First and foremost, the cover for The Wilted Flower District is absolutely stunning. It's eye catching and gorgeous.

That said, I think the premise of the book is incredibly promising, but it's lacking things that take it from a good book to an amazing book.

As a reader, we are told when you die on Earth you end up in the Domain. And then it cuts immediately to people being "preters." I had to make assumptions that preters are magical in some way, because I wasn't given any back story on preters, or that some people don't come into the Domain as preters but as mortals again. I guess?

I wanted to know the back story and history of this new world I'm being immersed in, and I wasn't given much to go on.

Also, I feel like the characters could have been more developed. I think it was intended for me to be uncomfortable/nervous when the Chancellor came into the story, but he wasn't described that way when Violet runs into him. But later he's described as being scary and it just wasn't believable.

And I felt that way about most of the characters. They were ok, but there could be more with them.

As far as the plot, what really kept me reading was trying to find out what happened to Ophelia.

The story felt rushed, and short, and I really would have been ok with the book being longer if it meant giving me more of a developed world and characters.

I unfortunately was not able to read and review this book before the digital ecopy expired. The synopsis sounds great though, so I will be buying a copy of my own to read soon!

Hmmmm....not sure if I like it. I don't dislike it, but there are so many lingering questions I feel like I am still processing. I would pick up a sequel just to see if it completed some of those open ended scenarios.

While the plot was intriguing, I found it difficult to connect with the characters and to really be pulled into the story. The cover is gorgeous and really drew me in. Unfortunately, the story was not able to do that for me though.

I received a copy of this novel from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I am in love with this cover it is so magical and promises for a good read and for the most part it delivered- the world and its characters could use some extra time and developing but i really enjoyed the premise and look forward for more from this author.

Something weird happened with my laptop and a lot of my downloads disappeared, including this and other Netgalley ARCs I had not yet gotten around to, but are now archived and not available to re-download... I am sadness

I requested this book on NetGalley to read and review mainly because of the title and the cover art.  I wasn't entirely sure what it was about and I didn't really read any reviews on Goodreads but just saw that is had some mixed ones.  Honestly, I am still not too sure what I read; I think I get it but it is still a little confusing to me.  I think this is because this is BOOK TWO of a series or collection, still not sure about that either.  If I had realized or that had been made clear, I would have read the first book, first, since it focuses on an important character.  As a standalone, this is just kinda weird and feels disjointed.  I just wish it said something about the series or the first book, on the cover or in the description of this one.  Just as a note, this review contains spoilers as you read on.

Overall, I didn't hate it and I am not upset that I read this one.  The overall storyline and plot progression are very interesting; I like the idea of groups of people who have powers and it is a plot device that I enjoy reading, especially in young adult novels.  I am a sucker for stories about "the other" and how they must learn and adapt to the worlds they live in.  The cover art for this book is hauntingly beautiful.  After reading it, I get the ocean and sea cave aspect, but I'm still confused about who the woman is supposed to represent...the feel of the image doesn't really fit into how I see the book, but maybe that's just me!  Either way, it's beautiful and alluring and definitely pulled me in.  I think that if the cover art wasn't so pretty, I probably would not have read this one.

As for specifics, I honestly did not feel invested or connected to any of the characters in this book.  It's sad because maybe that would change if I had read the first book in this series, instead of reading this one.  Regardless, they just fell flat for me and lacked true development.  I liked Violet; she has the potential to become a strong protagonist in the story and does sort of live up to that as she does push through and look for her missing sister, later goes to the cave where she is told, and in the end becomes a pivotal force in the resolution of the story.  Wyelin, Violet's brother, and her adoptive mother Ivy just feel so off and weird to me.  The relationships between the three just feel wrong and it doesn't seem very realistic.  I think that the combination of Wyelin's personality and the way that he interacts with Violet really messes up my perception of the two and makes their brother-sister relationships feel like it is thrown off or just poorly done.  I am not sure the author understood the relationship he sought out to write, and for me, it shows in their dialogue and the way they act around each other.  Ivy, Violet's adoptive mother also gives me some weird vibes.  If the author was seeking to write a book that didn't make relationships feel realistic, then he succeeded.  Ivy just feels angry for me, and this really came out even stronger when the missing sister is "found."         

