The Blood of Roses – Tanith Lee (1990)

Tanith Lee wrote like she was channeling gothic fever dreams through an angel’s typewriter.

The Blood of Roses is a tale of dark kingdoms, love, and transformation — where horror and beauty kiss on every page. Her prose is molten and musical; her world, both sacred and profane.

It’s heavy, strange, erotic, and spellbinding. If fantasy were opera, this would be the aria.