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A review by thebooknerdscorner
The Age of Larkspur by Aleighsha Parke
4.0
A lush fantasy story based in Icelandic folklore that follows an anxious teenager as she journeys across the natural world to find four shards that may just be the key to saving her kingdom. . . and herself.
Flora has always been a quiet girl who depends on her friends and family to help her out of any hard situations. She's avoided the poisonous curse that has plagued her entire life which involves larkspur that grows from her ankle and saps away her lifeforce. Unfortunately, things are taken out of her hands when her adopted mother, Rosie, is kidnapped by a vile which and gives Flora an ultimatum—find the four magical shards that come together to form a magical amulet that has long been in Flora's birth family and bring them to the Sage Witch or her mother dies. With time being her most valuable resource, Flora sets off on the adventure of a lifetime accompanied by her best friend, Anise. Is it possible for a socially awkward and anxious girl to save the very kingdom from the secrets that have long time wronged it?
This review has been a long time coming. I started this book a while ago as an ARC copy on my Kindle, but I ended up soft DNFing it due to other bookish commitments. I'm glad that I finally carved out the time to give this one a read, because it ended up being a pretty great read! It took me a little bit to get into it, but the story picks up quite quickly after Flora sets off on her journey.
Flora is such a relatable main character and I really latched onto her way of thinking. Not only is she super anxious, but she also tries her best to please people, avoid conflict, and be a goody two shoes. These are all things that I can certainly relate to, though just like Flora, I'm trying to make progress on all of these categories. The fact that she is a plant lover is also awesome. Flora, as her name suggests, is so in tune with nature, and I found it fascinating to read about her relationship with the natural world around her.
Kaanan is a fascinating travel companion. From the first moment I met him, he very much gave me trickster vibes, meaning that it was unclear from the start whose side he is on. I love ambiguous characters with dubious origins, so I found myself latching on to Kaanan early on. The fact that he is a charming, caring young lad doesn't hurt either. His magic is also pretty neat, if I do say so myself.
Flora has quite a rocky relationship with her best friend, Anise. At the start of the story, Flora keeps most of her thoughts to herself and allows Anise to control pretty much every aspect of their friendship. Luckily, as the story progresses, Flora works toward expressing her true intentions and her and Anise's status gets much healthier. I love how this story showcases how friendships can shift and evolve over time. Even things between you and your bestie should shift because we as people are always changing.
I thought that the intros to each chapter were unique and did a good job of alluding to what would occur in the coming section. Having little pieces of folklore, parent backstory, and info about the land really made the world feel super immersive and definitely had me better understanding the towns and other locales the characters visit along their journey.
The folklore/fairy tale vibes in this story are quite strong. There are witches, trolls, evil kings, poisonous flowers, and charming enchanters, among other things. At certain points, this book reminded my of Neil Gaiman's "Stardust" mostly due to the nature of Flora and Kaanan's relationship, Flora's semi-secret backstory, and the final fight scene. Seeing Flora grow into her powers was done quite well, especially because she often grapples with the difference between "good and evil" and "right and wrong." Seeing how she distinguishes the two is an important thing that all of us need to learn at some point in our lives. No one person is one hundred percent good or bad, and it is a fine line between the two that we all walk in this life.
Overall, "The Age of Larkspur" is a fantastical tale that features two really relatable main characters, an Icelandic inspired magic system, and some inspiring messages. I'm glad that I finally got around to reading this one, because there were many things about it that I appreciate greatly about it. I am very curious to see what Parke decides to write next! I would definitely recommend this one to lovers of folklore, magic systems centered around nature, and forced proximity romances.
Flora has always been a quiet girl who depends on her friends and family to help her out of any hard situations. She's avoided the poisonous curse that has plagued her entire life which involves larkspur that grows from her ankle and saps away her lifeforce. Unfortunately, things are taken out of her hands when her adopted mother, Rosie, is kidnapped by a vile which and gives Flora an ultimatum—find the four magical shards that come together to form a magical amulet that has long been in Flora's birth family and bring them to the Sage Witch or her mother dies. With time being her most valuable resource, Flora sets off on the adventure of a lifetime accompanied by her best friend, Anise. Is it possible for a socially awkward and anxious girl to save the very kingdom from the secrets that have long time wronged it?
This review has been a long time coming. I started this book a while ago as an ARC copy on my Kindle, but I ended up soft DNFing it due to other bookish commitments. I'm glad that I finally carved out the time to give this one a read, because it ended up being a pretty great read! It took me a little bit to get into it, but the story picks up quite quickly after Flora sets off on her journey.
Flora is such a relatable main character and I really latched onto her way of thinking. Not only is she super anxious, but she also tries her best to please people, avoid conflict, and be a goody two shoes. These are all things that I can certainly relate to, though just like Flora, I'm trying to make progress on all of these categories. The fact that she is a plant lover is also awesome. Flora, as her name suggests, is so in tune with nature, and I found it fascinating to read about her relationship with the natural world around her.
Kaanan is a fascinating travel companion. From the first moment I met him, he very much gave me trickster vibes, meaning that it was unclear from the start whose side he is on. I love ambiguous characters with dubious origins, so I found myself latching on to Kaanan early on. The fact that he is a charming, caring young lad doesn't hurt either. His magic is also pretty neat, if I do say so myself.
Flora has quite a rocky relationship with her best friend, Anise. At the start of the story, Flora keeps most of her thoughts to herself and allows Anise to control pretty much every aspect of their friendship. Luckily, as the story progresses, Flora works toward expressing her true intentions and her and Anise's status gets much healthier. I love how this story showcases how friendships can shift and evolve over time. Even things between you and your bestie should shift because we as people are always changing.
I thought that the intros to each chapter were unique and did a good job of alluding to what would occur in the coming section. Having little pieces of folklore, parent backstory, and info about the land really made the world feel super immersive and definitely had me better understanding the towns and other locales the characters visit along their journey.
The folklore/fairy tale vibes in this story are quite strong. There are witches, trolls, evil kings, poisonous flowers, and charming enchanters, among other things. At certain points, this book reminded my of Neil Gaiman's "Stardust" mostly due to the nature of Flora and Kaanan's relationship, Flora's semi-secret backstory, and the final fight scene. Seeing Flora grow into her powers was done quite well, especially because she often grapples with the difference between "good and evil" and "right and wrong." Seeing how she distinguishes the two is an important thing that all of us need to learn at some point in our lives. No one person is one hundred percent good or bad, and it is a fine line between the two that we all walk in this life.
Overall, "The Age of Larkspur" is a fantastical tale that features two really relatable main characters, an Icelandic inspired magic system, and some inspiring messages. I'm glad that I finally got around to reading this one, because there were many things about it that I appreciate greatly about it. I am very curious to see what Parke decides to write next! I would definitely recommend this one to lovers of folklore, magic systems centered around nature, and forced proximity romances.