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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you to Netgalley and Little Brown Book Group/Orbit for sending me a copy of this arc.
This is yet another disappointing read from S.T Gibson. Prior to this I had read Ascension and found it to be an awful book with lacklustre writing and plot. For this one the prose is significantly stronger with writing that was quick to read, but it was not the same as A Dowry of Blood, and had zero plot at all.
Savage Blooms is book with very little plot and a hell of a lot of porn. Every chapter had smut within, which makes sense for a more erotic novel but it meant the story and actual character development was pushed to the side so these four grown adults can sort out their issues through sex. So much sex. They immediately were in love and attracted to one another and never took a breather between their sessions, it was the main focus for the book instead of the gothic nature of the home and the fae. If we had built up to these sessions rather than throw it all in at once I would have cared more, but instead everyone was just fucking all over the house instead of worrying about the dangers outside.
The epilogue was honestly the strongest part of the whole book and the only bit where the plot came in, but I know I won’t continue the series so in the end it didn’t even matter.
It’s disappointing as I adored S.T. Gibson’s more vampire focused books, so I wonder is she better at creating a story that already exists compared to her own narratives. Aka fanfiction.
This is yet another disappointing read from S.T Gibson. Prior to this I had read Ascension and found it to be an awful book with lacklustre writing and plot. For this one the prose is significantly stronger with writing that was quick to read, but it was not the same as A Dowry of Blood, and had zero plot at all.
Savage Blooms is book with very little plot and a hell of a lot of porn. Every chapter had smut within, which makes sense for a more erotic novel but it meant the story and actual character development was pushed to the side so these four grown adults can sort out their issues through sex. So much sex. They immediately were in love and attracted to one another and never took a breather between their sessions, it was the main focus for the book instead of the gothic nature of the home and the fae. If we had built up to these sessions rather than throw it all in at once I would have cared more, but instead everyone was just fucking all over the house instead of worrying about the dangers outside.
The epilogue was honestly the strongest part of the whole book and the only bit where the plot came in, but I know I won’t continue the series so in the end it didn’t even matter.
It’s disappointing as I adored S.T. Gibson’s more vampire focused books, so I wonder is she better at creating a story that already exists compared to her own narratives. Aka fanfiction.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship
Moderate: Death, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Classism
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Gothic erotic romance? SOLD! This was everything it promised to be. There were even some creepy elements to it, which I enjoyed. I kind of wished there had been a bit more plot, the erotic parts did take up a lot of the pages. But I still enjoyed the hell out of this. The characters are complicated and messy and sometimes good people and a lot of the time bad people. Heed the trigger warnings. There's a lot of heavy themes in this book. Go in with an open mind and enjoy the ride.
**Thank you Netgalley and Orbit Books/Red Hook for providing this ebook. All opinions are my own.**
**Thank you Netgalley and Orbit Books/Red Hook for providing this ebook. All opinions are my own.**
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
As a big fan of S. T. Gibson’s Summoner’s Circle series, I was extremely excited to get an early copy of this, so much so that I started it the same day I got approved on Netgalley. But unfortunately this one didn’t really hit for me and I was a bit disappointed…
My main problem was that both the characters and the plot felt bland. It’s especially frustrating when I KNOW the author can write so much better and I just wish this had been through a few more rounds of developmental edits before being published.
The plot itself (what little there was) was really interesting as well… I’m a sucker for a crumbling Manor House tucked away in the bleary countryside with magic bleeding into it. I adore wicked, fairytale-esque fae who may or may not be trying to murder the MC’s. But the plot was so light touch and seemed more focused on trying to shove together romantic pairings any which way the quartet of main characters would have them. I just really wanted more plot and more world building to balance out the smut lol.
In terms of the characters and the ‘romance’ (I use inverted commas because there isn’t really romance it’s just sex) I wasn’t against it, it was just so insta love it made my eyes roll. Finley and Eileen - I liked their dynamic and actually, now that I’m thinking about it, it would have made more sense for them to be the main romantic pairing in book one, with just little hints and flirtations at the rest, but I digress… Adam and Nicola… yeah ok, I didn’t really buy it, I preferred them as friends. And then when we started partner swapping (because despite what the author says, the majority of the sex scenes are M/F and are either established partners or the two men swap around) I just felt like it was so forced??? To be abundantly clear, I am not anti poly, I LOVE Rhys/David/Moira’s relationship in Evocation which is why I’m so frustrated that this wasn’t executed better.
The ending however slapped and I wish that had happened about halfway through so I could have read about what happens next instead of buying another book. (Which I probably will do because I want to know where it’s going and as I said, I LOVED the final like, three pages)
So yeah, bland plot and characters, with smut that felt shoe-horned in.
My main problem was that both the characters and the plot felt bland. It’s especially frustrating when I KNOW the author can write so much better and I just wish this had been through a few more rounds of developmental edits before being published.
The plot itself (what little there was) was really interesting as well… I’m a sucker for a crumbling Manor House tucked away in the bleary countryside with magic bleeding into it. I adore wicked, fairytale-esque fae who may or may not be trying to murder the MC’s. But the plot was so light touch and seemed more focused on trying to shove together romantic pairings any which way the quartet of main characters would have them. I just really wanted more plot and more world building to balance out the smut lol.
