Oh My Goodness,

I've been away so long and I;ve been meaning for so long to leave you a long and detailed review on the end of the Roses first Saga!

I loved it, it was brilliant. I've said it so many times before hon, you have an incredible writing talent and every time I read you stuff I get hooked. I really mean it!

The ending was incredible. the Fighting, the escaping and also the after math! It was excellent that you didnt end it when the bad guy was dead and the mutants were saved, you took it that step furthur and let Rogue and her team deal with the oppression issue as well! Excellent job!

I will admit that I didn't see the Mutant Agency thing coming and it was a beautiful twist! I'm onto reading Dark Roses II and can't wait to see what kinds of adventures Rogue and her team gets into next time around!

As always I encourage you to keep going! I can't wait for whats to come!

*Goes to read now*

And when the wireless starts working again I WILL post the entire review!

Love you hon!

~A~

O shock face of horror!

Its all over and Im More than four chapters behind!

*beats herself senceless*

Ok, now that that's out of the way let me review!

Chapter 40, the epic battle between Rogue and Mitchell was incredible, no seriously it was! It had great visual potential and the extencive detail made it even easier for the reader to imagine themselves watchign the fight, imagining that the whole thing was up on a screen with real people (like a movie) which is one wonderful thing about your style of writing (don’t stop me if ive said this before) you write in a very visual style that translates well into the imagination, thus it is easy to picture what is going on in the scene. (am i repeating myself, its the pain killers)

the paragraphs leading up to the actual killing are bursting with descriptive sentances in what i call a fair fight. you didnt make rogue a super hero as such, with her holding the upper hand all the time and you let her take quite a few hits, and taking into consideration the last few chapters, I wasnt sure if you were going to let rogue live through the ordeal.

the sentance when she actually kills him is like the gun shot itself, short, cold and decisive. For the reader it is graphic what with the exploding and the spattering, (would have liked bullet calibur mentioned but im defiantly not complaining, its not that important) but for the character rogue, its closure, she got the bad guy, she won, and what has that got her sort of a feeling, when she walked away it was like she was closing a metaphorical door on that part of her life, the whole thing was over, bad guy gone and she was left as a warrior without a cause.

Now I don't know why a story like this doesn't have more reviews. Honestly, I don't. It may be slightly AU, but its about the best damn thing I've read in a good while. There are minor errors here and there that I noticed, but the overall story kept me reading straight through for three hours. I noticed you had Rogue refered to as a guardian here in the final chapter, and it rather made me smile. I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but in the comics, in Bishop's timeline, its hinted that Rogue and Remy were the last surviving X-men. Well, Remy definitely was the last. But there was a person known as the Guardian who watched over Remy, if memory serves me properly. And its speculated (for reasons I can't think of at the moment...hey, its late!) that the Guardian is Rogue, and she, not Gambit was the last X-man, as Gambit looked frail as hell in the pictures. You'd have to assume that someone known as the Guardian wouldn't be frail. Heh. Anyway, I just had to say Kudos for this story of yours. I honestly wouldn't mind a prequel of sorts...just for a glimpse of the X-men as you'd write them in this timeline. But yeah. Keep up the awesome work.

*gasps* A sequel did I hear, I wait with baited breath, for the sun to rise and sky to crest. I love the Roses, and everything you've done with this story. It is truely magnificent. I can't wait for the sequel, I'm eager to see what this new agency will do, an' how the Roses will help the mutants.

the epilogue was great

the chapter was great

Awsome as always, I love how this story has progressed. I don't know how Rogue would do in the bueracracy of the US gov, but its a neat concept. Can't wait to see the ending.

the chapter was great

that was the BEST! chapter that u have ever written. it was short but to the point with everything! Please update as soon as possible! I LOVE ur work!

I absolutely love this chapter . The writing was perfect and it described Rogue's frailty in a way that didnt make her seem weak and hopeless. I just love it.

MIZ

the chapter was great.

*shivers* oh hon this is brilliant! the tension in this scene between the two lovers is perfect, here are two people that are in the middle of a bloody battle, one suffering from serious moral issues and the other not wanting to let her heart get in the way of what she has done because they would both fall by the way side if they gave in.

Not to mention that Selene would leave Alistor if he became a liability because she's deep in soldier mode. *grins* they work so very very well together as a couple and I'm already tingling at the questions that this chapter is bringing up. i mean, alistor is feeling totally guilty about the entire thing, does that mean that he's going to dissapear after the ordeal and leave them all behind. now the seed of doubt is in selenes mind will she be the one to falter? *runs about in excited circles*

after all these chapters you still have me hanging on tightly, i need to see what happens next because as always i know that it will be incredibly brilliant as always! yes. you are brilliant, :P

P.s. on the close of the chapter, its not a cliff hanger but it is, because there is so much that the reader hasn't seen or been told about yet, and i know that this little reader is definatly wanting to know it all.

YOU ROCK! (can ya blame me for the coloquial term?)

