They Bloom at Night is eerie, emotional, and really unique. Set in a half-drowned Louisiana town, it follows Noon as she navigates red algae, mutated creatures, and a mother convinced their dead family members are now sea monsters.

This slow-burn horror is packed with folklore, mystery, and an unsettling atmosphere that builds the story. While it is more horror related, the undertones tell a story about grief, self-identity, and what it really means to be human. I found this book to be creepy and thought-provoking.

They Bloom at Night is a very good horror novel. In it, Noon and Covey start to look into the mutated fish and disappearances that haunt their village. There is a lot of Vietnamese folklore. Trigger warnings for body horror and the effects of sexual assault. Family plays a role especially in the way some decisions are forced upon us while we look to make our own way. 4.5 stars.

This book scratched an itch in my brain that I didn't know was there. The elements of Vietnamese mythology, the protagonist's journey to accepting and loving herself, the acceptance and love by friends formed along the way--just so good!

Noon and her mother have been living in Mercy, Louisiana where following a hurricane a red algae bloom has taken over the landscape. Strange occurences and disappearances have started, and Noon's mother thinks that her dead husband and son may have been reincarnated as sea creatures.

Noon struggles with not feeling at home in her body, especially after a horrible night with an older boy at The Cove. She pushes her feelings and memories aside, and tries to care for her mother the best she can. When the leading local businessman demands that Noon locate the sea creature(s) causing residents to disappear, she finds herself unexpectedly bonding with his daughter Covey on the quest. Will they find what they are searching for before Noon succumbs to the call to transform herself?

I loved everything about this story: Noon letting go of shame that was not her fault, finding a place of love and forgiveness toward her mother, just the beautiful writing that kept giving me goosebumps.

Definitely check trigger warnings on this one if needed: body horror, memories of SA, deaths of loved ones.

Thank, you so much to Bloomsbury and Netgalley for this book!

a haunting queer ocean horror infused with Vietnamese folklore and finding your place in the world. a hurricane devastates a small town, causing rising sea waters, mutated wildlife and a red algae bloom. when people start to disappear, Nhung is tasked with finding the sea monster responsible. it's eerie and atmospheric and filled with terror from the environment and those who live there. it weaves together climate change, class, gender, queerness, and found family.

I loved the concept of this. Sea monsters and apocalyptic algae sounds amazing. The pacing is unfortunately what ruined this. It was too fast and very hard to keep up with what was going on what supernatural beings were at work. More explanation and more time would have done wonders for this book

This cover is EVERYTHING though. absolutely stunning.


thanks to netgalley for an arc of this book which will be published in March 2025

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

This was one of my most anticipated releases of 2025 and I ate it up. This is a post apocalyptic horror that takes place in Louisiana after hurricanes bring red algae bloom and devastate the region. The horror elements are almost psychedelic and I loved the tie into Vietnamese folklore. I adored every character and thought they each had so much depth. (I also loveeee the name Covey and put it on my baby list so thx for that).
I believe this is YA but really eloquently covers a range of heavy topics. Check content warnings before reading.

At the start of this book, I truly thought to myself "there's no way that Trang Thanh Tran can top 'She is a Haunting'" and boy oh boy was I wrong! If you like stories of monsters, body horror, and redemption then you needn't look any further than this absolutely haunting second novel from Tran. I don't get easily scared or squeamish but Tran's books are the only ones in which I categorically cannot be eating while reading them because their writing is just so descriptive that I can picture what's going on as if it were happening right in front of my food.

The allusions to how sexual assault changes someone were haunting and yet rang true of so many stories I have heard told from women who are told to cover up what happened, or told that what did happen to them was their fault. Without giving too much away of the plot, I can say I was very satisfied with the ending and how Nhung embraced the changes being made both physically and mentally.

"They Bloom at Night" was as beautiful as it was terrifying, and each time I read the words that Trang Thanh Tran has put to paper, I am astounded by just how intelligent and prolific their writing is. To think that one person contains multitudes such as this that allows them to write with such heart has me eagerly awaiting their next novel.

Do not skip reading this book.

