I presented this book to 6th graders while on a booktalking visit to their school to introduce our public library's summer reading programs. The kids were definitely interested by the hook provided by reading a particularly scary portion of the book. When I told them it was one of the scariest books I had ever read, their ears were perked, and once they heard the passage I read, I think they understood exactly why I found it so scary!

This is a top-notch thriller with broad appeal.

Bloom was a great book full of mystery, horror, and suspense, Readers will be ready for the next adventure! Hand to students who enjoy Stranger Things, The Darkdeep, and Scar Island.

Bloom by Kenneth Oppel was the last SSYRA book that I had to read, and I am glad I saved it for last because I wanted to read the next two in the trilogy AS SOON AS I FINISHED! What an intense sci-fi novel! Kenneth Oppel, once again, does not disappoint and kept me intrigued, engaged, and interested until the very end!

I love just about anything Kenneth Oppel writes. This is not my favorite of his books, but I liked it. Frankly it reads like a YA or middle grade version of the Southern Reach trilogy by Jeff VanderMeer--possibly more my speed that that trilogy, tbh. I liked the relationship between the kids and their parents here, I liked how he got in some peer pressure and the difficulties of managing friendships as you are growing up. All in all, a solid thumbs up.

Thrilling

I was concerned when I started this book because it didn't seem like it was going to go anywhere I wanted to be. We meet our three heroes, Anaya, Seth, and Petra, and each is some version of an angsty or deeply emo sad sack. I really wasn't in the mood for school or family or relationship drama. But then I thought, hey, this is Kenneth Oppel and Oppel is a reliable and straight up spinner of thrilling, exceptionally well written, and creative tales. So I just waited for the rain to start.

And when it rains, it pours. The book takes off like a rocket and plays with and improvises on every horror, alien invasion, body snatcher, global apocalypse convention. All three heroes step up and the reader can choose and root for a favorite or for all of them, since they form a loose team of sorts. And I like a book in which the geek heroes are botanists.

The book wastes no time moving along. There is very little shilly-shallying about what's going on, and none of that "I told the authorities but they don't believe me" filler. We have to recognize the threat, investigate, defend, and counter strike. (BTW, the people in the book seem to be better at this than the people currently doing the same thing IRL.) It's tense and suspenseful, with lots of action and propulsive dialogue and narration. There's room to build and develop the three kids at least a little bit, (and even the parents are more than stick figures), but hey, what you most remember from invasion movies is the pods and the triffids.

It's probably NO SPOILER to warn you that just after we save the world in this volume round two begins and pushes us to the edge of a major wait-for-book-two cliff hanger. This is one of those occasions where I'm delighted to have a cliff hanger and am willing to wait for Oppel to come at us all again.

(Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

I love everything by Kenneth Oppel and this is no exception. The book starts out strong and builds from there. There is a mysterious invasive plant that begins to pop up, taking over fields and then neighborhoods and more. Several young people find that they share certain physical and supernatural abilities that are enhanced or altered by the arrival of this invasive species. The book is fast paced and interesting. I'm looking forward to the next one in the series!

I love Kenneth Oppel's stories! I think kids 5th grade up, who enjoy thrillers will enjoy this book! As always, Oppel's stories are well written and easy to read and will draw in the reluctant reader! So fun! Just a great joy ride of a story!

Kenneth Oppel is so talented at creating true suspense which is uncommon in children's literature. You don't see many kid's thrillers but adults eat them up, for good reason. I used this book in a book club with my 5th and 6th graders in the school library and they were very engaged because of the cliffhangers and crazy premise. There were a few moments that skew a little older (smoking cigarette's, some dating & relationships/kissing) but it opened up a good discussion about those topics. I think those topics also added a little edge which made it more appealing to my students. Kids often like to read books about the stage of life they are entering, not necessarily the one they are currently in. Overall, I am a fan of Oppel's and will absolutely be adding this book into our library collection.

I loved this book! I normally don't read horror books, but I enjoyed reading this one. This is a middle grade book, so it was a right amount of horror, which I liked. Characters were relatable and I connected with them from the start. It did start slow, but as soon as it picked up I couldn't put it down. This is the book I would recommend to all kids, no doubt. Cannot wait for the sequel!

**Thank you Netgalley and publisher for giving me an electronic ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.**

I could not put this book down! Every moment that I had free, I was reading Bloom. The characters were compelling and the action didn't seem rushed at all.

I want to thank Netgalley and Random House for an advanced digital copy to review. I am ecstatic to be able to highly recommend the first book of this trilogy to my students. I know they will be clamoring to get their hands on this book. For sci-if lovers- this is a fast-paced plot that will keep the pages turning. All Sci-if plots need imagination and this book will not disappoint. Visualization is a key reading skill we focus on at my grade level and this book is perfect. Our trio of protagonists are well developed, struggle with normal adolescent angst, and pull together for some incredible action scenes. I totally disagree with a few reviewers that say that the characters were not well developed and easy to connect to. I think Oppel is a masterful storyteller (wish he was eligible for Newbery nods) and looking forward to this trilogy catching fire with my students like Hunger Games and Neal Shusterman's Unwind series.

Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read and review this title. I will review this title at a different date.

The Day of the Triffids meets Maximum Ride. A strange, resilient black grass is germinating all over the world, and it is only one of several types of vegetation that seem to have minds of their own--minds that want to kill humankind. Meanwhile, three Vancouver-area teens notice body changes that go far beyond the onset of puberty: feathered arms, claws and furry haunches, molting skin like a snake's. Scientists discover that the plants, and the teens, are part of an alien invasion. This is the first book in a trilogy.

