The gorgeous cover caught my eye, the synopsis intrigued me, and the prologue…well the prologue wowed me and just sucked me in. Unfortunately that prologue also gave me the idea that I was in for a slightly different type of story. That isn’t to say the story of the town of Bishop with its fields of sunflowers and dark history of woman disappearing isn’t enjoyable, it’s just the creepy prologue had me primed for a slightly different tale. While I didn’t completely connect with this one (and I can admit I’m likely not the target audience) I still felt that overall the book has a solid cast and tells an interesting and twisted story while delivering a social message. The story features four main characters with each chapter changing our POV character. While I didn’t think it was entirely necessary, the audio version features a different narrator for each of these characters and all four narrators do a solid job. I’d like to thank OrangeSky Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an advanced audio copy of Where Darkness Blooms.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R35V47DHCJMC03/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

Spooky sunflowers and creepy townspeople alongside criticism of the patriachy? Yes, please! I loved the use of the 4 narrators depending on the POV of the story, and despite the slow start, the story definitely ramped up as it went on. Kept me riveted!

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.

I received this as an audio galley to listen to for free in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and OrangeSky Audio for giving me access.

I found that Where Darkness Blooms had a M. Night Shyamalan vibe to it...but less creepy.

The story was interesting and kept me intrigued. Hannah did do a great job at creating the story but just needed some more details in areas to fix some plot holes. Overall, it didn't take away from my enjoyment too much.

Definitely give this one a try if minor plot holes aren't a deal breaker for you.

I was provided both the print and audio arc via Netgalley, as always all opinions are my own. Thank you to OrangeSky Audio and St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books for providing me the opportunity to read this early. I spent most of my time listening to the audiobook, though I feel either choice would work well for this story.

Check the trigger warnings before reading this one, as there are some heavy topics in this book. There is a trigger warning page in the book, the following are mentioned as well as some I've added: underage drinking, physical violence, death (some gore), sexual assault, and teen sex.

I felt that the multiple narrators in the audio worked really well here. Rachanee Lumayo, Sarah Beth Pfeifer, Emily Ellet, Lindsey Dorcus did a great job with the narration. I really appreciate when there are multiple POVs that there is more of a full cast narration so I can tell each of the characters apart. I thought they all did a good job bringing the girls to life in this YA horror novel.

This follows 4 teen girls trying to survive after the disappearance of their mothers. They live in the creepy town of Bishop that is surrounded by sunflowers and has constant windstorms, oh and women seem to disappear or drop dead without much concern. Each of the girls is coping with the loss of her mother in a different way, but they each have secrets surrounding the night their mothers went missing. When the town decides to honor the missing women with statues, the girls are prompted to look more closely into the history of the town the trail of missing women that the town has left in its wake. I don't want to say too much about the plot and spoil it.

I really enjoyed this. This is like if Children of the Corn met The Handmaid's Tale and mixed together into one horror novel. I would say it is meant for a more mature YA audience given some of the content and themes. I've read several books this last week about female empowerment and this is the one that sticks out to me the most. Hannah did a good job making the town of Bishop have the creepy and atmospheric vibe that you need to drive a horror novel. I'm not sure I can look at sunflowers the same way ever again. Each of the girls is on her own journey of self discovery to break free from the terrible things that happen in the town and break the cycle going forward.

If you are looking for an interesting YA horror book to pick up this spring I recommend this one!

Small town Kansas: are women going missing because of a flesh and blood villain, or are there potential paranormal forces at work? 18 year old Delilah, Beau, Jude and Whitney live in the house their mother's disappeared from 2 years ago. Now their mother's are presumed dead and the girls are trying to move on with their lives but they soon uncover there's more at play.

This audio was so atmospheric and creepy! I really loved the 4 different narrator's for each of the voices. At first, the number of characters were a little overwhelming to keep track of and whose chapter was who's, but the individual narrator's made the characters voices come to life and it became easy to understand who was who. I loved the idea of the whole town possibly being in on the conspiracy, with the girls being the last to know. As soon as things started to unfold I could not stop listening. The last 25% was action packed and I recommend setting aside enough time to finish the last quarter in one go.

