S.L. Huang's Burning Roses is a complex and thought-provoking adventure story following two middle-aged lesbians as they hunt monsters and reckon with their own monstrous pasts. Though they are both famed monster-slayers and heroes, Rosa and Hou Yi aren't exactly deserving of those titles. They've made terrible choices in the past, shameful decisions that broke apart their respective families. Through fairytale-inspired memories, including Red Riding Hood, Beauty and the Beast and Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Huang (Zero Sum Game) gradually reveals Rosa's past, and the roots and effects of her prejudice against intelligent, human-like animals. Hou Yi's story is slower to emerge, but when it does, readers will be surprised at how these two "heroes" could have done such things and still be sympathetic characters.
Huang's work as a professional stuntwoman and weapons expert is evident in the the detailed and exciting action scenes, and her writing skill makes these parts progress smoothly and slot seamlessly into the narrative. Despite all the action, and perhaps because of the insertion of classic but updated fairytales and their resonant themes, Burning Roses is unexpectedly emotional and introspective. While confrontation of prejudice and a focus on antiheroes are not uncommon in the fantasy genre, this level of self-examination is. Rosa in particular sees and resents her own life-long biases, something all too rare in fiction and in reality.
Huang packs a lot into this novella: regrets, reconciliation and reflections on what it means to be a good person. --Suzanne Krohn, editor, Love in Panels