Magic flowers, a dangerous and beautiful salt desert, a broken promise, and power-hungry royals and foreigners come together to create some decidedly dicey circumstances for one teenage girl in the Gujarat sultanate of India. This story, following seventeen-year-old Irinya (named after the salt desert in question) as she journeys far from home in order to reclaim a rare flower that can decide the fate of nations, examines poverty, power, corruption, colonialism, and the women who must face these challenges head-on in order to do what is right. This is also a story of a coming of-age. Irinya definitely starts off naive and inexperienced in some ways, but she grows remarkably over the course of the novel, discovering all of the power she holds and everything she is capable of while always holding onto her commitment to her family, friends, and community. The richly-imagined settings in this book succeed in bringing all parts of this story to life.

I would love to know more about the magic flowers that so much of the plot hinges on, as the legends of them held as much power for the characters as the flowers themselves. Honestly, I would read anything set in this world just for the flowers and their stories.

Final Rating: Between 3.5 and 4 stars.

Thank out to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Flower and Thorn by Rati Mehrotra is a YA fantasy that will give you all of the feels. The story revolves around Irinya, a flower hunter whose caravan survives by finding rare flowers with magical powers and selling them to the overlords who they owe a debt to. When Irinya's oldest childhood friend finds an extremely rare spider lily, Irinya realizes that it has the power to change the fate of their whole country. This flower has the power to turn the tides of wars, and it has the potential to be dangerous if left in the wrong hands. Will Irinya make the right choices and keep the flower safe from those who wish to harm her friends and family?

Here is an exciting excerpt from Chapter 1:

"The man had been dead for a while, as was obvious from the stench. He lay spread-eagled on the cracked white earth of the salt desert, his skin burned reddish brown by the sun, the buttons of his faded shirt straining against the bloat of his stomach. In the hollow of his outstretched palm, in ludicrous contrast, glowed a bluestar, bright and impossible.
Irinya leaned forward and stared at it, her gut churning, wishing she could leave it alone but knowing she would not. Flowers were rare in the Rann of Kutch. Years of overharvesting and destruction of the hives they depended on had nearly wiped them out. This bluestar would be worth a gold mohur at least."

Overall, Flower and Thorn is a quest-filled YA fantasy that will appeal to fans of Mulan or Tamora Pierce's Song of the Lioness series. One highlight of this book is Irinya, who is a strong female protagonist. Another highlight of this book is the premise. The idea of flower hunting and flowers with magical powers is so cool. One final highlight of this book is how the plot got me very emotional at certain points, which is hard for a fantasy book to do. At times, I sympathized with Irinya's plight a lot and her feelings for those around her. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of YA fantasy in general, I highly recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in October!

<i>Thank you Netgalley for an e-arc of this book, all opinions are my own.</i>

I love the idea of magical flowers being scarce, and only a select few people are able to find them. It made this story feel unique, and I was reading it wondering where the story would go!

I was pleasantly surprised in multiple parts of the story, and I like that there was a touch of romance in the background that didn't take away from the main story. Every time a new male character was introduced I thought <i>here we go,</i> just to have that guy NOT be the romantic interest. It kept me on my toes!

I do feel like the story dragged a little in the middle, and I thought there would be more magical flowers throughout. Otherwise it was an entertaining story and I loved the lush fantasy world the author wrote about.

This book does also have a <i>lot</i> of discussion over rich vs poor, and how the poor "stay" poor due to exploitation of the rich. I feel like it was a very realistic snapshot into the real world, the only difference is that the book had a leader that <i>actually</i> tried to change.

Anyway, this book was a unique fantasy with a sweeping adventure in a lush landscape. I liked the characters and the lore, and some of the topics did make the story feel a little more realistic. There is some violence and death, but also a touch of romance and quite a few twists!

The magical flowers of the Rann hold great promises — but magic never comes without a price.

When Irinya’s friend Fadran shows her one of the rarest flowers, she promises not to pick it. But a handsome stranger weaves a tale of hope and riches, and she gives him the flower. If it will free her kul from debt and the sultanate from the invaders, it will be worth a broken promise. Until it’s not.

With the blood of two men on her hands, Irinya sets out to recover the flower. Only she can set things right. And maybe once she does, Fadran’s broken heart will heal from her broken promise.

“You could win the whole world and it mattered not a jot if you lost the most important battle of all — the one against yourself.”

While this quote is aimed at the antagonist, it perfectly sums up Irinya’s struggle throughout the book. She’s so desperate to help the people of her kul that she loses sight of what she knows is right. And even as she tries to fix it, she faces horrible decision after horrible decision.

