3.5 rounded up to 4. I don’t normally read middle grade books, but I was intrigued by the premise of this one and decided to check it out. BLOOM is an eco-thriller/horror book that is sure to entertain upper middle grade readers. I can definitely see younger readers picking this up at a book fair or the library based on cover and synopsis alone.

For me, the book had a lot of “extra” details not necessarily overwritten, but times in which I just wanted things to GO instead of just adding more stuff that didn’t really add to the story, in my opinion. I’m definitely willing to chalk this up to “it’s me, not you” based on my lack of reading history in this age group. Take my comments there with a grain of salt.

I dug the alien/evil plant invaders (not a spoiler) and the three teens (tweens?) who find themselves in the middle of some crazy happenings. Add in the seclusion of the setting and the all-too-real way in which crazy becomes normalized, and this book moved at a quick pace at times and amped up the dread.

I received this e-ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
After a rainstorm on the Canadian island of Salt Spring, strange black grass begins to grow. When cut down, it just grows back. Soon the black grass flowers and releases a pollen to which everyone seems to be allergic – everyone, that is, except three teenagers Anaya, Petra, and Seth who seem to have nothing in common. If that wasn’t bad enough, new types toxic and deadly plants are being found. Because of their immunity, the government wants to study them in hopes of a cure. The deadly plants aren’t just in British Columbia, they are worldwide! Do Anaya, Petra, and Seth truly hold the key to humanity’s survival?
This sci-fi book pulled me in from the first chapter. It is engaging, fast-paced and suspenseful – I couldn’t put it down! This is the first book in a trilogy that is being fast-tracked with Hatch scheduled for release in September and book 3 in spring of 2021. I highly recommend this book for grades 5 and up.
#Bloom #NetGalley

I don't know why, but I have more kids looking for creepy stories this year than ever before. Tiffany Jackson, April Henry, Ronald Smith, Ellen Oh, and Kenneth Oppel's books to name a few are doing very well in my classroom. Like seeds in a garden, these stories are spreading like wild. With that in mind, when I heard that Kenneth Oppel was publishing a new series about alien plants taking over the Earth, I knew this was a series I had to check out. Oppel is a master at ratcheting up the suspense and continuously raising the stakes for his characters. Bloom does not disappoint in that category!

I don't want to give too much away. I will say that Bloom really grew on me and wouldn't let me go. When I got to the end, it frankly had me dying to find out what will happen next!

Bloom comes out February 11, 2020. I am thrilled to hear book two, Hatch is coming out this fall, and the final book, Thrive comes out in 2021!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a digital copy to review in advance of the book's publication.
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Anaya is allergic to everything, her former best friend Petra has a deadly allergy to water, their new foster-kid classmate Seth has weird scars on his arms from an odd birth defect. All three of them have strange dreams that involve superhuman powers. When a mysterious new invasive weed species begins to take over their town, the three kids quickly realize they are immune to the effects that seem to be bothering everyone around them. As the infestation gets worse...much worse...it becomes apparent that something more than weeds are at work. Why are Anaya, Petra, and Seth the only ones who aren't affected and can they help find the solution to this new botanical plague that is threatening to take over the world?
In Kenneth Oppel's Bloom, you find a pulse-quickening adventure that is sure to give you pause when weeding season begins again. It's a perfect upper middle grade thriller that gives you just enough information to keep you turning pages. Middle school kids are going to love this book! Be sure to have another of Oppel's fantastic upper MG titles on hand such as Inkling, at the end of this one they will be clamoring for more!
Recommended for Middle School

Bloom follows the story of three teens as their small town -- and then the entire earth -- is overrun by a mysterious, aggressively spreading plant. Strange things start to happen as the plants continue to grow, but Anaya, Petra, and Seth don't seem to be negatively affected the way everyone else is. As they investigate, they find out more about how they relate to the strange plants and race to find a way to curb the invasion.

Although this is technically categorized as a middle grade book, the story was well-developed, and I think it would appeal to adult readers as well, particularly those who enjoy science fiction. The book's plot is very well-paced, and just the right amount of suspense is applied throughout the novel. While the book ends in a bit of a cliffhanger, it is a fascinating set-up for a follow-up novel. I really enjoyed Bloom and can't wait to read the next book in the series!

Whoa— what a suspenseful, action and adventure, science fiction, and cool book about brave weirdo kids who aren't as affected as their neighbors and family in what turns out to be an alien invasion that starts with strange-looking indestructible plants. To avoid spoilers, I'll just keep my summary short and tell you that it's AWESOME...and ends on a deliciously crazy cliff hanger.

Creepy, compelling, thought provoking fun made me finish reading this book in one sitting and eagerly want the sequel. It has just the right balance of character development (so you care about what happens to them) and nonstop action (so the pages keep turning). The pacing was very well done. I’m eager to see if the sequel picks up where this one leaves off or follows the “others” that are mentioned to build up to a third. I enjoyed the blend of sci-fi, fantasy, with a touch of the super hero thrown in.

