England, 1591. Rose Rushe’s passion for life runs deep—she loves mead and music, meddles with astrology, and laughs at her mother’s warnings to guard her reputation. When Rose’s father dies and a noble accuses her and her dear friend Cecely of witchcraft, they flee to the household of respected alchemists in London. But as their bond deepens, their sanctuary begins to feel more like a cage. To escape, they turn to the occult, secretly casting charms and selling astrological advice in the hopes of building a life together. This thriving underground business leads Rose to fair young noble Henry and playwright Will Shakespeare, and so begins a brief, tempestuous, and powerful romance—one filled with secret longings and deep betrayals.
In this world of dazzling masques and decadent feasts, where the stars decide futures, Rose will write her own fate instead."
A Rose By Any Other Name is a historical fantasy–though heavier on the historical than fantasy–set in 1591 England that follows Rose Rushe, an outspoken and passionate young woman who wants nothing more than to become a court musician, a role uncommon for a woman. I really loved McMyne's previous book, The Book of Gothel, but A Rose by Any Other Name didn’t quite hit the mark for me in the way that The Book of Gothel did. That said, there were still plenty of aspects I enjoyed, so let's dive into some of those.
Rose serves as our sole narrator, and I enjoyed experiencing the story from her perspective as she navigated the many tumultuous events in her life. I appreciated her boldness, her willingness to speak her mind, and how she took chances when opportunities arose. It was refreshing to meet her as an already independent young woman, passionate about music and unafraid to share her talents, even if she wasn’t the "perfect" daughter. I really loved seeing Rose’s relationship with her father—their interactions felt real and full of heart.
I was also very intrigued by Rose's relationship with her mother. It wasn’t openly hostile or anything too intense–initially–but it lacked warmth, which created an interesting dynamic—especially since her mother practiced witchcraft, and in many stories I’ve read there’s usually a deep mother-daughter bond over witchcraft. I appreciated that this book took a slightly different route, as my initial impression was that Rose didn't care much about witchcraft or learning the practice, which made it especially interesting to watch that angle grow and develop throughout the story.
As the story progressed, I enjoyed visiting new places with Rose once in London, and especially her interactions with Henry and William Shakespeare. It was really fun to explore this time period and see all the different types of people and how they interacted with the world around them depending on their station in society. I think McMyne did a good job of painting the backdrop of sixteenth century England and what it was like for those attempting to navigate its many different norms and traditions. I appreciated the clear research McMyne put into the setting and historical figures. It was fun seeing William Shakespeare through this lens, as well as other well-known figures like Henry and Jane Dee.
There's a couple romances in this story that I thought were done well, though some aspects felt a bit rushed here and there. I appreciated that McMyne explored different dynamics and allowed Rose to really explore her feelings with different people and figure out what was really most important to her. The romances played a significant role, but they didn’t overshadow the plot and instead worked to enhance the plot.
However, I had a few issues with the book. One of my main problems was that the story felt rushed and, at times, underdeveloped. The Book of Gothel had a thoughtful pace, well-rounded characters, and a story that unfolded naturally, which were all reasons I loved it, but A Rose by Any Other Name seemed to lack that same depth. Events happened quickly, and instead of immersing us in those moments, we as readers were often just told what occurred. It felt like things just… happened, and then we kept going. As much as I enjoyed Rose’s interactions with Will Shakespeare (despite how annoying he could be!) and her contributions to his work, those moments felt glossed over as well, and I didn’t get a clear sense of how everything unfolded and I was left wanting a bit more. This issue also existed with the characters, as I felt like they initially had strong personalities and development, but as the story progressed this seemed to fae away a bit and any change in character seemed to happen abruptly and only when it suited the plot's progression.
I was also a bit perplexed by how easily things were resolved at times. While Rose certainly faced struggles, there were too many moments where difficult situations seemed to be handled too easily. For example, she sneaked out often—without much caution after a while, or so it seemed—and yet she was never caught or suspected. I appreciated McMyne’s avoidance of basic plot tropes, but some moments felt unrealistic or inconsistent with the way things were initially set up.
Overall, I've given A Rose by Any Other Name 3.5 stars! I unfortunately didn't end up loving this one as much as I did The Book of Gothel, but it's still a very solid and enjoyable historical fantasy read. I look forward to seeing what's next from Mary McMyne!
Buy the book: Amazon | Bookshop.org
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