This book was creepy, beautiful, and moving. If you like books that deal with heavy handed topics such as SA, gender identity, failure of parental figures, and the fact our world is being ruined. Everything was handled with beautiful prose and complex plot. Honestly, this is one of the best YA horror books I have ever read.

Thanks Bloomsbury USA Childrens Books, Trang Thanh Tran, and Netgalley for the ARC!

This book is an extremely slow burn. It wasn't quite what I was hoping it would be. There wasn't enough of the monster aspect of it as I had hoped. Still well written.

They Bloom at Night is a queer, coming of age, environmental horror story. A classic tale of “Man vs Nature,” we quickly learn that the “monster” and environment are not the main antagonists, so much as the greedy human, and to an extent the environmental destruction caused by humans.

Since Hurricane Arlene destroyed the town of Mercy Louisiana two years ago a red algae bloom on the Mississippi River has become the longest-lasting known to humans. The algae have made fishing difficult for the teenaged Noon (real name Nhung, but most white people can’t pronounce that) and her mother, Tien. The two women have taken over fishing after the disappearance of Noon’s brother and father, who Tien believes are either still alive or have been reincarnated as sea animals and are waiting for rescue out there somewhere. Their family has a guardian water spirit, named Sông, who Noon sees as little more than superstition. Sông is said to have kept her father’s family safe as they made their perilous journey from Vietnam to the United States by sea, and Sông is the reason Tien is convinced that her husband and son are still out there. Even though in all likelihood both have drowned Noon’s mother insists they must stay in Mercy to find them, despite her daughter’s desperation to leave the small town. Mercy holds nothing but bad memories for Noon. After her brother, Jaylen, was born her parents began to ignore her and favor their son. Their home was all but destroyed by Hurricane Arlene. Noon has never felt welcomed among the racist, sexist town folks who hurl jeers at her and her mother when they dock their boat. Loan Shark and businessman Jimmy, the man who controls most of the town through money and fear, still owns their boat and demands Noon and Tien bring him strange, mutated sea life to sell. And Noon was sexually assaulted at Mercy’s Cove by an older boy who had groomed her. When her mother had found her Noon’s hair had turned white and her skin was flaking off. Her body continues to change, her fingernails all fall out and she can only digest raw meat.

When Noon and Tien get to the dock a girl named Covey who seems to be overseeing things says they must go see her father, who is revealed to be Jimmy. Jimmy explains he wants them to look for a sea monster. People around Mercy have been disappearing, most recently a government scientist studying the algae bloom named Dr. Lucía Delgado. Now the government wants to close the fishing season early and possibly designate the whole area a disaster zone, and Jimmy can’t have that. He orders Noon and Tien to find whatever creature is causing the disappearances and bring it back to him in three weeks’ time. He informs them that Covey will be accompanying them on their mission. After Tien becomes ill from a rusty nail injury she receives from Jimmy the two teens are forced to work together to find Jimmy’s monster. A tense relationship between Covey and Noon slowly blossoms into friendship and then into something more as they race to solve the mysterious disappearances and face their own trauma. On their journey Noon reconnects with her old friend, Wilder, who has run away from home, and meet Saffy, who was kicked out of her home after her parents discovered she was transgender.

The hurricane that nearly destroys Mercy has clear parallels to Hurricane Katrina,
the 2005 hurricane that decimated New Orleans and caused nearly 1,000 fatalities. Noon refers to her life after Hurricane Arlene as post-Apocalyptic, even though even though everything is business as usual outside Louisiana. Mercy has some electricity and running water, but it’s unreliable at best. A Rolling Stone article about Hurricane Katrina entitled it Apocalypse in New Orleans. Vanity Fair has one called Hell and High Water: American Apocalypse. Noon explains that politicians think the people who chose to stay in Mercy deserve what they got. A research paper entitled System Justification in Responding to the Poor and Displaced in the Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina states “One sentiment that took hold following Katrina was that those who lived in New Orleans were at fault for having chosen to live there in the first place, and for not having evacuated when the officials issued a mandate. Some went so far as to ask why people would choose to live in a city that lies beneath sea level. Talk show hosts and local newspapers blamed victims and asked why the government was obligated to help those who did not evacuate.”