A bizarre black plant has started growing and Anaya's community has become very apprehensive. Anaya's strange allergies along with Petra's water allergy seem to be dissipating with the appearance of this plant. Anaya's and Petra's connection to these strange plants strengthens as the novel continues. They soon learn that they are immune to the dangers of these plants. They are then recruited to help save the planet from being overtaken by these plants.

I was pretty excited to read this book because I have really enjoyed Oppel's work in the past so this was a disappointment to say the least. The characters were poorly developed and hard for anyone to get attached to, and parts of the plot line were pretty far-fetched. This is a generous two stars.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.

“So, this must be the Miracle Three”
-Colonel Pearson, Bloom

I thoroughly enjoyed Bloom – The Overthrow #1 by Kenneth Oppel, it’s a solid sci-fi book with more than a touch of horror; it’s suspenseful, thrilling, and quite frankly, a bit terrifying in its potential. Strange and extremely sturdy and indestructible black plants begin growing at an unbelievably rapid rate after a heavy rain that covers the entire earth. People begin to have strong allergic reactions to the strange new pollen in the air, everyone except three teenagers on Salt Spring Island. Anaya, Petra, and Seth each have something a bit different about them aside from their immunity to the toxic pollen and other nasties that the invasive plants bring to earth, it is these differences that will bring them together but will also set them apart from the rest of the world’s population.

The story-line in Bloom is fast-paced and set over a period of three weeks, two weeks earlier and one week after and is told in multiple narratives focusing on the three teenagers. Bloom is not lacking in action and suspense and there were times I felt anxiety at what was happening: Soccer field and man-eating acid spewing plants is as much as I will say about this because I really don’t want to spoil the suspense for anyone but seriously, I could not help but think of Audrey in Little House of Horrors minus the ‘feed me, Seymour’ humor!

The base science and botany mixed in with fiction made this a compelling read along with the extremely well written characters. Each main character had an interesting back history that helped me get to know them better without boring me. The ending left me wanting more and I am looking forward to the second in this series, I have no doubt it will be just as great as Bloom.

Although Bloom is geared towards younger readers, I think Bloom is a book that anyone with an interest in science fiction or just a great story, will enjoy immensely.

A big thank you to NetGalley, Random House Children, Knopf Books for Young Readers, and Kenneth Oppel for providing this copy of Bloom in exchange for my honest opinion.

Earc from netgalley.

This book is actually kind of terrifying, so don't read it in the middle of the night. But other than that, I really liked it, the writing was fantastic and made everything seem creepy and unsure. I saw this was a trilogy, so i will for sure be reading the next two books!

Here’s the thing: I can’t get into to Kenneth Oppel’s writing style.

I don’t know what it is about it, but I tried it with INKLING last year, I tried it with BOUNDLESS over the summer, and I tried it with BLOOM now. And I wasn’t into any of them.

Add to that the fact that I found all the characters really annoying, and it didn’t make for a great read.

That being said, I can see where kids and people would like this book and this author.

Will I be purchasing in March?

No, probably not.

This book done did me all sorts of wrong. I mean, I knew it was a possibility because I’ve read The Nest, and sweet baby Cthulhu that book needs a friggin’ warning symbol on it for “Will mess you up in unexpected ways”. But still. The first full page or so of this book had me all wide-eyed and thinking “Aw, crud, he gonna do it to me again.”

After about thirty minutes of reading, I was on social media telling everyone that if it started raining and black grass started sprouting it was the end and they shoulda listened and… basically I was being a fool, but it was the type of fool I get to being when I’m reading a really good book. Also, maybe I was thoroughly creeped out and blowing off steam. Especially knowing that it was supposed to rain the next day. (Did I mention that I started Bloom late at night? Lemme tell y’all, that was stupid. You never start an Oppel book at night.)

Bloom is fast-paced, full of creepy, and yet also has this strange fantasy-ish element that makes you wonder where in the world the author is going with things. When it was finally explained a little bit, I started giving it the side-eye, but I should have trusted Oppel. By the time I hit the final page I was in full-blown “No, you can’t do this to me. I need book two. Like NOW.”

Overall, I was intrigued, disturbed, thoroughly creeped out, and I loved every minute of it. I think it needs said that Bloom is not an adult book, too. Some people concentrate too much on the naughtier or more graphic elements of horror and forget that you don’t need any of that to tell a kick-butt story that can scare the s*** out of someone.

(That s*** word is seed, by the way. You thought it was something else, didn’t you?)

This book kept me up late to finish it!
I loved the premise of the book and it did not disappoint.
The invasive plants are too cool, i love the details about them and their defense mechanisms. It definitely makes you look at vines, venus fly traps and lily pads differently!
As someone who suffers from allergies I connected quickly with the main character. Lots of action and suspense.
I highly recommend this book!