Origins of Desire in Orchid Fens was a unique and beautiful writing experience.

I was engrossed in this folklore style book with its fluid writing (felt poetic to me) and gruesome realities. The writing took a while for me to get used to.

This story felt so dark and intimate as we follow Orchid in this small town story. She lives in fear of being chased out of town, living with a secret. Orchid is very into nature and I love the scenery of marsh and flowers in this story. Orchid's character seemed to develop perfectly in this story, she is inquisitive and daring at times to step into the unknown.

While this story was very prevalent in race, corruption, greed, I also found great love story told. Not in romantic love (as that took a turn). Mother love and the dynamic of mother and daughter. Has small town vibes of what can happen to the disruption to a town (communities and environment). A Tale that is hard to read but necessary. Very much a warning in this story.

There were elements I may not have understood at the time but I loved the river women and the togetherness there that Orchid had felt.

Thank you to Stelliform Press and N

Thanks to NetGalley and the editors for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Im just starting to read more horror so im not an expert on it, what i can say about this book is that its very complex, it mixes folklore, botany, and horror elements in rage-inducing scenes it was quite a ride. It felt like the author tried to weave together so many elements and themes in so few pages, it was very confusing.

Reading Origins of Desire in Orchid Fens is like dreaming - you're not sure what's real and what's not. At the same time, you're drawn to this story like a moth to a flame or like Orchid (our main character) to the fens and its residents.

I love the way this story is written. At first, the chapters are like vignettes slowly showing us Orchid and her world. But after a while, the story emerges, one typical of small industrial cities - full of greed and exploitation. But in this city, or rather, on its river live panni raklies (or, as we call them in Poland, rusałki) - the vulnerable spirits of women killed by men. And they want revenge. Our main character is torn between a normal life with her boyfriend and these spirits. There's also her mother and the secret they keep together.

This book is quite short, but it doesn't feel like it. It's full of feminine rage, but also a commentary on capitalism and racism. At the same time, it is beautifully written and fully imerses you in this small mining city.

I highly recommend reading Origins of Desire in Orchid Fens. You won't forget this book.

Bless be short, weird, emotional fiction !

I don't think this book will work for everyone. If you dislike vague, almost disordered narratives, books that mostly exist to embrace their uncanny atmosphere and don't care if the reader isn't fully following the plot or perfectly discerning every detail, this probably isn't for you. To enjoy the Origins of Desire in Orchid Fens, you'll have to be ready to accept the fen and its stories aren't for you to explore, it will not give you the whole truth, it doesn't owe you anything and might offer illusions alongside reality.
Thinking back, this book is sort of alienating. While reading it, you feel left out, you feel like you're missing some things. Either you don't understand or they're kept from you, but you know you're not getting it fully. I loved it, because it mirrors Orchid's feelings. As a Romany, she's been perpetually discriminated and rejected by all the communities she passed through. She's had to hide that identity, and her mother kept some of it from her as well, so the idea of never belonging anywhere is a strong part of herself. That is until she finds the fen, and the panni raklies. But as our sense of alienation grows, hers diminishes. Slowly, we also feel alienated from her, our trustworthy narrator! It's brilliant honestly. The more she seems to understand and accept what's happening, the more we're confused and relegated to our position of helpless witness as the truth slips through our finger. The shortness of the chapters that was simply enjoyable at first seems to suddenly betray us and keep us far from what we thought we were part of. In the end, it left me with an inexplicable mix of frustration and sadness, alongside the appreciation of a story well written and a satisfying ending. I love contradictory emotions, hence my deep appreciation of this novella, but it also explains my warning as many people prefer clarity.
I think I'll have to reread this!

4,75/5

Thank you SO MUCH to netgalley & the publisher for this lovely arc :)

Origins of Desire in Orchid Fens gave me everything i needed in one book. I've been really into folklore and horror reads and this book delivered. This is beautifully written and this felt like a book i never wanted to end. Thank you for the ARC.

The setting is not something that I usually encounter when reading and that is fresh and original. The magical realism hits hard in this book and it's beautiful and prosaic.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this ARC. All opinions are my own.

A story of a Romani daughter trying to make her way in a small town. The magical realism really brought the story to life—river spirits talking to the women added a mystical layer that carried both a feminist and climate sensitive message. Totally different from what I usually read, but I really enjoyed the fresh perspective and the unique way it was told.