Besides environmental disaster, one of the major themes of the books is the fraught relationship between parents and their children. Noon states “…the people who hurt us most, who forced us here, have been those responsible for our care.” Saffy’s parents forced her to choose between being her authentic self or living with them and pretending to be a boy. Similarly, Wilder runs away from home because his parents want him to be something he’s not. Because boys are more highly valued then girls, an effeminate boy is a disappointment, and Wilder simply couldn’t continue to fit his parent’s idea of what a man should be. Noon is also a victim of the toxic masculinity, and is treated as having less value than her brother Jaylen. Even after her brother and father go missing, presumed dead, her mother continues to place a higher importance on them than her living daughter.

I appreciate that, while all the parents had problems, the Asian parents at least seemed to love their children, and were doing their best while burdened with generational trauma and a traditionally sexist culture. Tran is able to challenge the sexism in Vietnamese culture while also making clear that sexism and bad parenting isn’t exclusive to Asians. Wilder has a tense relationship with his parents who are uncomfortable with his bisexuality, and even pressure him to be more manly. But at least they don’t disown him like Saffy’s parents do. There’s at least some hope Wilder will one day be able to reconcile with his mom and dad. Jimmy, on the other hand, is completely irredeemable, not just as person but as a parent. Noon says “Like so many parents Jimmy thinks his daughter is only fit for his hopes. But when we inherit those, we also inherit the mistakes. We are the ones to live with the consequences. Every generation before had a semblance of a chance, but we have the end of the world.” He sees Covey only as an extension of himself, just another tool on his belt. Tien at least tries to be a good mother to Noon, trying to protect her, singing her to sleep at night, and performing Cao gio (coining) to relieve her headaches.

I also liked all the random facts about ocean animals strewn throughout the book. Noon is a huge nerd and I’m here for it. Through her we learn that the red algae bloom is not toxic to marine life like the red tide (which can be worsened by hurricanes), but it does seem to cause mutations. We also learn how algae have mutualistic symbiotic relationships with several species, like Coralline algae, a red alga which plays an important role in the ecosystems or coral reefs. A similar type of algae lives in Cassiopea jellyfish, which gives the jellies their color and helps them get food.
Queer and trans readers will especially appreciate They Bloom at Night. I suspect Noon may be non-binary, but hasn’t cracked her egg yet as many of the things she says and feels about being in a “girl’s body,” like “Monsterhood is a girl’s body you don’t belong in” and not knowing what it means to be a girl felt familiar to me as a non-binary AFAB person. She feels more comfortable in a “monstrous” body than one that belongs to a girl. The “body horror” is less horror than it is freedom. Tran is also non-binary and uses they/she pronouns so I wonder if they had similar feelings as a young person. There’s a decent amount of trans and queer representation in the book, with Saffy being transgender, Wilder bisexual, Covey a lesbian, and the lead scientist researching the algae bloom, Dr. Delgado, is non-binary. There may also be some neurodiversity among the group as one of the teens quips that they’re “Team Neurotic Kids with Very Specific Interests.”

The creep factor is everything from the cover to the descriptions. It's not for the faint of heart between the vivid horror both in the sea and of humanity, the dark language, and the entrenched mythology, it's an older teen reader and/or a horror lover who will dive in. Plus the environmental commentary rides just under the surface.

Noon is discovering things about herself including her queerness and more in a waterworld that Noon's mother believes her son and husband (Noon's brother and dad) have been reincarnated as creatures of the deep so when they set out on a mission from a not-nice man there are multiple reasons to accept.

The setting is what makes the book. It's not quite the like her debut but the uniqueness of the story gives it some extra swagger with the blooms and monsters.

This is an amazing eco-horror YA novel, and any fan of the Annihilation/Southern Reach trilogy should love this. It was Southern/swamp Gothic mixed with a stunning Vietnamese immigrant story and immigration cosmologies/mythologies, and every page was a stunner. And that ending was so good!! Can't wait to get my own copy.

They Bloom at Night
Trang Thanh Tran
Genre: YA Horror
Length: 260 pages
Release Date: March 4, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Synopsis:
The author of the New York Times bestselling horror phenomenon She Is a Haunting is back with a novel about the monsters that swim beneath us . . . and live within us.

Since the hurricane, the town of Mercy, Louisiana has been overtaken by a strange red algae bloom. Noon and her mother have carved out a life in the wreckage, trawling for the mutated wildlife that lurks in the water and trading it to the corrupt harbormaster. When she's focused on survival, Noon doesn't have to cope with what happened to her at the Cove or the monster itching at her skin.

Mercy has never been a safe place, but it's getting worse. People are disappearing, and the only clues as to why are whispers of underwater shadows and warnings to never answer the knocks at night. When the harbormaster demands she capture the creature that's been drowning residents, Noon finds a reluctant ally in his daughter Covey. And as the next storm approaches, the two set off to find what's haunting Mercy. After all, Noon is no stranger to monsters . . .

