A review by tessa_talks_books
Flower and Thorn by Rati Mehrotra

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

4.0

One-word review: Beautiful

Emojis: 🌻😳🌺🫣🌸😊🪷

Rating: 4 🌟s

My thoughts:

Flower and Thorn by Rati Mehrotra is such a beautifully told tale of power and greed. I felt fully immersed in this world that differed from mine. The descriptions are vivid and entirely create a sensory experience.

The pacing is medium to fast as Irinya sets out on her dangerous quest to reclaim a potent and rare flower she gave away. This flower could evict the Portuguese from India, maybe not once and for all, but at least for a long while. But if the Portuguese get it, all will be lost.

The magic system is based on flowers and the magic each contains. I found that very interesting and loved the abilities of some of the flowers - the black chrysanthemum in particular. Not all flowers hold magic, just certain ones found in the Rann salt flats, which is a dangerous place for people who do not have specific inherent abilities.

There Is a romance that is a prolonged burn and feels wholly authentic. It’s a case of not seeing what’s been right before you your whole life. I just loved the pair individually and as a couple. Character development was exceptional as I could believe that each character would make the choices that they do. They each hold an element of the hero and the villain.  

This is such a beautifully told tale, and the only thing that I wish had been discussed in the afterword or another area is whether it’s based on folklore and historical facts or whether it’s a world made up solely to entertain the reader.