A review by oliviagwynne
Where Darkness Blooms by Andrea Hannah

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Where Darkness Blooms is a fast paced, tense YA horror. It was very easy to read and get sucked into. Like the town of Bishop, the reader is drawn in and the book won’t let you go. It has children of the corn and midsommer vibes but with teenage girl drama sprinkled in. 

The characters’ remembrances from over the past 2 years is what provides most of the secondary mysteries and secrets to uncover but it sometimes becomes hard to differentiate what is present and what is past. 

The 4 POV characters of the teen girls are well developed characters, easily distinguishable from each other and wholly formed being. Some are frustrating, some heartbreaking but they feel very real. I found it hard not to hate Jude. I get that she is a victim as well but she just collects secrets and doesn’t tell or help until the absolute end. She does have a good arc but it did not fully resolve her in my eyes. 

The story is not super mysterious for the reader because the pieces are easy to put together but it’s still super tense and compelling and despite being able to solve what is happening well in advance of the characters, you want to see if they will be able to get themselves out of the mess. 

The story made some pretty intense choices for a YA novel but it definitely helped the story be more thrilling. However, without stating spoilers, there were 3 choices the author made that were revealed or happened near the end that I felt lessened the impact of the story. I wish the author had committed more. The key climatic event was also incredibly lacklustre after all the build up. 

The only spoiler I must include is that I literally LOATHE the mothers. I could not justify their actions in the slightest and all the girls should have not have been able to forgive and forget that quickly. 

In all, it was a great story that I had a blast reading. 4 stars. 
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