by Rosalyn Eves
Some aspects have not been fictionalized: the prejudice many Europeans felt toward the Romani was all too real, and unfortunately still continues today. Bihari János was one of the best-known Hungarians of the early nineteenth century for his music, but few of his contemporaries seem to have known he was Romani. Still, Romani music was profoundly influential on Hungarian music (including that of Franz Liszt). Many Romani fought bravely in the Hungarian war for independence, as Gábor does here, despite the discrimination of some who saw their value primarily as musicians.
The Blood Rose Rebellion trilogy has been a pleasure to write, not least because it let me indulge in historical research and call it “writing.” Some of my favorite sources for historical details are contemporary memoirs and novels. From Görgey’s memoir, I adopted the scathing critique he gives Gábor of General Dembiński. From Jókai Mór’s Hungarian Sketches in Peace and War, I borrowed the tradition of the empty basket that Noémi hands to Hunger. So many of the ordinary details of life get lost to history books, but they underwrite the fabric of daily life and the stories we tell about them. I’m grateful I could include a few of them.
These are some, but not all, of the resources I relied on in writing this book (and the Blood Rose Rebellion trilogy), for readers who want to know more about the real historical context behind these books.
Achim, Viorel. The Roma in Romanian History. Budapest: Central European University Press, 2004.
Boyar, Ebru, and Kate Fleet. A Social History of Ottoman Istanbul. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010.
Curtis, Benjamin. The Habsburgs: The History of a Dynasty. New York: Bloomsbury, 2013.
Deák, István. The Lawful Revolution: Louis Kossuth and the Hungarians, 1848–1849. London: Phoenix, 2001. Originally published in 1979 by Columbia University Press.
Degh, Linda, ed. Folktales of Hungary. Translated by Judit Halász. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1965.
E.O.S. Hungary and Its Revolutions from the Earliest Period to the Nineteenth Century: With a Memoir of Louis Kossuth. London: Henry G. Bohn, 1854.
Goodman, Ruth. How to Be a Victorian. New York: Liveright, 2015.
Görgei, Artúr. My Life and Acts in Hungary in the Years 1848 and 1849. London: David Bogue, 1852.
Hancock, Ian. A Handbook of Vlax Romani. Bloomington, IN: Slavica, 1995.
Hancock, Ian. We Are the Romani People. Hatfield, England: University of Hertfordshire Press, 2002.
Hanioğlu, M. Şükrü. A Brief History of the Late Ottoman Empire. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2010.
Hartley, M. The Man Who Saved Austria: The Life and Times of Baron Jellačić. London: Mills & Boon, 1912.
Jókai, Mór. Hungarian Sketches in Peace and War. Edinburgh: Constable, 1854.
Kontler, László. A History of Hungary: Millennium in Central Europe. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2002.
Lázár, István. Hungary: A Brief History. Budapest: Corvina Press, 1997.
Leiningen-Westerburg, Count Charles. Letters and Journals (1848–1849) of Count Charles Leiningen-Westerburg, General in the Hungarian Army. London: Duckworth, 1911.
Lukacs, John. Budapest 1900: A Historical Portrait of a City and Its Culture. New York: Grove Press, 1994.
Matras, Yaron. The Romani Gypsies. Cambridge: Belknap Press, 2015.
Minamizuka, Shingo. A Social Bandit in Nineteenth-Century Hungary: Rózsa Sándor. East European Monographs, 2008.
Okey, Robin. The Habsburg Monarchy. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2000.
Pardoe, Julia S. H. The City of the Magyar, or Hungary and Her Institutions in 1839–40. London: George Virtue, 1840.
Shoberl, Frederic. Scenes of the Civil War in Hungary, in 1848 and 1849: With the Personal Adventures of an Austrian Officer in the Army of the Ban of Croatia. Philadelphia: E. H. Butler & Co., 1850.
Stauber, Roni, and Raphael Vago, eds. The Roma: A Minority in Europe, Historical, Political and Social Perspectives. Budapest: Central European University Press, 2007.
Wenkstern, Otto von. History of the War in Hungary in 1848 and 1849. London: John Parker and Son, 1859.
Winkelhofer, Martina. The Everyday Life of the Emperor: Francis Joseph and His Imperial Court. Translated by Jeffrey McCabe. Innsbruck: Haymon Verlag, 2012.