They Bloom at Night is atmospheric from page one. It has this apocalyptic feeling to mysterious algae blooms taking over. Even more so, the world of They Bloom at Night has a monster looming in the dark. There's something lurking underneath. They Bloom at Night immediately sunk its teeth into my heart with its exploration of parenthood. At the end of it all not only is Noon's relationship with her mother at the core, but also the lingering ghost of her dad. All the ways we try to keep our future, our past, alive. Within They Bloom at Night their relationship and the world is challenged.

I was so thankful to receive an early copy of They Bloom at Night, which is delightfully creepy.

I have been into eco horror lately, and YA authors have been putting out some fantastic titles. This book has a strange and deadly red algae that began to bloom after a hurricane in Louisiana, but the algae is something else. It’s changed the sea life in the Gulf of Mexico, it’s even changed the main character, Noon, and now people are disappearing.

The body horror is top-notch as well! I swear I could smell what was being described.

This is a five-star read for me. I loved the Vietnamese culture and folklore woven into the story. Also, definitely recommend reading this at night. There’s nothing like reading a scary novel in the dark. It just hits different.

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC!

After a hurricane falls in Mercy, Louisana, everything changes in the blink of an eye for Nhung (also known as Noon). A mysterious red algae bloom has over taken the aquatic water life, Mercy is becoming more dangerous to occupy as the days continue but Noon's mother is adamant in staying with hopes of finding their deceased loved one reincarnated thanks to the goddess Song. Noon is apprehensive on the prospects of life after death and things get worse when they are tasked to join a madmans daughter in searching for the "monsters" that lurk in the waters. A tale of survival, painful pasts, and identity weave together in this dystopian horror that begs to question who are we at our core when things are bleak?

This was an easy 5 star read for me in terms of the representation that showcased itself from Vietnamese main characters to queer characters, and justice served to the bigots that would tear them down, this was outside of my usual readings but Tran has a new auto buyer/reader out of me, just absolutely beautiful writing.

I was so obsessed with She is a Haunting and that made me so excited for this book. It completely lived up to my hopes and was such a satisfying book. I loved that there are of course some similarities in the style and the vibes of the horror while also being very different in ways that respect the setting and illustrate more of Trang Thang Tran's talent. She's clearly a master of mystery and creepy imagery and used that so well. This book was a little more of a slow build which was interesting I liked how that showed off more of the setting with having the characters going around Mercy and putting together different clues and theories. The ending was amazing, it was great seeing how everything came together and so surreal. The environmental and dystopian elements to the horror where perfectly executed and also added so much to the ending. All around a great book.

I am always up for a good rage-fueled thriller (the world sure has no shortage of things to get enraged about) and this newest from Trang Thanh Tran features a nonbinary Asian American teen dealing with an algae bloom inspired monster in their Southern hometown as well as intergenerational trauma handed down from their refugee immigrant mother. There's also anti-Asian racism and queer-phobia in this highly relatable and creative YA cli-fi dystopian/horror story. Great on audio and highly recommended for fans of books like Pink slime or authors like Jamison Shea and her I feed her to the beast series. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

So, the cover is awesome, the synopsis/blurb sounds awesome. But I was bored reading it. I think I’d requested a physical ARC and only was able to get an e-galley. And I wonder if I’d had the physical copy where I find it easier to flip back pages to remind myself of something if it’s unclear, then maybe I could have gotten into it? But nothing was really scary. Sure there were a few kind of creepy things, and I loved the whole bit with the octopus that was loose. But I just was bored and felt the descriptions were long and sometimes over the top for me. I see most ratings are pretty high for it, so I’m going to say it just wasn’t the right read for me.

I’ll start by saying that They Bloom at Night has an interesting plot. Following a devastating hurricane, the waters surrounding the small town of Mercy, Louisiana, have been taken over by red algae. At the same time, people are disappearing and rumors of monsters in the water start to spread. The main character, Noon, and her mother are forced to team up with the antagonist’s daughter, Covey, to find and bring back one of these monsters.