Review:
I was immediately drawn to this book with the breathtaking cover art. It took me all of one sitting to read this novel and it sucked me in from the very first line. The story explores themes of trauma, gender identity, and the aftermath of an assault. I enjoyed the connection between humans and nature, it felt like the ocean was a character throughout which I really enjoyed. In my life I find the ocean to be both serene and terrifying. Tran so seemlessly blended Vietnamese mythology, self exploration, horror, and sci-fi elements.

They Bloom at Night tells the story of Noon who is living in a post-apocalyptic Louisiana and after several people go missing, Noon is now tasked with finding the creatures and beasts that have taken up residence in the waters. This leads her to find herself and what this world means for her through haunting imagery and some body horror. This book is absolutely stunning and is filled with fantastic proae and a compelling lead character. The way this story weaves the horror throughout and the sense of unease was truly captivating. I would certainly recommend the book for teenagers who love horror or who are interested in a moody story that deals with generational trauma and loss.

firstly, thank you to the publisher for an arc!

as i continue my horror journey, i find that i enjoy horror novels that emphasizes the author's culture and commentary on the specific culture's diaspora.

I love how beautiful and introspective Trang Thanh Tran's writing is, and this book is no exception!!! I raced through this one. The pacing was spot on, and the overall eerie vibe had me on the edge of my seat. One of the best queer gothic books I've read!!!

If you’re a fan of horror, you should check this book out. This was a great read because not only was it well written as a horror story, but it was a tale of self discovery journey for Nhung. Growing up, she struggled with her identity. She always wanted to be on the water in the boat her dad would take out to sea but, being female, she had to stay home with her mom while her younger brother gets to follow their dad’s footsteps. Everything that happens that leads up to the end is slow burn edge of your seat. I couldn’t see what was coming at each turn. It was well worth the time reading this book and it’s the first time I got to read a book by this author.

They Bloom at Night was unfortunately not for me. I really loved the cover! And I appreciated the Vietnamese folklore throughout the story, but ultimately it fell a little flat for me.

The story felt a bit disjointed and hard to follow. It was hard to picture the setting for me as well for some reason. I do think a lot of people will appreciate this book though.

Really enjoyed this spooky look into environmental disaster, and how it weaved together science and family mythology. The body horror was truly disturbing, and I say that with utmost respect and terrified awe! I also just really enjoyed all the characters, especially Noon. Her journey through this book was powerful, and fit in well with the horror aspects.

I thoroughly enjoyed this one! I was on the edge of my seat the entire time and I will definitely be picking up more by this author!!

"They Bloom at Night" delves into the horrors that lurk both beneath the surface of the water and within the depths of the human psyche.

Set in the ravaged town of Mercy, Louisiana, in the aftermath of a devastating hurricane, the story follows Noon, a young woman navigating a world choked by a strange red algae bloom and populated by mutated wildlife. Noon and her mother survive by scavenging these creatures, trading them with the corrupt harbormaster. However, Mercy is far from safe. People are vanishing, and whispers of underwater shadows and nocturnal knocks haunt the town. When the harbormaster tasks Noon with capturing the creature responsible for the drownings, she finds an unlikely ally in his daughter, Covey. Together, they embark on a perilous journey to uncover the truth behind Mercy's haunting, facing not only the external monsters but also the internal ones that plague Noon.

This was a multilayered story with much deeper meanings than simple monster horror. It explored themes of trauma, survival, and the insidious nature of fear. The atmospheric prose and vivid descriptions painted a haunting picture of a town struggling to survive in a world transformed by disaster.

I was particularly impressed with the authentic-feeling diverse cast of characters, with lots of LGBTQ+ representation. It was refreshing to see such a wide range of identities woven seamlessly into the narrative. Furthermore, the incorporation of Vietnamese folklore and customs added a rich and unique layer to the story, making it stand out from typical horror novels.

"There are birds and trees, revived flowers. Friends. From the red algae come monstrous forms, but there is also life in the animals returning where they were once extinct. This world and it's sharp, intense beauty.

There is me too, scars and all, freckled and peeling.

I was beautiful. I am beautiful."

GENRE: Gothic/Horror Fantasy with Folklore
RATING: ⭐⭐⭐.5/5
FORMAT: eBook on Netgalley with Colored Pages Book Tour

Would I recommend to others?: I'd recommend They bloom at night for people looking to read gothic fantasy with multiple themes happening at once & with a quick pace as well.