Thank you, TLC Book tours, Wednesday Books, and OrangeSky Audio for my Advanced Listening Copy!

This was something unexpected. I'm such a cover buyer, and this was, no exception, a cover request - wanted to read it based on the cover alone. It gave some creepy, horror vibes and this book was not that, but still good.

It is a creepy and dark story, though not a horror. It is magical realism about curses, and secrets, and bad things that happen to girls.

It had so many great themes, the whole idea behind the book is so good - it is the darkest truths on paper, about what it is women have to endure, and how it is usually hidden behind beautiful coverings. It hits close to home, as I see women around me currently struggling with this, with being overpowered, abused, used, and all for what? Power? Self love?

The story is about a town, where something dark has been happening - women who are "different" (I say it in parentheses as I think we're all different and beautiful, and it is not a bad thing), disappear. And it is excused, oh that's normal for a girl who is too loud, who is too brash, who is a fighter, etc. All the excuses, and no care in the world as it is the norm of this town. Until one day, all the bad things start to fester, and it starts to attract attention. Questions are being asked, the secrets are being revealed. And the four girls that are the main characters of this story find out what their actual reality is.

One thing bothered me about this book, were the main four girls were not strong as separate entities, and their characters didn't shine. They did not have their unique voices. But maybe thats the point - to interlace them, and not separate them, as every girls' destiny in this town was still the same.

The writing was lush and oppressive. It had some gothic vibes. And after reading this book, you wont look at sunflowers the same. Overall a good book.

This one had a lot of promise when it started, but it ultimately ended up being sort of meh when it came to the execution. I was lured in by the idea of women meeting premature deaths in the mysterious town of Bishop, KS. But I ultimately found the storyline to meandering and repetitive up until the last 20% or so.

What I did appreciate about this book was that even though the victims are all women, there is a discussion about trans women as well as non-binary folks, which you don’t normally find in these types of gendered stories. I found that really refreshing.

Wow, I’m not sure what it is about this book but I love it. The story is pretty typical but the way it unfolds is so interesting that I couldn’t stop.

I received an audiobook copy through NetGalley and the narration left me with no complaints. The narrators really brought the story to life and made it seem like we were in the story instead of just listening to it. I love that in an audio!

I really enjoyed the slow-ish build. It took awhile to get where it was going but the journey to get there was just as interesting as the story once we made it.

It was much more intense than I was expecting, but I actually really liked that about it. It kept time with the suspense and mystery.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

While the prose of this book are “petal soft” the plot is anything but. Andrea Hannah writes a haunting novel that seeps into your skin. Each of our main characters has a distinct voice, there is no guess work during their respective chapters. This novel is a great pick for fans of Wilder Girls by Rory Power and Small Favors by Erin A. Craig.

Thank you @NetGalley, @WednesdayBooks and @OrangeSkyAudio for the #gifted ALC of WHERE DARKNESS BLOOMS!

WHERE DARKNESS BLOOMS serves up deliciously creepy Kansas, small farm town, gothic vibes. Is that a sub-genre or did I just invite that?

Either way, I hope that gives you an idea of how this book is. I mean the sunflowers and vines creepily wrapping around a girl on the cover should have been your first clue.

There is something very wrong with the town of Bishop. Women keep dying or just disappear. And strangely, no one seems very concerned about it. WDB is told through the POV of Delilah, Whitney, Jude and Bo. Their mothers all disappeared on the same day two years ago without a trace.

I’m glad that the audiobook had a different narrator for each girl, otherwise I think I would have had a hard time telling them apart. Sometimes they seemed like one character. And I could not keep track of the different boys/men. They all blended together which I kind of wonder if that was an intentional choice by the author.

The first half was intriguing but slow. It wasn’t until the girls finally came together to share what they’d all discovered separately that the plot really picked up.

