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One girl. One boy. A promise broken. A magic stolen. Irinya has wanted to be a flower hunter ever since her mother disappeared into the mysterious mist of the Rann salt flats one night. Now seventeen, Irinya uses her knowledge of magical flowers to help her caravan survive in the harsh desert. When her handsome hunting partner and childhood friend finds a priceless silver spider lily--said to be able to tear down kingdoms and defeat an entire army--Irinya knows this is their chance for a better life. Until Irinya is tricked by an attractive imposter. Irinya's fight to recover the priceless flower and to fix what she's done takes her on a dangerous journey, one she's not sure she'll survive. She has no choice but to endure it if she hopes to return home and mend the broken heart of the boy she's left behind. A young flower hunter gets embroiled in the succession politics of the Sultanate when she must retrieve the rarest and most powerful magical flower after giving it to the wrong hands, in Rati Mehrotra's Flower and Thorn.
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3.75 stars
rati mehrotra never misses. she will always write a ya fantasy that will be a good time.
this is a historical fantasy standalone set in 16th century india in a world where special flowers hold magical properties and even greater currency; as such they are coveted by many. we see how this coincided with the very real portuguese invasion of india that was happening at the time in real life.
i adored the fantasy elements in this book: the lore of the flowers and the dangerous job of the flower hunters.
this is my second book of rati mehrotra, and once again her greatest strength is her worldbuilding. what stood out the most for me in night of the raven, dawn of the dove was the atmosphere, and flower and thorn is no different. the world feels so full and enriched.
both times the stories have managed to engage me from start to finish. i love that reading a rati mehrotra standalone will leave you feeling fulfilled by the time you finish —a complete story contained in one book.
thank you to netgalley, st martin’s press and wednesday books for this arc in exchange for an honest review
0the world-building is always brilliant and immersive, but i just couldn’t get into this as much as i would’ve like. the plot and twists were too predictable and i found myself skimming at times because the descriptions and what one character was doing went on for too long. there was more tell than show. but i appreciated the wlw representation and how the author did not shy away from stating how brown the characters were.
thank you to the publisher for providing me with an arc!
03.75 stars
rati mehrotra follows up with another winner. can always trust her to write a good ya fantasy
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