Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s press for a chance to read Where Darkness Blooms.

I loved this book. You’re transported into a creepy, secretive, sunflower-filled small town where women are going missing and dying at an alarming rate and no one seems to be doing anything about it. I loved the multiple POV’s with the four MC’s and the found family. I also just enjoyed the overall creepy small town atmosphere of this book. The writing is exceptional/very descriptive and I was hooked after the first sentence. I’ll also never look at sunflowers the same way again. Really enjoyed this, I’ll definitely be re-reading this again in the fall for some spooky vibes, and I’ll be recommending this to others.

DNF at 25% - I just couldn’t get into this book. There were too many characters. Instead of four teens with missing moms and their backstories, I wish it focused on one and the others could have been supporting characters.

This has quickly become one of the best books I have read this year!

If you are interested in: haunted vibes, small-town mystery, murder mystery, tiny bits of romance as a subplot, and found family.... this book is for you.

Where Darkness Blooms centers around Bo, Delilah, Whitney, and Jude as they deal with the lasting effects of their mother's disappearance two years ago. The town has brushed it off just like they do every other death of a woman in the town; however, Bo is not ready to give up. As hints of the town's true nature begins to unravel, the girls realize they have been living in a much more dangerous town than anyone has ever known.

This book did the haunted vibes better than any book I have ever read. Where Darkness Blooms is the best YA example of a haunted vibe done right. Starting from the missing women straight down to the descriptions of the houses and shops in town.
You are immediately transported into this creepy small town, where you can sense that things are off. The attention to detail was immaculate in describing the characters, town, and the world at large. The relationship between our main four girls is what really drives this story. We learn bit by bit about the tragedies these girls have faced along the way, as well as what they think is best to handle them. One of my favorite things is the use of sunflowers in this novel. The author brought life into every single blossom and petal, using them as a gateway for communication and symbolism.

I love how the author was able to create an entire backstory for this town, and its founding was able to make such a horrible curse that has plagued this town for centuries.

Each chapter changes POV, and sometimes it becomes a bit disorienting, especially towards the end when there is a lot of action. However, I do think it is necessary for some parts to keep each girl in the same timeline.

I would absolutely recommend this novel over and over to anyone trying to feel that Halloween spirit a bit early or even someone who is not the biggest fan of mystery, as i think this would be a perfect entry into the genre. Thank you to the author for letting me read this arc in exchange for an honest review and i cant wait to be able to buy the physical copy.

This was quite a surprise. Cleverly written, brilliant storyline! Where Darkness Blooms kept me guessing, cheering for the good guys and really wondering how it would end. Well done!

This was an eerie book with an unusual premise, which is right up my alley. While it did take me some time to wrap my mind around the four different POVs (this is an issue I've always personally had) and keep them separate, I ultimately enjoyed all of the characters. They each had their own unique flaws and personalities and were well-developed. They each served a purpose within the story and their peculiar family setup had me intrigued from the beginning.

The real winner here though was the setting. I could picture every aspect of this town. The neighbors who always know too much about you and give off that creepy vibe, the ominous sunflowers that made me question my love of sunflowers, and the wind that acted as a character itself. Andrea Hannah did a great job of bringing this town to life and making you feel as if you were there with the characters.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it.

Where Darkness Blooms was absolutely enchanting! Hannah wrote a story that was so well written I found myself flying through the pages, unable to put the book down, pondering what would happen next. My favorite piece of this entire story was how believable the characters were.

The writing is clear and clean, and very immersive. The book hums along at a good clip, but the pacing makes sure we're given time to breathe between plot-intensifying moments. The story was absolutely engaging and the work that went into the settings was noticeable and superb. I felt absolutely transported and I'm so incredibly glad I was able to read an arc of this story

Really enjoyed this!
I will update the review with the link to on our blog closer to publication date.

I'd like to thank the publisher St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books and Netgalley for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review

I loved the cover of this book- which is a horror but also, a slow burn 🔥. On Amazon, it also states that it is for kids 12 to 18. Well, I am 44 and I thought that it was a little creepy at the end and I’m not embarrassed to say that. I really think that it can be for any age. The writing in this was fantastic- So many gorgeous sentences! Here’s one: “Bo forgotten how to cry, but she knew how to bleed”. And another: “There was this feeling that Bo had never been able to shake since she was little. It settled into her like fog over the fields, whenever she stepped out of the house. Like someone was watching.”