In Hungarian fashion, the surnames are given first, followed by first names, for the Hungarian characters.
*Denotes real historical person, though fictionalized in this story
Ákos (AH-kohsh): a Hungarian bandit
Anna Arden: our intrepid heroine
Charles Arden: Anna’s father
James Arden: Anna’s younger brother
Mária Arden (MUH-rye-uh): Anna’s mother
*Józef Bem (YOH-zef BEM): Polish general, leading the Hungarian forces in Romania
Bahadır Beyzade (buh-HAH-deer BAY-zah-duh): a Turkish boy, son of a high-ranking military official
Boldogasszony/The Lady (BOHL-dohg-AHS-sohnyuh) (the final component is voiced as a single syllable): The Joyful Woman; the former Hungarian mother-goddess
Borevit (BOHR-eh-veet): a wood demon, subservient to Chernobog
Chernobog (CHER-nuh-bohg): a Slavic deity whose name means “black god,” here a god of the underworld
Ginny Davies: Anna’s former maid
*Henryk Dembiński (HEN-reek dem-BIN-skee): Polish general, appointed by Kossuth to lead the combined armies of Hungary
Dobos Borbála (DOH-bohsh BOHR-bah-lah): Hungarian journalist working in Vienna
Emilija Dragović (eh-MEE-lee-yah DRAH-goh-vitch): Josip Dragović’s daughter; one of the Red Mantles, an elite fighting troop
Josip Dragović (YOH-seep DRAH-goh-vitch): ban (ruler) of Croatia and leader of the Red Mantles
Eszterházy János (ES-ter-haa-zee YAH-nohsh): Anna’s great-uncle, her grandmama’s cousin. (The family name is often spelled Esterházy today, but both spellings were used in the past. I opted for the sz spelling so it’s consistent with Eszterháza, their Hungarian estate.)
Eszterházy Mátyás (ES-ter-haa-zee MAT-yahsh): Anna’s third cousin; János’s great-nephew
Eszterházy Noémi (ES-ter-haa-zee NOH-ay-mee): Mátyás’s sister
*Görgey Artúr (GUHR-gee AHR-toor) (hard g as in gas): Hungarian general, often at odds with Kossuth and Dembiński. (His English memoir lists his name as Görgei, but he was born Görgey and most history books list him as such.)
Catherine Arden Gower: Anna’s older sister
Richard Gower: Catherine’s husband, a young diplomat attached to the British embassy in Vienna
Hadúr (HAH-dur): the former Hungarian god of war
House of Hapsburg-Lorraine
*Archduchess Sophie of Austria: Archduke Franz Joseph’s mother, an influential woman in the Austrian court
*Archduke Franz Joseph of Austria: Emperor Ferdinand’s nephew and heir to the Austrian Empire
*Emperor Ferdinand of Austria: head of the Hapsburg royal family; emperor of Austria and king of Hungary
Hunger: leader of the praetheria in Vienna, a sárkány (Hungarian shapeshifting dragon)
*Kossuth Lajos (KOH-shoot LAH-yohsh): political reformer and leader of the liberal party in Hungary
Kovács Gábor (KOH-vatch GAH-bor): a young Romani man
Kovács Izidóra (KOH-vatch IZ-ee-doh-ruh): Gábor’s sister
*Count Pavel Medem (PAH-vel MEH-dem): Russian ambassador to Vienna
*Perczel Mór (PEHR-tsel MOHR): Hungarian general, leading armies in western Hungary in 1848
*Petőfi Sándor (PEH-toh-fee SHAHN-dor): a poet and revolutionary, considered by many to be Hungary’s national poet
*John Ponsonby, 1st Viscount Ponsonby: British ambassador to Vienna, 1846–50
William Skala (SKAA-luh): a Polish-
Scottish revolutionary
Svarog (SVAR-ohg): the Slavic sky god, sometimes described as having four heads (sometimes also equated with fire and blacksmithing)
Vasilisa (VAH-see-lee-sah): a young praetherian woman
Marina Winkler (mah-REE-nah VINK-lur): Borbála Dobos’s partner
Zhena (ZHEE-nuh): queen of the samodiva (woodland maidens with an affinity for fire)
Zhivka (ZHEEV-kuh): a samodiva
Zrínyi Irína (ZREEN-yee EE-ree-nah): Anna’s grandmother, now deceased
Zrínyi Pál (ZREEN-yee PAHL): Anna’s uncle; Mária’s younger brother
PRAETHERIA
Some of the praetheria in the book are inspired by folklore (predominantly Eastern European and Slavic), others are invented. Individual praetheria are listed above, under characters.
