Sapphic Greek/Roman mythology meets early American history? Yes, please! This book is filled with satisfying female rage, a compelling protagonist, and a lovely romance. I can see why some people thought the language was dense, but I enjoyed the prose and thought it fit the story well. I flew through it.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

I will say there hasn’t been an original settling like this in a hot second. Greek mythology and colonial America? What a combination and so interesting when reading. I really enjoyed this story but it did take very long to get into, mainly because of the timeline jumping which was at times very abrupt. And I can understand why the colonel parts of the story were difficult for others, I just love history. Overall a good reading experience albeit slow moving.

Honestly, this book is weird as hell. It’s definitely an original concept, but it swiftly dodges many of the moral complexities embedded in the story with convenient plot points (it’s fate or something). Some parts are more convincing than others. Overall, it’s promising but needs more sophistication to fully pull the concept off.

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC of this book.
I’m sad to say this book was a DNF for me at ~25%. I was not a huge fan of the alternating timeline that took place in the book as it felt very clunky and made it hard for me to enjoy the story. Additionally, I was not a fan of the writing style, it was very dense which again made it hard to enjoy. While these things might be okay for others my biggest problem with this book is that one of the timelines is that it is supposed to take place in the Roanoke colony but there in no presence of the indigenous people of Roanoke, which is acknowledged in the Author’s Note at the end of the book. It feels weird to have a story set in a time and place with known contact with an indigenous group and not include them. I am sorry to say this book is not for me and I will not be finishing it or getting a finished copy once it is published.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Those Fatal Flowers was a very interesting book. It definitely has a slow start, but it is worth sticking with. I couldn’t put this book down! It has a very interesting premise and setting. I’ve not read another book like this one and I’m glad to have stuck with it!

This book was violent female rage and I thoroughly enjoyed reading about them. I feel like we definitely need more of this in sapphic historical fantasy.
I am not extremely familiar with all the lore and grit of the myths so some of the retelling was a bit confusing in the beginning, but I acknowledge that was probably on me. I enjoyed the writing style a lot, and the dual timeline, which I’m usually not a fan of, was done really well and I was intrigued by both timelines.

I will say, after reading some other reviews I see where there is room for criticism. Including the setting of colonial America and leaving out the racial aspect doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. I wish that setting had been removed from the story. In the authors note, she states that it’s “not her story to tell” while fair kind of negates the purpose for putting it in the story.

This book is what I call "one to sink your teeth into:" If you looking for a strong story, this is for you. This is a time skip book with multiple trigger warnings, so be warned. Gods and monsters with curses to break make this a great read. Thelia is a strong character whose choices sometimes seemed childish, but the more you find out the more sense it makes. This is a stand alone which makes it even better.

The mix of Roman mythology and colonial Virginia was really interesting and well done, but the back and forth structure of the timeline never fully clicked for me. In addition, Cora’s character fell a little flat compared to the MC. The central themes and plot were still well formed and made for a good read.

4.5. I really really enjoyed this. I won't lie the colonial america parts can be tough at times because knowing the history, this story really glosses over certain facts.

However, with both past and present mixed together this made for a very interesting and fast read.

Thank you netgalley for the eARC.

This book truly surprised me and I am so thankful for reading it. Initially I had a hard time connecting to the stories and characters, but at about the halfway point I was hooked. It was beautifully written and touched on the universal experiences all women across time and place have shared. The jumping between timelines wasn’t my favorite, but in this case I do feel like it was necessary for the story being told. At times the writing was a little dense, but I feel like that is also the appeal of reading a mythology retelling. The attention to detail while cumbersome at times, was truly breathtaking and beautiful at others.

Thank you Random House Publishing Group for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This book was a very unique premise but hard to get through for the first 80% and only engaging in the last 20%.

The writing was well-written but overly dense in the exposition. To be fair, I was also trying to figure out what parts of the myth were being retold and kept and was overly analyzing as I read. There definitely was more gore than I expected and I don't think it's all that necessary. The romances in the book were kind of oddly thrown in and didn't land right to me, but I am glad to see Sapphic fantasy elements.

I'm not sure how the author landed on mixing ancient Greece with the Roanake Colony while choosing to exclude the indigenous tribes from the Roanoke side of the story. The author's note explains that the indigenous people were not her story to tell, so she intentionally excluded them. I don’t really understand that explanation- why choose a colonial setting and exclude colonialism? There are, unfortunately, plenty of settings with violence and oppression against women to choose from. I was also confused at the mix of Greek and Roman names in the book, and the author's note doesn't really explain this choice. I'm baffled why, choosing between the Greek and Roman names, the author chose the Roman versions of Persophone and Hades. Most people are not going to immediately recognize Prosperina and Dis (finally that 6 years of Latin pays off), although they'll realize enough with context clues. I would have expected all the names to be Greek because it was the "then" side of the story is set in Scopuli, and the sirens are famous in the Greek epic, the Odyssey.