If creepy, small town mysteries with a hint of magic (and horror) are your thing, then check this one out!

WHERE DARKNESS BLOOMS comes out on February 21st!

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This book, on the surface, seems to have it all. There are strong female characters. There is message of feminism and sisterhood. There seems to be a mystery of the disappearance of women during windstorms. Seems. But it just didn’t deliver. It read like a teen angst diary for the first half or so. I can see where the author was going with this, but I just wasn’t enjoying the trip.

Thank you to NetGalley, OrangeSky Audio, St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books, Andrea Hannah, Rachanee Lumayo (audio narrator), Sarah Beth Pfeifer (audio narrator), Emily Ellet (audio narrator), and Lindsey Dorcus (audio narrator) for the opportunity to read and listen to the audiobook of Where Darkness Blooms in exchange for an honest review.

I was eager to read this book because I am from a small town of the same name, and the creep factor and eerieness of that personal connection was rather intriguing to me. I did listen to the audiobook version of this novel, as opposed to reading it, and didn't even realize there were four different narrators for the characters until I was more than halfway through. I did notice more than one, but some of them sound very similar, so that made this book a bit hard to follow for me. I feel like reading the print version would be a better option with this particular book. On a side note, the narrators do a really great job with the voice acting!

In the town of Bishop, two distinctive features are infamous: relentless windstorms and a sprawling sunflower field that extends beyond the horizon. Unfortunately, another notoriety the town is known for is the frequent disappearance of women. Thus, when three more women vanished during a tempestuous night, it didn't come as a shock to anyone in Bishop. The authorities quickly closed the case, leaving the bereaved daughters to pick up the pieces of their broken lives in the abandoned house they once shared with their mothers. However, the truth behind their mothers' disappearance is exposed when a secret is uncovered during a delayed memorial service in their honor, brought to light by a gust of wind.

Bo, Jude, Delilah, and Whitney seek answers for their missing mothers. Are the answers with the wind? The ever-stretching field of sunflowers? Certain people of the town acting a little too suspicious?

The girls are plagued by the deceit they're forced to confront:

Delilah desires to move forward with her boyfriend, however, she can't stand his touch.
Whitney has experienced immense loss with the passing of both her mother and girlfriend, and seeks comfort in an antique weathervane that appears to whisper to her.
Jude, Whitney's twin, prefers to turn a blind eye to the situation, but her secret is brought to light when the wind uncovers a summer fling.
Bo is determined to uncover the truth, convinced that the townspeople hold the key to what happened to their mothers. She is determined to find the answers she seeks.

While these four girls struggle with the events of their lives while seeking answers about their missing mothers, the town of Bishop calls for their blood. Will they find what they seek before it is too late?

Overall, a thoroughly enjoyable novel with mystery and intrigue in relation to the strange town of Bishop. Teh characters ovrlapped a bit too much for me in the audio version, so it was hard for me to follow, but the overarching premise is certainly interesting, and the suspense is well-done. There is a great deal of suspense with twists and turns at every corner of this novel. Perfect for fans of something like Wilder Girls by Rory Power, Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand, and young adult audiences who enjoy a good thrill of horror amongst their pages.

I received a complimentary advance listener copy of WHERE DARKNESS BLOOMS by Andrea Hannah as part of a TLC Book Tours scheduled tour. Thank you to the author, OrangeSky Audio, and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book!

WHERE DARKNESS BLOOMS is a YA thriller set in the town of Bishop, a place known for horrible storms, a huge field of sunflowers, and a history of missing women. When the book begins it has been two years since three women went missing at one time and the reason for the disappearance is still not known. Their daughters have remained in town, wanting but never getting answers.

When Whitney’s girlfriend is the most recent to go missing, she finds solace from keeping in touch via a weathervane that seems to hold Eleanor’s voice. Her twin Jude and their friend Delilah are both in love with the same boy, but there’s much more to that story. Bo has a very troubled past with the loss of her mother and more. Together they must find answers and face the dangers of the storms, the town, and more.

