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peggymay's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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: Blood, Death of parent, Gore, Violence, Death, Body horror, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
Moderate: Sexism, Misogyny, and War
bookishmillennial's review
disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I enjoy most books for what they are, & I extract lessons from them all. Everyone’s reading experiences are subjective, so I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me on Instagram: @bookish.millennial or tiktok: @bookishmillennial
I thought this was a fun standalone young adult fantasy novel. I enjoyed the general premise of flowers being magical and revising history as if India avoided colonization by Portugal (set in 1600s). The desert was a cool setting, and I loved the magic system of the flowers (though I'd love to see it fleshed out a tiny bit more!). I'd love to see this come to life onscreen in some way!
Irinya was young, naive, impulsive, and a bit wide-eyed. However, I don't think that makes her a horrible FMC. I think it makes her a human one ;) There is a bit of romance in this, but I enjoyed the found family the most. Irinya is a nomad, and is a flower hunter. I never imagined flower hunting as dangerous, and I enjoyed how Mehrotra framed this. When Irinya and her best friend Fardan find an extremely rare flower (silver spider lily), they have the chance to really help their group to get out of debt. However, it comes at a price and thus starts her quest! This definitely had me hooked in the beginning!
Though I did feel some of the plot and especially the middle (from about 30-60%) was a bit disjointed and unfocused, this was a quick read. This wasn't my favorite standalone fantasy, but it was fun enough so I'd definitely read from from Mehrotra again in the future!
Also, here is the map! https://ratiwrites.files.wordpress.com/2023/04/flower-and-thorn-lr1-map-by-sarah-m.png
cw: gore, violence, war
I thought this was a fun standalone young adult fantasy novel. I enjoyed the general premise of flowers being magical and revising history as if India avoided colonization by Portugal (set in 1600s). The desert was a cool setting, and I loved the magic system of the flowers (though I'd love to see it fleshed out a tiny bit more!). I'd love to see this come to life onscreen in some way!
Irinya was young, naive, impulsive, and a bit wide-eyed. However, I don't think that makes her a horrible FMC. I think it makes her a human one ;) There is a bit of romance in this, but I enjoyed the found family the most. Irinya is a nomad, and is a flower hunter. I never imagined flower hunting as dangerous, and I enjoyed how Mehrotra framed this. When Irinya and her best friend Fardan find an extremely rare flower (silver spider lily), they have the chance to really help their group to get out of debt. However, it comes at a price and thus starts her quest! This definitely had me hooked in the beginning!
Though I did feel some of the plot and especially the middle (from about 30-60%) was a bit disjointed and unfocused, this was a quick read. This wasn't my favorite standalone fantasy, but it was fun enough so I'd definitely read from from Mehrotra again in the future!
Also, here is the map! https://ratiwrites.files.wordpress.com/2023/04/flower-and-thorn-lr1-map-by-sarah-m.png
cw: gore, violence, war
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Violence
Minor: War
booksofapage's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore and Violence
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