domovoi (DOHM-uh-voy): a protective house spirit, small, masculine, covered in hair with a long beard
Fair One/Szépasszony (SEP-ahs-sohnyuh) (the final component is voiced as a single syllable): a female demon with long hair and a white dress, often appearing during hailstorms and prone to seducing young men
fene (FEH-neh): a Hungarian evil spirit
griffin: a creature with the head and forequarters of an eagle and the hindquarters of a lion
guta (GUH-tah): a Hungarian demon who beats his victims to death; often associated with strokes, heart attacks, or sudden paralysis
leshy (LEH-shee): a Slavic forest spirit, often characterized by blue skin and green beard, here described with bark-textured skin (also, tree-man)
lidérc (LEE-dehrts): a succubus-like creature with goose feet, believed to steal your breath while you sleep
melusine (mel-yoo-SEEN): a freshwater spirit, usually depicted as a fish from the waist down, similar to a mermaid.
samodiva (SAHM-oh-dee-vah): woodland maidens with an affinity for fire, sometimes having the ability to fly. Related to vila.
sárkány (SHAR-kahnyuh) (the final component is voiced as a single syllable): a Hungarian shapeshifting dragon
turul (TOO-rool): in Hungarian folklore, a mythic falcon that helped lead early Hungarians into the Carpathian Basin. Here they belong to the Lady.
Valhalla (val-HAL-uh): the great hall where the Norse god Odin gathers the dead he deems worthy of living with him.
Valkyrie (VAL-kuh-ree): one of a group of Odin’s maidens who conduct dead warriors to Valhalla
vila (VEE-lah): in Slavic folklore, fairy-like warriors, often believed to seduce or entrap unwary men.
Vodanoj (VOH-dah-noy): a male water sprite, often held responsible for drownings (also vodník, vodyanoy)
All terms are Hungarian unless otherwise indicated.
adure (AH-doo-rey): a command to light a fire (Latin)
Allah’a şükür (AH-lah-ha SHOO-koor): thank God (Turkish)
bácsi (BAH-chee): loosely “uncle,” a term of respect for older men
betyárok (BET-yaar-ohk): bandits
Buda-Pest (BOO-dah-PESHT): what we now think of as one city used to be two separate cities (they officially joined in 1873). Buda, on the west side of the Duna, was the home of many of the wealthy elite; Pest, on the east side, was a younger, more energetic city.
csárda (CHAR-duh): a country inn
csárdás (CHAR-dahsh): a Hungarian round dance
drága (DRAA-gah): dear, precious
drágo (DRAH-goh): dear (Vlax Romani)
Duna (DOO-nah): the Danube River
Eszterháza (ES-ter-haa-zuh): a formerly rich estate belonging to the Eszterházy family
gadže (gah-ZHEH): non-Romani (Vlax Romani)
hajrá (HIE-rah): an exclamation meaning roughly “Onward!”
hála Istennek (HAH-lah IST-ehn-nehk): thank God
Hapsburgs: the imperial family of Austria-Hungary, formally Hapsburg-Lorraine. Today, the spelling “Habsburg” is more frequently used, but “Hapsburg” was a common nineteenth-century spelling.
lidércnyomás (LEE-dehrts-NYOH-mahsh): nightmare; literally, the pressure of a lidérc
me tut kamav (meh tut kah-MAF): I love you (Vlax Romani)
nyuszikám (NYOO-see-kaam): my little rabbit, a term of endearment
pálinka (PAAL-een-kah): brandy
praetertheria (PRAY-ter-ther-ee-ah) or praetheria (PRAY-ther-ee-ah): scientific terminology used as a hold-all for any supernatural creature released from the Binding spell. Praetheria for plural; praetherian for singular and adjective. (Latin)
puszta (POO-stuh): Hungarian plains
sör (SHYOOR): beer
šukarìja (shoo-kar-EE-yah): beautiful one (Vlax Romani)
szalonna (SAH-lohn-nah): bacon
táltos (TAHL-tohsh): shapeshifter and shaman
Ungeheuer (OON-geh-hoy-er): monster (German)
ungeschickt (OON-geh-shikt): clumsy (German)
Változz át üres lappá (VAHL-tohz aat OO-resh LAHP-paa): a command to change to a blank sheet of paper (literally: transform to empty page)
Was wollen Sie? (vahs VOHL-ehn zee): What do you want? (German, formal)
LUMINATE ORDERS
Animanti: manipulates living bodies. Common spells: healing, animal persuasion, sometimes invisibility. Less common: shapeshifting, necromancy.