I think the kernel of the story and general time jumping "then" and "now" narrative structure has promise, but there are definitely issues that would have caused me not to finish this book if it wasn't an arc. The "now" setting needs to change or colonialism needs to be addressed and indigenous people included. The exposition is really tough to get through and could use some reworking.

Thank you Random House for the arc!

dnf at 25%. I really struggled to get into this book. The author is clearly talented but the prose is dense which made it hard for me to get invested in the story and the characters. I think I’m finally burnt out on Greek mythology retellings. Very cool concept but simply not enough excitement or exposition to get me hooked. Thank you NetGally for the ARC. I’m sure readers who are more familiar with Roman myth would get more out of this (or maybe I was too familiar? not sure)

I was drawn into this book by the mention of Roanoke. As a history lover, that’s always gonna grab me. Then I noticed the Greek mythology mention and wondered how the author would bring together two very different times and places in history. It did not disappoint!

If you’re history lover and enjoy a good historical fiction. Mystery, this book is right up your alley! Well, I always enjoy seeing how an author will take history and bring it into a story of their own, it’s rare that I actually enjoy, the end result. This is not the case here. I actually really enjoyed it and would recommend this to anybody who is reading this review.

A sapphic Virginian Greek myth retelling. I don't think this book was for me. I can see why people would love this, but it was cusping on I can see why people would hate it.

Bringing together greek/roman mythology to the disappearance of the Roanoke colony is INGENIOUS! Thelia is banished to the island after she fails to protect Proserpina, goddess of spring (Persephone). This is a sapphic retelling of a woman who is trying to save her sisters and enact revenge for the woman she loves

First of all, I really enjoyed this book!

The book is a split timeline but same character type of format. It gives the reader glimpses into the Greco-Roman island of Scopuli and then the mysterious town of Roanoke in America. I liked the split timelines and how they meshed together in the weaving of this story. Starting with some strong mythology always helps me and the leading into America was fascinating.

I have to warn that there was a lack of indigenous American people in this story and some harshness against women in this book. I tried to get lost in the story for what it was but I know that might be a trigger for others.

Those Fatal Flowers is a unique mythology retelling that incorporates the location of the original story and an unexpected time and location in history. Thelia has been banished to the island of Scopuli with his sisters and cursed to live as sirens luring men to their deaths to please the gods.
The alternate time involves the very unexpected location of the Roanoke colony during their early settlement. When Thelia arrives in Roanoke, barely alive, she sees a community of mistreatment for women. This story is strongly feminist and includes action, mystery, romance, and importantly the survival and empowerment of women. I liked the author's writing and how they created a powerful narrative. The seemingly unconnected dual timelines eventually came together cohesively. I found the story to be a quick read and easy to enjoy. Shannon Ives is a debut author. I will be looking forward to what she writes next.

Thank you NetGalley and Dell for the advanced reader copy. This is my honest review.

Greek mythology and colonial America!? Yes please!! I really enjoyed this story and it completely gripped me from the beginning! I hope Shannon Ives writes more like this! Thank you to NetGalley and to Random House for my digital ARC!!

4.25 stars...first off, thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the eARC of this book. I am a sucker for retellings and mythology, so this ticked all the boxes for me. I really enjoyed this book. It was heartbreaking, gory, unsettling at moments, but I am glad with how it ended and the bad guys didn't win. I would definitely recommend if you enjoy mythology mixed with a little bit of American historical ideal.

I want to say thank you Shannon Ives, Random House Publishing, and Net Galley for access to an advanced copy of this book. All opinions of this book are my own.


3.5 - a very cool book!! This had a bit of everything: mythology, colonial America, dumb men, badass women. It definitely was a more strange plot but I had fun with this read, especially in the context of observing a mythical creature experience colonialism, patriarchy, organized religion. At the same time, the loose navigation of female camaraderie through various struggles, especially against power-hungry and disgusting men, was a nice addition to the plot I didn’t expect. You have to work your way through the beginning for a bit, but it puts into perspective what our society has normalized and let’s you reflect on the danger that our systems and structures have. This definitely has a bunch to impact, but thankful for the chance to experience this read!