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avacadosocks's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Addiction
Moderate: Mental illness and Body horror
druzyquartz's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Blood, Panic attacks/disorders, Emotional abuse, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Grief, Abandonment, and Addiction
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
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
clarabooksit's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
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
2.75
Great premise, loved the flower magic, zippy, easy read, but lacked substance and felt underdeveloped.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gaslighting, Medical trauma, Addiction, Grief, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Violence
cait_reads2024's review
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
tense
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
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, HarperCollins Children's Books/HarperTeen for this eARC for review!
5000/5 stars!
This book was such a warm hug and toasty mug of tea on a rainy sad day, knowing that everything may be bad but that it would be okay. I don't think I've ever read a book like it!
Firstly, what an absolutely BEAUTIFUL magic system! I absolutely loved getting the snippets of what each flower was and what their meaning was, and seeing how it correlated with Clara's feelings as she warred against her magic and her own anxieties. I just wanted to hug her so badly!! Seeing how her magic's inner voice was so evil and intrusive, trying to convince her of being a failure and a bad person was such a vivid comparison to one's own inner voice when battling anxiety and depression in real life. The way Catherine portrayed and wove mental health issues into the story and the story's society itself was beautiful and so very needed. Seeing Clara grow throughout the book with sweet sugar muffin Xavier's help, coming not only into her power but also into herself as a person and truly believing in herself was perfect. Speaking of cinnamon roll baby Xavier, I loved having a friends-to-distant-to-friends/allies-to lovers develop was so heartwarming and very refreshing in a world of YA where "enemies-to-lovers" is very popular (and rightfully so, don't get me wrong!). Their relationship development was so tender, heartfelt, and so sweet seeing them help each other. X was such a complex "antagonist" without actually being an evil antagonist, he was just a person who was trying to do the best for those he loved and his community as a whole, but suffered in the process and faced grave consequences. Although I'm sad that he lost his magic, it was beautifully fitting that he was still able to do what he loved best alongside his love.
I felt like even though this book was a warm hug and so comforting, there was also SO MUCH happening constantly and it was so well done! I didn't want to put the book down. Everything that was introduced into the plot line truly felt well thought out and timed just right in the story to really convey the gravity and emotion of the situations occurring. Although I wish we got more of Clara and Xavier in more books, everything wrapped up so nicely without being too quick or too clean, and there was nothing inserted to the story that was unnecessary. For me, I'm actually glad that Clara's "evil" mother was more of a plot guide/device instead of the entire story/plot being centered around her being evil and with evil plans. It was nice to have both sides with the council and the outcast coven portraying what they think is right. Most importantly, PAPA IS PERFECT AND MUST BE PROTECTED AT ALL COSTS!!! I couldn't help but picture Belle's sweet papa from Beauty & the Beast. Their relationship was so pure and loving, and I loved getting even small snippets of their time together while Clara was growing up.
Another thing Catherine handled beautifully, was the inclusion of gender identity and sexuality in both her characters and their respective world/magic system. It's so poignant and equally important that this is continually included in YA stories, so that kids see that it's truly okay to be yourself and that the way you feel about yourself and others is acceptable and WILL be normalized by those who truly care about them and respect them!
In essence: this was absolutely immaculate and I will not accept any opinions that state otherwise, haha!
5000/5 stars!
This book was such a warm hug and toasty mug of tea on a rainy sad day, knowing that everything may be bad but that it would be okay. I don't think I've ever read a book like it!
Firstly, what an absolutely BEAUTIFUL magic system! I absolutely loved getting the snippets of what each flower was and what their meaning was, and seeing how it correlated with Clara's feelings as she warred against her magic and her own anxieties. I just wanted to hug her so badly!! Seeing how her magic's inner voice was so evil and intrusive, trying to convince her of being a failure and a bad person was such a vivid comparison to one's own inner voice when battling anxiety and depression in real life. The way Catherine portrayed and wove mental health issues into the story and the story's society itself was beautiful and so very needed. Seeing Clara grow throughout the book with sweet sugar muffin Xavier's help, coming not only into her power but also into herself as a person and truly believing in herself was perfect. Speaking of cinnamon roll baby Xavier, I loved having a friends-to-distant-to-friends/allies-to lovers develop was so heartwarming and very refreshing in a world of YA where "enemies-to-lovers" is very popular (and rightfully so, don't get me wrong!). Their relationship development was so tender, heartfelt, and so sweet seeing them help each other. X was such a complex "antagonist" without actually being an evil antagonist, he was just a person who was trying to do the best for those he loved and his community as a whole, but suffered in the process and faced grave consequences. Although I'm sad that he lost his magic, it was beautifully fitting that he was still able to do what he loved best alongside his love.
I felt like even though this book was a warm hug and so comforting, there was also SO MUCH happening constantly and it was so well done! I didn't want to put the book down. Everything that was introduced into the plot line truly felt well thought out and timed just right in the story to really convey the gravity and emotion of the situations occurring. Although I wish we got more of Clara and Xavier in more books, everything wrapped up so nicely without being too quick or too clean, and there was nothing inserted to the story that was unnecessary. For me, I'm actually glad that Clara's "evil" mother was more of a plot guide/device instead of the entire story/plot being centered around her being evil and with evil plans. It was nice to have both sides with the council and the outcast coven portraying what they think is right. Most importantly, PAPA IS PERFECT AND MUST BE PROTECTED AT ALL COSTS!!! I couldn't help but picture Belle's sweet papa from Beauty & the Beast. Their relationship was so pure and loving, and I loved getting even small snippets of their time together while Clara was growing up.
Another thing Catherine handled beautifully, was the inclusion of gender identity and sexuality in both her characters and their respective world/magic system. It's so poignant and equally important that this is continually included in YA stories, so that kids see that it's truly okay to be yourself and that the way you feel about yourself and others is acceptable and WILL be normalized by those who truly care about them and respect them!
In essence: this was absolutely immaculate and I will not accept any opinions that state otherwise, haha!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Addiction, Panic attacks/disorders, and Mental illness
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