Where to even start? I normally don't like horror, but I couldn't put down this story with its deadly plant invasion. There is death and violence, but Oppel writes in a way that is appropriate for middle grade readers (or squeamish adults like me). And it was surreal to read during the Covid-19 crisis - descriptions of hoarding, of rumors and fear, of a worldwide panic, all seem to come straight from the daily news. Thankfully the publisher is speeding up publication of the next in the trilogy which is scheduled for September 2020. I can't wait. Highly recommended for ages 10 and up.

This book was terrifying and ended on a cliffhanger. I can't wait to read the next one. Kenneth Oppel, as usual, delivers.

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

This book will grab hold of you and won’t let go, even after you are done with it. It is part science fiction, a little bit of horror, and whole lot of heart with wonderful characters and a terrifying life form taking over the world. I will never look at plants in quite the same way again.

All three of our main characters are very well developed with backgrounds that kids will be able to relate to. Seth has been in foster care for a long time and has finally found a family he is comfortable with. Anaya is allergic to everything, and is struggling with accepting who she is. Petra is the popular girl who is allergic to water, that makes for some interesting issues. Anaya and Petra used to be best friends and have to come to terms with what happened and repair their friendship. As the threat of the plants starts to grow, these three find that they are the only ones immune to the pollen and other toxins it throws out. This brings them together in unexpected ways. This bond only becomes stronger as they get to know each other and the secret that they didn’t know they shared.

I have to give a shout out to the parents and adults in this book. They were all super supportive and understanding of what the kids were going through. Even Seth’s foster parents were super cool, until things started to fall apart for them, but I was glad that Dr. Weber was there for him in the end. It is just nice to see good strong parental figures in a middle grade book.

The plot is something else and is what really keeps you from putting this book down. I don’t want to give too much away, but man those plants are super creepy and scary. It might give a few kids nightmares, it certainly made me shudder a few times. I loved the subtle science talk around plants and botany. It made the story that much more interesting. Also the pace was so non-stop, that I occasionally just had to stop and take a breath. The setting was spectacular, you really got the feeling of what it is like to live on a small island where everyone knows one another. The ending was spectacular, and a heck of a cliff-hanger. But luckily the next one will be out in the fall.

A riveting science fiction story that is fast paced, pulse quickening and hard to put down. But it still has a lot of heart and the characters are ones that you will enjoy and root for as they try to come to terms with what is happening.

We received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley for review purposes. All opinions are our own and do not reflect the thoughts or beliefs of the publisher or author.

Pitched as Hatchet meets alien, Bloom follows three children as their coastal Canadian town is over run with Venus-fly trap like plants. Anaya, Petra and Seth have spent their lives dealing with strange, inconvenient allergies. But now, when it matters most, they might be the only people who can save the world from this invasion?

Bloom is a sci-fi horror novel written for young readers. I was pleasantly surprised by this one having read Oppel’s other novel The Nest (which I highly recommend if you want something disturbing- not for those who hate bugs). I am happy to report that Bloom, the first in a trilogy, did not disappoint. I feel comfortable describing this beauty as Annihilation for twelve year olds

The story follows three very different, but equally compelling characters. Through the eyes of these kids we are privy to a world that is slowly plunged into chaos following a rainstorm that resulted in the sprouting of unusual, hostile plants.

I was actually surprised with how heavy the horror was in this book. Oppel isn’t afraid to get dark and disturbing. There are scenes that made me squirm as I read them, which is always the sign of a fantastic horror novel in my opinion. The suspense and tension were palpable as Anaya, Seth and Petra try to figure out what’s happening and how they can help.

The pacing was quick and perfect for building suspense, a real page turner in the best way. Oppel writes a book about the environment and while the commentary is subtle it reminds the reader that, to the natural world, we are merely visitors in the broader cycle of its existence.

Over all, I give it 5/5 unhesitating, gushing stars and would recommend it to anyone who loves books like The Ruins by Scott Smith and Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer.

Another good series by Kenneth Oppel. As always his characters are intriguing and the plant invasion terrifyingly creepy. I look forward to the rest of the trilogy.

After reading a review/synopsis of this latest from Oppel - a favorite author - I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. Luckily I was able to score an ARC of it and started reading about ten minutes later. And then I didn't stop for much of anything until I was done. I can see this being so popular with my students but it was tons of fun for me as well. Oppel surprised me several times throughout elevating this above just a typical thriller. The changes in the main characters added something I wasn't expecting and a little mystery to fighting the monster plants. And just when I was thinking that there couldn't possibly be any way out of a hopeless situation, suddenly there was a possible, plausible solution! Great adventure with a reasonable cliffhanger that has me curious but still able to sleep tonight.

3.5 rounded up to 4. I don’t normally read middle grade books, but I was intrigued by the premise of this one and decided to check it out. BLOOM is an eco-thriller/horror book that is sure to entertain upper middle grade readers. I can definitely see younger readers picking this up at a book fair or the library based on cover and synopsis alone.

For me, the book had a lot of “extra” details not necessarily overwritten, but times in which I just wanted things to GO instead of just adding more stuff that didn’t really add to the story, in my opinion. I’m definitely willing to chalk this up to “it’s me, not you” based on my lack of reading history in this age group. Take my comments there with a grain of salt.

I dug the alien/evil plant invaders (not a spoiler) and the three teens (tweens?) who find themselves in the middle of some crazy happenings. Add in the seclusion of the setting and the all-too-real way in which crazy becomes normalized, and this book moved at a quick pace at times and amped up the dread.