I really enjoyed this take on the mystery of the lost colony of Roanoke. Unfortunately, I was not as familiar with the mythology so found some parts confusing. However, I appreciated the creativity and enjoyed the narrative throughout the “Now” chapters. I really enjoyed the idea of “female rage” and hope to continue reading more books with this theme. Thelia endured a lot in her human form and the reader can really sympathize with that perspective on the female experience.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing, and Shannon Ives for the opportunity to read this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is an intriguing mash-up of mythology and a colonial mystery full of female rage. Women, cursed to live forever as monsters, the struggle and the journey of one who tries to save her family.

Incorporating the mysterious disappearance at Roanoke with Thelia’s story, it gives the reader a fantastical view of what might have happened if vengeance were a person (if, indeed, vengeance was needed to be paid).

My thanks to Ballentine for this gifted DRC

I loved the mythology tied in with the mystery of Roanoke and the women ultimately getting their revenge. It was occasionally hard to follow and there were a ton of trigger warnings but I really enjoyed overall. Thanks to Random House Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC!

I’m not *quite* sure what I expected when I picked up this book, but a combination of the classic Greco-Roman siren (read: bird-like and kinda scary, not deadly beautiful mermaids) and the lost settlement at Roanoke wasn’t it. 😅

I really enjoyed Thelia’s story once I got used to the back and forth of the timeline format and wrapped my head around the whos and whats of it all. There are some dark themes and trigger warnings, so definitely read those before going in so you’re prepared.

Overall a solid 3.75 out of 5. Good for mythology fans and those of us who prefer the fun “what ifs” of history rather than (typically boring) reality.

I received an advance copy from the publisher, all opinions are my own, and a review was not required.

This is a dual timeline story. Weaving Greco-Roman mythology & Roanoke, this is a unique story that had me hooked from the beginning. These are 2 very different stories, at least on the surface, but the dual timeline somehow works wonderfully.

Those Fatal Flowers explores what if a siren is the reason for the disappearance of Roanoke settlers? It is as intriguing a premise as any regarding America's Lost Colony. The blending of mythology and Early American history was an unlikely pairing that drew me in. The names are taken from Roman mythology, which threw me a bit as I'm much more familiar with Greek terminology. Even so, the ideas here were interesting. What lost me a bit is the pacing. I felt lost in that Roanoke winter for far too long, and it was there that the mix of setting in time and place became to feel disjointed. I think fans of mythology and American history will enjoy this book.
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for this ARC!

2 Stars
This book was too much for me and I was not able to finish it.

Thank You to Random house and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

While a strong feminist imagining of the siren myth and an interesting tie in to the lost Roanoke colony, this book suffers what I’ve seen in others of the genre. When attempting to bring these ancient stories life, what you often end up with are dry, slow narratives that plod along, punctuated with long, repetitive inner monologue to try and bring superficially famous characters to life. We get this here in both the “then” sections that portray Thelia in the myth and also the “now” sections that are set in the colony. The Roanoke story is much more compelling, but the style persists and the pace suffers. I found myself skimming throughout which was frustrating and disappointing.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy. These opinions are my own.

This book took me a bit to get into. Once i got into the book it was a very clever mix of Greek mythology and the mythology/mystery surrounding Roanoke. It was a bit convoluted and hard to follow at times especially if you don't have a solid mythology base. It was a clever mixing of stories and time periods with a strong female lead.

Those Fatal Flowers is a brilliant story that blends mythology, history, and feminist rage, creating a story creating a story of the sirens set within the myster of Roanoke. Shannon Ives crafts a gripping tale of longing, revenge, and redemption, following Thelia as she grapples with her past mistakes and the monstrous power within her.

The alternating timelines between Scopuli and Roanoke create a dynamic and engaging narrative, with rich, lyrical prose that brings both settings to life. The sapphic romance is beautifully woven into the story, adding emotional depth to Thelia’s journey. While the pacing occasionally slows and the Roanoke sections sometimes feel underdeveloped compared to the mythology-rich siren storyline, the book remains a compelling read.

I don't think I've ever read a book that combines Greek mythology and the lost colony of Roanoke. Although this combination works better than I expected, the story overall felt disjointed in places. With that being said, I don't necessarily wish that the stories had been kept separate--they kind of fit together, but not perfectly.

The book opens with Proserpina's kidnapping, and establishes her handmaidens (Thelia, Raidne, and Piscinoe) as the main focus of the story. Chapters alternate between "before," which describe her handmaidens' lives on the island of Scopuli, and "now," which follow Thelia's time in Roanoke. At first, the events of how and why Thelia came to Roanoke are unclear, and I definitely preferred the "before" chapters, which made more sense and were overall more interesting plotwise. However, the story eventually came together to the point where I understood where it was going and how it got there.

I do think that the three handmaidens' characters were more developed and compelling than the Roanoke colonists. There were some interesting conversations and interactions, but as a whole, I was more invested in Raidne, Piscine, and Thelia in the aftermath of losing Proserpina. Although there was some romance, I wasn't too convinced by one of the relationships, and the other one was just okay. I do appreciate the alternative explanation that this book gives for the disappearance of the lost colony of Roanoke, but I am still not sure whether it really works in the context of a Greek mythology setting. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys stories inspired by Greek myths and the lost colony of Roanoke.

