Blood and Flowers
Author: Penny Blubaugh
Series: ---
Publisher: HarperTeen
How Received: review copy
Three years ago, Persia ran away from her drug-addict parents and found a home with the Outlaws, an underground theater troupe. With time, this motley band of mortals and fey, puppeteers and actors, becomes the loving family Persia never had, and soon Persia not only discovers a passion for theater but also falls in love with one of the other Outlaws. Life could not be more perfect.
Until an enemy makes an unfair accusation against the group and forces them to flee their world and hide in the neighboring realm of Faerie. But in Faerie, all is not flowers and rainbows. With bloodthirsty trolls, a hostile monarchy, and a dangerous code of magic, the fey world is far from the safe haven the Outlaws had hoped for...
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I was pleasantly surprised by Blood and Flowers. It was one of those books that I have sitting on my shelf for ages. The cover scares the crap out of me so I always procrastinated picking it up, but I did love the summary.
I'm glad I got around to reading it. (Don't let the cover fool you - there's no weird frost bitten pollinated nymphs in the story. Or at least, I didn't see any.) It's a fun romp of a tale that sucks you in and doesn't let you go until the final page.
Even though the plot was fairly predictable - one day I will be surprised! - I absolutely loved the world and the characters. Every single character was well fleshed out and (in their own way) hilarious. I'd happily risk all the dangers of Faerie if it meant being able to hang out with them for a while.
And Faerie! And the human world that borders Faerie! I loved all the subtle ways the world of Faerie influenced the human world; it wasn't this in-your-face, "Oh, look, we have FAERIES on THIS earth!" kind of world. It was really well blended, so to speak.
Overall Rating & Final Comments: 8/10. I wish the plot was a bit more surprising, and that the "main" villain was a little more fleshed out - he's the only character that's not! - but besides that, it was a fun read.
Cover Comments: It's eye catching, I'll give you that. But it scares the kajeebers out of me.
Have you read it? What did you think!