- A -

I love the way your running combat. The action sequences are well put together, fast paced and integrating the reader like a viewer of the carnage. Also your throwing in great character development and binding the pairings you've made even more. Great story, can't wait to read even more of it.

The chapter was great

HEYA! im awake, non codined and back in the reviewing game, sorry its taken me so long and i wont even go into details, lets get down to buisness, please fwap me if im being too harsh, i dont try to be harsh, i want to give you constructive points.

from chapter thirty four, the opening paragraph in this chapter was good, it showed trhat those that get to save the world rarely get the acknowledgment that they honestly deserve. this is shown as the roses board the plane, no one is their to take their lugage and help them out, they have to fend for themselves as they have been doing all along and its a good way of presenting what the world will be like after they destroy the agency. no one is realyl going to know that they've done it, no prizes will be handed out, no medals, they will still have to fend for themselves when the agency is destroyed, just as they are doing now. (ohher im rambling already)

the second paragraph shows the conflict that is rage-ing inside rogue, she wants friendship but has to focus on the killing. the things that are potentially destroying her friendships and the thigns that she will need at the end of this ordeal are being torn apart by the ordeal itself and the mistakes made by those connected to her. It was nice to see Rogue KICK into gear, it shows that deep down she is still a killer at heart and more than caperble of carrying out the mission at hand. still she seems insecure. "something inside her wanted to say no, that she wasnt ready" and i honestly dont think that anyone could ever really be ready for this sort of ordeal. Your playing with raw human emotions in your writing and its absolutly excellent to see that your not afraid to shy away from the more tender issues that are plaguing the characters. you've given them real depth which is very hard to do, especially dealing with so many different characters with a multitude of different emotions and emotional reactions.

Personally id like to see a chapter simply on rogues journal entries... because im bloody interested in what they say!

I must commend you on the paragraph that focuses on michelle and her powers, its obviously not fun to be empathetic, especially when the people around you are as bright and cheery as the roses. its also nice to see contrasting points of views about mutant powers from the mutants themselves. "and {they} didnt envy her" this really sums up michelles team mates point of view of her power, reguardless of how handy it may be to them, sometimes you have to sit back and wonder if it was all worth it.

I am worried about Kar and Ivy? are they looking at gettign together in later chapters, the energy ball and the one that had a raging beast inside of her? its an interesting pairing if thats the way your going. I cant wait to see if it develops.

Rogues roses, (sorry im typing from notes... yes i made notes! i printed out the chapters and wrote notes! :P ) so yes, "rogue studies each of HER roses" this is a nice posesive sentance that shows that rogue is the APLHA of her "pack" she is in control, the fearless leader, the one that will lead them to glorious battle, issue, Gambit also has this "leader of the pack" quality about him and he seems to be a partial threat to Rogues command, so when she approached him at the end of the chapter and he conceeded to her i was very very happy to see that there would be no conflict created there. eight gold stars!

CHapter 35 "Come to australia, you migth accidently get killed" meh... and the guy in the shorts with the beer can reduced me to giggles, really, i know its a serious and tence situation but the guy was just a brilliant way of breakign up the scene. especially his belching and his singlet, its classiclally australian and i totally applaude you for your usage of the Cliche! :D the minute they step ingo his tin shack i fell off my seat, is he hellfire and will he screw them over if offered enough money? I also liked the way that the roses were caught off guard by marks illusion and the following annalysis to explain what they took at face value, maybe they are all a little bit under teh weather and in need of a godo long rest. Mark certainly showed that he hd read the mauel entitled "having the roses stay at your place" knowing their many quirks and kicks as well as some of the readers, to a point this is a little sus, since hes only the fugitive harbouring man and not of any real importance, however, as you havent defined what information he has really been given, Im assuming that its basic names and needs and nothing that would give him a substantial hold in the information sell out game later.

in the second half of the first part (hm yeP i'll recheck the codine) of chapter thirty five there is a beautiful moment with rogue that shows her as aprehensive and anxious. i found myself biting at my lower lip as i read it because like some of your readers are asking i dont know if rogue wants to die or not. the oddly comforting thought that occurs to her is not oddly comforting to the readers that love what you have done with the rogue character, I'm pondering getting on my knees and begging you to not kill her, but its your story, *goes to hide*

the second half of chapter 35 (ie, after the page break) has me a little worried, totally changing the plan last minute is a very very scary thing to do. I know i was lookign fowards to a huge bloody battle scene with a drop and run and kill and rescue and maybe a little romance, but drastically changing the plan and putting so much preassue on one team members powers had alarm bells going off in my head as i read it. however i trust you and this trust was again backed up by the brilliant continuation of this twist in chapter thirty six.

Speaking of chapter 36! what an opening, its a becutiful explination of jamies powers and the conditions that the roses are facing all rolled into one and multiplied because everything seems to be standing still for them. the explination of jamies powers is clear and consice and i understand how it works and it honestly is a wicked little power to have in a team like this. I do wonder about the glowing eyes, is she accending to a higher plan of mutancy like envee? or is it simply over exhersion of her powers like youve said. I have to commend you on the travel sequence, it was dragged out like the walk teh roses were experiancing and it really let the readers "feel" what was happening to the roses as opposed to "reading" it. at the end of this chapter rogue gives a little 'pep' talky speach and it was eloquent and direct and just what one would have expected rogue to say in the light of what was about to happen.

