This was a great YA book. It was creepy, without being scary. I connected with the characters and was on pins and needles the entire time!

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC of this most interesting and unique book.

Whitney, her twin, June, along with Bo and Delilah, live together in a house on Old Fairview Lane. Their mothers used to live there, too, before they disappeared, all on the same day, and whether they consciously admit it or not, all the girls know there is something wrong with Bishop, Kansas. The wind is constantly battering houses, making them board up windows or hide in storm cellars. And the town is fenced in by a perimeter of sunflowers.

Whitney's girlfriend, Eleanor, died under mysterious circumstances. They said she had a heart attack ten feet from her house where she lived with her grandmother.

And two years after their mothers disappeared, the town is erecting statues of them in the clearing, where the teens go to party, drink, and have bonfires. But on the day of the unveiling, the wind knocks the statues down and things start to make their way to the surface of the clearing, where they had apparently been buried.

After finding Whitney's girlfriend's acorn charm bracelet, Bo begins to dig deeper, and finds that Eleanor is not the only young, healthy female to have died of a heart attack. So many missing women. So many silent townspeople.

And there are whispers on the wind. Are they the sunflowers? The wind itself? The ghosts of those who died? Do the girls even want to dig that deep?

Meanwhile, rift is growing between Delilah and Jude. Jude used to 'date' Delilah's boyfriend, Bennett, but when Bennett fell in love with Delilah, Jude silently bowed out of the equation. But a storm is brewing between Jude and Bennett, and the fallout will change everyone's lives.

I requested this title from NetGalley because it sounded interesting and different. I wasn't wrong, but it was so much better than I was expecting. It was a subtle, quiet horror that wriggles under your skin unbeknownst to the reader until later, like a splinter. The author does an excellent job unraveling the night of the disappearance, as well as creating relationships between the girls.

When I wasn't reading the book, I was thinking about the book. I found it to be a most unusual brand of terror and paranoia.

Some super cool things going on here. In terms of considering new social developments and how art should respect consumers: ex., the blanket trigger warning at the beginning of the book, the capitalization of Black, inclusion of genocide against Indigenous communities, acknowledgement and celebration of trans women and gender identification,

Overall my favorite part of this novel is how well developed, morally grey, independent, and unique each woman is. Each of the main 4 (Bo, Jude, Delilah, Whitney) each have a 'fatal flaw' per se, and their mothers also have beautifully written relationships. Hannah makes it clear that there are many nuances in how these women (the teens and the moms) know and relate to each other. There are several gay characters and relationships in the book and they are treated as part of the landscape. Hannah also acknowledges that Black characters are in far more danger from the authorities than others. The racial diversity of the main cast is very satisfying and Hannah goes out of her way to make sure this is clear. The book in general is very reminiscent of August Osage County in terms of geographic setting and character interplay.

There are some copyediting discrepancies, and occasional lack of clarity as to whether a scene is in the past or present but I do think the weakest part of the book is its romances. The love triangles are too present, the connections between even teens seem rushed and because of this the (otherwise beautiful) dialogue seems overdone at times.

Hannah's prose is very vivid yet concise and communicative--it reminds me of "Book of Night" by Holly Black. The personification of Bishop is eerie and even more so when you realize why the first and last chapters of Where Darkness Blooms are from the town's perspective! The time period is established nicely through subtle dots of vernacular language and presence of technology. The chapters and paragraphs are both fairly short throughout which sometimes can be disruptive but in this case, I think the structure contributes to the flow of dialogue and to entice the reader to continue.

This, overall, is a powerful story about violence against women and parsing out the inner workings of systemic gender oppression. Strongest quote throughout: "It was the kind of rage that men kept nestled deep in their ribs, the kind that rose between the bones whenever someone didn't automatically hang on their words like laundry drying on the line." The issue of consent is a huge deal in this book, particularly including Bo and Whitney. The book takes a small town Midwestern approach with a bit of creepy, and then about 1/2 or 2/3 the way through, the tone switches to grimdark pretty quickly which I enjoy, and I think it's done well. However, a couple things just seem to be *too* convenient, like how 1 character towards the end can somehow walk for miles after sustaining a near-fatal neck injury, or how ~the knife~ is constantly found everywhere (the sunflower mythology explains this...somewhat).

The reunion of all the characters at the end of the book is so gratifying and relieving. The loredumps about Bishop and the sunflowers are riveting, as is the sense of urging the women on, away from the Harding family. Hannah was so good at changing up her pacing of the novel and I would totally read it again--it's a great contribution to the paranormal genre in many diverse and contemporary ways.

