What in the world did I read? Using Roanoke was a…choice.

The line that is drawn between the white women’s suffering on Roanoke and the enslavement, genocide, etc of Native Americans.

Just no… everything about this…no

Roanoke meets mythology in this book about feminine rage and the longing for love. While I love the two concepts being mashed together, something didn’t click with me.

First, I want to thank NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group, and Shannon Ives for an Advanced Reader Copy of Those Fatal Flowers. I really enjoyed the premise of this book, and was very excited when my request was approved. There were several things that I liked about the book, and I’ll expand more on those in a minute; however there was one thing that took away most of the enjoyment of this book: the colonialism. It felt unnecessary, especially when Ives tries to justify it by saying that the women are only part of colonizing Roanoke because of their husbands. Two things can be true at once: you can be a victim of terrible things that men do and you can also do terrible things. Being a victim doesn’t absolve you from being an abuser. This novel is inspired by the kidnapping of Persephone, in which her lover/handmaid is cursed to be a siren after Proserpina is kidnapped. With this being a fictitious story, I felt that using the colonization aspect to showcase how brutal men can be was weak because women were also (albeit less) responsible for colonizing indigenous people.

Now for the things that I did enjoy about Those Fatal Flowers: first it’s queer. Not only does it feature a WLW main character, there is also a MLM character and we see these queer characters try to maintain the guise of being heterosexual. Second, I’m a big fan of retelling, and this is a new perspective on The Rape of Persephone that I’ve never seen told in books/ other media. Third, I loved the writing style, it was very passionate and you can really feel Thelia’s emotions throughout the entire book. The dual timeline is great, it shows how Thelia once was and how the loss of her lover has changed her and how much she truly changes throughout the book.

I have to give this book 2.5/5 stars simply because of how icky the colonialism made me feel. If that plot point was different, or if Ives didn’t try to justify women’s part in it, this book would be much higher rated for me.

This arc was really good. Its has greek mythology references, so if you're into that, you will like this book. I recommend it even if you're not. I rated it 4 stars.

I have most recently dipped into fantasy based historical fiction, specifically related to Greek mythology. This did good job of humanizing the characters with a twist. Would consider reading more.

Those Fatal Flowers by Shannon Ives blends Greco-Roman mythology with the mystery surrounding the lost colony of Roanoke. Drawing on the myth of Proserpina (Persephone), it presents a powerful narrative infused with feminine rage and a touch of romance, making it appealing to fans of books like Circe by Madeline Miller and Ariadne by Jennifer Saint. This debut novel features strong writing that creates a vivid world but also tends to move slowly and can be dense in places.

One notable critique is the author’s decision to largely exclude the historical treatment of Native Americans during colonization, a central issue in stories set in this time period. Despite this omission, the book offers an interesting mix of themes worth discussing, making it a potential choice for book clubs. While the novel was enjoyable, it wasn't a standout that I would read again, but I liked it enough that I would try other works by the author.

A big thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The premise of this had me captivated. Greek mythology, woven with a lost colony myth, and a heavy dose of female rage? I was all in. Unfortunately, the execution fell a bit flat for me.

The writing is strong, I had no issues with the flow or sentence structure. Unfortunately, the story felt a bit muddled. The characters and setting received almost no development, instead relying on preconceived notions of the diabolical nature of male character. And listen, you don’t have to try that hard to convince me that men are philosophically up to no good, but you do have to give me more than cardboard cutout characters on a murky stage.

The love for Greek mythology was here, and those elements were represented well. But we spent most of our time in the Puritan colony of Roanoke, and nothing there was defined or explained. More time spent painting the picture and exploring the characters’ personalities and motivations could have made this a stunner. As it is, it was just okay.

*I received an advanced reader copy from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving my review*

At first I thought I might like this more if it was told in a linear story, but I quickly started to enjoy the back and forth from the past to the present. This was brutal to read at times, but a very intriguing story. If you like reading about feminine rage, this is for you. Thank you NetGalley and Dell/Random House Publishing for this free eARC in exchange for an honest review which has already been posted to Goodreads.

3.5 stars rounded up

This book was intense in many ways but also slowed way down in other areas and took a while to get through! It is a LGBT fantasy with historical setting and Greek mythology. I loved Greek and Roman mythology and always found it fascinating and complex, so I wanted to grab this book right up. I found the setting and characters really attention grabbing. Thelia was a complex character, who went through a lot. The writing style was not my favorite, a lot of parts were long and drawn out, which I think done because of the setting and time this story took place, but I did have some trouble getting into the story at first and some sections of the story did feel a bit dull for me. While reading it the timeline from past to present and I do really like the back story and that you get and how Thelia got where she is and why. Overall, I did enjoy this book a lot. There were some things that did not work for me, which is why I am rating it 3.5 stars.
I received an advanced ebook, via Netgalley. This review is my own honest opinion.