The romance is very light with some sideways threats about a woman traveling alone. Two female side characters seems to be more than just friends. Fadran’s feelings for Irinya are clear up front, while it takes longer for her to realize she cares for him. It’s very sweet to watch with some heart-breaking moments.

The world-building is amazing. The story is set in sixteenth century India, just as colonization is beginning. A difficult time, but the introduction of magic asks a heavy “what if?” The magic system centers around the flowers, and their abilities and cost. But the beauty of this world lies in the layers. The dichotomy of the nomadic communities to the opulent palaces. The rich detail in describing the landscape and settings as they unfold before Irinya. And the food — I’m normally not one who notices food in books, but I got so hungry reading this!

I loved how the story looked at themes of greed, colonialism, power, and environmentalism without feeling like a lecture about any of them.

Five roses. Such a great story
A couple of sword fights with multiple injuries, and one particularly unpleasant death.
Minor kissing
Minor swearing (The one thing that felt out of place. Why not use words from the world rather than English?)

This book has left me breathless. The depth in which it was written is fantastic. Not only did I feel as if I was dropped into a vast, beautiful India at the height of the early 1500s, but I was enthralled with the creativity and awe-inspiring Magic system based around the rarity of magic flowers.

I loved that none of the characters could trust each other and that there was always some plot happening. The development of Irinya from a naive girl into a woman that fought for what she believed was very well crafted.

There’s a ton of lessons to be learned and the consequences that come from human folly. And the author beautifully demonstrated this many times over.

I loved this book so much at halfway through I went and preordered it.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, St Martin’s Press/Wednesday Books, and of course the amazing author Rati Mehrotra. I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

the world-building is always brilliant and immersive, but i just couldn’t get into this as much as i would’ve like. the plot and twists were too predictable and i found myself skimming at times because the descriptions and what one character was doing went on for too long. there was more tell than show. but i appreciated the wlw representation and how the author did not shy away from stating how brown the characters were.

thank you to the publisher for providing me with an arc!

Irinya is a flower hunter, spending her time in the dangerous Rann, searching for the magical blooms that can help pull her Kul out of the debt that shadows them. But when she is tricked by a visiting nobleman, she embarks on a journey to save her family .

This was such a magnificent fantasy, with rich world building and excellent characters. I absolutely couldn't get enough - Rati Mehrotra is a masterful storyteller!

Thank you to the publisher for providing a review copy.

Flowers are rare and possess magic that makes them highly sought after; a broken promise between flower hunters regarding a practically mythic flower leads to a great many changes in their lives in Rati Mehrotra’s Flower and Thorn.
Like her mother before her who disappeared in the dangerous mists of the salt flats when she was a child Iriyna wants to be a flower hunter, and she spends her days searching the salt flats with her friend Fardan, using her knowledge of the flowers to help her kul survive against the debt they’ve incurred while also collecting thorns to use as blowdarts and slowly inuring herself against the thorns poisons. One day, Fardan shows Irinya a particularly rare flower he found, a silver spider lily, making her promise to not pluck it, even though this flower could mean freedom for her people. When a stranger arrives and sows the idea of forming a collective to remove their debtor from their lives and help them get a fair price for the flowers they harvest, Irinya is drawn to his charms and impulsively gives him the lily as a means to help India against the Portuguese invaders wreaking havoc as the sides war against each other but soon wonders if he’s tricked her. Determined to get the payment they’re owed or recover the spider lily Irinya leaves her kul in search of the stranger, where along the way she falls in with the wazir’s company and catches his attention. As Irinya seeks to right wrongs while aiming to survive the journey she’s on she begins to better understand betrayals, the cost of using the flowers, and where her heart truly lies.
From a dangerous job to a dangerous journey, the engaging story of one young woman’s endeavor to do the most good for her people, both of her immediate kul and of India more broadly, where their future is of their devising instead of at the mercy of someone else’s plans is presented through lush descriptions of the surroundings, easily creating an atmosphere to envision. In contrasting the lavish and patriarchal mindset prevalent in the cities with the more simplistic and matriarchal structure of the nomadic kul that shapes Irinya’s perspective, there’s commentary regarding the societal structures and ways of living present without being heavy-handed in presentation. The magic of the flowers was intriguing and presented in poetic bits and pieces as the story progressed with the grand demonstrations, good and bad, of the true cost of using the flowers and how the person using them influences their effects; though many questions about the flowers connection with both Irinya and her mother through the memories that slowly resurfaced in Irinya’s mind, there remains a sense of haze obscuring further details that could more satisfyingly answer the unresolved questions of the flowers’ magic.
Overall, I’d give it a 4 out of 5 stars.
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I've read several fantasies inspired by the Desi culture, but this is the first that wasn't based in a fictional world!

