Full of magic(al) stuff but set firmly in reality with some of the best characters I’ve read this year so far. The writing is hit or miss but that’s easy to overlook. It’s a pretty cool YA horror.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and author Andrea Hannah for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.

What an eerie little fun mystery. The town's land craves blood and horror. The scenery was sinister and sucked me in. The characters were well-fleshed out and compelling.

i really enjoyed this!! i LOVE settings that are sentient in horror books, i think it just adds this really fun creepy factor. the sister and mother/daughter dynamics explored in this book were so well done and i really loved all 4 of our main characters: bo, delilah, jude, and whitney. i think they all brought something different to the story and they all felt like heros in their own way.

this is definitely a story that is enjoyable because of the journey our MCs go on and how they solve the mystery of the town and their mothers’ disappearances. you kind of already know or have a general idea of what’s going on so there’s no real plot twist or unexpected moments but i didn’t mind that at all! i still felt very engaged the entire time reading and i will definitely be checking out more from andrea hannah in the future!

🖤🌻A twisted story about a small town built on ground that holds pure evil. The only way the town can survive is if some of its inhabitants don’t. How far will these families go to ensure their success?

It’s a unique storyline. I have not read anything remotely close. I was pleasantly surprised by how novel the ideas were. Crops that must be given human blood to survive and grow? Sounds like a town I wouldn’t want to visit…and forget the sunflowers. You’ll never stop by the side of the road to take a picture in a sunflower field again. 🌻

A fun read that I’d recommend if you’re tired of reading the same predictable tropes over and over 🙃

The cover is also stunning

Bishop is a town haunted by sunflowers, windstorms, and missing/murdered women. The most recently missing women, a trio of best friends, left behind four daughters: Delilah, Whitney, Jude, and Bo. They are surviving the best they can, but they all want answers to two crucial questions: Where are their mothers, and why are so many women being killed? As they dig into Bishop’s history, they realize something isn’t right with the town. The closer they get to the truth about Bishop, the more danger they are in. What is Bishop’s secret? Why are women getting killed and going missing? Will the girls find out the truth, and at what cost?

I admit it; I mainly accepted the publisher’s invitation because of the cover. I usually don’t get books purely based on their covers, and this was a rare expectation to that rule. I am glad I did because this book was one of the creepier ones I have read this year. It was sufficiently scary and made me want to know why the author made sunflowers so evil.

Where Darkness Blooms storyline centers around the town of Bishop and four abandoned girls: Delilah, Whitney, Jude, and Bo. It explores the aftereffects of child abandonment and trauma gritty and raw way. But this book also showed that most people rise under extraordinary circumstances (in this case, the town and a madman out for their blood). I was equally saddened and amazed at what these girls could do while their mothers were gone.

The town of Bishop was creepy. It was blocked off from the rest of Kansas by unending fields of sunflowers. Those sunflowers always seemed to be watching the town. The fields were where the murdered women were found and where the girls’ had a memorial to their mothers. Bishop started getting weirder and weirder as the book went on. Even though it was fictional, the wind started driving me nuts. I couldn’t figure out how the wind and the sunflowers were connected until the end of the book. Everything (and I mean everything) was explained at the end of the book.

I liked Delilah. She came across as the group’s mother hen and was determined to look after the other girls. Her relationship with Bennett was different. I don’t know if I could stand to be with someone whose touch hurt me. But, somehow, she managed, even though she liked someone else. I felt terrible for her because while she missed her mother, she figured her mother had voluntarily left her. She was so sad, yet so strong.

Whitney was a huge factor in determining why their mothers left. But, when things started coming to light, Whitney was the one who did the leg work. She went and interviewed her ex-girlfriend’s grandmother in the nursing home. She was also the one that put two and two together about the town founder. All while fighting an attraction to a nurse’s aide who helped her and running from the bad guy.

Jude is Whitney’s fraternal twin. I didn’t have an opinion of her until her past with Bennett was discussed. Then I had an “oh crap” moment when I realized it was Delilah’s Bennett. I found Jude a little mopey and somewhat obsessive over Bennett. But she could do what she had to when push came to shove.