One thing that upset me in this book is that at the ending [SPOILER ALERT] she is saved by Noah, the guy she is crushing on.  Why.  Just why does she have to be saved.  In a story where these unique people called 'Preters' have abilities and powers to do things, and if Violet is "special" even for a preter because of her parentage and heritage, then why can't she do something to save herself???  For me, this is a huge flaw since it not only reinforces the idea of men saving women, but it speaks volumes about the abilities of females, even if they are extra-unique, they apparently still cannot save themselves.  Don't get me wrong, Noah is sweet and his demeanor is nice, but come on!       

This story also lacks worldbuilding and strong character building, as previously mentioned.  I had no idea where this story was taking place, besides another dimension? that exists after you die on earth?  I needed a little more about the Domain in order to try to understand what I was reading.  Is this place the same as Earth, just different, is it a mirror, is it directly connected, how the heck do you get there after you die on earth?  I was left with so many questions after I read this that could have been summed up quickly with a couple of place setting and worldbuilding chapters at the beginning that were stronger than what we were given.  Perhaps this is what the book in general and setting were supposed to feel like since the characters don't really know themselves...regardless, it just didn't work out for me.  I'm not even sure what the characters looked like or what the world looked like...

I really didn't want to harp too harshly on this book in this review.  While it does have several flaws, there are plenty of parts that are decent and the story itself is pretty interesting and original.  I just wish that this book did a little more to make things clear and to explain or answer questions at the end.  I can only assume that this will come later in more books in this series or maybe my problems are addressed in the first book.  I am giving this one two stars because, for me, there are some serious issues that could have been avoided or fixed as well as mixed messages about characters that I don't truly support.  With that being said, there are some good structural bones here to work with.  Thank you, NetGalley and the author for giving me a chance to read this one!

If you've read my review of Forgotten Violets, you will already know that I wasn't a fan of this world, but I wanted to try out this companion novel, to see if it was able to live up to my hopes. And honestly, I think that the author was able to expand upon their writing in this installment. 

The writing style was easier to relate to, and I think the plot was more developed than I read in Book 1. We get to follow a quest in figuring out what happened to the main character's sister after being missing for years. 

Since this is a companion novel, we got to revisit the dark, fantasy world and the drug-like fruit that causes a bit of havoc. Overall, I felt like there were a lot of similarities in both books from the characterizations and plot structure. 

I was able to follow along a bit easier in this book, and I gave it a 3 out of 5 stars. If you did like Forgotten Violets, I would recommend reading this one next.

The cover was absolutely what caught my attention initially. It's undeniably gorgeous. The synopsis promised me a novel that I would get lost in, a story that would shock me and a girl that I could cheer for. Unfortunately, it did not meet my expectations.

I had a few recurring thoughts through out the book. First, WHY did we skip from a story about her mom, to this... ? Like, where is all the rest of the story. His first book "Forgotten Violets" was about Meadow, Violet's mom... this one is about her daughter, but in an entirely different way. I had so many questions through the novel about this subject.

Second, while I understood that the world Violet lived in was the "after-world" of sorts, it was never really explained why she was there at such a young age, aside from the vague explanation of being reborn. Her death was mentioned several times, which one would deduct meant it was important, yet not cause or reason was divulged. This really left a bad flow to the story.

The characters in the novel were very likable. You could easily understand why Violet did the things she did, why Wyelin was so vehemently protective, and feel the love that the family felt for each other. It's hard to way who was a better character, as I really think the cast was well rounded. I just wish they had been fleshed out a bit more and a bit more thought put into the personalities and reactions to situations. There were a few instances that both Violet and her brother acted out of character for no real reason. Those inconsistencies dampen the otherwise great characters!

The plot of the book was very intriguing, and for a young MG student they may not catch all the plot holes and inconsistencies but an older reader would probably not enjoy it immensely. If there is a third novel, and it does not time jump, but instead follows up on Violet's story and answered some of the questions, closing some of the plot holes, I believe it could be a very good ending to a promising series. However, as the second, sorta related novel on it's own, it doesn't quite reach it's potential.
I gave this book 3 stars.