I could keep going. The synopsis was over the top- wayyyy to much crap in it so I will shorten it for you- basically, there were a lot of women that would mysteriously die or go missing in the small town of Bishop. Delilah, Jude, Whitney, and Bo all live together in a house in Bishop and are trying to figure out what happened to their mothers that went missing 2 years ago. The sunflowers that surround the small town and the constant wind, have a huge factor in the deaths and missing women.

This book will be released on February 21, 2023. Thank you to NetGalley for giving me a free ARC!!!! I had a lot of fun reading this book! 🤗🤗🤗

My favorite thing about books in general is the atmosphere they create. Here I felt like I was part of the world, drawn into the story by some magnetic force. The writing was just amazing, the biggest stand-out of this novel for me. More detailed review to come closer to publication date. And I'll be awaiting more from this author!

I liked this, but *slight spoilers ahead*

I can't get over the mothers leaving their daughters behind to fix this mess alone. That choice does not make sense to me at all. And the final chapter was cool, but it almost seemed cheap to end it focused on the boy instead. But I really did like this book, and I thought the character study was great.

This book was EVERYTHING I hoped it would be. It had creepiness, weird unexplainable things, plants, and a cast of characters that kept me interested from start to finish. I literally couldn't put it down, and the moment I saw the cover I knew it would be going on my shelf the SECOND it gets published.

I know I try to always look for that 1 thing in a book to bring it from a 5 to a 4.5, but I honestly don't have that in this. I loved everything, and even after finishing this book I can't stop thinking about it, and sunflowers.

WHERE DARKNESS BLOOMS is an eerie and captivating Midwestern gothic thriller. The town of Bishop has several tantalizing and hauntingly beautiful mysteries at its heart: sunflower-strewn fields, violent windstorms, supernaturally-gifted residents, and disappearing women. I love stories with magical realist elements were intrusions into reality speak to the inner lives of its main characters, and Andrea Hannah does it beautifully here. Thoughtful and complex character dynamics and moving meditations on intergenerational trauma and loss make this story linger long after you've finished reading.

4.5 stars

The town of Bishop is a truly bad place. Women and teenage girls disappear constantly and harsh storms arrive like clockwork. Four teens now live together after their mothers and one of the teen's girlfriend disappeared, and they want answers before Bishop takes them as well.

This was a fast-paced and super interesting story, but some of the characters infuriated me. I loved idea of the town and the land being evil and hungry, but we got that info right up front and it would've been nice to see that unfold later in the book. We get POVs from all four main characters, which is something I usually don't like but it wasn't hard to keep up with here. Each character had a lot going on and it all came together nicely. Jude was my least favorite character, and while she redeemed herself, her weakness was detrimental to the others and I wanted her to grovel much more than she did.

This is a "read in one sitting" type of book and I highly recommend it. Also, the cover is beautiful.

*SPOILERS*
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-I find it so hard to believe that the mothers (1) made it out and managed to set up a life for themselves RIGHT OUTSIDE OF TOWN with nothing but the clothes on their back and (2) wouldn't try harder to go back for their daughters. One mom said they tried, but it didn't sound good enough to me. I would think that most mothers would be calling in the cavalry and exposing Bishop. I'm not saying they had to tell others about the flowers and risk not being believed, but I'm sure that all those missing women would draw some attention? Cut down the flowers? Set fire to the field? Also, the men seem to be able to leave Bishop (how else would they have cars, groceries, phone, tv, etc) and you're saying that the Hardings never tried to look for the moms?
-Jude was truly the weakest link. Bennet wasn't using magic or anything on her so I'm still confused about how she was under his spell. The whole hospital thing was insane and I would never forgive my sister for that. We get to the end and she still wants him! And dares to say she deserved better! She only starts moving on from him because she knows he won't come for her, not because she knows that being with him would be wrong.
-Caleb raped Bo and there's not enough anger about this for me.