**ARC REVIEW**

LGBTQA+ representation, mythology, and scheming?? Hell yes. I had a blast reading this book. Thelia is ripped from life as she knows it and wakes up on foreign soil unsure what her next steps will be. However, she's cunning and quickly thinks of a way to stay hidden amongst the townspeople and plot a way to overthrow the man she hates the most.

Go women, go!


Thank you the NetGalley and Dell Penguin Random House for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!

Those Fatal Flowers is a historical fantasy that mixes mythology with a lot of feminist rage. I found it surprising, a little gory, thought-provoking, and empowering.

The book follows Thelia who makes a mistake that dooms her lover, Proserpina. In the Scopuli timeline, we learn about her past and how the consequences of her mistake impacted her and her sisters. In the more modern timeline, we see her in a small English colony in North America as she plots to save her sisters. In both eras, her love for Proserpina plays a major role in her story; it is a lot of her motivation, drives the plot, and leads her to her new love interest in the Roanoke era.

I thought the dual timelines were well done. I’ve read a lot of mythology retellings but I’ve never read one that was also set in another, very different time and location. It was a unique blend that was imaginative. I enjoyed the juxtaposition of the two eras and thought that both parts of the story were interesting. The pacing was also well done. I never thought the story was too slow or dragging in either timeline. The last half, in particular, was difficult to put down.

Thelia is never a fully likeable character but she’s truly captivating and I felt sympathetic towards her at times. I also really enjoyed her growth over the course of the story. There are a host of supporting characters in the novel. Some, such as Cora, Will, and Margery, were well-rounded and added a lot to the story. There were a few, however, that I thought needed to be made more indistinguishable from one another. Thelia’s sisters, for example, are an important emotional connection for Thelia but neither sister ever felt like a fully fleshed-out individual. I would have loved to see the two sisters (and a few other minor characters) develop into more distinct characters.

One warning, as the content warnings I have listed below suggest, this book gets dark. Some parts are graphically violent and even a little gruesome. Most of the brutal scenes serve the story but I felt a few scenes were a little overly descriptive. The book does include content warnings in the front and readers should be aware that some of those are described quite vividly.

Those Fatal Flowers is a well-written debut about guilt, the horrors of patriarchy, and female rage. It has sweet Sapphic relationships and a nice focus on sisterhood and supportive friendships between women. Due to the graphic violence, this may not be a book for everyone but I thought it was a gripping and powerful story with a lot to say. It’s not a perfect book but I think it’s compelling and even a little cathartic at times. I’m looking forward to what Shannon Ives writes in the future!


Content Warnings: sexual assault, homophobia, racism, sexism, (graphic) pregnancy loss, (graphic) ritual sacrifice, (very descriptive!) cannibalism, and colonial violence

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the eARC of this work in exchange for my honest review.

Those Fatal Flowers is a story about love, feminine power, and rage. It starts slowly, but the story builds quickly across several time periods. Thelia is an ancient Roman committed to protecting the goddess Proserpina. When Proserpina is kidnapped by the God of the Underworld, Thelia and her sisters are punished, transformed into Sirens, and banished to a magical island. Years later, Thelia escapes the island and ends up in colonial North America, where not much has changed in the hearts and minds of men, and yet everything is different. The novel follows these two storylines, slowly tying them together so that the reader understands the timeline from Point A to Point B.

I appreciated how Shannon Ives writes, each character has an impact on the story, and you feel connected to them no matter how big or small their part is. She doesn't shy away from characters, letting them be as horrific and unlikeable as they can be, while still showing the connection that a community can have. It's a compelling read, it just starts slow and you have to commit to getting into the backstory in order to get to the heart of the story.

eARC Review: Those Fatal Flowers by Shannon Ives 🥀

This was an interesting take on the Greco-Roman myth of the Sirens, their origins, and their relationships with Prosperina, their mistress. While I really liked how Ives tackled themes of guilt, healing, and revenge all done with beautiful prose, I wasn’t a big fan of the pacing, insta-love, and time jumping. 🙁

I’ll start off as always with my positives. Thelia is a great protagonist as she deals with her guilt over being a supposed part of Prosperina’s abduction by Dis and how her sisters take the fall with her for this. I really liked the growth she goes through as she learns that the gender of a person doesn’t influence their outlook on life. I was getting really tired of “feminist” takes on men where they’re just cartoonishly evil and one dimensional because are we really okay with the idea of doing the exact same thing to men have been doing for centuries, or are we going to stand by the stance that feminism equals equality and equal rights? Because judging from what some authors have been doing, it feels like the former is happening and adding fuel to the fire of anti-feminism arguments. 🙄

And the yearning and pining that Thelia goes through with Cora? Round of applause to Ives for doing an incredible job on that! 😍

