I loved this book. It was a short and beautiful read. It puts me in the mind of Octavia Butler and Nnedi Okorafor’s work. They’re not at all alike, but the feeling I get from all of these authors are the same, and I don’t get it often. I can’t wait to read more from this author. This is my first time reading her work, and it’s been a pleasure. #FlowersForTheSea #NetGalley

This was a phenomenal read. It had all the qualities I want in a dystopian sci-fi, but with real emotion and this grotesque kind of beauty. Reminiscent of Rosemary’s Baby but with twists all its own. My only criticism is I wish there was more.

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<p>Review copy provided by the publisher.</p>
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<p>This debut novella is listed as both epic and dark fantasy, and I would say it trends strongly toward the latter. Until we got to the ending, I was inclining toward calling it horror--there is a strong component of what I would describe as body horror here, subcategory pregnancy body horror. If that's a theme you struggle with, you may want to leave this one for another day (or even another reader), because pregnancy (and nursing) body horror is a substantial portion of what we're doing here.</p>
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<p>This is a story of the outcast, and it is a story of the sea. I was wondering if there would be sharp twists, but no, it's more like the tide, it's inexorable like the tide. The razorfangs, the sea, the survivors and their treatment of each other including the ostracized other among them...the question of her humanity...it's all there, you know this song, it's a question of how vividly Rocklyn brings it to its conclusion, and the answer is, very vividly indeed.</p>
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Reading this physically hurt in the best way.

A short novella that's part fantasy and part horror, Flowers for the Sea explores the very worst of pregnancy and motherhood. The comparison to Rosemary's Baby is apt. It's an uncomfortable work, one that, while short, I had to put down multiple times because Iraxi's rage and everything she felt was so utterly raw and real. Rocklyn has a gift for evocative prose that really makes you feel... gritty? And the horror aspect was so eldritch, taking full advantage of the unknown-ness of the sea.

Iraxi is an incredible protagonist to follow, because she's not the kind of woman you'd expect to be at the center of this story - she's filled with so much anger and resentment and while the residents of the boat despise her for it, the text never punishes her for feeling. There are some incredible passages here about anger and the strength that can accompany it, especially generational rage, the kind that will never leave you so you have to learn to wield it - it was incredible to experience and I can't wait to reread this as soon as possible.

Brilliantly written and terrifying. It's not my cup of tea, but it was still an excellent book and I will absolutely recommend it to readers.

Thank you to Macmillan/Tor-Forge for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Flowers for the Sea by Zin E. Rocklyn is a novella that blends fantasy with horror. When I saw that the synopsis compares it to Rosemary's Baby and Octavia Butler, I knew that I definitely wanted to read this novella. I also want to support queer black authors (which is how the author describes themself), so I was very excited to get approved to review Flowers for the Sea. Thank you again to the publisher for this opportunity!

The story revolves around Iraxi, a pregnant woman on an ark of survivors who haven't seen land in years. They are surrounded by razorfangs, an unspecified but horrifyingly-described animal, and running out of resources. But what is the baby that Iraxi is carrying? Is it human or is it something more eldritch? And what does her baby have to do with the fate of her people?

Here is an excerpt from the beginning of the novella:

"THE CHILDREN IMITATE RAZORFANGS and I am without yet another night’s rest.
The swell of my belly increases with each new dawn, my joints all filled with useless fluid, hindering movement and completion of daily tasks. I abhor my present state, but termination is not an option.
As I’ve been told to the point of biliousness, this child must be born.
Seventeen hundred forty-three days at sea. Recollections of a life without the current in our legs is the stuff of fables and faery tales."

Overall, Flowers From the Sea is a creepy novella that will appeal to readers of Lovecraft and other similar writers. I took off 1 star because I didn't quite understand the purpose or message of the story. It's entirely possible that I just missed it in between the moments of existential horror, but I didn't feel completely satisfied after I finished reading. In my opinion, the novella doesn't go very far beyond the synopsis. I still thought it was an interesting read though. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above or if you're a fan of fantasy/horror blends, I highly recommend that you check out this novella when it comes out in October!

