This gave Ready Player One vibes. I wish there was more world building and we got to delve deeper into Tech. I don't think Lu's POV added to the story, I found myself skimming their sections.

I wish there had been more of a resolution at the end.

I received an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
The overall idea behind Fireblooms was very intriguing to me. The world we live in is full of people who should think before they speak. So, the concept of TECH is really interesting. Lu and Sebas are just quintessential teenagers, dealing with absent parents, bullying, identity, friendship, and relationships. The books pace worked well for me and I definitely didn’t have a hard time finishing it.
My one major critique is that I feel as if there were too many sub plots that felt half resolved to me. Also due to the sub plots I felt as if the main point of the book didn’t get as much time as it deserved. I would have loved to actually see more of the TECH system in use and have more face to face interactions between the characters.

*2.5 stars
I, unfortunately, think this book got a little confused on what it wanted to be and what, exactly, it was trying to say, especially near the end and some dangling plots get a bit left behind in favor of what's happening in the moment. There's some big ideas here that just weren't able to be fully fleshed out and tackled in the limited space and with such focus on the romance. I won't steer anyone away from this, necessarily, but if I wasn't reading it for a reason, I definitely would've DNF'd it.

Receiving the approval email for this novel got me ecstatic. I am fan of Villasante's writing and the synopsis of this new book of theirs had me hooked immediately. So, it's easy to say that I had great expectations for this novel and they were undoubtedly met.

From the original plot, to the fantastic and fully-developed characters, to the exquisite writing, Fireblooms was a triumph, comfort distilled in book form.

2.5 ✨✨

Man I really wanted to love this one because the blurb sounded so interesting.

The things I enjoyed:

The way technology is used to prevent bullying.
Conversations around policing language.
Our queer characters.
Anxiety rep
ADHD rep

Things I didn’t like:

I never felt the connected between Lu and Sebastian.
Everything felt very surface level to me.
Things were wrapped up too quickly at the end.

I wish I would have loved this more!

Thank you NetGalley && Penguin for the ARC!

The story centers on Sebas, a seventeen-year-old who relocates to New Gault to care for his estranged mother. There, he’s introduced to TECH, a school program designed to prevent bullying by regulating how students speak. Think enforced speech codes, zero tolerance for conflict, and mandatory scripts. At first, it feels like dystopia with a gentle smile—but beneath the surface is a fierce conversation about the cost of policing language, especially for those still finding their voice.