This book had a super interesting and creative premise but unfortunately fell flat for me. I had a hard time distinguishing the characters from one another, all of their voices were very similar. I also found the repetition of phrases and words very distracting (feral is a good example of a word that was used way too often).

2.5 stars rounded up.

⭐️4.5/5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley & St Martin’s Press for providing the ARC for my honest review.

This book was if you took the creepy, secluded town vibes of The Village by M. Night Shyamalan and mashed it up with a murder mystery, sentient nature, and a story that flares your inner feminist. The shorter chapters skipping between the four girls made this a bingable read. And you will definitely reach a point where you cannot put it down and will be screaming at the girls to be careful.

My only complaint is that I wish I hadn’t known about the sunflowers. I wish I had slowly learned about them. However, the mysteries and secrets surrounding the girls kept me going.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who likes a little horror and suspense in their life. Something that gets your blood pumping. Honestly, it was an amazing book that I would equally love if it was made into a movie, say by Mike Flannigan who did Haunting of Hill House. Oh, I also recommend reading this book while listening to Angry Woman by Ashe. Definitely check out this book.

The cover of this book is everything I love, a miasma of the beautiful and the grotesque. The story within is just as unique and gorgeously written. It's a slow burn but with just enough pacing to keep me interested. what is happening to the women in the town of Bishop? Their disappearances are so common that it has become a way of life for the town folks who just move on without much fanfare. But the secrets of this town grow deeper than the roots of the strange fields of sunflowers edging its border. There are secrets whispered on the almost sentient wind that prevents the town denizens from leaving. Thanks Netgalley and publisher for the ARC.

I was so excited for this one! It sounded right up my alley but I unfortunately wasn't the biggest fan of the experience.

The writing style was unique and beautiful but the characters to me were written flat with no layers to care for them.

I reccomend this one for fans of Wilder Girls.

Where Darkness Blooms is a unique, captivating horror novel that deals with intergenerational trauma and what it means to deal with trauma at the hands of men. Andrea Hannah's talent as a writer reflects across the pages through her plot and her characters. All four of the protagonists (Delilah, Bo, Whitney, and Jude) have separate voices that are clearly distinguishable from each other while also complementing each other extremely well. Something that I think Hannah did particularly well is how there isn't really a Big Twist that most horror novels have, but this novel doesn't need one. The dread, anticipation, and genuine horror of Bishop and its curse are terrifying enough without a big shocking twist to throw the reader. I mean, there IS a twist, but it's not necessarily a surprise when you get to it, and it takes a great writer to be able to keep a horror plot moving along and remain engaging without having a Big Twist thrown in.

Overall, I'm so impressed with this book and would highly recommend it, especially to fellow lovers of eco-horror! Trigger warnings for sexual assault and very mild gore apply, so please be aware of that and take care of yourself if you decide to read this wonderful novel!

3.5 stars. As soon as I saw the cover of this book-AMAZING-I knew it was going to be my next read. Ever since reading The Ruins by Scott Smith I have been obsessed with horror plants and looking for another book to fill the void. These excerpts gave me that creepy 'flowers-watching-you-vibe' and I absolutely loved it.

"She looked around. The clearing was eerily quiet, the wind nonexistent. Even the sunflowers' heads drooped, completely ignoring the sun. Like it was satiated. Like they were satiated."

"Bo had always known that this town was creepy around the edges. The whispering sunflowers and hellish windstorms. The missing mothers."

I definitely got the mystery and horror vibes from it, although I could have done with a little more horror. I struggled with the main characters. At one point they all melded into one and I had to reread a few times to remember who's point of view I was reading from again. There could have been a little more world-building. I couldn't picture it and I just wanted more. All in all, I did enjoy reading this and I would recommend it to a friend. I think this author has a lot more to offer and I will be reading more of her books!

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC.

To begin thank you NetGalley for allowing me to review this.

I did enjoy the story overall, I thought the opening was so strong and got me into the story. I was interested in the lore of the town. Why did it need blood and it’s origins.

But it I feel like the book is trying to balance two storylines 1) the town mystery and 2) the complexities (romance and the dynamics of a small town) without diving into either all the way. With that I got characters mixed up several times.

I feel really f the book was a longer we’d have more time to dove into the lore of the town and the girls.