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sbookreader 's review for:
Bloom
by Delilah S. Dawson
dark
tense
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
A little predictable, a little repetitive in its descriptions but I was still intrigued by the unfolding train wreck that was Ro’s all-consuming (lol) obsession with her first girl crush, Ash. It’s a kind of tongue-in-cheek mockery of the cottagecore industry, with a distinctly dark twist.
There’s plenty of foreshadowing and red flags Ro wilfully disregards until the very end, when she comments that she’d never have ignored them if Ash were a man. Which is kind of weird considering how her intrusive nosiness about Ash’s life and house is sold as insecurity after being cheated on.
It’s also weird that all the sex scenes happened off-screen, in contrast to Guillotine (another of this author’s books, centred on a het relationship). Given the lush prose and sensual descriptions of Ash’s food, I was expecting more than a cut followed by “Ooh, she pleased me so well!”
I did not like the fatphobia either. Ro’s body-image issues were centred in an aggravating way, mainly linked to her fear of being unlovable and less than anyone who is skinnier, including Ash and the girl her ex cheated on Ro with.
One thing that was done well was Ash’s preference for avoiding technology. That was a good plot device for a modern story.
Still, as I write this, I’m realising how disappointed I was overall.
There’s plenty of foreshadowing and red flags Ro wilfully disregards until the very end, when she comments that she’d never have ignored them if Ash were a man. Which is kind of weird considering how her intrusive nosiness about Ash’s life and house is sold as insecurity after being cheated on.
It’s also weird that all the sex scenes happened off-screen, in contrast to Guillotine (another of this author’s books, centred on a het relationship). Given the lush prose and sensual descriptions of Ash’s food, I was expecting more than a cut followed by “Ooh, she pleased me so well!”
I did not like the fatphobia either. Ro’s body-image issues were centred in an aggravating way, mainly linked to her fear of being unlovable and less than anyone who is skinnier, including Ash and the girl her ex cheated on Ro with.
One thing that was done well was Ash’s preference for avoiding technology. That was a good plot device for a modern story.
Still, as I write this, I’m realising how disappointed I was overall.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Cannibalism, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Fatphobia, Gore, Torture, Vomit
Minor: Confinement, Kidnapping