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adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was a pleasant surprise! I'm always on the lookout for more wlw books, and this one didn't disappoint with these girls :) I enjoyed the world and the characters and the heartbreak and the love <3
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism
Moderate: Body horror, Death
Minor: Confinement, Blood
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I spent a lot of this very engaging read going, "Lope, she doesn't deserve you, baby." Which is at the crux of the story, in the end:
Ofelia and Lope love each other. Lope is a knight, and Ofelia her lady. Through thick and thin they have been together, and as Shadows threaten their land. They are attempting to consider an escape to La Chateau, where the King resides and no Shadows, terrifying creatures that steal breath, can reach.
Well, in the end things go wrong at home, and despite being forbidden to make the journey, they make the journey alone. Ofelia is a novelty to the court, and a country bumpkin at that, and Lope is her stalwart companion until they find out in a cruel twist of fate that that King Leo, blessed by the Gods, had an affair with her mother and that she is his child, not her mother's husband's -- who had died a year previous on the front lines.
Things get complicated from there; court politics, apathy versus struggle, the rich versus the plight of the poor. Classism steeps every page, and Lope sees people like her suffer while Ofelia forgets why they came because she is seduced by the comfort of La Chateau and having a father after all these years.
In the end there are plot twists, dark gods, fairy tale logic galore, and it blends together in a beautiful mélange of this heartfelt sapphic storybook romance where the third act break up actually feels necessary and not contrived, and where sacrifice teaches a God what it is like to love.
The prose is lush and full of emotion. The poetry evocative but simple. Ofelia and Lope are very different people, and they both grow and love in different ways. Even the most dangerous of characters grows and changes -- the only one who stays static is our villain.
Honestly, great read if you want to sink into something that's too dark to be cozy fantasy, but will still provide love, hope and a romantic end to a romantic (in all the meanings of the word) tale.
Ofelia and Lope love each other. Lope is a knight, and Ofelia her lady. Through thick and thin they have been together, and as Shadows threaten their land. They are attempting to consider an escape to La Chateau, where the King resides and no Shadows, terrifying creatures that steal breath, can reach.
Well, in the end things go wrong at home, and despite being forbidden to make the journey, they make the journey alone. Ofelia is a novelty to the court, and a country bumpkin at that, and Lope is her stalwart companion until they find out in a cruel twist of fate that that King Leo, blessed by the Gods, had an affair with her mother and that she is his child, not her mother's husband's -- who had died a year previous on the front lines.
Things get complicated from there; court politics, apathy versus struggle, the rich versus the plight of the poor. Classism steeps every page, and Lope sees people like her suffer while Ofelia forgets why they came because she is seduced by the comfort of La Chateau and having a father after all these years.
In the end there are plot twists, dark gods, fairy tale logic galore, and it blends together in a beautiful mélange of this heartfelt sapphic storybook romance where the third act break up actually feels necessary and not contrived, and where sacrifice teaches a God what it is like to love.
The prose is lush and full of emotion. The poetry evocative but simple. Ofelia and Lope are very different people, and they both grow and love in different ways. Even the most dangerous of characters grows and changes -- the only one who stays static is our villain.
Honestly, great read if you want to sink into something that's too dark to be cozy fantasy, but will still provide love, hope and a romantic end to a romantic (in all the meanings of the word) tale.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Classism
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Death of parent
adventurous
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal death, Confinement, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Classism
adventurous
dark
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Classism
Moderate: Confinement, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Blood, Kidnapping, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Emotional abuse, Religious bigotry
dark
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you to Netgalley who provided me with an early copy. All opinions are my own.
Where Shadows Bloom is a high fantasy book inspired from French and Spanish nobility. It has cozy, dreamy prose perfect for fans of Studio Ghibli. Ofelia and her brave knight Lope travel from the countryside to Le Chateau to escape the dangers of the Shadows: monsters that haunt the night and steal the breath and life of those who foolishly venture outside. While Ofelia adjusts to their new life at court, Lope still sees danger around every corner. Can their love overcome the monsters, secrets, gods, and the growing distance between them?
Things I Loved:
-The yearning (with dual POV). Where Shadows Bloom is perfect for readers who want some action but want the focus of the book to be on the main character’s inner monologue. This is a medium-paced book that centers on the yearning on both sides of a sapphic romance.
-The main theme. What makes this book so strong is its exploration of its main theme: what it means to be human. Experiencing love, experiencing grief, one of Ofelia’s tasks is to teach humanity to a lonely god. The evolution of the god’s character was just as compelling as the main characters’ character developments.
- While the flaws of the characters are definitely showcased, there is strong character development, and the ending redeemed my frustration with Ofelia throughout the book (see first bullet point below on my gripe with Ofelia).
Things I Didn’t Love:
-Ofelia’s cheerful outlook started off inspiring and understandable but became annoyingly obtuse as the novel went on.
-As in many fairy tales, there is a god to bargain with and it just felt like they bargained with them too many times.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Grief, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Minor: Alcohol
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you, Catherine Bakewell, NetGalley, and the publisher for this ARC. I am so excited to be a part of Cat's Street Team! This is my honest review.
A historical fantasy, set in a AU 1600s France. This book was such a mix of spooky, romance, and eloquence. When reading it, I started to see some connections with the political climate today (whomever says that books shouldn't be political doesn't know what they are talking about). The gaslighting of the villian is sometimes very obvious and othertimes makes you really second guess yourself. I found this to be very realistic, wven though the book is set in fantasy.
I really enjoyed all the characters, their development, the imagery, the imaginative situations, and the magic. I dont want to get too specific without spoilers, but I really loved everything about this book.
A historical fantasy, set in a AU 1600s France. This book was such a mix of spooky, romance, and eloquence. When reading it, I started to see some connections with the political climate today (whomever says that books shouldn't be political doesn't know what they are talking about). The gaslighting of the villian is sometimes very obvious and othertimes makes you really second guess yourself. I found this to be very realistic, wven though the book is set in fantasy.
I really enjoyed all the characters, their development, the imagery, the imaginative situations, and the magic. I dont want to get too specific without spoilers, but I really loved everything about this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Gaslighting, Classism
Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Violence, Kidnapping, Murder
Minor: Bullying, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Death of parent, Murder