Early Review: Immortal Rose (Immortal Rose #1)

Immortal Rose, Book 1 in the Immortal Rose Duology by Alexandra Bracken

Published By: Tempest
Publication Date: August 18, 2026
Date Read: August 12, 2026
Genre: Adult – Romance / Romantasy
Source: eARC from Tempest and Netgalley
Format: E-Book
Pages: 496

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From Alexandra Bracken, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Lore, comes a stunningly original adult fantasy. Set in a sumptuous world ruled by magical perfume, this achingly romantic, slow-burn love story will shatter your heart and leave you breathless.

Members of the ancient House Rosebourne have a strange gift born of a fairy ancestor: the ability to infuse fragrance with magic capable of manipulating mind, body, and emotion.

When a shocking murder leaves the kingdom of Albion vulnerable to a coup, royal spymaster Hugh Thornton seeks the one person who can help: Viola Lockwood, the last living Rosebourne and secret heir to a fraught legacy.

Livid at the silver-eyed aristocrat who had her thrown in jail to force her compliance, Viola nevertheless comes to an agreement with him. In exchange for crafting Immortal Rose, the singular perfume capable of saving Albion, illegitimate Viola can seize the life—and fortune—that should have been hers.

As Hugh and Viola race to find the perfume’s lost fairy ingredient, hidden deep in Albion’s dark underbelly, neither can deny the scorching attraction building between them—especially as the attempts on Viola’s life grow increasingly brazen.

But a terrible truth lurks in the heart notes of their kingdom—and while every bargain has a cost, Immortal Rose may demand more than Hugh and Viola can ever pay.

“Some of us do not have the privilege of living out life, my lord. We survive it.”

As soon as I heard about Immortal Rose, I was super excited to pick it up. I’ve been a fan of Alexandra Bracken for a while, having read and loved her The Darkest Minds series back in the post-2010s dystopia era. I was super excited to see what an adult book by her was going to be like. I’ve known a lot of YA authors dipping their toe into the ‘adult fantasy’ genre recently and I was looking forward to seeing Alexandra’s go at it. I’m so glad that she decided to write this book as it was fantastic. I really enjoyed this one.

Immortal Rose follows the story of Viola Lockwood, a young girl who is selling magical perfumes on the black market, in a world where using fae-born magic is forbidden to the lower class. When her estranged uncle is killed, she is revealed as the last living Rosebourne, one who has magical abilities to make magical perfumes. Suddenly thrust into the elite world of upper-class society, she is tasked with making a long forgotten magical perfume in order to save the king. If she does it then she can take control of the Rosebourne apothecary and she will never have to struggle again. I really enjoyed this concept. I’ve personally, never read a fantasy book around perfumers and so I loved this concept, as it felt very unique and individual. It was this concept that gripped me and made me want to read this book, and it was truly magical.

One thing that I really loved about Immortal Rose was the writing. With other authors who have gone from YA to adult writing, I often find that their writing feels the same, and it’s not really wrote in a different way for the older audience. I found the total opposite in this case. This writing definitely felt more advanced and mature. It didn’t read like her YA at all and I absolutely loved that. Alexandra’s writing in this book was just stunning. It is so wonderfully descriptive. As I’d never read a book around perfumers before, the fact that a lot of the writing is dedicated to describing scents and how Viola is able to know things about people because of how they smell, was very unique to me. Because there was a lot of luscious description, it did take me a little while to get into the writing style. Once I did, I loved it and the descriptions in the writing is the thing that really sets this book apart from other romantasy books. It really adds such depth to the characters, the plot and all the emotions felt throughout the book.

Another thing I loved about this book was the setting. I really enjoyed the historical setting of the book. It kind of felt a little Bridgerton-eske but where we are following the poor, rather than the rich. We get to see a fantastic cast of characters who are servants, and footmen and housekeepers. I honestly loved that as I felt like it gave more of an insight into their lives throughout these eras. It just endeared me to the characters and the story so much. I absolutely loved it. I am loving all these regency fantasy books that are releasing, and I am here for them all!

Immortal Rose was the slowest of slow burns. I am such a huge fan of slow burn romance, and it was impeccably developed in this book. If you are picking this book up for a spice content, you’re going to be waiting a while. Don’t get me wrong, there are some spicy moments in this book but there are few and far between. The majority of the romance in this book is longing and angst… and I adored it! The relationship between Viola and Hugh was just fantastic. Hugh is definitely the perfect book boyfriend. I actually loved how he was more good than bad boy. He’s done a few questionable things, don’t get me wrong, but it was really nice to see a genuine nice, caring guy taking centre stage. He may be my favourite book boyfriend of 2026 so far. I am so excited to see what is going to happen with him and Viola next!

However, my one little gripe, and the reason this is not a 5-star for me is that the book was quite slow in terms of pacing. I won’t lie, I struggled at the beginning of this book. It was very slow paced, and I do put part of this to the fact that it was such a different type of writing and it took a little while to get into that. While I was enjoying the book from pretty early on, I felt like the first few chapters felt very very long. They were not in fact long at all, but for me they felt like they were. I was enjoying it right from the start, but it took until around 35/40% in for me to really feel obsessed with this plot and where I couldn’t put it down. I definitely got there, but it took me a while.

Immortal Rose was a fantastic first book in a duology. Despite the fact that it took me a little while to get into the book, once I did I was obsessed and couldn’t put it down. I was dying to find out what was going to happen to these beloved characters. If you’re looking for a luscious slow-burn romantasy where there is a massive focus on the plot, then this one is definitely going to be for you. I absolutely loved it and I cannot wait to get my hands on the second book. I will be impatiently awaiting the next instalment. I highly recommend this one, but just be prepared that it is a little bit slow at first.

“Because if you were to disappear, I would blaze through this godforsaken world and every soul who stood between us until I found you again.”