Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free ARC in exchange for a review.

I really struggled with this book. There was a huge amount of info-dumping in the glossary and then almost immediately you were thrown into the story with little to no context. I understood very little of what was going on, and the parts I did understand, I really wasn't interested in. The writing and characters were not strong enough to pull me in, and the world-building was very shaky.

I understand Garcia has let some ARC readers know that there has been a lot of editing to address many issues that readers have fed back, so this may have been solved in the updated version. However, as it stands from the proof I was given, I have to give this one two stars. If I ever return to read the finished copy, this may be updated.

Rebecca Garcia's Night of Death and Flowers is a captivating blend of paranormal romance and fantasy that fans of the genre will absolutely adore. If you enjoyed Kingdom of the Wicked and Throne of the Fallen by Kerri Maniscalco, or if you were let down by the execution of Lightlark, this book is a must-read. The story weaves together elements reminiscent of Hunger Games and Belladonna, featuring witches, monsters, prophecies, and human sacrifices. It also introduces a male character who channels a slightly less bloodthirsty version of Manon Blackbeak. With its slow-burn romance and richly spiced narrative, Night of Death and Flowers promises a thrilling and immersive experience.

This was my first book by this author and was a highly anticipated release. Unfortunately, it was not for me. Insta-love is an immediate no for me.

DNF @ 20%

This book had a great premise but sadly fell through a little.

Think of a magical hunger game and everyone that dies is a sacrifice to keep all the gods asleep minus the god of death, who is also the love interest. This is essentially what this book is, and I was super excited to start by that alone.

Sadly, this book was not everything I hoped it would be, but it did have some positives. The female character was strong and badass and likable to follow, and she just generally had some spunk to her. Additionally, the world-building was very well done, and I could tell that a lot of thought was put into it. So for those reasons, I liked part of this book.

My biggest issue with this book was the dual chapters, as this book has our MMC and FMC both having chapters one after the other. My issue with this was that the MMC added barely anything to the story, and his chapters felt repetitive and useless. This then of course affected the pace of the story, as reading a useless and boring chapter took away from what interesting stuff was happening. So really I wish his chapters had been cut down to only when it was needed, and not forced into having to be one after the other.

Overall there were some ups and downs to this story, and in the end, I was a little disappointed with the final product.

Thank you to Victory Editing Netgalley Co-op for the chance to read and review this arc <3

The plot was good, the story had potential, but it was not well executed. There was a plot twist but the execution and description was so plain it did not feel like a plot twist at all. It was a lot like The Kingdom of wicked now that I think of it too much alike.

Story lacks purpose. The female lead is strong and determined but her purpose lacks intensity. At the beginning her mission was to save her friend whom she loves but given the severity of crime they are committing and the consequences her loves was not that strongly shown. But she does that anyways. Moving forward her hatred for Azkiel; the God of Death, is strong but without any solid grounds. She thinks the sacrifice system was cruel but apparently it only occurred to her when her friend was in danger and it did not server as a strong reason for her hatred. Characters had no depth they believed whatever they were told without conforming it or doubting other person's intentions. It felt like they didn't even have common sense.

Details were scattered in different parts and felt incomplete. The author tried to create a mystery by keeping Calista and Azkiel apart but in that made the story boring. There is a difference between keeping a mystery and keeping things unanswered. It causes confusion and ultimately lack of interest.

All things felts dumped without context and there was no logic behind anything. I know it's fantasy but things have to make sense. And the writing style was so bland it felt like I am reading an emotionless, expressionless dialogue most of the times.

Dual povs are interesting but difficult to maintain. In this book while writing the povs author seemed to loose her grip on the story because it didn't have the rhythm. And there were countless errors and wrong pronouns. I lost interest after 40% and had to force myself to complete it because I feel guilty to dnf a book.

I would really appreciate if you start giving a spice warning with the blurb because not everyone prefers reading such stuff.
thank you for the eARC

Great book. There is a lot of world building building that takes up a lot of the space of this book. However it was well written and the boom was a delightfully dark read. I love Death as a love interest and this version did not disappoint. I can't wait to see what Happens in book 2

This was a wild ride of a book.

It was difficult to get into at first, but after the first 15% I was hooked.

Full of drama and politics - both romantic, family and life.

Is it normal to crush on the god of death? Because that happened.

Wouldn’t say it is a dark romance, a simple Romantasy.

This book would be great for those who love "Kingdom of the Wicked Trilogy" by Kerri Maniscalo.
Dark fantasy/romantasy feels.

The writing and world building were spot on, character development was great along with really well written humor and banter.
And let's not forgot the ending...one I am not going to be able to stop thinking about for a while!