In terms of the characters and the ‘romance’ (I use inverted commas because there isn’t really romance it’s just sex) I wasn’t against it, it was just so insta love it made my eyes roll. Finley and Eileen - I liked their dynamic and actually, now that I’m thinking about it, it would have made more sense for them to be the main romantic pairing in book one, with just little hints and flirtations at the rest, but I digress… Adam and Nicola… yeah ok, I didn’t really buy it, I preferred them as friends. And then when we started partner swapping (because despite what the author says, the majority of the sex scenes are M/F and are either established partners or the two men swap around) I just felt like it was so forced??? To be abundantly clear, I am not anti poly, I LOVE Rhys/David/Moira’s relationship in Evocation which is why I’m so frustrated that this wasn’t executed better.
The ending however slapped and I wish that had happened about halfway through so I could have read about what happens next instead of buying another book. (Which I probably will do because I want to know where it’s going and as I said, I LOVED the final like, three pages)
So yeah, bland plot and characters, with smut that felt shoe-horned in.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book starts with a bang and keeps them coming, haha. This was much more erotic than I expected, though I’m not sure why I expected less. I also did not realize this was part of a series, which explains the slow pacing of the plot. This was exceedingly well written, as I’ve come to expect from S.T. Gibson. I am looking forward to the next installment in this series.
The world building, the folklore, the spice, the drama, the betrayal. I enjoyed it all. I definitely recommend this to those who like fantasy with queer romance thrown in. I can’t wait to see what comes next.
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I'm not sure how I feel about this book.
The vibes and the writing are great, it's gothic, its Scottish, it's erotic, everyone is bi, it has intergenerational drama, dark fairies and scary magic.
It worked and I devoured it.
But I think it's lacking in terms of story. Not much happens and in the end, there is no real resolution.
So no plot but it's still good, I would rate 3.5 overall.
Thank you Orbit Books for this ARC!
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
savage blooms follows adam and his bestfriend nicola as they go to scotland to figure out about adam’s grandfather’s past.
thots + reflections
st gibson is such a talented author who makes her character feel so real, flushed out, & well rounded. all 4 of these characters are different and yet, still their chemistry was flying off the page. elieen, my BRATTY gender bent, very mean, kinky queen. you deserve your crippling manor and your 3 little horny partners. adam, you are the white knight, you believe you are. nicola, you will be loved and cherished, as you should be, and Finley, oH FINLEY!! the world is yours.
secondly, while it is not dripping in lush proses like a dowry of blood or over consumed in angst like an education in malice, savage bloom holds its own with a plot that pushed forward through sex, while crafted sex scenes that make sense. if you know me, you know i am all for women writing porn, i highly encourage it. i just ask for it to be done with care.
the book does end on a cliffhanger, so be prepared for that!
read this for the:
- gothic tales
- choatic bisexual polycules
- proper migraine representation
- erotica
cw: sexual content, bad bdsm practice, pseudo incest, toxic relationship, emotional abuse, alcohol consumption, suicidal thought, death of parents, medical content and trauma.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence
Moderate: Confinement, Grief
Minor: Incest
I'm not quite sure what to say about this one. It was fairly light on plot, but something about it was super compelling, and I am definitely very excited to see where it goes in the second book after the way this ended.
I go into books blindly most of the time and it really backfired on me this go around. I saw fantasy, Scotland, erotic, queer and somehow every single aspect fell flat.
I was BORED! And didn’t care for the characters AT ALL. Really that’s all there is to it. The third person writing style did not work in this book. I found that’s where my disconnect to the characters stemmed from. The setting of this book sticks you in an old house and it could be anywhere because I didn’t really matter what was outside of it. Nothing truly happens in this book. Especially the queer romance. Where was it? It was truly just M/F for 95 percent of the book with a 2 page M/M scene at the end and a few paragraphs of an interrupted F/F scene at the very end. Like bffr. The conflict stems from LYING and the “enemy” is constantly talked about with never really being there or causing issues at all…? I found myself skimming and reading dialogue in the end because again there is truly no plot.
I’m so mad that there is going to be another book. Like if we put some actual plot into the first book maybe these wouldn’t need to be a second? Okay I’m working myself up by writing this review. I was just so disappointed in this.
Thank you to Orbit and NetGalley for the eARC and the opportunity to read and review honestly.
I was BORED! And didn’t care for the characters AT ALL. Really that’s all there is to it. The third person writing style did not work in this book. I found that’s where my disconnect to the characters stemmed from. The setting of this book sticks you in an old house and it could be anywhere because I didn’t really matter what was outside of it. Nothing truly happens in this book. Especially the queer romance. Where was it? It was truly just M/F for 95 percent of the book with a 2 page M/M scene at the end and a few paragraphs of an interrupted F/F scene at the very end. Like bffr. The conflict stems from LYING and the “enemy” is constantly talked about with never really being there or causing issues at all…? I found myself skimming and reading dialogue in the end because again there is truly no plot.
I’m so mad that there is going to be another book. Like if we put some actual plot into the first book maybe these wouldn’t need to be a second? Okay I’m working myself up by writing this review. I was just so disappointed in this.
Thank you to Orbit and NetGalley for the eARC and the opportunity to read and review honestly.