I wasn’t a fan of Bo. She was so angry and self-destructive for almost the entire book. It was hard to imagine her as happy in any form. I got at least some of her anger. I would have been pissed, too, if my mother had just disappeared. But, it was clear from the beginning that her anger was more than that. I would love to say she was helpful, but I felt she hindered more than helped. Her temper gets her into some trouble towards the end of the book.

I was shocked at who the villains turned out to be. Well, one of them, I was surprised at who it was. The other two, I had a feeling they were bad news. Coupled with what they could do with the wind, I wasn’t surprised that they played with the girls as long as they did. Of course, why they did it was also explained, and it made me so mad!!

The end of Where Darkness Blooms wasn’t what I expected. I can’t get much into it, but I wasn’t very excited when certain things happened. I was expecting one thing, and the complete opposite happened. But it was that last chapter that made the book for me. I was pleasantly surprised by what the author revealed and then by what the author had that character do.

I would recommend Where Darkness Blooms to anyone over 21. There are language, violence, and sexual situations. See also the trigger warning section at the top of the review.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books, NetGalley, and Andrea Hannah for allowing me to read and review Where Darkness Blooms. All opinions stated in this review are mine

This was such a pleasure to read. Very atmospheric, creepy and fiercely feminist, Where Darkness Blooms held me spellbound until the final page. Thank you to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for the chance to review this advance copy. Where Darkness Blooms is available for purchase everywhere you buy books now!

WOW! WOW! WOW! I did not expect to enjoy this book as much as I did! I absolutely devoured this story within 3 hours!
This is a book that you will most definitely want on your shelves!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book!

I absolutely loved it. The creepy small town atmosphere and the unexplainable nature of the land/sunflowers made the scenery almost a character in itself. Multiple POVs can be very hit or miss with me, but in this case I found that I liked it, and didn't have trouble keeping the characters straight or dreading a certain persons narrative. If you are looking for a creepy, thrilling, can't put the book down until you figure out what is going on book, then I highly recommend this one.

Scratching my head over this one as it was kind of bizarre. Is eco-horror a thing? Lol. Like seriously, the ground was evil in this book. It was kind of The Handsmaid Tale meets The Grace Year meets Little Shop of Horrors meets Children of the Corn. Thriller/Horror/anti patriarchy themed.

I guess it was an interesting story idea/plot. A town that needs blood to survive and that blood seems to come in the form of a sacrifice of women.

My issues were the characters. Four teenage girls living in a house together after their mothers abandoned them in a town prone to crazy wind storms and sunflowers that never die. The four girls all seemed similar, none of them having a distinct voice so I found it difficult to keep them separate. Add to that the stories of their mothers who seemed equally indistinct before their disapparance and I found my attention waning in the first third.

Once the "action" hits and we start to see the true colors of the men of the town I couldn't help but wonder who was the ultimate monster? The land, the wind, this weird magic some of the men seemed to possess (almost like a glamour,) the men themselves, the sunflowers? I felt like the story was drawn out a bit by being repetitive (voices constantly giving vague direction, "look" "Bo" etc) and more character development could have helped with this. It does have a HEA but it was just really kind of weird. Great creepy cover though!

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the eArc. TW for readers (included in the book) for off-page sexual assault.

3.5, rounded up mostly for the concepts.

"Where Darkness Blooms" is, at its core, a story about female rage, about patriarchy, about escaping confines both within and without. It's creepy and atmospheric, following the perspective of four girls two years after their mothers mysteriously disappeared. The small town of Bishop holds many secrets and a wind the girls hear whispering to them. You'll probably like this book if you like "Wilder Girls" and "Burn Our Bodies Down" by Rory Power or "Wake the Bones" by Elizabeth Kilcoyne. Overall, it's a fairly enjoyable read, I like the concept a lot, and much of the actual writing it quality.