The prose of the book was beautiful. It is amazing seeing Romany representation in books, and good, accurate representation at that! A haunting tale, soaked in folklore, it was easy to become lost in this. The stream of consciousness writing style is something that is rarely done well, and Lee did this perfectly. The style fits so well with the story. I did, however, not enjoy the use of the texting blocks within the book. When I am reading a folklore book such as this, the use of technology being shoved into my face was a bit off-putting. I also feel some of the background plot could have been more fleshed out for a book of this length, while reading it, almost felt as if I was missing key details and explanations that Orchid just seemed to brush over. While I did enjoy this and would recommend it, I do wish the book could have been more immersive.

I love the short chapters, although the pacing is kinda slow. It's beautifully written and very atmospheric.

This book is beautifully written, but it was a little challenging for me to read. The prose was harder for me to follow than I'd anticipated, but I don't typically read much in this style.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest rating.

Orchid is a young Romany woman who prefers plants to other people... until she meets the eventual love of her life, Jack. Sharing an obsession with the local fen, the two are married deep in their beloved wilderness against all objections from friends and family. The blissful marriage and life they envision together begins to crumble as Orchid becomes increasingly entangled with the panni raklies--spirits of the murdered girls and women of her hometown whose bodies are dumped into the nearby acidic creek, which has been poisoned by a greedy man's gold mine.

Origins of Desire is delightful in its lush, poetic writing, which is broken into tiny chapters, revealing themes and characters and storylines bit by bit. Themes of racism and identity, environmental issues, and corporatism are all woven together to create a complex, melancholic novella

I really loved learning about Romany folklore; I feel I don't see this culture depicted honestly or accurately enough in most fiction, so I appreciate Lee's representation. I also enjoyed the blending of botany with all the dreamlike horror elements.

Thank you to Stelliform Press, NetGalley, and the author Lynn Hutchinson Lee for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I found this novella very poetically written, sharing a Romany perspective on themes of the environment, labor, belonging, and family. As a Romany woman, our narrator Orchid feels connected to the land and the spirits of murdered women who haunt the fen outside of town, though feels like an outsider among in her small Canadian community. Orchid begins to form tentative friendships with some of the residents of the small mining town, experiencing both emotional risks and danger from local mining interests. The book does well with creating a particular moody atmosphere and reflecting on the interconnectedness of the land, human rights, and the power of the past.

<i>Origins of Desire in Orchid Fens</i> takes folklore and wraps it in horror and complex family dynamics, while also extrapolating the everyday horror that's unleashed on women. There is small town drama, the few rich families that dictate livelihood of many townsfolk and the root for gossip, scandal and, well, stories.

Orchid, the protagonist of this novella, is named after the flower and herself being a caretaker of plants in an estate. Her thoughts meander everywhere - her sick mother at home, the contentment between plants and flowers and the events surrounding her town. Her Romany heritage comes up and drives the folklore of water spirits (of dead girls) that she is able to communicate with. Lee methodically elevates the storytelling by dismantling stereotypes surrounding the culture all the while telling a compelling story.

Personally, I feel this novella has accomplished what it set out to do - lyrical, mystical, horror and still manages to tell a good story.

<i>Thank you to Netgalley and Stelliform Press for providing me with a free copy of this e-book in exchange for an honest review.</i>

Origins of Desire at Orchid Fen is a haunting, lyrical tale soaked in folklore, grief, and green rot. Lynn Hutchinson Lee crafts a moody, sensuous atmosphere where danger hides beneath beauty and justice is meted out by vengeful spirits. Orchid, a young Romani woman searching for safety and love, finds both—and neither—in the eerie fen. With its sharp commentary on colonial violence and buried histories, this book reads like a ghost story whispered in the dark: beautiful, aching, and impossible to forget.

The prose and organization of this book are both beautiful. It flits between a linear plot and a more circular narrative. The characters are interesting and I really enjoyed the focus on the lives and power of the women in the town. This book had some really interesting moments and overall, I enjoyed it. There were a lot of twisting plot threads, and, unfortunately, I don’t think this book did a great job using all of these plot points. There were just a lot of really cool ideas that weren’t followed through. The ending felt a little rushed and was not entirely satisfying.