Where the Darkness Blooms is a small town mystery. There is a history of disappearances, but is it really more than in other small towns? The characters know more than they are sharing and when it all spills, it gets crazy! The sunflowers that surround the town are involved, but are they helping or hindering the town?
It's an interesting story that is very unique! For the YA audience, I think this is great. As an adult, there are some logic traps that really tugged at me. Overall, I liked it.

*Thank you to Netgalley & publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review*

I was so excited when I snatched this book. First of all, the cover alone is stunning. I have never read anything by this author before, but this certainly left me wanting more from her.

This was so beautifully written and is lead by an all strong female cast. I loved the magical aspects and honestly wanted more of a background on not only the magic, but the whole town itself. What happened between the beginning and now, how everyone came be there. (*politely requests the author write a prequel* haha!)

The one thing I struggled with is how many different characters there are. I had such trouble keeping track of the names and what characteristic belonged to whom. But, I also have A.D.D... so what do I know? 🤣

Beautiful book, thank you!
[Review to be posted on Instagram tomorrow]

This book was really interesting! It started off just a bit slow at the beginning, but once it picked up it was really good.

I picked this title as an October read based on it's eerie plot and absolutely stunning cover and was not disappointed! Where Darkness Blooms is a hauntingly dark tale of women dying and disappearing from a small town in Kansas leaving behind great mystery and curious, heartbroken daughters, lovers and friends. The plot weaves the reader through the absolute claustrophobia of a town surrounded by sunflowers, storms and men behaving more and more strangely by the day. The girls peel back the mystery and unravel the pattern of what is occuring putting themselves at great risk. Can they find out what happened to the women of Bishop? Can they prevent what will happen to them?

This story was so spectacularly sensory and atmospheric. It certainly sets you on edge, but in a way that is all encompassing, not simply one unexpected threat, but all. Fans of The Wilder Girls (and not just due to the covers!) by Rory Power, Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand, some aspects of Annihilation and Hummingbird Salamander, both by Jeff VanDermeer or even films by M. Night Shyamalan would probably enjoy this title.

I was provided with an electronic ARC of Where Darkness Blooms by Andrea Hannah through Netgalley in return for an honest review. I appreciate the opportunity to read, enjoy and review this title and won't be going near any sunflower fields any time soon!

Thank you to the Author and Publisher for the ARC!
Characters were written very well and felt real. Lost myself completely in this story and was a fast read for me. Loved the mystery and gothic dark feel to it.

The summation is better than the book.

This was sadly a DNF for me. The multiple viewpoints were confusing, I couldn't get into the writing or the characters and I just didn't find myself wanting to continue reading this one.

I'm incredible disappointed. I won't be reviewing elsewhere.

I’m automatically interested in any book with a cover that has a girl with flowers growing out her face, and Where Darkness Blooms met all my expectations. Spooky, dramatic, and atmospheric—I read this in one sitting because it’s such a page turner.

The setting is fantastic. Small Midwest town surrounded by giant sunflowers? It’s simple yet captivating, and the town itself is like a character. Four POVs is a lot, but it works because each girl has their own plot that weaves seamlessly with each other.

It felt a bit rushed throughout, but I don’t think most teen readers will mind at all. It moves fast enough that you really have to focus on what’s happening right now, and that doesn’t leave much opportunity for the reader to try and guess what’s happened to the missing women. But when it’s revealed, it seems like it should have been obvious but I was really impressed by the execution because I didn’t guess it.

I really loved the start of this book with the Bishop chapter. A town, Bishop, is known for missing women and endless amounts of sunflowers. It’s a town founded on blood, quite literally. This book has a strong concept. There were things I liked more than others but overall a good addition for #spookyseason
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Thank you Wednesday books and Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

ARC was given by NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.

This review is being published before the release date (February 21st, 2023)

Content/Trigger Warnings: Death, murder, depictions of blood, loss of loved ones, grief, abandonment, underage drinking, mentions of cancer (in the past), trauma, talk of rape, mentions of drugging, gun violence, violence

“The land had always been parched but it’s thirst for blood was learned.”

Wow, friends! I absolutely devoured this book! In two days, TWO days, I read and finished this book! It was just one of those books that I just couldn’t put down. I had to know what was about to happen next, I had to know if any of these characters would redeem themselves, and let me tell you, this book didn’t disappoint. It was a great, spooky, thrilling time and I was here for it! Plus, the cover, the sunflowers, lured me in and I didn’t realize how big of a role they would play!

“Where blood had been spilled, sunflowers grew over the unmarked graves.”