Now, here come the spoilers - things I thought the book could have done better, or things that generally bothered me. You've been warned.

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First and foremost, I thought the pacing was a bit odd, and some of that may have come from having four different POVs. The prologue was fantastic, then the beginning is decently paced, then it slows down - a lot - and including the third act, then things happen very quickly. I think it would've been a smoother read focusing on two girls, max.

I mostly liked the prose... but I won't lie, it got REAL flowery for no reason sometimes.

And finally, the ending just feels... unclear. IS this revenge fiction? What broke the curse? IS it broken? Why didn't the moms just... take their girls with them? I'm all for an open-ended ending but we need more conclusion than we got. I think the novel lost its narrative towards the end.

But again, overall, it's a good, quick read and I would recommend it.

The theme of this book was interesting. You have a strange and isolated town where the weather is dangerous and unpredictable. They have windstorms that seem to come and go on a whim but can be devastating. Women and girls seem to randomly disappear without anyone thinking strangely of it. Yet no men or boys ever go missing. What's with that?

You get the history of Bishop in the beginning. It's founded by blood. A man traveling through heard the call of the earth beckoning for blood and answered it with that of his wife and that was the beginning of the offerings that would come for years to come.

This haunting book touches on many messed up social issues. Not only is the patriarchy quite controlling in this small town, but there are curses and almost hypnotic brainwashing going on. And that's mild because there is abuse and lack of consent and more. These people are truly evil.

The four girls that are the main characters are living on their own after the disappearance of their mothers over a year ago. They are good friends just like their moms were. It should also be noted that two of them are actually twin sisters. As the story is progressing, not only is the town coming apart at the seams, so are the relationships between these four young women. They have withheld secrets from each other and they are all getting ready to come to light and leave their own devastation in their wake. They will discover that the only way they can survive is to find a sense of peace and bond together to fight their common enemy.

This story was creepy, frustrating and heartbreaking at times. The sunflowers that would thrive when blood offerings were made truly made me extra grossed out but then at times it seemed like they were trying to send warnings to the girls so I couldn't truly figure out their role. It was all confusing. I still have to say it was a clever storyline.

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: The narration was done well. I thought it lent itself to the story and made it even more enjoyable. The audio version definitely makes the book feel more like a production. 4 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC and early listening copy. I chose to read and listen to both of these and review them and the opinions contained within are my own.

DNF at 35%
Honestly my decision to DNF Where Darkness Blooms has more to do about my massive reading slump than the actual book itself. I just could not get into it at all and it was a struggle to even read a couple sentences. That being said out of what I did read the plot was really intriguing and I loved the queer rep!

*Rating based on what I did read*

The town of Bishop is officially known for its windstorms and endless fields of sunflowers, but women go missing there all the time. When three more women go missing, their daughters are left alone until secrets are revealed at their memorial. Delilah wants to move on and live with her boyfriend even though she can't stand his touch. Whitney lost her mother and girlfriend, so she clings to a weathervane. Whitney's twin Jude would rather forget everything, but her fling with Delilah's boyfriend is revealed. Bo just wants the truth about what happened to their mothers. Bishop is a quiet little town founded on blood, and now it wants theirs.

The opening is told from Bishop's POV, so we know there's a creepy, bloody history from the time of its founding. We also get a warning from the author regarding allusions to trauma and underage drinking, so there's an additional edge of foreboding in the early chapters. The girls are all teens, with Delilah as the oldest and their nominal guardian because their fathers all abandoned them years before their mothers disappeared on the same day as a bonfire all four had attended. As with many small-town stories, everyone knows everyone else, even the secrets that good ol' boys want to keep. It can be as relatively innocent as Delilah's boyfriend sleeping with Jude before he ditched her for Delilah, or Whitney and Eleanor kissing before Eleanor died. There's also Bo's trauma, heavily hinted at, as well as the bloody knife and charm found at the memorial site which starts the search for the truth two years after the mothers had disappeared.

