Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

Flowerheart by Catherine Bakewell

1 review

cassimiranda's review against another edition

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mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

I received an eARC of this book for review from HarperCollins Children's Books via NetGalley, all opinions are my own. 

• The Brief: Flowerheart is an engaging YA fantasy romance novel with a single POV. It is a quick, intriguing read, although it does have some thematic challenges. 
• This will appeal to anyone searching for a sweet friends-to-lovers genre romance in a fantasy setting with flower magic. 

     Flowerheart is a coming of age story about Clara’s struggles to accept and harness her magic and reestablish a relationship with her childhood friend Xavier. Unfortunately, her magic is uncooperative and Xavier is secretive. The added shadow of her treasonous mother makes it difficult for her to succeed. 

     The prose is clear and compelling and the plot is interesting, although not particularly innovative. It isn’t hard to get drawn into the story. Unfortunately, the character work and magic system are consistent but surface-level. It would have greatly benefited from including Xavier’s POV: both in the romance development and to provide depth to the world building as the more skilled magic worker. 

     I enjoyed the effortless diversity along with the readability of the language and plot. I did feel uncomfortable with the depiction of depression and its treatment.
The condition of ‘melancholy’ isn’t well described – even though Xavier’s major motivation is the love of his sister who has the condition. In addition, any attempt to treat mental illness is restricted because the results are akin to hallucinogens.
I strongly wish this plot thread had been handled with more care. Overall, this is a fine casual reading experience. 

CW: drug use & depression
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