Lynn Hutchinson Lee's "Origins of Desire in Orchid Fens" was quite unlike anything I've read recently – a truly unique and intriguing novella. I was really drawn into the world of Carminetown, largely through its distinctive, hybrid style which blends prose, poetry, definitions, and even snippets of conversations or non-fiction texts. This approach creates a very specific, almost dream-like and mystical atmosphere surrounding the main character, Orchid, and her experiences. I found the exploration of her Romany identity, the deep connection drawn between the community, the natural world (both its beauty in the Orchid Fen and its haunted aspects by the creek), and the poignant environmental commentary to be quite powerful and timely. The writing itself often felt lyrical and beautiful.

Now, the experimental structure, often presented in what feel like short bursts and varied forms, does take a little getting used to initially. It seems designed to reward the reader's engagement as you piece together the different narrative threads concerning Orchid, the mysterious river spirits, the tensions in the mining town, and her personal relationships. I felt it was less about following a straightforward plot and more about immersing oneself in an atmospheric and thematic experience.

But overall, I found "Origins of Desire in Orchid Fens" to be a hauntingly beautiful and thought-provoking read. Its unique structural approach felt purposeful, perfectly suited to exploring complex themes of identity, community resilience, memory, and our fraught relationship with the environment. It’s a novella that definitely lingers with you after you finish.

Origins of Desire in Orchid Fens by Lynn Hutchinson Lee
Review
Rating: ★★★★★
Started: April 16, 2025
Finished: April 18, 2025

This book was a wild ride. We follow Orchid Lowell, a young Romani woman. She faces many difficulties in life, especially related to her mother. I thought things would get easier once she marries her beloved Jack, but life doesn’t really go like that.

The writing in this book was magical. It took me some time to settle into the short chapters, but I loved the simple yet poetic exploration. The main character, Orchid, was relatable and felt real in so many ways. The way her story flew even during moments where more was left unsaid left me speechless. I’ll be thinking about her for so long. She felt like a friend.

The story felt nostalgic yet contemporary. It was deep and captivating, especially after the first half. I felt this strange excitement to finish the book—I just wanted to keep reading and stay in Orchid’s world every time I put the book down.

I will definitely be checking out more of Lynn Hutchinson Lee’s work. The dark yet simple tone of her pen calmed me. I need more of this.

Content warnings: sexual assault
Written: April 19, 2025

An ecological horror of violence, violation and vengeance and yet filled with such stunning, lyrical and gorgeous beauty, this novella is hard to pin down if you’re trying to find a genre. There is horror, grief, ghosts, loss of loved ones and loss of the natural world.

I live in British Columbia, and the horror of the Mount Polley Mine disaster is still fresh, and the ongoing epidemic here of missing and murdered women never fades – and honestly maybe that’s why the horror hits hard for me? Yet the story also abounds with a graceful underlying supernatural presence, brimming with ephemeral and dreamy characters as the spirits of murdered women gather in an ecologically destroyed Ontarian river caused by the greed of corporate mining (aka r*p*) of the natural world as they plan and plot vengeance.

“The elemental desire of these spirits — dead girls, water girls, the panni raklies — is to drown the men who betrayed or killed them.”

This is not your average horror. It's beautiful and disturbing and I want more of this author. I loved the fragmentary chapters, told like musings of memories with the lushness and odour of death, decay and rebirth… I want more of this story and this town and these characters. I want this in a graphic novel. I want this in a perfume…

Clearly, the spell of Orchid Fens is powerful…

Many thanks to NetGalley and Stelliform Press for the advance review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily ...and ordering a physical copy of the book right away!

Orchid has settled in a new town as her mother recovers from cancer. No one knows she and her mother are Romani, she’s got a job tending the orchids she loves, and eventually a new husband. But there’s something lurking in the rivers, looking for revenge. And gold has been found by the fen.

This novella felt like prose poetry, and I loved it. The real life horror of abusive, power hungry men paired with the mythological creatures haunting the river was so well done. The creeping insidiousness, as we knew the Rosalia were planning something, but we didn’t know what gave me goosebumps.

And even in the brief time we have, we get such depth for the complicated relationship between Orchid and her mother. And then the romance between Orchid and Jack was so sweet, but also felt so real as they dealt with all the problems in fighting back against the mine that wants to encroach on the fen.

I would have loved for this to be expanded a bit more as the resolution felt a little too abrupt, and I really wanted to see more of the aftermath.

Thank you to NetGalley and Stelliform Press for this arc.