Our story follows the four perspectives of four friends who have all lost their mothers in the small town of Bishop, Kansas. Yet this is nothing new as women of all ages seem to disappear in the town of Bishop for a long while now. Delilah, the one who looks out for everyone, trying to keep them all safe, but who also wants to move on with her boyfriend, Bennett Harding. Whitney, twin sister to Jude, who’s grieving for the loss of her mother, but the loss of her girlfriend, Eleanor. Jude, who fines it hard to communicate with everyone, but who had a fling with Bennet Harding that summer and find herself still in love. And then there’s Bo, a soul full of rage for many a reasons and demanding answers for all the odd things that don’t add up or make sense. As strange things begin to happen and secrets come to light, these four girls will have to decide how far they’ll go to uncover the truth and to protect each other.

I had a lot of mixed feelings on these characters and I feel like I have to say, these characters aren’t perfect. They’re flawed and morally grey, and they may not be quite what you expect. Though, I really loved Bo and Whitney as characters. Both of these characters felt raw in their own way and I really loved the way the author built them up to the very end of the book. I think they both got the endings they deserved and even though both of their endings were still emotional, it was still nice to see their story wrap up the way it did. However, I really didn’t like Delilah or Jude, especially Jude. Even at the end of the book I still felt Jude hadn’t redeemed herself in anyway possible and I almost wish she had been killed off or the author went the obvious route with Jude’s character. Delilah, on the other hand, I just didn’t personally connect with. And I also want to say that the way Delilah’s character is written, it almost seems like Delilah has a sensory disorder or sensory sensitive, but then later on in the book it’s addressed as some special ability to “detect evil” and it made me feel a little weird and uncomfortable at times. So that was a whole thing that added to the mixed feelings about Delilah’s character as a whole. Needless to say, I had a 50/50 split when it came to these characters.

“So much had happened in the last two years. They had all lost so much. But no one had lost all that Bo had. No one wanted to be found as much as she did.”

The mystery of this whole story was so captivating and I’m so glad I was wrong about the sunflowers. Look, I can’t help that the cover made me believe there might be killer sunflowers in this book, okay? I’m so glad I was wrong though! Sunflowers hold the meaning of adoration and loyalty, but it can also hold other means in other cultures like harvest and bounty in Native/Indigenous culture or good fortune, vitality, and long life in Chinese culture. So naturally, from my own sentimental connection to them, I adored the sunflowers, the role the sunflowers came to hold within this book, and the way the truth about them unfolded at the end of the book had me so soft and emotional in the way things seemed to come full circle. It was all beautifully done and I’m probably being more sentimental about the sunflowers than I should be. I digress! We do get some paranormal elements laced into the story as well. However, I like how they weren’t a huge part of this story. It was just casually sprinkled in and I think it was just the right amount. Plus, it kind of plays a tiny, key part of Whitney’s perspective. It was a nice touch!

The book as a whole is very atmospheric and very mysterious. It really has the small town vibes to it and as we all know, small towns come with their secrets and sometimes dark histories. I think that’s what pulled me in the most at the beginning, the way this small town was established. I love stories that play to the small town vibes and take that theme, and run with it as far as they can. I think the author did a really good job at making you feel like you’re in a small town that holds a dark secret, just waiting to be discovered. I also want to mention that the storyline builds up quickly and especially near the end, you can feel how high the stakes are.

“There had always been something strange about this place. The sunflowers that hovered around them all like a threat. The wat they watched. How they were a little too sentient to be just seeds and petals.”

However, I did have some issues with this book. I think my main issue with this book was a lot of things felt very obvious in the direction it was going to go. For example, it was very obvious there was going to be a betrayal from one of the main characters we follow. If not, multiple betrayals from that one particular character. Another example would be the way the book ended. It’s just very obvious from the 75% mark and it kind of chipped away at the mystery a bit. The other thing I did really like was a scene where Bo decides to end things and honestly, it was anti-climatic. It felt like there should have been more to it except there wasn’t and it just turned out the way it did. It felt too easy and like there should have been more. Honestly, that part was a bit of a disappointment and I just wanted more especially since Bo’s character has so much rage within her.

“She ran straight into the sunflower fields, praying she’d come out on the other side alive.”

Overall, I really enjoyed my time reading this book. As I mentioned above, I read this book in two days! It’s been a while since I’ve read a book that quickly in such a short amount of time that wasn’t a novella or short story. I also don’t want to reveal too much in this review because so much ties in with main plot or climax moments, but it was so good friends! I really enjoyed my time reading this and the need to know all the secrets and mystery behind what’s happening was a great pull. If you’re looking for some new books to put on your anticipated 2023 release list or if you’re looking for mystery thrillers with small town vibes, this is one to keep your eye out for!


The quotes above were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.

Where Darkness Blooms is a supernatural, YA thriller about a town built on blood, closed off from the world by an endless sea of sunflowers, and protected by gale-force winds. It centers on four girls – Delilah, Bo, Whitney, and Jude – who lost their mothers to the town two years prior. As they try to piece together what happened to their mothers and all the missing women before them, the town - and the wind - grows angry... What is it hiding? Why do the sunflowers watch and whisper to the girls? Will they meet the same fate as all the women before them?

