chymerra
Important things you need to know about the book:
Pace: Flower and Thorn has a medium to medium fast pace.
POV: Flower and Thorn is told from Irinya’s 3rd person POV.
Trigger/Content Warning: Flower and Thorn have trigger and content warnings. If any of these triggers you, I suggest not reading the book. They are:
- Gore
- Violence
- War and War Themes
- Classism
- Poverty
- Sexism
- Indentured Servitude
- Drugging
- Dead Bodies
- Death of a Parent
- Grief & Loss Depiction
- Captivity & Confinement
- Knife & Sword Violence
- Murder & Attempted Murder
- Physical Assualt
Sexual Content: There is no on-page sexual content in Flower and Thorn.
Language: Flower and Thorn had no swearing or offensive language in it.
Setting: Flower and Thorn is set in 16th-century India.
Age Range: I recommend Flower and Thorn to anyone over 21.
Plot Synopsis (as spoiler-free as I can get):
Since her mother disappeared when she was five, Iriniya wants to be a flower hunter. Flowers in India are magical, and because of that, they are increasingly rare. So, when her best friend shows Irinya where he found one of the rarest flowers, a silver spider lily, she promises to him to let it be. But, when Iriniya meets a handsome young man who claims to be working for the general fighting the war against the Portuguese, she feels compelled to tell him about the flower and get it for him. Soon, she discovers his promises are lies, and she has shattered the trust of her kul and best friend. Determined to win back their trust and set things right, Irinya starts a journey from the salt flats of Rann to the capital city of Ahmedabad. But, along the way, she attracts the attention of the Grand Wizer, Ishman Khan, and becomes embroiled in palace intrigue. Can Iriniya right the wrong she did?
Main Characters
Iriniya: I liked Iriniya. She made some pretty big mistakes at the beginning of the book (trusting the wrong guy, destroying the trust her best friend and kul had in her) that had tragic consequences. I agreed when she decided to right the wrongs against herself and her kul. Iriniya had some tremendous character growth throughout the book. The Iriniya portrayed at the end of the book was not the Iriniya at the beginning. I also liked how she handled adversity. She could think on her feet and anticipate what was asked of her. I only saw her hesitate when she had to leave the camel (her uncle’s prize possession). But, even then, she talked the time he could stay in the stable up from what the wizer initially said.
My review:
I have been looking forward to Flower and Thorn since I saw several blogs post early reviews. Not only were the reviews excellent, but I loved the cover. So, I was thrilled when St. Martin’s Press/Wednesday Books sent me a widget. Then, life happened, and I got behind on my reviews. Flower and Thorn kept getting pushed back on my schedule until this month (way past the publication date). I don’t want that to happen, but it does. Usually, my desire to read the book has faded by that point, but in this case, it didn’t. I was excited to read Flower and Thorn, and this book exceeded my expectations.
The main storyline in Flower and Thorn is centered around Iriniya and her quest to find the silver spider lily. The storyline was well-written and kept me on my feet reading it. I had no problem focusing on her adventures, even with all the background noise (the war with the Portuguese and the power play in the palace). The focus stayed on Iriniya and her quest for the entire book. The secondary storylines outlined in the book added to her storyline.
I loved the use of the flowers in Flower and Thorn. The author took everyday things we take for granted and added a mystical feel to them. Adding that these flowers are becoming an endangered breed and that levies were placed on flower hunters just added to the story. The flower’s uses were just as intriguing. They are
- White Jasmine—cure sickness
- Bloodread Hibiscus–mind-control
- Sunflower—to find things
- Bluestar—a cure for the hibiscus
- Green Rose—used for communication
- Silver Spider Lily—used to win wars
- Chrysanthemum (Chrys in the book)—used to open strange doors (aka not real ones)
- Sacred Lotus—Unknown (never really said in the book)
Almost all of the flowers (except the sunflower) were used in the book. Again, this was fascinating and frightening. The lengths that people were willing to do whatever (including murder) to get the last three flowers was scary.
I liked the bit of romance that the author threw in. Iriniya’s love interest wasn’t clear (at first, I thought she didn’t like girls or guys). But that wasn’t the case. It was more of her being so single-minded that she blocked anything romantic out. I won’t say who she ends up with at the end of the book, but I will say that I wasn’t surprised.
The end of Flower and Thorn was interesting. I liked that Iriniya’s backstory was almost fully explained (I did have some questions about who her father was). The author did leave enough of the storylines open for me to wonder if there will be another book. I would love to know more about certain storylines and people.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books, NetGalley, and Rati Mehrotra for allowing me to read and review this ARC of Flower and Thorn. All opinions stated in this review are mine.