In Those Fatal Flowers by Shannon Ives, she has written a novel that is lyrical and nuanced, the language provocative and pulling the readers into Thelia’s emotions, both in the past and in her present. This is an original and interesting mix of the mythology of Greece blended with the American legend of Roanoke.
In the novel, part of what makes that twining of mythologies so compelling is that it pulls the reader into Thelia’s emotions. We see the groundwork for Thelia’s hatred of men, her love of Prosperpina the origin of her need for justice and forgiveness. Her love for her sisters but also caring for the human women around her allows Thelia to learn and grow, to find a way past her rage to find both a different kind of love but also a way to justice rather than revenge. And the way the novel flows between the past and the present is seamless and compelling. Thelia is nuanced and original as is this novel.
If you like lyrical and nuanced stories, this one is worth reading, especially with the original blend of Greek mythology and American legend. It is a story of justice, not just revenge and a tale of love, even when it feels hopeless or the wrong time. Thelia’s love, both in the past with Prosperina and in her current, in Roanoke, with Cora is the heart of this story. And love is always powerful.

I was not sold on this book until I was just over a quarter of the way into it. I was a little bamboozled at first by the back and forth of Thelia’s time on Scopuli and at Roanoke colony. However, once I got my bearings, I was hooked.

Thelia is such a beautiful and flawed character. The way the guilt she carried over what happened to Proserpina informed all her other decisions was difficult to read at times, but so true her character. I loved the way she connected with the colonists, especially Margery, Will, and of course Cora. The longing described between Cora and Thelia was simply outstanding.

I really didn’t know what to expect going into this book but I couldn’t have been more pleasantly surprised. I loved it. It made me think, it made me cry, it made me entirely invested in the lives of the characters and the outcomes of their schemes. And the ending was extremely satisfying!

Those Fatal Flowers is a retelling of part of the Odyssey - the part where Ulysses meets the sirens - from the point of view of Thelia, one of the sirens, and with an admixture of other Greek and Roman mythology. In this novel, Thelia loves Proserpina, who is taken by Dis (the Lord of the Underworld) while Thelia is supposed to be guarding her. Thelia, along with two of her sisters, is cursed into a harpy and banished to the island of Scopuli, where they subsist on the bounty of ships they lure onto the island, extending their youth with the effects of the sacrifices they make of the sailors. Eventually, however, the ships slow, coming less often, and then, not at all. Finally, one more ship appears - and the events that follow send Thelia on a journey to the colony of Roanoake, looking for men to bring back with her.

This novel is told in two time periods, with Thelia's current journey being told in chapters labeled "Now" and her past in chapters labeled "Before". For those interested in mythology, the underpinnings of myth are visible; however, if you are not familiar with Greek and Roman mythology, it will not detract significantly from the story, as it diverges widely from the known myths. This is a story of female empowerment, as well as of fighting back against authoritarianism, and these themes, among others, run through the story. Recommended for older teens and adults due to violent scenes.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book provided by Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was definitely a new take on the retelling trend that I haven't encountered before, but I'm not sure I enjoyed how it was executed. There were strong themes of survival and white women's empowerment throughout, but I think it came at the cost of accurate indigenous representation and inclusion.

As a mythology lover, this book piqued my interest from the description alone. We have an alternating timeline that takes inspiration from Greco-Roman mythology. If you love feminine rage, you’ll enjoy this book! Not to mention it’s sapphic.

Thank you Netgalley for the early copy in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the arc.

Unfortunately this was a swing and a miss The writing was dense and combining the lost colony of Roanoke was a weird choice that just didn't work for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing Company for this Advanced Readers copy of Those Fatal Flowers by Shannon Ives!

First I want to thank net galley for letting me have an E arc of this book.
I applied for this knowing there was a chance I wasn’t going to be into it. Mixing two different time periods and cultures that never really mixed seemed like something I would not really enjoy. I avoid time travel stories for a reason. But reading that part of the setting was Roanoke which is a history mystery thats always fascinated me so I figured why not try it! And honestly it went about expectations but still not in love with it like I am others. But I could see others loving it! It’s fun and full of feminine rage and very sapphic. I loved those aspects of it but I think part of me just wanted way more of the gods and Greece aspect.

Genre-blending seems to be a popular trend in current fiction and I love an author’s creativity in making this happen when it works well. I was excited to get the chance to read an ARC of this novel which combines Greek mythology with historical fiction based on real events from 17th century America. Unfortunately, the blending of genres in this book didn’t work very well. If written separately, I think I would have enjoyed each story so much more. I’m a fan of myth retellings and the story of the Sirens is one that could be much more fascinating than what we have read about their encounters with Odysseus. And I knew nothing about the disappearance of the Roanoke colony in early American history so I was intrigued to learn about events based on real people and occurrences. The two stories just didn’t come together smoothly. Both stories seemed rushed in their beginnings and were somewhat obscure. I couldn’t get a good sense of who the Siren sisters really were and how they were so quickly banished. Their communication with Persophina (Persephone) didn’t make a lot of sense. The beginning of the Roanoke part of the saga also seemed abrupt and quickly got unrealistic. I realize that a powerful mythological being showing up in Colonial America is unrealistic but the characters and how they lived mostly didn’t fit with what we know about the Puritans. However, as separate stories, each had interest and merit. The ending was much as the beginning - abrupt with little detail and explanation. My rating is rounded up to 3.5 based on the research about Roanoke and the theme of strong women giving evil-doers what they deserved. I would also add a warning that this book is unnecessarily graphic in depictions of violence.