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bohemianhermit04's review
- 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
4.5
Minor: Drug use, Vomit, Body horror, and Abandonment
sgenna's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Abandonment
Minor: Drug use and Mental illness
libriinks's review
- 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
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Medical content, Body horror, Drug use, and Injury/Injury detail
blacksphinx's review
- 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 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.)
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
- 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
Moderate: Abandonment, Body horror, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Drug use, Drug abuse, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Gaslighting
alisylvi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Moderate: Abandonment, Drug use, and Drug abuse
Minor: Self harm
a_ab's review
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
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.
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Blood, Abandonment, Drug use, and Drug abuse
sophs_mood_reading's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
When she accidentally curses her father (more flowers, poisonous ones) she finds the only person who will help is her estranged best friend/childhood love the ever angsty Xavier.
Xavier had changed from the boy she knew, he’s distant, grumpy and clearly hiding something and in return for his help demands a high price.
The story not so subtly focuses on the issue of depression in society, how sufferers seek any cure they can find and how little aid their may be. It was a strange theme to run through a cottage core fantasy and at sometimes seemed forced. Such as our main FMC having “melancholy” for one whole day and therefore can suddenly commiserate and understand the blight of other sufferers.
I did enjoy the LGBTQI inclusion throughout the book which is a welcome inclusion in these types of novels.
Graphic: Mental illness and Drug use
Moderate: Blood
Minor: Abandonment
jamiebrito's review
- 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
Graphic: Drug use, Gaslighting, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Body horror, Suicidal thoughts, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical content
brontesauruses's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
A solid four stars, but probably not much more than that. 4.25??
It felt like it needed to be longer? Everything moved so fast sometimes! There were a lot of great ideas, but they needed more room to breathe. (Reading it as quickly as I did probably did not help, but still.)
That said, I had a lot of fun with this one. Loved the queer rep! Our protagonist is bi/pan (and isn't thin!)! There's a transwoman and a nonbinary person who are important to the plot! Characters are just casually, cheerfully queer, and it made me so happy. I also like what the book had to say about mental health! Also also: flower magic!!
If you're looking for readalikes, Dreams Lie Beneath by Rebecca Ross came to mind a lot while I was reading this. Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson too, to a lesser extent. Very different, uh, happenings, but something about them is similar? Is it the magic? Is it the dark-haired sad lads?? Who knows.
Side note: I went into this one thinking it was kinda sorta an Anne of Green Gables retelling? I think I mixed it up in my head with The Grace of Wild Things by Heather Fawcett (which is a banger btw)? Anyway, it's not, but I think if you like Anne, you'll probably like the Vibe of this one.
Moderate: Drug use and Mental illness
Minor: Abandonment and Blood