Coremancer: manipulates the mind and heart. Common spells: truth spells, spell re-creation, persuasion, emotional manipulation. Less common: dreams and foresight.
Elementalist (formerly Alchemist): manipulates nonliving substances (light, weather, fire, water, earth, etc.). Most popular order. Common spells: weather magic, illusions, hidings, firestorms, water manipulation. Less common: firesmiths.
Lucifera: manipulates forces (gravity, space, time, magnetism). Common spells: telekinesis, portals, flight. Less common: temporal manipulation.
Writing acknowledgments never gets easier—if anything, with each new book I’m more and more aware of the army of people it takes to create a book. One swallow doesn’t make a summer; one author alone can’t make a book.
Huge thanks are due, as always, to my agent, Josh Adams, for championing my books and talking me off my not-infrequent ledges. I’m deeply indebted to my editor, Michelle Frey, for loving this book and the characters as much as I do, and for pushing me to craft the best book I possibly could. Thanks also to the wonderful team at Knopf: Marisa DiNovis, Artie Bennett, Lisa Leventer, and Allison Judd. Ray Shappell and Agent BOB continue to astound me with their beautiful covers.
I would not have made it this far without my writing group, the sisters of my heart: Erin Shakespear Bishop, Helen Boswell, Tasha Seegmiller, and Elaine Vickers. My beta readers gave me invaluable feedback at critical points in the writing process: Natalka Burian, Taffy Lovell, Destiny Cole, Yamile Saied Méndez, and Rebecca Sachiko Burton.
I am also deeply indebted to readers and friends who helped me with details of Hungarian culture and linguistics, Romani culture, Islam, the Turkish language, and more, including: Kovács Ildikó, Glonczi Ernő, Dr. Elizabeta Jevtic-Somlai, Dr. Hussein Samha, and Tuğçe Nida Gökırmak. I take full ownership for any mistakes remaining.
Writing can be a solitary endeavor, so I’m especially grateful to all the people who have made this journey less lonely: Cindy Baldwin, Megan Bannen, Karin Holmes Bean, Elly Blake, Dave Butler, Veeda Bybee, Stephanie Garber, McKelle George, Jeff Giles, Mette Harrison, Melanie Jacobson, E. K. Johnston, Emily King, Sara Larsen, Mackenzi Lee, Jolene Perry, Stephanie Huang Porter, Katie Purdie, Caitlin Sangster, Summer Spence, Joy Sterrantino, Erin Summerill, Jenilyn Tolley, Becky Wallace, Kate Watson, Dan Wells, Allisa White, my Pitch Wars Table of Trust, Sisters in Writing, Storymakers, Class of 2k17, and too many more to list here. My gratitude also goes out to the readers and book bloggers and bookstagrammers who have supported my book
s, especially Krysti at YA & Wine, Sarah at the Clever Reader, Katie at Mundie Moms, Christine Manzari, Corey Taylor Talks, and members of my street team.
My family makes all my books better—even the ones they haven’t read—by making my life richer, so that richness spills into the pages I write.
Lastly, to readers—if you’re reading this, you’ve come a long way with me and my characters. Thank you. You’re the reason I’m still writing.
Erin Summerill
ROSALYN EVES grew up in the Rocky Mountains, dividing her time between reading books and bossing her siblings into performing her dramatic scripts. As an adult, she still counts the telling and reading of stories as one of her favorite things to do. When she’s not reading or writing, she enjoys spending time with her chemistry-professor husband and three children, watching British period pieces, or hiking through the splendid landscape of southern Utah, where she lives.
She has a PhD in English from Penn State, which means she also endeavors to inspire college students with a love for the language. Sometimes it even works.
Winter War Awakening is the final installment of Rosalyn’s Blood Rose Rebellion trilogy.
ROSALYNEVES.COM
What’s next on
your reading list?
Discover your next
great read!
Get personalized book picks and up-to-date news about this author.
Sign up now.