This is a dark and emotional story that I completely devoured! I enjoyed the mystery and loved to hate the evil characters. This one is definitely a story that will generate many emotional responses as you read!

Intensely moving and provocative tale set against the backdrop of the Appalachians and the people, especially the women who lived there.

Tig Costello arrives to paint a portrait of her grandfather 'a great man' of Darren Kentucky. instead she unravels the true tale of Benjamin and the woman who murdered him, 50 year's ago, Eloise Price, who sits in her room in the local asylum with her lifetime of memories.

Eloise shares her memories of Tig's mysterious grandmother and the tales of the women who desperately sought help in the hills of Whitmore Hall.


Tig slowly begins to piece together her families true history and the strong line of women she came from.

Wow what a book. This is the authors debut novel and it was an adventure. She definitely has the talent of reeling you in and keeping you intrigued. Make sure you check out the synopsis and the trigger warnings before reading as there is a lot of violence against women, rape, and abortions. The story follows a woman who visits a town in Appalachia to paint a portrait of her Grandfather for a memorial for him and while there learns her family history. It’s the story of women from several generations that depend on each other.

The Moonflowers is a story about women, healers, courage and the strength it takes to bloom in the dark.

Tig Costello has been commissioned to paint a portrait of her late grandfather whom she never met honouring his legacy as soldier and mayor of Darren, Kentucky. While in the small Appalachian town, Tig uncovers a dark family history involving the murder of her grandfather by a mysterious woman named Eloise Price. Tig speaks to Eloise and learns about the endangered women, healing plants, and abusive men whose blood, pain, and memories were found in Whitmore Halls, the refuge where Eloise grew up and which holds the key to discovering the truth about Tig's grandfather. She comes to learn about the brave women who sought out Eloise's help by moonlight to heal them and rid them of their pain and pasts and the way that love, choice, and freedom can be both a cure and poison depending on the dosage.

Once I started reading The Moonflowers, I could not put it down. The mysteries and secrets supported by an eerie Appalachian atmosphere pulled me in from the first page. The story was layered with art and herbalism and was part murder mystery, medical drama, and historical thriller. I loved reading about women healers, and this aspect of the story, while not witchy. still contained a beguiling quality that gave off dark whimsical vibes, despite nothing fantastical happening. Flowers, folk herbalism, and nature were important parts of this story that helped to drive home the message about nature's ability to heal, reveal, and conceal the truth. The intricate storyline was full of surprises and shocking twists which made it a real page turner.

The topics discussed in this story were serious, heavy, and heartbreaking but important to learn about as the stigmas and taboos surrounding them are prevalent. I love reading stories about women helping women and the bravery and fearlessness of the characters was written with honesty and special care. Each character was well developed and detailed with their light, shadows, blooms, and thorns exploring the complexities of the wounded.

Lunar and floral and rooted in pain, The Moonflowers is a harrowing story about women, their health, their choice, and their freedom. Perfect read for fans of The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart.

This book was brilliantly written and told a story that kept me turning pages. New author to watch for.

The Moonflowers is a stunning first novel - a brilliantly told story that kept me hooked. Tig travels to Darren to paint a portrait of Benjamin, her grandfather and local hero. To find out more about him, Tig meets many Darren residents including Eloise, the woman who murdered Benjamin. This is a novel about family ties, secrets and the power and strength of women in the face of abuse and violence.
I look forward to reading more from this author.
Many thanks to netgalley for this ARC
#TheMoonflowers #NetGalley

Loved it. Very emotional. Strong women portrayed exceptionally well. The setting was perfect. I cried in parts.

Thank you @Netgalley.co.uk and Lake Union Publishing, for an arc copy of this novel. I have loved reading this fabulous author's work.

From the Publisher:
Tig Costello has arrived in Darren, Kentucky, commissioned to paint a portrait honoring her grandfather Benjamin. His contributions to the rural Appalachian town and his unimpeachable war service have made him a local hero. But to Tig, he’s a relative stranger. To find out more about him, Tig wants to talk to the person who knew her grandfather, Eloise Price, the woman who murdered him fifty years ago.

At the beginning of the story, we learn that Tig is looking into the history of her late grandfather. The role her grandfather played in a small Kentucky town, and the revered man her grandfather was, bring some amount of curiosity to Tig and her father David.
However, as the story unfolds, a much more important tale is uncovered. Are things really as they seem? Was her grandfather's murderer all she appeared to be? Tig wants answers.
Through conversations, some easy, some more difficult, Tig uncovers the truth about her grandfather, her grandmother, and her father.
A wonderful debut novel, Abigail Rose-Marie has captured the imagination and left me feeling in awe of the strong female characters of this novel, who are the backbone of this story.

