Scan barcode
yessicookie's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
slow-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
3.0
An interesting depiction of mental health in a world of magic, it was very exciting and intense in some parts! Other parts were a bit slower. I am curious about this fantasy world, i do hope to see a sequel.
I will issue a content/trigger warning for those with a fear of plants growing under their skin that is a recurring theme throughout the entire book.
I will issue a content/trigger warning for those with a fear of plants growing under their skin that is a recurring theme throughout the entire book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Mental illness, and Drug abuse
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail and Body horror
Minor: Emotional abuse and Child abuse
asahome's review
3.75
TL;DR: A young woman must put aside her personal feelings in order to learn to control her magic. A new teacher helps her learn that Elsa (from Frozen) has a better way of dealing with her emotions.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Medical content, Ableism, Mental illness, and Addiction
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Bullying, Death of parent, and Vomit
Minor: Sexual content
Ableism:camiclarkbooks's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
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
4.25
One of my dearest friends gave me “Flowerheart” for Christmas so it moved to the top of my TBR. She said that it was a charming, cozy standalone and I’m happy to report that she was right (she always is)!
“Flowerheart” was a fun YA fantasy that gave serious cottagecore vibes but did have some spooky elements to it. It reminded me of a lighthearted “Sorcery of Thorns,” which is one of my favorite books.
Bakewell definitely leaned on the vibes of the book, but the characters were sweet and the plot was engaging. I love an element of mystery and a deadline from higher forces and “Flowerheart” featured both!
As much as I enjoyed the book, I wasn’t totally satisfied with the ending. I’m not able to say much more without spoiling anything, but there were some consequences and decisions that everyone was distressed by until the end when they appear to have forgotten everything.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Abandonment, Addiction, and Drug abuse
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, and Mental illness
queenkath32's review
hopeful
mysterious
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Drug abuse, and Injury/Injury detail
lilawsahar's review
adventurous
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
What a lovely, cozy fantasy. It reads just like a studio Ghibli movie. The characters are a little less endearing though. I am not really a fan of the love story between Xavier and Clara. Xavier was selfish to take Clara’s powers even though he came from a place of goodness. I think their love story could have been worked on. I’m glad that Clara supported him even though his magic was taken though. She became more endearing after that. I think that the book could have been so much longer. I want to hear more about the mother and about Clara’s fight to cure others of mental illnesses.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
mimmixoxo's review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
3.75
I do agree with a lot of the comments that it feels as if something is missing or the end is underdeveloped especially with Clara’s mother. Overall a fun and quick read that helped me through my latest reading slump. (Although be wary of content warnings)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Drug use, Drug abuse, and Addiction
Moderate: Body horror, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Vomit, and Chronic illness
libriinks's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Medical content, Body horror, Drug use, and Injury/Injury detail
blacksphinx's review
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This book is a puff of cotton candy. Light, sugary, quickly consumed.
This book has a strong "fanfic author's first original fic" vibe. There is very little world building in this novel, and things you might think warrant an explanation (like the magic system) are glossed over, like we're already supposed to know. It's partially centered around a variation on a fanfic trope - hanahaki disease - and there's a small scene lifted directly from Ghibli's Howl's Moving Castle movie. In fact, our protagonist's two-syllable name, her light blue and light green dresses, her long hair plaited into a braid, and our wizard love interest's black hair kept me wondering... If this started life as a HMC's fanfic I would not be surprised.
Overall, this is a book that comfortably fits in the YA section and would probably be a delight in most middle school or high school libraries. (This book also needs an LGBT+ tag on here, it's a queernormative setting.)
This book has a strong "fanfic author's first original fic" vibe. There is very little world building in this novel, and things you might think warrant an explanation (like the magic system) are glossed over, like we're already supposed to know. It's partially centered around a variation on a fanfic trope - hanahaki disease - and there's a small scene lifted directly from Ghibli's Howl's Moving Castle movie. In fact, our protagonist's two-syllable name, her light blue and light green dresses, her long hair plaited into a braid, and our wizard love interest's black hair kept me wondering... If this started life as a HMC's fanfic I would not be surprised.
Overall, this is a book that comfortably fits in the YA section and would probably be a delight in most middle school or high school libraries. (This book also needs an LGBT+ tag on here, it's a queernormative setting.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Drug use, and Drug abuse
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Body horror, Emotional abuse, and Grief
Minor: Fire/Fire injury and Mental illness
I want to list a brief content warning for an emotionally abusive relationship betweenjinjaritia's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-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
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Body horror, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Drug use, Drug abuse, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Gaslighting
a_ab's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Well, I didn't read it in full, actually. I read the first 4 chapters and the last 5 (out of 24 total). And I do not feel like I lost much in skipping the other 15, because at the time I resumed the book, things were going mostly how I imagined they would be going based on the beginning.
I don't think I could have suffered through the abuse of the main character's internal "magic" voice for all those 15 chapters. It was revolting and infuriating to me, but it would be extremely triggering for anyone who ever had to live through even a fraction of that kind of emotional abuse.
In that vein, I found the ending rather questionable in the proposed "happiness" of it. And there's no way I am going to revisit the chapters I skipped, - as far as I am concerned, nothing is worth putting up with the abusive BS, however internalized it is: get therapy or whatever it takes to weed it out until nothing but a detached clinical memory of it remains, and even that memory is there only so that it could be quickly recognized and weedkilled on sight if it ever sprouts again.
I don't think I could have suffered through the abuse of the main character's internal "magic" voice for all those 15 chapters. It was revolting and infuriating to me, but it would be extremely triggering for anyone who ever had to live through even a fraction of that kind of emotional abuse.
In that vein, I found the ending rather questionable in the proposed "happiness" of it. And there's no way I am going to revisit the chapters I skipped, - as far as I am concerned, nothing is worth putting up with the abusive BS, however internalized it is: get therapy or whatever it takes to weed it out until nothing but a detached clinical memory of it remains, and even that memory is there only so that it could be quickly recognized and weedkilled on sight if it ever sprouts again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Blood, Abandonment, Drug use, and Drug abuse