Long Review:
They bloom at night is a Gothic Fantasy book in which we explore a red algae overtaking a small town called Mercy near the water. We explore the different themes regarding Vietnamese Folklore, Ocean Species and Algae overtaking the world. We look at identity and gender throughout the book. We grow with the characters and learn the distinction of being an adult and the reality of it.

I quite enjoyed They bloom at night, I think we get to explore the folklore of Song and how Nhung sheds her human reality to become a creature of the sea. We get to explore the generational trauma of moving, leaving behind our ancestors and a country that once loved us with its folklore, its good & its bad. We get to explore the lack of acceptance and having to stand out when we are all different.

We learn what it's like growing up with an older generation that lacks hope and lacks the focus on love that it leaks into our generation:
"It's a bad habit of mine, finding the worst in every situation, but no one has taught me to hope."

But, we also learn that we aren't responsible for a whole generation's mistake and that we do not need to keep apologiseing for them:
"I'm learning that she will never apologize for her father's mistakes, the same way I won't for Mom's. And why should we, actually?"

They bloom at Night also has a sarcastic humour to it, which I loved:
"We are late a lot," I say in what must be a betrayal to multiple cultures. I'll apologize to the entire continent of Asia later."

We also get to explore Grief and how holding on to folklores is the only way to go forward sometimes:. We cling to folklore in the hope that it can still prove our loved ones are around and that they haven't gone far. We cling to the fact that maybe one day, we will be able to see them in this world and that they haven't truly gone.

They bloom at Night was truly an adventure that I quite enjoyed. I think I would have liked to know more about Song as a folklore and I do feel that was not explored deeply in here. The book is more on the shorter side though and addressed numerous themes at once. I think the pace varied from fast pace in most parts, with a slower pace in a few places. This book would be ideal for people to get introduced into Vietnamese Folklore, like me. However, it will leave you wanting to explore it further (like me) and perhaps that was the intention.

Thank you to Netgalley, Colored Pages Tour and the publisher for the eArc copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

They Bloom at Night is an ambitious novel that blends Vietnamese folklore, gothic horror, and Noon's deeply personal explorations of identity and trauma. Noon’s journey is haunting in every sense of the word. As she returns to a past that has shaped her in ways she’s only beginning to understand, she grapples with shifting relationships, a changing body, and the ghosts - both literal and metaphorical - that refuse to stay buried. Despite being a YA book, the novel doesn’t shy away from heavy themes, touching on intergenerational trauma, grief, and gender identity in ways that were raw and surprising.

That said, the execution doesn’t always match the novel’s ambition, and unfortunately, that was the case here. The writing, at times, feels disjointed, making it difficult to fully immerse in the world. Some passages required multiple rereads to actually understand what the author was trying to say, which detracted from the atmosphere and slowed the pacing immensely. The world-building was also hazy and confusing - I could grasp the general strokes of Mercy’s eerie setting, but the larger context of the hurricane and sea-life remained frustratingly vague. Considering the dystopian-ish premise was the entire reason I picked this book up, this made the experience pretty disappointing and dulled the impact of what could have been a truly stunning book.

Despite these issues, They Bloom at Night is a worthwhile read for those who appreciate gothic horror infused with cultural depth and rich thematic storytelling. Even with the less than stellar execution, its heart remains strong, making it a novel that is both unsettling and deeply moving.

Thank you to the publisher via NetGalley for providing me with a copy of They Bloom at Night by Trang Thanh Tran in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own and are not influenced by any third parties.

A beautiful story, I wish I read with my eyes instead of doing an audiobook. I think the audiobook distracted me from almost lyrical writing style that showed the beauty within horror and exploring one's identity. It was a touch graphic (not a bad thing), a touch adventurous, and a lot of feelings packed into this book. It's about grief, loss, monstrous feelings one feels while identifying oneself, and how others perceive us when we're not understood.

Not a scary book, but one with lots of other scary elements to make on think in the end.

2.5 stars. Set in a post-apocalyptic world, the concept of this book was so cool and chilling. A monster story infused with cosmic and body horror elements, it draws heavily on Vietnamese folklore. While it’s a young adult novel, it tackles heavy themes such as sexual assault, transformation and change, and survival in dystopian world.

While I enjoyed certain aspects of this book, I found it difficult to follow at times due to the plot’s ambiguity. I also didn’t feel a strong connection with any of the characters. Despite there only being a few characters, I struggled to visualize or feel engaged with any of them. As much as I wanted to love this book, the characters and writing just didn’t resonate with me.