I love books where the main characters goes on a journey to the past to dig up old family drama. The writing style took me a chapter or two to get into but after that I consumed this book within a few hours. The ending made me tear up.

I received this arc on behalf of NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book requires patience. It’s a beautiful story but it does not unfold quickly. It’s like drying flowers—you can’t get impatient or the flowers won’t completely dry, but you waiting the entire duration feels taxing. on one hand I loved the depth, but on another hand I think this book needs to catch most people in a certain mood or mindset. Regardless, such a strong debut with so much depth. The author is so very clever and I’m anxious to pick up her next creation.

I am reviewing this for Net Galley.

In this story we follow Eloise as she gets herself into awkward situations that will have people believe she could be guilty of something she didn't do. Eloise lost her mother at a young age. She started helping a woman give other woman options to be able to have an abortion. When Eloise was younger a young boy named Benjamin was fond of her. So fond of her in fact no matter what Eloise did he would follow her everywhere. When Benjamin got married, Eloise found herself in a very awkward situation of helping his wife.

Tig Costello visited the town that Eloise lives in. She wanted to find out from the woman who killed her grandfather the real story. She found herself intrigued by Eloise's story and continued to go back to visit her. Until one day the mayor stopped her and told her she couldn't visit Eloise anymore.

I found this story interesting. It was kind of hard to follow in some spots because in one section of the chapter it would be talking about Eloise's story than jump to Tig's story without some kind of notification change like a time change. What I mean by that is at the beginning of a chapter most books tell what year it is and you can figure out who you are reading about. In this case, it would jump to the other woman in the chapter. So I had to slow down and re-read some parts.

There are trigger warnings of abuse and abortions. I enjoyed reading about Eloise telling her story to Tig. It shows how different the world can change in a short amount of time. This is historical fiction. It also has some mystery to it. I really enjoy books with those two genres mixed in together. It is interesting to read how woman had abortions in those days compared to today. I rate this a 4 because as interesting as the story line is, I found myself re-reading some parts. Otherwise if you are looking for a Historical Fiction novel with some mystery I recommend this.

The cover sucked me in orignally but I stayed for the story! I can't even point out what exactly made me fall in love with it but it's just so damn good. I highlighted a lot during my reading because I liked a lot of the viewpoints the author made on different things and felt very understood on a personal level. The way she talked about family and how important it is was one of my favourite parts.
Everyone should go and see themselves what it is about because it's worth it!

What can I say about this book? It just contained so much, especially for a debut novel.

First of all, let's talk about Abigail Rose-Marie's prose with her captivating figures of speech. As an English teacher, I fell in love with her To Kill a Mockingbird references. Throughout the book, I also highlighted many of her examples of personification and several metaphors that resonated with me, too.

Wow, this story is a powerful one. It's about women and the rights of women. It's about men and false pretenses and false impressions and undeserving accolades.

It's about family and the importance of family and those who love us as much or more than family. It's about secrets and fighting for the truth and fighting for the underdog.

I loved the setting of rural Darren, KY post WW II juxtaposed with present day Chicago and Minneapolis. I loved Tig (Antigone) as the narrator delving into her family's past to help form her family's present.

After the finishing the book, you will come away loving some of the characters (and they are not the ones you at first expected). You will come away hating some of the characters and finding them utterly despicable (again, not the ones you expected). All of which, I believe, proves to be the mark of excellent author characterization.

If you have a chance, pick up this book and go on Tig's journey with her back to Darren, KY, where her job is to commission a painting of her grandfather, who is being honored by the town with a huge brass statue and a museum in his memory. Things are going to get very interesting before her time in Darren ends. Secrets will be uncovered and identities will surface for the first time in 50+ years.

It's not an easy read (topic-wise). You will encounter rape, abuse, incest, chauvinism, and just plain hatred. None of these are described graphically, however, and whether they were from the 1940s timeline or the present timeline, they help to shape the story. You will also encounter love and compassion.

Thank you, NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read this ARC. It is truly a powerful, exquisitely well written debut novel.