Bishop is a town that prevents the women from leaving, and the wind whispers. As the girls try to figure out what that means, the windstorms and police circle them. The men all know more than they were telling, eager to protect the secret of the town's survival. They're the only ones who generally grow old in town; the women are cut down in their youth to feed the hunger and create the sunflowers that surround the town. This is an eerie and dark tale, where anger can give strength and survival depends on working together. At the same time, this isn't wholly a horror story. Aside from the wind speaking or the ghosts, the true monsters are the human ones that assault and kill. It's a compelling and tense story, one that I had to stay up late to finish.

The Town of Bishop has a dark secret. The women there go missing or seemly healthy women suddenly die.

This book is from four point of views of the daughters of three friends that have gone missing. They’re trying to find answers about what happened to their moms. The four girls are very different but share the same pain. This book is about found family and the different struggles women face. This is supernatural thriller that brings the creepy vibes.

Blown away by this amazing read. The cover was the reason I wanted it but now I know this is a story That will stick with me for a long time.

A story of female friendship. It's upset and downs and what the power of love and strength can do. The writing flowed smoothly and I finished in a couple of sittings. The atmosphere was creepy, sith a Gothic whimsical feel. I was heavily invested in their journey and was anxious towards the ending. I don't normally do young adult books, but it was strongly written and gave me hours of enjoyment. #NETGALLEY #andreahannah #wheredarknessblooms

Watchful sunflowers, missing mothers, and a land that craves blood. Where Darkness Blooms by Andrea Hannah is just the right balance of creepy suspense and page-turning action.

The story centers on the friendship of four teenage girls who live like sisters. They have been caring for each other and their home, alone, for two years since their mothers disappeared.

The girls know that there is something dangerously wrong with the town of Bishop, KS. As their suspicions grow, and they investigate the many deaths and disappearances of the women in town, Bishop’s dark mysteries slowly come to light.

The fierce loyalty of these four abandoned girls gives this book its heart. When we are first introduced to Delilah, Bo, Jude, and Whitney, they are living very separate lives under one roof. But when one of them is injured, their secrets are shared, and they bond together as they had been before their mothers vanished.

I had some difficulty sorting out all the characters and past events at the start of the book. I felt like I needed a chart matching the girls to their mothers and a detailed timeline of the past two years. But once I settled in, the different personalities and experiences of each character became clear. Yet taking a few notes when reading the first chapters might be helpful.

Once the truth about Bishop is revealed, the action moves at a fast pace to the end. Readers of YA horror and suspense won’t be disappointed by this supernatural tale with its strong and determined characters.

tw: rape

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review.

It’s a spooky story that will have you questioning each character. Each character was unique and the story built slowly, increasing the mystery.
It wasn’t the book for me because I’m slowly learning I don’t appreciate paranormal aspects in a modern world. However, many will love this one!
Thank you Wednesday Books for the gifted copy!

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I love these gothic, Midwest YA books that keep cropping up and the darkness that they carry. I think that they are diving into what it means to be a teenage girl and what happens to you when the world is against you. I think that there were too many girls in this book for me, too many narrations. But I did like that they each brought something to the narrative. I think that the story involving their mothers was a little flimsy and I don't believe that they would have left anyway, but whatever.

It was darker than I thought but I don't know that the supernatural element of it landed as hard as it should have.

3 stars.

This is a YA supernatural thriller about an eerie town where the sunflowers whisper secrets and the land hungers for blood.

I just about binged Where Darkness Blooms in a day. It was such a gripping novel about this creepy town where missing women is common, and no one thinks twice about it… except for the group of girls/sisters who’s mother’s disappeared two year ago. The girls (Delilah, Bo, and twins Whitney & Jude) refuse to believe their mothers just up and left them, but finding out the truth of it all might be the most dangerous thing they’ve ever done. Are they willing to risk it all??

You’ll love this book is you like….

- Vengeful land
- Found family
- Little town secrets
- Strong female characters
- A little bit of queer love

I give this book 4 stars, as it was emotional and gritty with a touch of the spooky paranormal that I love so much!