Cottagecore and howls moving castle inspired is all one needs to know about this title. It delivers what it promises! Super cute and a fun quick read with some romance in there as well. Tons of magic and great characters! A perfect book to add to your spring to be read list.

The moment I saw this cover, I knew I had to read it! I’ve also already preordered it because I need that physical copy! I’m so grateful I got to read it early 🥰

This story follows Clara has magic that she does not seem to be able to control, and that can be dangerous and volatile at times. One evening, she accidentally curses her father. She turns to her childhood friend Xavier Morwyn for help to heal her father, but he tells her only SHE can break the curse with a blessing. Clara does not know how to do that with her uncontrollable magic, and so Xavier and Clara make a bargain, with a high price, for Xavier to help teach her how to control her magic and perform the blessing to save her father.

This was such a sweet read. There is definitely some darkness to the story, actually a lot more than I expected, but I loved the sweet friends to lovers slow burn romance, the world seemed so fantastical and lush to me, and the characters are lovely. It at times would remind me of Howl’s Moving Castle(which everyone should know by now is my favorite book ever!) with the teleportation through doors, the timeline of this world, and a few other little things.

Clara is a tough, vocal, and yet sensitive gal. She’s had this uncontrollable magic for so long, and she’s never allowed it to deter her from helping people. I admire her and her determination to learn to control her magic no matter what. I actually found it a bit endearing whenever flowers would bloom with a particular meaning during the moment or situation she was in. I would love if flowers just bloomed around me 😂

And then Xavier is this broody, shy magician who is just so sweet. I just loved his slightly bumbling self the moment he stepped onto the page. And he has such a big secret!

4.5 ⭐️ mainly because of a decision that was made that effected someone that I personally didn’t think was fair and others didn’t seem to care or try hard enough to change that decision.

Aside from that little disagreement, I highly recommend this book! I received a free digital copy via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

As delightful as sipping a mug of hot tea on a cool spring evening. I love all things cozy, and the atmosphere of this cottage-core fantasy had me constantly wanting to pick it up to read. The sweet friends-to-strangers-to-lovers romance will warm your heart. I enjoyed learning about the magic system and all the flowers. The storyline was engaging and enjoyable, and it was a nice contrast to other action-packed fantasies out there.

Flowerheart is the type of book that pulls you in immediately. The magical world, beautiful writing, and tender characters all welcome you in from the start and make it impossible to stop reading. If you want a book that will keep you on edge while never making you feel too anxious, this is the book for you!

This book was soo sweet! I grew found of the two main characters. The love interested is definitely Howl coded. I'll be adding this to my cottage core/cozy fantasy recs list.

Flowerheart is a beautiful YA fantasy novel that warmed me with its cottagecore feel and sweet slow-burn romance and surprised me (in the best way) with its depth and deeper meaning. The story follows a young witch, Clara Lucas, who is plagued by her wild, unbridled magic. Unable to tame it, Clara mistakenly hurts the person she loves most – her father – and turns to an estranged childhood friend, Xavier Morwyn, to help save him. Xavier exacts a steep price in return, and as he and Clara slowly rekindle their bond and she works to control her magic, she begins to uncover his dark and dangerous secrets. Not only does Clara's magic serve as an allegory for anxiety, the book delicately explores the subject of depression and the dangers of drug use. Those suffering from self-doubt, anxiety, and/or a critical inner voice will deeply relate to Clara and her story. This book is inspiring, important, and filled with lovely imagery that immerses the reader in a charming world full of magic and flowers.

I received a digital ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I just became aware of the term "cozy fantasy," and it turns out that this is a subgenre of book that I really enjoy. Bakewell's YA novel fits right into this category (and I would quibble with the term YA, because these characters read several years older than they are, I think). I love the magic system, I love the characters, I love the narrative arc of this story. This was just delightful, perfect for a quick read between longer, heavier books.

This is such a fast-paced, whimsical, and magical read. Flowerheart is full of love and heart, with a unique magic system and a loveable protagonist.

Flowerheart follows Clara, who wants nothing more than to tame her magic and become a full-fledged witch. But when her uncontrollable magic makes flowers grow in her father's chest, slowly poisoning him, she will do whatever it takes to heal him--even if that means striking a bargain with her old best friend, Xavier, who is now nothing more than a brooding stranger. As Xavier opens himself up to her once more and teaches Clara how to control her magic, she discovers he hides a secret that will change everything for the both of them.