The author has drawn me in and spit me back out again...and I am satisfied.

This book was good. I enjoyed it. The plot and characters are all great. Witches warlocks this bookwas a great dark fantasy.

I received an ARC of this provided by NetGalley. This was a pretty enjoyable book, it was a bit slow going in the beginning, but made up for it with the ending. Perfect for the fantasy romance genre.

I absolutely loved this book! It was very entertaining, I couldn't put it down. It was very atmospheric, the way the author writes really makes you feel like you are in that world. I can't wait to read more from this author!

Thank you for this arc!

An entertaining romantasy. I tend to like books that have Death or a god of death as a love interest, so maybe I just have a type, but the plot itself was plenty enough to keep me engaged. Definitely recommend.

When Hunger Games is turn into a book fill with fantasy, dark magic, witches, gods, and enemies to lover, you will be sure that I would be the first one to read it!

We follow Calista, a witch born in the coven of the God of Death. She is the rebellious soul of her family and would do everything to protect her family, most specifically her sister. In few days the harvest is coming, 12 witches and warlock will be sent to their death. This one is even more strange as Death, their god is here this year.

I didn’t know the author before starting this work. I was amazed by her writing. I liked it. It’s very fluid, I didn’t have any issue reading it. I loved the dual point of view. The way we understand more and more the feeling of each of the main characters.

Death is to me someone you can relate same as Calista in fact, each character seems link by fate. They do look like each other. It speak to me when they explain how hard it could be to be accepted the way they are. To feel like you don’t belong anywhere and not feel loved by the ones who should love you. I enjoy the evolution of Calista and how she is one of the perfect representations of the oldest sibling.
Drake and Ari, the two of you… I don’t have many things to say, but in a certain way I can understand why they might have acted the way they did.

This book was great, I loved the universe created, the magic, I was really into the fate trope and how it can be very hard to escape it, or maybe not? I will read the second book without hesitation because I need to know more about the Gods and the two sisters Callista and Ari.

It took me a bit to get into, but once I did, it turned out to be a great and entertaining read!
I‘ll be ordering this title for our store.

“Night of Death and Flowers,” by Rebecca L. Garcia

Dahryst is a haven for witches but for Calista it is dangerous. She has powers that is reserved for God of Death, so she must hide her abilities. During the Harvest she is targeted by the elders, and it puts her friends and family’s life in danger. Azkiel, God of Death, returns after over a century being gone because her powers have called to him.

I loved this book. It started slow but it got so good. The main character is protective and hot headed, and I loved it. I adored the interactions between Calista and Azkiel and the undeniable draw to each other that is hard to resist. The ending was insane! I can’t wait for book 2!!! 5 out of 5 stars, perfect.

-Death God
-Magic
-Witches

Thank you for the ARC, Netgalley.

Love this romanstay book! The authors attention to detail and the sequence of events keep you hooked and reading.

Also such a pretty cover.

4 ⭐️

I like the plot and the draw of the characters. I like that death has to learn as well and that there is a mystery to the whole thing. Memories are gone and I hear is this draw to the FMC that he cannot shake. Not only the draw but when he is able to touch her and not kill her. It was a HUGE moment. He went so long without being able to do that to anyone and to find one person who can withstand death’s touch and live. It’s got to be good. At that moment I was like okay I’m officially here for this. I did find parts that felt slow and others I was like okay here we go. It wasn’t a bad read I just didn’t continuously get that drawn in feeling and the need to finish the book. I enjoyed the read and I can’t wait to see what happens next. I love death in this book because he is so much more than what others portray a character like him as. I loved it.

I wanted to love this more than I actually did, At times, the writing was poetic and beautiful and flowed so freely but at other times it stumbled and dragged on and went in circles .

Hunger Games to satisfy not the government's control over people but the gods control over the witches. The potential is there because who doesn't like morally grey characters?? I also feel this book is unnecessarily long, so much of the content is repeated over and over, yay we get it, the Harvest is horrible and the God of Death's internal monologue is basically the same thing every chapter if the repeats were out I think it would have been a higher review from me because the plot was good.

Thank you to Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

First, thank you for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was an interesting read overall. The premise is about a witch born with the powers of a god, specifically the god of death. Not only are they dangerous powers, they are forbidden. Naturally, she uses them, is discovered, God of death tries to kill her and finds not only can he not kill her, but he can touch her.

Overall, the book was interesting and I liked the constant shift between the two main characters pov. I think there was a lot that was obvious simply because they had the god of death "forget" a lot of the past which lead me to believe that not only was he responsible for her powers, but that he also actually knew her. Both were correct.

I did enjoy the characters and I am interested in continuing the story