Now for chapter 37 onwards i think i may get a little harsh but again.. FWAP me if i do.

so chap 37, the opening line made no sence, "the ROses estimated that they'd been waiting for approximatly before a low.." there is no approximation of time and that really makes the opening statment weak, i know its very very exciting at this point and you are kinda nervous about the whole writing a mission thing, but a little more attention to things like that and all I'll ask for is a little more detail. *Heaps praise upon shini because despite this its a FANTASTIC CHAPTER!*

there are a couple of poorly expressed sentances that i had to read over and circle again, things like, the jeep was comming, then then roses chambered bullets and killed the soldiers at point blank range. how did they get on the jeep? did jamie pull the jeep out of normal time so they could over come the guards? i love the way you write i must have more! more! Having the roses break off into smaller groupe and not telling the reader what the other groups are doing is a neat way to run the next few chapters, the unknown factor breeds an amount of aprehension and fear that isnt present when everything is revealed. we dont know what selene and alistor, or rogue and envee or ivy and kar and remy are doing right now. the focus is on the rescue of the mutants. this said, Jamie is weakened and Michelle is shooting one handed while supporting jamie. not an easy task, i would like to make a suggestion by saying, look into guns/bullets/balistics and employ extra details in your writing, Michelle was firing a beretta, what caliber was it, what sound does it make, are the rounds armour piercing?

THe paragraph that begins "Michelle pushed jamie roughly to the side with one hand." was BRILLIANT! it showed exactly how much tension and stress Michelle is under to complete her mission with her *side kick* (used loosly) comepltly out of it, (like me on codine) not only do you show how hard it is for michelle to handle about eighteen tasks at once you then throw in the pitfall of being empathetic on top of all of the stress she would already be experiancing, her empathy brushing jamies pahyce and nearly bring the rescue operation to its knees. the sheer determination of both Jamie and Michelle comming through as they press on to Kick some serious ass.

the paragraph following the page break! way kudos on the usage of sarcasim, "apparently the sirens blaring and lihts flashin had alerted the guards" I Love it! little sarcastic jabs like this are priceless in writign and give the piece extra feel. maybe its what a character is feeling, maybe its an authors comment, whatever it is it adds spice and variety to the writing and its Belissimo!

A few questions about the end of the chapter, if the teleporting mutant was at the agency, why hadnt he escaped prior? if the agency would target and shoot down the plane, how does the wingged mutant girl get through the arial radary stuff? my last question woudl be, why arent the exits being guarded like the gates of hades, surely the guards wouldnt want their experiments to escape, or are the agency that pompous and sure of themselves that nothign could escape? i honestly felt that the end of the chapter, was a little weak, but the opening of the next chapter certainly made up for it. (even i know you cant have blood spurting killings all the time)

Chapter 38 (which gets me up to date *FINALLY* *Kicks herself for being slack*)

Suggestion Kar is a big guy but hes using a small caliber weapon, i know that lugging a huge gun across the desert is a lot to ask of a character, but big guns go boom and as a general rule do more damage. but then you are the writer and you know what your looking for! I Love the usage of anatomy terminology, the femoral artery being hit was a lovely touch. your not afraid to hit your characters, again with the reality check for the reader. Have another eight gold stars!

(Takes a deep breath) in this chapter you focus a lot on ivy and her inner struggle with her *beast* not only does this offer more exploration of the characters that you have been writign adn that your readers (including me) have grown to love. it also shows a great contrast in how the roses view their own powers, michelle puts up with hers, Ivy detests hers. in a previous chapter (34) you stated the sars in ivys skin she had made becaue she needed to hurt herself. you have really taken her inner pshycological dealing of her power a full circle, the beast and ivy are two completly seperate entities and you show this quite well, (and I LOVE YOU for it) its a beautifully expressed passage and it shows the struggle thats goign on inside all the time between primal instincts that have been enhanced and blown through the roof by mutation and human morality and our own sence of being and right and wrong. (have i mentioned that i LOVE YOU!)when she identifies Kar as "something else" its almost as if your drawing beast and man closer together and making a general sweeping statment about man and his own inner beasts (now... i was talking about general sweeping statments) the inner turmoil continues as Kar steps in to snap her out of it and eventually the human wins and Ivy is reduced to the mental capacity of a lost child. this has me sort of worried. because while they sit out there snuggling and dealing with inner issues, a great big battle is raging about them and the momentary lapse could get them hurt or killed.

and that brings me to the end of my long ramble (YAY!.. or not) i honestly cannot wait for the next chapter and the next one and the next, its shaping up to be an incredibly mind blowing ending and i have no idea where your taking it and i want to know. this is going to have me lying awake at night wondering what is going on in your mind *bounces about like a kiddie* I CANT WAIT!