This book brings together a good combination of thriller with both human and supernatural elements. It has some horror and magical realism elements mixed in as well. We get to read from each of the four teens’ perspective as things get stirred up on the two year anniversary of their mothers’ disappearance.

This was a very easy binge read for me and it kept me hooked wanting answers. The audio for this was fantastic using four different narrators to really help keep the different perspectives well distinguished for the reader. The narrative also keeps up a good pace as we switch between story lines and the girls split apart and come back together in their quest for more answers.

I would recommend this one to those who want a good thriller with light horror elements.

3.5 stars. This was very interesting as the monster in this novel was an entire town. Bishop, KS is only really hospitable to men. The land has been gorging on the blood of its women for generations. Bo, Jude, Whitney and Delilah seemed to have lost their mothers to this curse. It has been 2 years since they disappeared and no one knows what really happened. Or more like they're definitely not saying. The sunflowers whisper and the wind devastates. Secrets are everywhere and until they're uncovered, no female is safe. I love that each girl was given her own unique voice. Ensemble book casts are always amazing!

*Special thanks to NetGalley and OrangeSky Audio for this audio e-arc.*

"Where Darkness Blooms" is a solid gothic novel for young adults. While I find that some YA books crossover into the adult market, this one landed firmly in the YA space. There's nothing wrong with that, as that's all it claims to be, and it's sure to attract and thrill many in the YA market. That did mean ultimately it was a little too young for my personal tastes, but I can objectively recognize this book as well done.

Four teen girls — Delilah, Whitney, Jo and Jude — reside together in the creepy town of Bishop, following the disappearance of their mothers a coupe years earlier. Deaths and disappearances are nothing new in Bishop, nor are crazy windstorms that are only getting more and more prominent. Still grieving the loss of their mothers, the girls are looking for answers and safety in an environment and community that feels increasingly hostile.

While I did find a few things a bit of a stretch, overall it's engaging, with a fantastic atmospheric setting and characters that feel diverse from each other. For young adults who like a slight taste of horror and strong gothic vibes, this is a good choice.

Thanks to Netgalley, OrangeSky Audio and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of this!

I’ll admit, I find sunflowers pretty creepy, so this cover instantly had me ready to be scared. Perfect for fans of Rory Powers this was some weird, creepy stuff. There were a lot of POVs and characters to keep track of and I kept getting a little confused, but that’s something I usually struggle with. The audiobook was well done and easy to listen to.

Haunting beautiful, I really enjoyed the relationship between the female characters and their ability to push through obstacles even when it felt hopeless. The curse was well flushed out as was the mystery.

I enjoyed the narration a lot and felt it the voices added to the story.

Thank you for an early audio copy.

This was definitely a solid read. This book is reminiscent of Wilder Girls and Clowns in a Cornfields with a touch of Children of the Corn. This book is dark and creepy with a solid plot though I am not a huge fan of the cast of characters. There isn't anything specifically wrong with them they just all feel very similar. The male characters especially feel like the same tropes we see over and over again. Overall this is a solid story just don't expect anything extremely original.

I will always be a fan of found family and Where Darkness Blooms focuses heavily on this. It isn’t always what dreams are made of and this is found in the differing personalities of four young women thrown together by tragic circumstances. Each with a unique take on their surroundings and what led them there.

The author takes her time in the telling, giving each character a voice and allowing the reader to get to know them through their stories of loss. Magical realism is hit or miss with me, if it’s told in a way that doesn’t float right over my head then I love it but if it’s just a magical fantasy that makes no sense, then obviously, not for me. In this case, I enjoyed it. I liked the fact that the town of Bishop was a character within itself and malleable to the evil that resided within it. All it took was a little nudge.

This is a full cast narration and it really works! Rachanee Lumayo, Emily Ellet, Sarah Beth Pfeifer and Lindsey Dorcus do a spectacular job.

Definitely one I’ll be recommending to fans of the genre.

My thanks to Wednesday Books for a gifted DRC and to OrangeSky Audio for a gifted ALC.