If you’re looking for a YA survival story with an end-of-world setting, a group of teens hunting a monster, and themes of cosmic horror, you may enjoy this more than I did!

🪸🅱🅾🅾🅺 🆁🅴🆅🅸🅴🆆 + 🅵🅰🆅🅾🆁🅸🆃🅴 🆀🆄🅾🆃🅴🆂 🪸

|| 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝘽𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙢 𝙖𝙩 𝙉𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 by Trang Thanh Tran ||
Pub Day: March 11, 2025

🌟Thank you partners @coloredpagesbt, @bloomsburypublishing, @nvtran_, and @libro.fm for the gifted copy and ALC.🌟

𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝘽𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙢 𝙖𝙩 𝙉𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 is a compelling, genre bending tale about the monsters that live within us and around us. Tran creates a ghastly, mythological, and sci-fi environment where the characters’ insecurities, fears, and concerns bubble up on the surface any chance they can. The main character Noon is undeniably facing a challenge as she deals with longing grief of her brother and father, gender conformity and acceptance, sexual trauma, and body changes while the world she knows is being plagued by climate change, a red algae bloom spreading to affect the water’s ecosystem, and a greedy, dangerous man that wields his power to oppress others.

What’s interesting about this novel is that it tackles so many big button issues affecting young adults that people often want to disregard, overlook, or minimize. The young characters constantly deal with parents that do not listen to them or understand how they are processing trauma, grief, relocation, and/or identity. Tran shows us what happens when we believe that monsters and chaos can only bloom at night, then we don’t focus on the ones that walk and talk during the day. Even if there are monster-like sea creatures affecting the Louisiana community, the novel vividly shows us how to be more accepting, empowering, and understanding.

I was so intrigued by the cover of this book that I had to see what it would entail. While I didn’t quite piece together every plot line in a neat fashion, I did make note of the messages about self-expression and acceptance, which is crucial to developing the next generation of informed citizens. I think many readers will enjoy this genre-blending narrative.

Please swipe left to see what quotes reeled me deep into the novel.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨(3.5)

🏷 #TheyBloomAtNight #TrangThanhTran #TheyBloomAtNightTour #ColoredPagesBookTours #Horror #YA #Queer #bookreview #Bookish #Bookstagrammer #BookLover #wellreadblackgirl

1. “For those who can’t see themselves in mirrors” (epigraph)
2. “Can I be everything and nothing at the same time? Extra fat, extra parts, narrow bones. A shadow you know is there but whose shape remains unseen until it emerges on concrete. I want a body that’s easy to manipulate” (51).
3. “Mirrors show a you that no one else sees, and you begin to wonder if either is really truly you. […]. Am I a girl enough—the right kind? Going through life invisible is easier, but the temptation is still there to stand before a mirror and call the worst monsters to you” (100).
4. “Adults having their shit figured out is an illusion of childhood. You wake up one day and the mirage is gone. […]. Even when you’re hurt, they will tell you your wounds aren’t real. Better yet, put a sweater on it and hide away” (154-155).
5. “Sometimes we need people to hunt the things inside of us that need to die but that we aren’t ready to kill” (163).
6. “It’s strange, how little love you can survive on until you experience the warmth of people who choose you despite everything” (175).
7. “We can work hard all we want, but if the bootstraps are barely holding on by the thread, it snaps anyway. I’m tired of following the lessons set out by others. I want to find a new way forward, even if it takes deconstructing down to the marrow” (239)

They Bloom at Night is a wonderful read for fans of body horror, queer coming-of-age stories, Vietnamese folklore, and ocean mutations. Our main character Nhung takes on the task of discovering what monsters lurk in the oceans and what’s causing the blooming red algae all around this small Louisiana town. Simultaneously, Nhung is trying to discover herself within the intersectionality of being of Vietnamese descent, her sexuality, and how she views her body.

The horrors persist, but Nhung persisted even more. The world around the characters is falling apart, full of eerie depictions of gore and wounds. This book ended up being so much more than what it seems as race, class, intergenerational trauma, and sexuality heavily impact the characters. This is a deep and heavy book with so many layers to dissect.

Even though I’m ending this read with 3.5 stars, I still loved the themes and was immediately gripped by the body horror and gore. The only qualms I’m having about this book is that the dialogue seems forced and wasn’t thought out all the way. The dialogue is rushed, a little cheesy, and would kind of throw me out of the other plot building that happened.

Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for an early e-copy of They Bloom at Night in exchange for my honest opinion.