Yes, the author probably took liberties, but there was no denying the landscape was set in India, and I loved how Mehrotra incorporated nomadic tribal culture into the primary story.

Granted, a portion of the story takes place within various settlements/cities, but my favorite parts were in the Kutch and the journey along the way.

I was sad when I finished the book, simply because Irinya's story was over and nothing else.

thank you to netgalley, st martin’s press and wednesday books for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

this is a historical fantasy standalone set in 16th century india in a world where special flowers hold magical properties and great currency; as such they are coveted by many. we also see how this coincided with the very real portuguese invasion of india that was happening at the time in real life.

i adored the fantasy elements in this book: the lore of the flowers and the dangerous job of the flower hunters.

this is my second book of rati mehrotra, and once again her greatest strength is her worldbuilding. what stood out the most for me in “night of the raven, dawn of the dove” was the atmosphere, and flower and thorn is no different. the world feels so full and enriched.

both times the stories have managed to engage me from start to finish. i love that reading a rati mehrotra standalone will leave you feeling fulfilled by the time you finish —a complete story contained in one book

Thank you Wednesday book for my early copy on netgalley!

I absolutely enjoyed this from start to finish it was a fast paced high stakes YA read.

It gave me Mulan meets 16th century India with many many plot twist

Irinya and Fardan went flower hunting in the Rann every morning till dawn to retrieve magical flowers to pay there debt off. Till one day a man came in tho there Kul and promised the world to them.

The magic of of flowers had cures and powers that every man wanted to get there hands on. Unfortunately the wrong man got his hands on the Silver Spider lily!!!

Irinya was admirable with the strength she had to save her kul from all the evil that resided in India.

Irinya had to hunghim down but finding him let to many devious and dangers plans ahead. She ran away and wouldn’t come back till she figured everything out.

She needed to get the spider lily back to save her kul and all of India from the Portuguese that were breathing down there necks on the shores

Will she figure out how to save her country of will she fall like the petals of a dead flower

I don’t want to give to much away just that you should read this immediately and i guarantee you won’t see anything coming your way!!

Flower And Thorn is a standalone fantasy novel with the story taking place in the grasslands and salt flats of India. Seventeen year old Irinya is a flower hunter. The flowers she and her friends hunt are not ordinary flowers. The flowers are magic and are only found in the salt flats of the Rann. Hunting them is dangerous work, but it's necessary to help their caravan survive as they are in debt to a ruthless baniya. When her best friend, Fardan, finds a priceless silver spider lily there is a chance to change their lives. But it comes at a price. Irinya is tricked into breaking a promise and she must go on a journey to retrieve the flower.

The writing in Flower And Thorn is very.descriptive. I found myself immersed in the setting.which is a beautiful place even when it's deadly. I love the magic flowers. The details of where they grow and their magical uses is very interesting. The whole magic system based on flowers is unique and fun. There is a lovely poem at the beginning of the book, and is also recited later, that gives us an idea of the power of the flowers.

Irinya is very brave. There are other brave characters as well that play a role later. All of the characters have depth, including the ones that may be villains. There is a lot of humor throughout which helps to lighten the mood at times. The story is refreshingly light on romance. It feels realistic.

I wasn't sure where the story was headed at first. Neither did Irinya. She just sets off and finds herself in the middle of palace politics with war around the corner. There are a lot of tense moments and that's before you even get to anything too bloody. I found the story thoroughly entertaining.

I feel there are some unanswered questions regarding Irinya's mother and Irinya's connection to the flowers. I also would have liked a little more clarity on Imshan Khan's character and personality. He is confusing at times but I do appreciate his layers.

Flower And Thorn is unlike other fantasy novels I have read. It is a standalone but I wouldn't mind returning to the Rann! I'll miss the characters and seeing what they're up to when no one is reading.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. (via Netgalley)

I liked elements of the world building in this but unfortunately I just didn't particularly care for the characters.

I received an advance copy via NetGalley.

Mehrota’s latest book reimagines India with flower magic in this cozy read that refreshingly twists many old tropes. Indirya is a flower hunter as her mother was before her, braving the dangerous desert to find the magical flowers to pay toward the kul’s debt to cruel middlemen. The arrival of a charming court denizen inspires her to betray a friend’s confidence and give away an especially rare flower, setting off a cascade of consequences that endangers the whole tribe. She takes responsibility and sets off to make things right.