If you're looking for a fast-paced read with a beautiful, magical world, than I highly suggest reading Flowerheart. The plot is simple and wholesome, a big change from the dark, heavily built fantasy worlds we're used to (which also have their place and I love), but I think Flowerheart is a breath of fresh air in that sense. With a focus on family, friendship, learning to love yourself and to be strong I think Flowerheart is a great read for anyone wanting a little escape.

This was absolutely breathtaking!
Flowerheart is a beautiful standalone debut by Catherine Bakewell. Whimsical and romantic - this cottagecore fantasy will sweep you off if your feet! We follow Clara as she struggles to reign in her unruly magic after a lifetime of unfortunate incidents. Just when she thinks all hope is lost and things can’t get any worse, her magic accidentally curses her father. Now she is facing a race against time to learn to control her magic, harness its power and save her father before it is too late.
This cozy fantasy is wonderfully written and deals with important topics such as mental health while also filling the reader with hope and magic. 5/5⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Catherin Bakewell’s ‘Flowerheart’ follows Clara, a young witch in training with unruly magic that is too wild for her to control. Due to circumstances, she studies under her estranged childhood friend and fully fledged witch Xavier in order to control her magic and save her father from a curse that she may or may not have placed on him - accidentally.

Look, this book gives me all the whimsical cottagecore, light academia, Lungs era Florence + the Machine vibes and I am here for it. It’s very reminiscent of Howl’s Moving Castle (somehow both the original book from the 80’s and the Studio Ghibli movie in the best ways) as well as some of Margaret Rogerson’s writings - basically two of my favorite things - and then you add floriography and I’m already sold. I feel this is a really great piece of YA fantasy - and it’s a standalone (I’m swooning right now). Books like this remind me why I like YA fantasy so much - the journey of self-acceptance and the coming of age and the fun magic systems it’s all there with a dash of rekindled relationships. Clara struggles through the book with accepting her magic as her own and not her mother’s - a witch that’s been deemed evil and a danger to society by the society magical council - as well as accepting herself as a witch and person altogether. Was the plot kind of predictable? Sure, but the sheer amount of whimsey made up for it, in my opinion. The fact that she just grows flowers everywhere depending on her mood - look, obviously I wish that were me. All in all, it's a 4.5/5 for me.

Like I said earlier, if you like Margaret Rogerson, Howl’s Moving Castle (or Studio Ghibli in general tbh), or (I know it’s a bit out of left field) Florence + the Machine, I would definitely recommend picking this one up. I know I’ll definitely be looking to add this book to my growing ‘cottagecore and whimsical’ book collection.

Thank you to HarperCollins, HarperTeen, and NetGalley for providing an e-arc copy in return for an honest review. Flowerheart comes out 03/14/2023.

I believe that this novel will definitely hold such a special place in my heart. I ABSOLUTELY love the main character and her struggles were real. I love that she was insistent upon giving up her magic for her father.

This gives like a studio ghibli, cottage core like vibe and I loved and devoured every single ounce of it. I loved the romance, how it led up to it (i am a friends to lover stan til I die) and I loved that Xavier felt real and he was full of his own secrets.

Clara was also my joy in reading this. She had her goals and her struggles, but she was also powering through them. Seeing her relationship with her father was so nice and so sweet as a lot of teenagers don't have that relationship with their fathers and I loved every ounce of it. I loved her relationships with the other characters as well and also the diversity within the novel.

I would have loved to see more in regards to the worldbuilding and got more scenes with her mother in it, but we were left with a tab of curiosity and I am okay with that.

The ending was very bittersweet for me; made my heart ache a ton. But the happy ending was still there. I give this a 4-4.5/5 stars. This was a phenomenal read and I cannot wait to read more from Catherine Bakewell.

Flowerheart is a breathtaking debut. From the first page I was absorbed in this witchy cottagecore adventure. The descriptions and the relationships that are described and developed throughout the book are beautiful and believable and it is hard not to fall in love with the world and the characters.

Chaotic magic gone wrong, headstrong girl with big dream, shy (good looking) emo guy with secrets, sweetest slowburn ever, friends to lovers (with a twist), victorian setting, witches and curses -- literally everything I could ask for! I love this book to pieces with my whole heart!