That’s the main plot of the book. The idea of mutant algae taking over humans and turning them into zombie-like creatures is already intriguing enough. But the author adds several subplots about tough topics like body dysmorphia, discovering one’s identity, the death of loved ones, and sexual assault. Each of those subplots are important topics and relatable for many young adult readers, but when they’re all rolled up into one book, it feels like A LOT. Unfortunately, there’s not enough space in the pages of the book to allow for each of these important subplots to be fully explored and neatly handled. Another aspect of the book that I found jolting was the sudden change in locations. I kind of felt like I got whiplash with how quickly characters moved from one location to another, especially considering the forces of nature that challenged them along the way.

My favorite part of the book was the acknowledgements section when Trang Thanh Tran gave a shout out to Laurie Halse Anderson for writing Speak. I’m sure I’m not the only reader who felt that upon reading it.

I do think this is a suspenseful read that will appeal to many YA horror fans. I look forward to adding it to my library’s collection.

CW: SA (mentioned but not described), death of loved ones, body horror

this was terrifying and exciting ! such a deep dive into culture and very eye opening. totally scary.

They Bloom at Night takes place in Mercy, Louisiana and follows Noon and her mother as they try to survive ever since their town was hit by a devastating hurricane. A red algae bloom has taken over the town and something lurks in the water. People are disappearing. Can Noon and her mother make it out alive?

I was drawn to this book because of the cover. The cover rocks! This is the first book that I’ve read by this author and I really like their writing. I loved the creepy, dark atmosphere and the strong main character. There were some pacing issues in the middle of the story, but I really enjoyed the ending. I look forward to reading more from this author.

🩸Coming of Age
🩸Vietnamese Culture
🩸Queer Rep
🩸Body Horror
🩸Creepy

⚠️CW: sexual assault, body horror

3.5⭐️

I was instantly drawn into the eerie atmosphere created by the red algae bloom and the mutated wildlife lurking in the rising water. The setting was so vivid that I could almost feel the humidity and hear the ominous sounds of the submerged town. I was especially intrigued by Noon, the MC, and her complex relationship with her mom. Navigating their flooded town together while dealing with their unique beliefs about their dead family reincarnating as sea creatures added such an interesting layer to the story. I found myself rooting for Noon as she faced the pain of her past and the night that changed everything at the cove. As the plot unfolded, I was hooked by the tension created by Mercy's predatory leader and the demand to capture the creature responsible for drowning residents. I loved the dynamic between Noon and the leader's hunter of a daughter, as well as the old and new friends who joined the adventure. The suspense built up perfectly as the next storm approached, and I couldn't wait to see how Noon would confront her past and the monster within.

Overall, this book was an unforgettable journey filled with thrills, mystery, and unique characters. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for an exciting read that keeps you guessing until the very end!

Okay so first off, the cover is amazing! I was instantly drawn to this book because I loved the cover so much. The book also did not disappoint. I have never read anything by this author so I wasn’t sure what to expect but it definitely exceeded my expectations. The author flawlessly combined horror with mythology and a lot of other impressive topics/themes. I absolutely loved that there’s a sea monster but I don’t want to give too much away. This was a very unique, quick and fun read. I will definitely be reading more from this author.

I really enjoyed this one! I liked the complicated relationship between the MC and their mom. I really liked Covey. I don’t want to call her a LI because there wasn’t explicit romance, but they had a deep intimacy that was so special and meaningful.

I liked the setting. It truly felt post apocalyptic. And the body horror aspect was wild. Overall, I found this to be a great read that touches on many important themes and I recommend you check it out!

Trang Thanh Tran writes such creepy atmospheric novels. If you are a fan of horror then you have to read this author! They must be a must buy author for all horror fans. I absolutely loved every minute of reading this and will be buying a copy!

As soon as I start a Trang Thanh Tran, I'm locked in. They Bloom at Night is no exception. This was such an interesting study on trauma and familial relationships, while also being very thrilling and spooky. It's my favorite mix of things in a horror novel. This only made me more excited for Trang Thanh Tran's future in publishing. They have a real talent and this seems like only the beginning.