REVIEW: Ever After High Archery Club Rosabella Beauty

I ordered Archery Club Rosabella on Amazon on the 16th and finally got her today. She was actually supposed to be here yesterday, but Amazon is definitely flubbing up in the delivery department lately. More on that in my next review!

The first thing that struck me was how pretty she is. I was okay on Rosabella before. Pretty, but not really wow. Well, the smile does wonders for her. She's gorgeous.

Deboxing was quick and easy. I adore all this new Mattel packaging. I'm not buying a doll for the box. Sorry, boxed collectors, but I buy dolls to open and the faster I can do that, the better. And if I can skip cutting a million pieces and slicing my fingers open on sharp plastic edges, I'm even more for the changes.

Rosabella's box sadly tells us nothing except that archery is apparently now a must-have princess skill. I find the choices here a bit odd. Except Ashlynn. I like that she's in this line, so she and Hunter can practice together. Cupid doesn't really need archery class and she already has dolls with bows, so I'm okay with her not being here. You know who should be here though? Darling. Darling is in the Tea Party basic line, but I would have put her in this line and sent Bunny to the tea party, putting each girl in a line she's more suited for.

I would say that Rosabella could have been replaced with someone we haven't seen in awhile, like Cedar or Cerise or even *gasp* a boy, but I love this Rosabella so much that I can't really complain.

I'm a complete sucker for the color they used on her legs and chestplate thingy. I loooooooove it. I also love the coppery boots. They're really intricate and just gorgeous. I think all these colors work really well together and this is the best-dressed Rosabella's ever been.

The big smile is beautiful on her and her glasses are awesome. Her hair is soft and lovely. She's just my favorite in so many areas compared to the other Rosabellas.

Now one thing you probably noticed is the missing articulation. Rosabella does not have wrist articulation. Personally, I think this was a good choice, because she can hold the bow just fine without it and one less joint actually makes her more stable for posing with the bow. However, I was surprised that she's lacking knee joints. The promo photos on her listing show them, as did the promos for Ashlynn and Bunny. But no, there are no knee joints. Doesn't really bother me, but it was a bit of a surprise, considering the $12.99 price tag.

I think her dress is quite pretty. I like the asymmetrical hem and I actually like that the print doesn't continue all the way around. The pop of yellow pleases me. I'm sure I'm in the minority, but things like dresses printed on the front only and less articulation just don't bother me if there are other design elements I like.

Rosabella can hold her bow very easily, which is nice.

I really love the combo of those boots and her leg color. The bright color peeking through the boot is just really appealing to me.

I don't have a photo of the dress without the chestpiece, because I'm not planning on taking it off, but it's a simple sleeveless dress.

And finally, here is Signature Rosabella next to Archery Club Rosabella. As you can see, the face isn't the only difference! Archery Rosabella is several shades darker than her original incarnation.

I really love this doll. Rosabella's not a favorite of mine, but I love the design here so she climbs a couple notches up the popularity ladder for me. I do feel this line is a bit overpriced at $12.99. That's Amazon pricing though, so in store pricing may be lower. I think I want the Bunny from this line, because they seem to have solved her wandering eye problem, so I'll be watching for these in stores.

PHOTO CREDITS: All mine.