra helping August breathe slowly to get through a panic attack.
I appreciated that magic couldn’t hand wave away illness or poverty and that there’s a physical cost to the user. It makes it feel like a precious commodity, hard earned and so used sparingly.
The ending wrapped things up in a satisfying manner. show less
Series Info/Source: I got a copy of this book through NetGalley to review. This seems to be a stand alone book.
Story (4/5): This was beautifully written and has a fascinating premise. This is basically a gender reversed Phantom of the Opera retelling with some twists. In this world a race of people exists that can manipulate memory through song and they are usually killed at birth. Our main protagonist is a young woman who was rescued from this death at birth and raised in a theater. She is show more trained to use her skill to manipulate the theater goers into loving their theater experience regardless of the actual performance. As things unravel she begins to figure out how to use other powers she has and find out the lies that form her life.
This is absolutely beautifully written, with amazing imagery. The beginning moves a bit slow and this is definitely a story that spends a lot of time discussing the fascination with music. In the end it's more of a love story than anything else.
Characters (4/5): While I really enjoyed Emeric (Isda’s love interest) and his depth of caring, I thought he acted somewhat inconsistently throughout. I had a lot more trouble engaging with Isda’s character; she makes poor decisions and is fairly unlikable. However, that being said I do think she was a good female portrayal of the Phantom from the Phantom of the Opera who is also a kind of evil/sympathetic character. Isda is very grey in tone and while I didn’t really like her, her decisions are fascinating to read about.
Setting (4/5): I liked the idea of a society that runs off of memories and the sales of them. It’s a unique idea and the inclusion of a couple of races of modified humans that can control and pull out memories is intriguing. Unfortunately, we don’t get to see a ton of this world because of Isda’s isolation in the theater.
Writing Style (4/5): The story moved a bit slow for me and some of the decisions Isda makes seemed a bit contrived. In spite of those issues the story is creative and beautifully written, I didn’t have any trouble staying engaging and reading it. This book stands alone well, so it seems like a stand alone to me but there are some unanswered questions too. The ending is kind of a downer and I was left hoping we’d get a follow-up story that would leave our characters in a better place..
My Summary (4/5): Overall I enjoyed this. It’s a very creative premise and is beautifully written with amazing imagery. Parts of it do move slow and the characters were a bit hard to engage with and like. There is a ton of discussion and description of music, so if that’s not your thing you probably won’t enjoy this much. I will definitely be checking out Olson’s future books. show less
Story (4/5): This was beautifully written and has a fascinating premise. This is basically a gender reversed Phantom of the Opera retelling with some twists. In this world a race of people exists that can manipulate memory through song and they are usually killed at birth. Our main protagonist is a young woman who was rescued from this death at birth and raised in a theater. She is show more trained to use her skill to manipulate the theater goers into loving their theater experience regardless of the actual performance. As things unravel she begins to figure out how to use other powers she has and find out the lies that form her life.
This is absolutely beautifully written, with amazing imagery. The beginning moves a bit slow and this is definitely a story that spends a lot of time discussing the fascination with music. In the end it's more of a love story than anything else.
Characters (4/5): While I really enjoyed Emeric (Isda’s love interest) and his depth of caring, I thought he acted somewhat inconsistently throughout. I had a lot more trouble engaging with Isda’s character; she makes poor decisions and is fairly unlikable. However, that being said I do think she was a good female portrayal of the Phantom from the Phantom of the Opera who is also a kind of evil/sympathetic character. Isda is very grey in tone and while I didn’t really like her, her decisions are fascinating to read about.
Setting (4/5): I liked the idea of a society that runs off of memories and the sales of them. It’s a unique idea and the inclusion of a couple of races of modified humans that can control and pull out memories is intriguing. Unfortunately, we don’t get to see a ton of this world because of Isda’s isolation in the theater.
Writing Style (4/5): The story moved a bit slow for me and some of the decisions Isda makes seemed a bit contrived. In spite of those issues the story is creative and beautifully written, I didn’t have any trouble staying engaging and reading it. This book stands alone well, so it seems like a stand alone to me but there are some unanswered questions too. The ending is kind of a downer and I was left hoping we’d get a follow-up story that would leave our characters in a better place..
My Summary (4/5): Overall I enjoyed this. It’s a very creative premise and is beautifully written with amazing imagery. Parts of it do move slow and the characters were a bit hard to engage with and like. There is a ton of discussion and description of music, so if that’s not your thing you probably won’t enjoy this much. I will definitely be checking out Olson’s future books. show less
This was a beautiful, haunting and, I'll say it, heartwrenching book (GLARES AT THE AUTHOR).
A gender-bending retelling of Phantom of the Opera, the author does some incredible world-building, along with some truly lovely character development. Isda is a flawed character, young and hopeful and a bit sad, too. The phrase "morally ambiguous" comes to mind too - when your gift of magic is abused by a person who you love and claims to love you, well, that might mess a girl up. But when she show more starts to realize what her power can do, that's where things get really dicey, and her use of her magic almost veers into addiction, with some horrible consequences.
The magic system of Isda's world is a bit tragic and dark, and I was fully invested in Isda's character. It's not often I come into a novel and am rooting for a character other than the main character, but Emeric was a treasure and I loved him. (I also was left with an overwhelming urge to eat buttery caramels. Thanks.) Emeric's character grounded me into the story, let me see the good side, the beauty AND the tragedy of the magic that has marred Isda's life.
This book was spilling over with music, magic, love, deception, and heart-pounding adventure.
This was one of those books I added to my shelf and vaguely remembered the synopsis before I dug in, and it so thoroughly surprised and delighted (and maddened) me, keeping me up into the wee hours of the night before breaking my heart.
I received an advanced copy from Inkyard Press via Netgalley - many thanks. All opinions are my own. show less
A gender-bending retelling of Phantom of the Opera, the author does some incredible world-building, along with some truly lovely character development. Isda is a flawed character, young and hopeful and a bit sad, too. The phrase "morally ambiguous" comes to mind too - when your gift of magic is abused by a person who you love and claims to love you, well, that might mess a girl up. But when she show more starts to realize what her power can do, that's where things get really dicey, and her use of her magic almost veers into addiction, with some horrible consequences.
The magic system of Isda's world is a bit tragic and dark, and I was fully invested in Isda's character. It's not often I come into a novel and am rooting for a character other than the main character, but Emeric was a treasure and I loved him. (I also was left with an overwhelming urge to eat buttery caramels. Thanks.) Emeric's character grounded me into the story, let me see the good side, the beauty AND the tragedy of the magic that has marred Isda's life.
This book was spilling over with music, magic, love, deception, and heart-pounding adventure.
This was one of those books I added to my shelf and vaguely remembered the synopsis before I dug in, and it so thoroughly surprised and delighted (and maddened) me, keeping me up into the wee hours of the night before breaking my heart.
I received an advanced copy from Inkyard Press via Netgalley - many thanks. All opinions are my own. show less
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Statistics
- Works
- 3
- Members
- 946
- Popularity
- #27,176
- Rating
- 3.6
- Reviews
- 23
- ISBNs
- 31
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- 1