I really enjoyed how the book surprised me throughout, especially with how the romance delivered. The use of Indian history was fantastic—we need more of this! The flower magic was fun, too, though I would have liked an even deeper dive into that.

In Flower and Thorn, we follow Irinya, a flower hunter in a world where flowers grown in a specific region of India have buds with magical properties and poisonous thorns. I really liked this unique magic system and the associated world building. The idea of magical flowers that are now super rare because humans destroyed the ecosystem limiting their growth was a nice tie in for the impact humans have on the climate. I thought it was a nice piece of reality in the fantasy world.

With the great world-building and magic system, I was disappointed with the rest of the book. I found the plot to be a little all over the place and disjointed. It felt like it wasn’t fully outlined and the author just kept adding pieces on and throwing “twists” the change it up. This left me feeling like the book was dragging on because it was difficult to get fully invested. Plus I had questions that I felt were never fully answered. Like why could Irinya hear the flowers and the camel? And why could the flowers predict the future?

In terms of the characters, I found Irinya difficult to root for. She made a lot of, in my opinion, dumb decisions and seemed to contradict each other. She makes a promise one day, then breaks the promise the next because someone shares a sad story about his parents dying. She then goes to retrieve the flower and seems to trust everyone, despite recognizing she should not trust anyone. She didn’t seem to make better decisions as the book went on, either. So there was not a lot of character development. I will say, I liked her realization that she had feelings for her best friend all along and how she had difficulty pinpointing when those feelings started. There was something that seemed really genuine about their relationship.

Overall, I was a bit disappointed with this read and felt like it could have been so much more. 2 stars.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Flower and Thorn by Rati Mehrotra is an amazing action packed story.

The author does a stellar job creating such a compelling story and the world building is so creative while also keeping the plot forward moving.
I enjoyed how unpredictable the plot was.
It was so intriguing and kept me gripped all the way through the pacing was good and I thought the entire building of the story was absolutely fantastic.
Flower and Thorn was super intriguing and had me invested in the characters so quickly.
Irinya is a strong main character, the development of her journey was really well thought out.
The setting is unique and fairly well-developed. It's so detailed and lovingly rendered.

There's magic, court politics, conspiracy, interesting monsters/spirits, unlikely alliances. I love Katyani who's so fierce and loyal

I can’t wait to read more from this author

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and Wednesday Books for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

This book, this cover. The story was great, this is my first Rati Mehrotra book, but it is certainly not my last. I thouroughly enjoyed this book the characters and their journey was great.

Enjoyed this book very much. The world building characters were my favorite, the plot was good and engaging. And the historical and magic aspect was superb! A well done stand alone fantasy that you'll devour.

An intense, gripping read. The world-building was vivid, and in turns marvellous and ominous; as for the plot, it was just familiar enough to carry me along, but unpredictable enough that the suspense was maintained to the end.

Thematically-speaking, I loved that the novel focused on a struggling, oppressed community, and that it took time to reflect on the economic structures of oppression, on the kind of solutions available, and on their difficulties. As for the plot, it had an excellent antagonist, a character who felt deeply flawed, but convincing at the same time; human, but without excuses. It made for a complex relationship with the heroine, one that kept me wondering to the end how it would all finish.

It usually bothers me a little when fantasy characters seem to come up with modern systems of thought all by themselves in a mediaeval setting. However, in this case, although the protagonist seems to reason and react very much like a modern, feminist young woman, it didn't feel out of place: instead, her convictions seem to have sprung naturally from her personal experience and circumstances, as a woman forced into gruelling labour in order to help her community survive. This reinforced the sympathy I felt for her. I also really liked the fact that her struggles were real: she screws up more than once in the novel, with dire consequences, for herself and others; and for all her cleverness, she never sounds like she understands more about the world than everybody else's.

A great read on the whole.

Flower and Thorn is a young adult fantasy staged in India where the right flower might win a throne. Irinya is a flower hunter where rare magical flowers can heal, force obedience, or win victories for those who consume them. Irinya‘S people are nomads indebted to moneylenders that force quotas on the flower harvest. When a stranger shows up promising enough wealth to save her people, Irinya breaks a promise to her best friend and gives him one of the rarest of flowers to save India from invaders. Disguising herself as a man, Irinya sets up to find why promises were broken and gets a round to saving her country in wild, exciting adventure full of danger and the hint of romance. Flower and Thorn is an entertaining, magical tale where the heroine saves the day. My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from NetGalley.