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It gets a solid four-star rating. It was interesting and very well-written. I often felt like I was in the story too, standing with the girls in Bishop, Kansas, feeling the wind whipping around me and listening to the sunflowers. For me, that’s the hallmark of a good story – when the words become a movie in my mind.

My favorite thing about this book was that it was told from alternating points of view – each chapter was told from the perspective of one of the four girls. The author expertly jumped from one point of view to another without breaking the flow of the story. It kept moving forward (and it all tied together) regardless of who’s voice was telling the story.

I noted a few minor holes (e.g., it seemed to be set during the present time, but there was no explanation for the lack of cellphones), and it would have been interesting to learn more about the evil underneath the town, but these things did not detract from the overall story.

Definitely 100% YA. The right reader will give this an easy four stars. I am not the right reader. :-)

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC.

The small town of Bishop has a history of disappearing women, so when three more go missing one night, few people raise a fuss. The only ones concerned are their four daughters: Delilah, Bo, Whitney, and Jude. Delilah is trying to hold things together for her family, Bo is battling a dark secret, Jude is secretly in love with Delilah’s boyfriend, and Whitney can’t get past the unexplained death of her girlfriend. When the secrets buried in Bishop start to surface, they realize something terrible may have happened to their mothers, and they might be its next target. I received an invitation to read a free e-ARC through NetGalley from the publishers at St. Martin’s Press/Wednesday Books. Trigger warnings: death (on-page), rape, abduction, captivity, severe injury, blood, stitches, sexism.

This was one of my most anticipated releases this year, but it fell short of expectation. It’s possible I was hoping for too much out of it, but the whole thing just left me lukewarm. I think the biggest letdown was the lack of horror, and there’s very little development on whatever is cursing the town. That’s not to say all books need extensive world-building, or that there’s something wrong with leaving the supernatural parts vague–sometimes answers are much less interesting than questions–but it didn’t really work for me here. On their own, wind and sunflowers just aren’t that frightening.

The real horror of the book, of course, is the rampant sexism and the way the men of the town are completely fine with sacrificing women for personal gain. It’s a message I can get behind, and the human villains are definitely worse than the supernatural ones. It handles a number of important issues, including rape, with sensitivity. Unfortunately, a lot of the plot is sidelined in favor of petty high school dramas and uncomfortable romances, which are probably better suited to its target audience than adults venturing into YA. Sometimes it’s really clear to me that I’ve aged out of YA, however much I still enjoy it.

I didn’t have a problem with any of the main characters, but they all ended up sounding very similar. It could be hard to distinguish whose chapter we were in, and the differences between the four main girls are already starting to run together on me, with the exception of Bo–love a smol, angry queen. I wouldn’t discourage anyone from reading it, but it’s probably not something that will stay with me.

I review regularly at brightbeautifulthings.tumblr.com.

A fun, creepy YA book that asks a lot of questions. Some of the answers are confusing, but the overall vibes of this mysterious town is worth the price of admission.

Great idea but was somehow lacking in execution. There was a creepy atmosphere and characters were just okay. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

This book absolutely blew me away, I'm not even sure where to start with this review. I'm glad I got to read this in October because this book is immaculate for reading during spooky season. I'm not usually one for "horror"; though this is a YA book so it's not over-the-top in terms of disgusting things. So, if you're like me and get scared more easily, this is the perfect supernatural book for you.

Out of the four main characters - Delilah, Jude, Whitney, and Bo - I loved all of them, but Bo especially. I loved that they all had such unique voices in their chapters. When books have big casts, sometimes I think it's easy to fall into a lull of "I forget who's speaking right now, who's chapter is this again?" But you won't find that here.

Each character has their own wants and needs that take shape early on, and all of them are fulfilled by the end. You start to get a sense of what's going on right before the 50% mark of the book, though you'll still be guessing right up until the end.

I loved the plot. This book is definitely one you can binge over a few days. I had certain hopes for the ending (especially relating to Bo) and I'm glad to see my predictions came true. The ending was satisfying in itself. Overall, one of my favorite reads this year, and I'd definitely recommend it.

Where Darkness Blooms is a creepy and thrilling tale about a town in rural Kansas where women die frequently and the cursed land requires blood. The supernatural components in this book were great and I appreciate the ominous feeling the land provides. At times, I thought the storyline felt repetitive but overall I appreciated the tale. If you’re into spooky reads, I would recommend checking this out.

Good book about a forest that craves blood and multi POV. The writing wasn't really my style, but I think this will find its audience for sure.