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A review by brontesauruses
Flowerheart by Catherine Bakewell
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
Thank you to the publisher and Edelweiss+ for letting me get at this one early in exchange for an honest review!
A solid four stars, but probably not much more than that. 4.25??
It felt like it needed to be longer? Everything moved so fast sometimes! There were a lot of great ideas, but they needed more room to breathe. (Reading it as quickly as I did probably did not help, but still.)
That said, I had a lot of fun with this one. Loved the queer rep! Our protagonist is bi/pan (and isn't thin!)! There's a transwoman and a nonbinary person who are important to the plot! Characters are just casually, cheerfully queer, and it made me so happy. I also like what the book had to say about mental health! Also also: flower magic!!
If you're looking for readalikes, Dreams Lie Beneath by Rebecca Ross came to mind a lot while I was reading this. Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson too, to a lesser extent. Very different, uh, happenings, but something about them is similar? Is it the magic? Is it the dark-haired sad lads?? Who knows.
Side note: I went into this one thinking it was kinda sorta an Anne of Green Gables retelling? I think I mixed it up in my head with The Grace of Wild Things by Heather Fawcett (which is a banger btw)? Anyway, it's not, but I think if you like Anne, you'll probably like the Vibe of this one.
A solid four stars, but probably not much more than that. 4.25??
It felt like it needed to be longer? Everything moved so fast sometimes! There were a lot of great ideas, but they needed more room to breathe. (Reading it as quickly as I did probably did not help, but still.)
That said, I had a lot of fun with this one. Loved the queer rep! Our protagonist is bi/pan (and isn't thin!)! There's a transwoman and a nonbinary person who are important to the plot! Characters are just casually, cheerfully queer, and it made me so happy. I also like what the book had to say about mental health! Also also: flower magic!!
If you're looking for readalikes, Dreams Lie Beneath by Rebecca Ross came to mind a lot while I was reading this. Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson too, to a lesser extent. Very different, uh, happenings, but something about them is similar? Is it the magic? Is it the dark-haired sad lads?? Who knows.
Side note: I went into this one thinking it was kinda sorta an Anne of Green Gables retelling? I think I mixed it up in my head with The Grace of Wild Things by Heather Fawcett (which is a banger btw)? Anyway, it's not, but I think if you like Anne, you'll probably like the Vibe of this one.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug use and Mental illness
Minor: Abandonment and Blood