Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Pages: 384
Published: 2021
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Publisher’s Synopsis:
“Darkness blooms in bestselling author Kalynn Bayron’s new contemporary fantasy about a girl with a unique and deadly power.
Briseis has a gift: she can grow plants from tiny seeds to rich blooms with a single touch.
When Briseis’s aunt dies and wills her a dilapidated estate in rural New York, Bri and her parents decide to leave Brooklyn behind for the summer. Hopefully there, surrounded by plants and flowers, Bri will finally learn to control her gift. But their new home is sinister in ways they could never have imagined–it comes with a specific set of instructions, an old-school apothecary, and a walled garden filled with the deadliest botanicals in the world that can only be entered by those who share Bri’s unique family lineage.
When strangers begin to arrive on their doorstep, asking for tinctures and elixirs, Bri learns she has a surprising talent for creating them. One of the visitors is Marie, a mysterious young woman who Bri befriends, only to find that Marie is keeping dark secrets about the history of the estate and its surrounding community. There is more to Bri’s sudden inheritance than she could have imagined, and she is determined to uncover it . . . until a nefarious group comes after her in search of a rare and dangerous immortality elixir. Up against a centuries-old curse and the deadliest plant on earth, Bri must harness her gift to protect herself and her family.
From the bestselling author of Cinderella Is Dead comes another inspiring and deeply compelling story about a young woman with the power to conquer the dark forces descending around her.”
My Review:
This one fell a bit short for me. It was a good story and I loved the premise. The plant magic gave a great atmosphere and the characters were likeable enough, though they didn’t evoke me to feel. However, the pacing was slow and I found myself just not that invested. The uniqueness of the story was interesting but the plot was a bit thin for me. The mythology, world-building, and cultural aspects were fun and unique. But the plot was thin and dragging, so much so that I considered DNF’ing several times. I am on the fence about reading the sequel that comes out next year. There are other similar books I would recommend over this one without a doubt. The relationships between the characters weren’t quite believable to me.
Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links that I may earn a small commission from with no additional cost to you. You can read my full disclaimer here. Thank you for your support 🙂
Shop online while supporting local bookstores:
Their mission is to help support local, independent bookstores while still offering readers the e-commerce experience. This is a great way to easily get the books you crave while supporting other fabulous members of our bookish community!
Have you read this book?
Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
I love a good book discussion. 🙂
Leave a Reply