The rest of the review will be on my blog theworldsbetweenpages.wordpress.com

Short. Captivating. Dark.

In Flowers For the Sea we follow Iraxi, a pregnant woman on a boat that could only be described as damned. The boat is an ark of sorts with a dwindling population. world has been changed. Seas rose and with them came the things from the deep. were always there but now they've taken over.

Iraxi is also pregnant and hates it. She's also hated for it.

Iraxi is angry and the descriptions of that anger, that generational rage, were powerful. I felt it. Every time it was described I could feel it. She hates being pregnant, calls the fetus inside her a parasite and hates the man she got pregnant with.

Her family was taken from her in a cruel manner that left her mentally and physically scarred. And her baby is not normal.

It's not that I didn't like Flowers for the Sea, it's that it didn't seem to have a character arc. I felt like this would be a better story if it had been another 100 pages longer. (It's only about 100 pages long.) Iraxi is angry, and she has a right to be as she and her family have had unspeakable things done to them, but there seems to be no inner journey for her, where she builds up to her greatness. She 's angry, as I said, she hates being pregnant, doesn't want the child she's carrying, calling it a parasite, hates all the men she has sex with (but keeps copulating anyway) and then her newborn child tells her she's destined for greatness and then marvelous, supernatural, violent things happen. The newborn baby has quite the vocabulary.!

What I mean is, Iraxi is rewarded without rising above her anger. I didn't see a hero's journey, or it was a very compressed hero's journey. A longer story would have given her room to transform, where we would see her transformation from anger to heroism. The writing was fine.

Flowers for the Sea was medium on my smirk-o-meter. There was some smirking, eye-ball rolling, hissing, and balling up of the fists, and a couple of people had to bite their lips. Not as much as most modern books.

Rocklyn has captured the dark and oppressive atmosphere of a doomed book at sea at times I felt like I too was on the boat, held captive by the demands of those around me. To call this ‘Rosemary’s Baby by way of Octavia Butler’ is no exaggeration, and I believe it has the lasting power of both. Iraxi, who has always been an outcast, is now the only hope of a group of refugees trapped at sea, as the only one who has been able to carry a pregnancy to term --a pregnancy she doesn’t want, and is sure will be the end of all of them. Steeped with rage, this book will keep you hypnotized as you’re lured into its depths.

Flowers for the Sea was a gripping read, and I only wish it was longer. Perhaps a sequel? It was almost dreamlike in its language, and quietly horrifying.

This was a short but captivating novella none the less. Iraxi is brave , confident (at least on the outside) and pregnant with someone/something that may be more powerful then she could imagine. Her and others reside in a arc that it quickly going to hell. With resources as they are they won't last very long. To make matters worse they're not alone in this world. Monsters are about and will devour them if given the chance. I read this in one sitting and was surprised that I felt full. Normally when I read something so short I feel unsatisfied, like something was missing. Not the case with this one-I would love to read more about this world but the story did its job and gave me sustenance! A more specific review will be provided closer to publication, I definitely want to express my thoughts on THAT ending. 5 out of 5!

I started it shortly after receiving the DRC. Rockyn has a very good writing style, and a real knack for evoking dark and brooding atmospheres -- there was a consistent sense of unease and potential doom throughout. The characters are well-written, as are the beasties. Overall, it was pretty good, but not as good as I'd hoped. Sometimes, it felt like the style of the novella was a bit more important than the story -- given how short it is, I'd hoped for some more focus on the story. (That being said, I do think this is a very good example of the genre/sub-genre, so if you're a fan of gothic horror, then I think you will be pleased with what you find.) It's good enough that I'll definitely check out anything else I find by the author, though.

I requested this one because it might be a 2021 title I would like to review on my Youtube Channel. However, after reading the first several chapters I have determined that this book is not my tastes. So I decided to DNF this one rather than push myself to finish it only to give it a poor review.