Item: What Blooms from Dust
Rating: 5.00
Author: eve1972

by James Markert

"The closer he got, the brighter that red became. It was a rose—a rose that had no earthly business growing there, right in the middle of all that dust."

Just as Jeremiah Goodbye is set to meet his fate in the electric chair, he is given a second chance at life. With the flip of a coin, he decides to return to his home town of Nowhere, Oklahoma, to settle the score with his twin brother Josiah. But upon his escape, he enters a world he doesn’t recognize—one that has been overtaken by the Dust Bowl. And the gift he once relied on to guide him is as unrecognizable as the path back to Nowhere.

On his journey home, he accidentally rescues a young boy, and the pair arrive at their destination where they are greeted by darkened skies and fearful townspeople who have finally begun to let the past few years of hardship bury them under the weight of all that dust. Unlikely heroes, Jeremiah and his new companion, Peter Cotton, try to protect the residents of Nowhere from themselves, but Jeremiah must face his nightmares and free himself from the guilt of his past and the secrets that destroyed his family.

Filled with mystery and magic, this exquisite novel from award-winning author James Markert is a story of finding hope in the midst of darkness and discovering the beauty of unexpected kindness.

So first thing first, I choose this book because of its' cover. It is beautiful, and truth be told, I am easily swayed by a pretty cover. Luckily for me, it wasn't just the cover that was beautiful, the story between the covers was also gorgeous. It is a little slow out of the gate but stick with it, and I promise you will not be disappointed.

The writing was fantastic. The setting atmospheric. I'll be honest, I knew nothing about the dust bowl before reading this book, but this author did a tremendous job of making me feel like I was experiencing the grit, despair, and hopelessness right along with the residents of Nowhere, Oklahoma. The characters were well developed and intriguing. I loved Jeremiah Goodbye and Peter Cotton. Can't say I was a huge fan of Ellen, but this book was full of interesting characters for sure. The plot was unique and engaging with a thread of magical realism woven throughout. I loved the added element of the coin flipping and the typewriter. All that said, my favorite part of this book was the last 20% or so. Perseverance, forgiveness, kindness, and hope. The letters, and the roses. I'll admit, I had a few tears in my eyes watching this town come back to life. Not only come back to life but THRIVE. It was a powerful ending with a powerful message.

Nothing more left to say really. I am so happy that this cover caught my eye. And this was another great read that reminded me that I have to step out of the romance genre box more often. This one gets two HUGE thumbs up from yours truly.

What Blooms from Dust

by James Markert

Reviewed by Eve1972 on Jun 10, 2018

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