The Moonflowers, the debut novel from writer Abigail Rose-Marie, will sit with me for some time. A story about women and women's health while taking place so far in the past couldn't be more timely as what we're currently living today. I will admit that I nearly DNF'd this book before the halfway mark due to the uncomfortable feelings certain aspects of the story were inspiring in me, but something told me to stick with it and I'm glad that I did. The women in this story were utterly awe-inspiring in their bravery and courage and I found myself cheering for them throughout while utterly. disparaging many of the sneering male voices that populated the small town of Darren this novel takes place in.

I found the prose of this story utterly haunting and was captivated by the detail in which Abigail Rose-Marie captured in describing Darren and it's inhabitants. To that end, Rose-Marie has such a way of writing characters that are so utterly despicable and for lack of a better word, ugly, that I found my lip turned up in disgust whenever they opened their mouths. You'd think this wouldn't be an enjoyable experience but it truly wasn't.

Thank you #NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read an advance copy of this spellbinding novel! I will be adding Abigail to my "must read" author's list moving forward. 5⭐️

I highly recommend THE MOONFLOWERS for fans of women's fiction and book club fiction. (And don't you love that gorgeous cover?!)

Get ready for some explosive secrets lurking beneath the surface.

I happen to be from Appalachia so I can confidently say that the author does a wonderful job of setting the scene in Appalachia without delving into harmful (and inaccurate) stereotypes. There's a remarkable sense of place that shines through the pages.

As secrets are revealed, the pages practically turn themselves. Family history can be haunting, and this is a compelling story, elegantly told. I look forward to more from this author.

The ending provides a satisfying conclusion while still coming across as realistic.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance e-galley; all opinions in this review are 100% my own.

Tig Costello has come home from Chicago to recover from a tramatizing experience. Her father, David, a noted artist, believes an invitation he has received may be just the answer to help in Tig’s recovery. The invitation is to participate in celebrating the life of Darren, Kentucky’s most celebrated citizen, Benjamen Costello, Tig’s grandfather, by painting his portrait to hang in City Hall. Reluctantly Tig agrees. It’s an opportunity to learn more about her almost secretive family history.

Darren has barely changed from the days when Benjamen served as mayor of the town in which he grew up, fought in the war against the Nazi’s and return home with intentions to put Darren on the map.

Unfortunately all good intentions were never realized. As Tig learns there is a lot going on in Darren which can be traced to a childhood friend of Benjamen, Eloise Price. And what Tig learns is that one strange night Eloise murdered Benjamen and buried him in her beloved forrest.

What could have compelled Eloise to murder her friend. Although Tig is warned off about visiting Eloise, who currently resides in the state mental institution, Tig continues to visit Eloise while Eloise spools her story slowly. She has no reason to hurry, Tig is her only visitor in years.

It’s a story as old as the hills of Darren and as contemporaneous as the problems we face in our divided nation today. I highly recommend this timeless story.

<i> I received an advanced readers copy through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, </i>

I have to say that I never read historical fiction but this book has turned me in the direction of trying some more. It was such a good read.

<b><u>What I liked:</u></b>
- The way the story was told. No heavy amounts of talking, just when into telling the story of the time and coming out of it with scene breaks
- How it handled talk around rape and abortion. Showing the importance of the need to have an escape plan when in a terrible situation
- It shows the even though some people do great things (like going to war) it doesn’t mean they are a good person deep down.

<b><u>What I disliked:</u></b>
- It felt a little description heavy at points but that’s more a personal preference

<b>5 out of 5 stars, I loved everything about this book. It was eye opening and starts a great conversation around the overturn of Roe v. Wade.</b>

In this compelling novel, secrets smolder beneath the surface, igniting a journey of discovery and bravery that transcends the ordinary. The author masterfully unveils the complexities of life in Appalachia, where shadows conceal more than just the landscape. Through the eyes of its captivating female protagonists, we traverse a landscape fraught with challenges, yet illuminated by an extraordinary resilience that defies the odds. A haunting tale that resonates long after the final page is turned, this book is a testament to the indomitable strength found within the heart of Appalachia's daughters.

Thank you #NetGalley for the opportunity to read the ARC of this wonderful story!

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - any story that centers around women always has me hooked. This was a poignant story about Antigone (“Tig”) Costello trying to uncover the roots of her family’s past. Along the way in her journey of finding the truth, she uncovers stories of the strong and courageous women who fought for themselves and other women during a time where they had no voice and no right to choose. Oftentimes in these stories, the characters meet such dreary ends, so it was so nice to see the women in this book find solace.

I love books about Appalachia, family secrets, and institutions. This book hit all three out of the park. It was deeply haunting, and I absolutely loved it.