Flowerheart is touted as a magical cottage core story, and this is spot on.
-
Clara lives in a world of magic, but her own magic is uncontrollable, or so she has been told by her numerous magic teachers. When an accident results in her magic harming someone that she loves, she must team up with a friend from the past in order to reverse what she has done. Will the brooding Xavier be able to solve the puzzle that is Clara's magic while simultaneously trying to develop a cure for a dangerous potion that is surfacing in town? Or will Clara's magic and their pasts be too much for either of them to take?
-
This is a mixed review; I loved the story, I liked the characters, and I found the world interesting. In particular, the flowery imagery that Bakewell invokes is so beautiful and cozy, and I love how trans*-inclusive and generally queer this world was. That said, I just don't think there was enough. We spent so little time with so much of the plot, and a lot of the questions were answered far too simply. I really hope that this does become a series, because there were places where the story felt like it had so much room to expand and grow, but then it didn't. The romance also didn't seem quite genuine enough for me, developing too quickly for me to really feel the tension between the characters. That said, I still really enjoyed the whole package and would be very interested in staying in this world a bit longer.

Flowerheart by Catherine Bakewell, 352 pages. HarperTeen (HarperCollins Publishers), 2023. $20.
Language: PG (0 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG; Violence: PG
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - ADVISABLE
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
Having been through several attempted apprenticeships already, Clara is losing hope that she will ever control her magic well enough to be recognized as a witch. When Clara accidentally curses her father, she is desperate to save him – desperate enough to promise her estranged best friend all of her magic in exchange for his help.
I loved Clara’s magic and all the flowers that randomly popped up to give insight into how Clara was feeling and how her magic worked. The story was engaging and hopeful, even as Clara struggled with a voice we have all heard: the voice in our minds telling us that we can’t, that we always mess up, that we will never be good enough. Bakewell introduces a magic system that is based heavily on confidence, which forces Clara to live with – but not be controlled by – her doubts. My one hang up with the story was that Xavier is said to be 16 years old, which means Clara is about that age as well, but they were introduced as having so much history together that I couldn’t imagine them to be that young by the time age was finally mentioned.
Clara is depicted as White on the cover, Madam Ben Ammar has “deep brown” skin, and Robin has “golden-brown” skin. The language rating is for use of a British swear word, the mature content rating is for alcohol use, and the violence rating is for fantasy violence and curses.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

I thought this was a charmingly sweet book that addresses anxiety and depression in a wonderful way for young adult/teen readers. I enjoyed that the book is extremely LGBTQIA+ friendly.

I could not put this book down. The writing and the story are both gorgeous, and the flower symbolism is so genius! This is one of my new favorite books, and definitely in my top favorite fantasy books. The magic system was really easy to understand and so much fun to read about. If you're a fan of fantasy romance, please give this book a try.

Thank you NetGalley and Harpercollins for this arc. This book was so enchanting and very lovely to read. I felt at the beginning that the plot was a bit rushed to get the story moving but I soon forgot about that as I was absorbed into the story. Each character where heartwarming and distinct. I enjoyed the ending very much. I loved how the author choose to subvert the ending by making less about what you loss but about acceptance of oneself. This is a perfect book for someone who loves cozy fantasy.

I received an advance copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Flowerheart by Catherine Bakewell, focuses on themes of family, friendship, magic and coming of age. Clara Lucas has been training with multiple witches and wizards for five years. Yet, after all this time, her magical abilities refuse to obey her. The Council of Magicians judges her dangerous and gives her the choice of having her magic removed, or accepting a binding spell that will cause pain if she uses her ability.

Her childhood friend, Xavier Morwyn, is the only council member who objects to the decision. Her father also objects, but because he is not magical, the council doesn't pay heed to it.

After the Council members leave, Clara inadvertently curses her father when he attempts to comfort her. Azaleas sprout from his chest and he quickly becomes gravely ill.

Because she is the only one who can possibly remove the curse, the council suspends their plans.

Xavier becomes her teacher, despite his own troubles. He endeavors to teach Clara how to perform a blessing to save her father. His secrets interfere with the training, but time is running out for both of them.

Each flower has its own significance and gives information about the emotions and motives of the characters.

The ending leaves open the possibility of a sequel. It could be the beginning of a successful series.

# Flowerheart

3/5 stars

This was a fun little cozy-ish fantasy with intriguing stakes!

Let me start off with the things I did like: I liked the world-building and the politics of the world and I could easily get lost in it. I thought it was inventive, fun, and unique. I wanted a lot more of the magic system and more information on the world.

The things I did not like was the pacing of the novel. I think there was a lot things happening with the plot which, due to the standalone-ness of the novel, and the length, felt like the individual plot points didn’t get as much attention as they needed to feel completed and finished. I feel like there was a lot of repetition with how the MC was trained which could have been spent on closing out the conflict with her mother or fleshing out how her magic functioned.

With every kind of shoved toward the end, it made the book feel like it was meant to be either longer or part of a duology and made the conclusion feel rushed and not as satisfied.