A Constellation of Roses: A Heartwarming Story About Magical Pies, Fragrant Roses, and True Home

A Constellation of Roses has a lot of adventure, a little bit of magic, and a happy ending. The detailed artwork on the cover is what drew me to the book; pink roses peeking in from the sides, white dots of constellations scattered across a dark green cover. The plot of the book is just as beautiful and detailed as the cover, and I definitely recommend this book if you are looking for an entertaining read. 

Trix Mcabe is a runaway 17-year-old girl, who has been running away from the foster care services ever since she was 10, when her mom lost custody of her. Shortly after, there is what Trix calls a Good Year, where her mom promises to stay away from drugs. But then, her mom just leaves one day without giving Trix any clue of where she could be. It’s up to Trix to make money for food and shelter, which she does by stealing. 

From the very first page, we see how Trix Mccabe is no ordinary thief; she actually has a magical ability to take things that don’t belong to her without anyone noticing her. She can just walk into a store, shoplift, and then leave. For some mysterious reason, the security cameras won’t show her at all, depicting her as a shadow at most, and any security alarms won’t ring. Using her gift, Trix gets enough money to survive. 

One night, Trix is ordering pizza (using the money she just stole from people at a shopping mall) from her room at the Starlite Motel when two policemen show up at her door. They obviously want to arrest her for stealing, but Trix’s social worker, Ms. Troy, comes to the rescue and makes a deal with the judge: If Trix lives with her aunt long enough to get her high school diploma, no charges will be made against her. However, if she runs away, Trix will be tried as an adult for stealing. 

That is how Trix finds herself in Ms. Troy’s car one mile away from the city, driving to the tiny rural town of Rocksaw, Kansas. Trix is disgruntled to live so far from the city, but is more surprised to discover that she even has a family. As far as she knows, her father left and all she had was her mom until she left too. But her aunt Mia, who just wants to be called Mia, is her dad’s sister. Trix isn’t exactly sure how she feels about living with the people related to someone who didn’t seem to care about her or her mom, but we can see how Trix is drawn to country life from the moment she enters Rockaw. 

Her first impression of the Mccabe family is a sprawling farmhouse and a gray house covered with roses. She then sees the three people who will soon be her new family: a woman with flaming red hair is her aunt Mia, Mia’s great-aunt is an eccentric old woman who everyone calls Auntie, and Ember, the quiet girl who seems to be afraid of everyone and everything. Mia can bake magic pies that can cure all sorts of emotional distresses. Auntie can read fortunes, which she does a lot for Trix. (In fact, the fortunes are part of the reason why Trix decides to stay in Rocksaw). Ember can tell the deepest secrets and ambitions to anyone who she touches, which is why she always keeps the world at a distance from herself. 

At first, Trix is skeptical that these magic gifts are even true. But when Mia invites her to work at the Mccabe Bakery (which Trix is kind of forced to do since it is family tradition), she sees all of the gifts in action. Maybe this is the home for her. But her new life is extremely overwhelming: she has to stay in high school for 2 years before getting her high school diploma, and she was just expecting to stay for one year. On top of that, everyone keeps telling her that she looks like her father, whose name was Connor, and what a great man he was. 

So, to deal with this new information, Trix does what she does best: running away. But as she is about to sneak out of the house, Ember catches her and convinces her to stay. Trix decides to give the Mccabe women a chance; unlike the other families she had been dumped in, they aren’t mean to her. Also, she really wants to learn more about her father. And the haunting fortune Aunties gave her “You must put in roots before you wither away” convinces Trix that maybe it’s time to stop running away and put down her roots in Rocksaw.

It isn’t easy though. Trix learns a lot of sad truths about her father, and the Mccabe women aren’t as cheery as they seem to be. And her old life keeps calling her back. But through the support of her new friends and family and Auntie’s fortunes, Trix finally decides to call Rocksaw her new home. 

~ Sarah Thomas