Rating 3.5/5

Not sure if it was just me but I left the book feeling wanting and not in a good way. It just didn’t have all the luster I expected from this world and I really wish more time was spent crafting it full of adventure and magic.

Wow this book was so freaking great it kept me hooked and wouldn’t let me go! I can’t wait to read more!!!!

My Review: I think that this is just not an author for me. This one really lacked what it takes to make a great story. It was very confusing at times and some things were just not fleshed out to be understandable.


Go Into This One Knowing: Confusing

An interesting premise but it didn’t really gel for me. So many parts of the plot seemed muddled. I’m not sure if I just missed something and there were parts of it I really liked, but the result was just an ok read for me.

Edit: Authors publicity team sent me a copy of the prequel. And I appreciate it. Book one is Forgotten Violets..
1 star. It felt like an unedited first draft... I Didn't finish it. And won't attempt book two.

This book is a somewhat of an improvement compared to the author's previous work, but it's still so saddening as the magical world they've built is amazing and could be so much more.
The main subject of the book is supposed to be around the main characters sister, yet she isn't even mentioned for most of the book.
There are so many questionable tidbits in this as well if you've read the book before it. In the last one it was said one can't die in the Domain. In this one you can. Unless I misunderstood.
I wish the author hadn't skipped more than ten years as well as knowing what happened to Meadow Noone would've helped understand the book better.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to review this book in return for my honest opinion.

I couldn't get into this book. It felt both incomplete and far too rushed. There was too much going on, with no plot development at all. Stuff just happened, somewhat chronologically, but there was no meaning behind it.

The characters never felt fully realized, and I didn't even know this was a sequel until I was nearly done reading it. It stands alone, I guess, for what it is, but I don't know if it's worth the effort of me reading the first book. I am not invested enough in the story or the characters.

Like the first book in the series, this one is very unique. The author has come a long ways with his writing, although there is still much to be improved upon. For example, one sentence from the book read, “...she wore multiple gold bangle bracelets, a long golden chair and large diamond earrings.” I may be not be very cultured, but I’ve never heard of someone wearing a chair before. Another line said “I felt a guarded optimism that I hadn’t felt since this who ordeal began.” I know this is an advanced proof, so hopefully this will be fixed before the final draft is published. The ideas behind this book were good, but it was so poorly executed that I struggled through most of it. It was all somewhat choppy. I can tell that a lot of effort went into this story, it was written better then the first at any rate. I’d advise the author to find a different editor and continue on with the series. It does have potential.

This book was received as an ARC from Amazon in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

I am a hug fan of thrilling fantasy stories but the Wilted Flower District went the extra mile and made it a mystery story too. There is nothing more terrifying then discovering the appearance of your thought to be dead sister and ending up being part of a trap for a murder. I can't imagine being in Violet's position and fighting for her family wanting everyone to be together and live their lives. The story page by page had twist after twist after twist which made the book even more exciting. Our readers will find this book very enticing and they will not put it down.

We will consider adding this title to our YFiction collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Smith Publicity for the eARC in exhange for an honest review!

My initial impression from the cover and description was that this was going to be amazing. I found myself immediately confused though and then stayed confused and felt rushed through the rest of the book.

My initial questions were "Why was Violet's death relevant if he never mentions it again?" "What makes a Preter different and why is it only sometimes capitalized?" The questions just kept coming and most were left hanging.

The world might be better explained if one had read the prior novel, but I don't know based off the reviews. I still don't know if the Domain is an alternate reality, something like heaven, or purgatory, why did her death bring her there? I wondered if it was CT but that didn't make sense obviously. I just have so many questions. The plot had so much promise and if there is another book, I would read it but hope it is another 200 pages longer and better fleshed out.

The characters were likeable enough but there wasn't a lot of building or development, and the relationships seemed to spring out of no where.

I didn't dislike the book, it just felt like a skeleton of something that could be so much better. I would go 2.5 for "good but would probably not recommend" and round up to three.

I am not really sure what I have just finished reading, I didn’t hate it, I enjoyed it, but I kept feeling like I had missed a few pages as the story seemed to develop as though I should have read what was coming.(but I hadn’t)
If this is a first in a series I would probably read the next one, as I liked the characters I. The book.