manicake 's review for:

Savage Blooms by S.T. Gibson

5.0

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Thank you so much to Little Brown Books and NetGalley for providing me with an eArc of this upcoming book!

Previously I’ve only read An Education in Malice by S. T. Gibson, but it’s one of my favourite reads from this year so I had high hopes going into Savage Blooms, and it did not disappoint. 

Savage Blooms is darkly atmospheric, gothic, mystic, moody and very much horny. 

This book immediately drew me in. Both the unsettling vibes of the gothic Scottish manor and it’s ties to mystery, Fae magic and folklore, and the palpable sizzling lust between the characters had me hooked. 

The story is told in multiple POVs. Four POVs from present day and one from the past. This made the story highly addicting as I slowly understood more of each characters wants, fears and motivations, and also the underlying mysteries and secrets. 

The characters are flawed, messy, queer and easily aroused, but somehow it makes them more human and relatable, and I absolutely love them all in their own way. The romance between the characters was queer, poly, kinky and very well written. And I will be looking for this kind of romance again in other books. 

The representation of chronic illness was a positive surprise. I’m used to reading inaccurate and tedious descriptions of endometriosis in books, but Gibson really made me feel seen and represented in a way other authors haven’t been able to do when mentioning endometriosis.