“People are almost never what they seem.”

In this case, sadly the book wasn’t quite what it seemed either. Per the placeholder “review” below, you can see proof of why it is important to have good titles, pretty covers and clever synopsis in order to hook readers. Especially a reader like me who doesn’t even bother reading a whole blurb before hitting the request or one-click buttons or running straight to the nearest cash register.

When I glossed over the summary for Desert Flowers the following jumped out at me . . . .

themselves and their five daughters

middle of nowhere

young hiker

must do what they can to protect themselves

And my brain convinced me it would be a bit like <I>The Strangers</I> which would have me running and screaming at every strange noise I heard in my house for the next week and a half. Without spoiling things, please note this book was NOTHING LIKE THAT. Obviously I have to take a portion of the blame for this being such a fail for me. However, when there is absolutely ZERO character development – other than kind of a squicky “farmer’s daughter” type of vibe, no explanation of the why behind the main plot point and a story that could have easily been told as a 50-page novella since it absolutely no depth beyond surface level, I refuse to give more than 1 Star. The only bright side was it was so simplistic I read it in a couple of hours.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!

Too slow to start, I gave up at 25% as nothing had happened sorry! Very well written, just not for me

After having read Paul Pen's previous novel, The Light of the Fireflies, I honestly could not wait to start this book.

The characters and setting reminded me of Fireflies and the book throughout followers his previous writing style, which was the main factors that made me a huge fan of his work.

The plot twist was a real shock and I really enjoy the way the author makes situations that do actually happen but don't get get talked about, into the main aspect of his books.

I was slightly let down by the ending in general but the last few short chapters tied up the story as a whole really quite beautifully.

I can't wait for Pen's next adventure!

This book is just way too slow for me and hasn't grabbed my attention yet. I'm over 25% in, my interest should be drawn and it just isn't.

Well written story that dwells a lot on parents who have isolated their children from main-stream society, supposedly for the protection of the children, but actually for the protection of themselves. When a stranger discovers their secret, long and drawn out violence against the stranger ensues. I was enough engaged to continue reading to find out what happened, but it was difficult as I don't enjoy reading about people suffering. I can't say I actually enjoyed the book, but the story was at least interesting.

If you've read [book:The Light of the Fireflies|28802599] you probably know what to expect from this book. [book:Desert Flowers|34323502] does not mark a significant departure from the author's former work and offers just as much dark entertainment.

(Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!)