As much as I loved this pining, it did feel super insta-lovey and one sided for a good majority of the plot. Speaking of the plot, I wasn’t a big fan of the flashback scenes sprinkled throughout the book. I think it would have built the story better if it had gone chronologically instead of with little snippets from Thelia’s past leading up to her decision to leave Scopouli. I also felt like the ending suddenly sped up and then deposited me at the end to the point where I kind of blinked a few seconds and thought, “wait, that’s it?”🪽

The last thing that still got to me here and there was the colony itself. While Ives does go into detail in her Author’s Note stating that she thought it wasn’t her place to tell indigenous stories, it still felt rather weird having the native population spoken (with some hostility) about in past tense by the colonists or not speaking at all when on the page. In general, it’s a bit hard describing what I felt when reading about subject and think others should come to their own conclusions when reading this book. 🤷🏻‍♀️

All in all, good story but it just didn’t stick the landing for me. Big thank you goes out to Dell for reaching out with this book! While I had my thoughts about it, I still look forward to Ives’ future works! ❤️

Publication date: January 21!

Overall: . . . I dunno, 3.75/5 ⭐️?

First, I want to say pay attention to the content warnings! Those Fatal Flowers is dark and at times, quite graphic. Every warning mentioned is definitely found within the pages of this book.

Now, I was intrigued by the premise of this book. I wanted to know just how Shannon Ives was going to tie mythology to the lost colony of Roanoke, so I rushed to request this via NetGalley. I will admit that setting the island of Scorpuli in what would essentially be off the coast of Maine was a bit brilliant to pull off and easily connect the history to the mythology.
Thelia's punishment is a driving factor in this work and her desire to either be punished or get back to Proserpina from Dis plays out in both sad and extremely graphic manners. The lengths Thelia and her sisters go to to remain alive is gruesome and a tale of doing anything possible to survive. Once Thelia leaves Scorpuli on what she believes is a mission to save them all quickly turns into her finding out that maybe the island isn't so bad because the world of men is terrible. Even after everything terrrible happens, I often found myself cheering Thelia on as she strove to make a better life for herself and others.

There were times the plot moved slowly, but in the end the book is worth the read.
If you like retellings and twists to classical mythology, then this book is probably for you.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the eARC of this work in exchange for my honest review.

Beautifully written and lovely story. I did have trouble following at times, but did enjoy it overall.

Shannon Ives’ latest novel weaves a tapestry of mythology, history, and raw human emotion that captivates and unsettles in equal measure. It’s a bold reimagining of siren lore, ingeniously intertwined with the enigmatic disappearance of the Roanoke colony, creating a narrative that is as unique as it is compelling.

Ives' masterful storytelling breathes new life into ancient myths, particularly in her portrayal of the sirens and their tragic origins. The author delves deep into the connection between these mythical beings and the abduction of Proserpina (Persephone), offering readers a fresh perspective on classical mythology. This innovative approach extends to the relationship between the protagonist, Thelia, and Proserpina, adding layers of complexity to an already rich narrative tapestry.

The inclusion of the Roanoke colony mystery seamlessly blends historical intrigue with mythological fantasy. Ives' ability to connect these disparate elements creates a world where the boundaries between myth and reality blur.

At the heart of the novel lies a powerful exploration of female rage, a theme that resonates throughout the narrative with visceral intensity. Thelia's character, in particular, becomes a conduit for this simmering rage, her journey both heart-wrenching and empowering.

While the novel's unflinching portrayal of violence and gore may be off-putting for some readers – the author provides a trigger warning – it serves to underscore the raw, primal nature of the story's themes. However, there are moments when the visceral descriptions linger perhaps longer than necessary, potentially overshadowing other elements of the narrative.

"Those Fatal Flowers" is not merely a retelling of myths or historical fiction; it is a primal scream echoing through the ages, giving voice to the silenced and power to the oppressed.

While not without its challenges, this novel offers a unique and unforgettable reading experience.

Thank you, Dell and NetGalley for my free book for review.

DNF at 13%. I was really excited by the premise of this book, with the combining of Greco-Roman and the Roanoke colony, but unfortunately I could not get into the book. I felt confused during the writing and unable to piece together what exactly led to Thelia being where she was. I also saw that for taking place in the Roanoke colony the author doesn't speak about the indigenous peoples at all, which I find kind of ridiculous.

This book was definitely full of feminine rage. To an extreme. I enjoyed how it wove Greco Roman mythology into the mysteries of the American civilization of Roanake. But once you introduce that subject it’s hard to not think about the elephant in the room of colonization..

Definitely a different and refreshing take, just wasn’t quite what I was expecting from it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dell for opportunity to read this advanced copy.

I had never learned anything about the history of the Roanoke colony, so that aspect of this story was interesting to find out about. I also appreciated the fiery feminism and how the women all worked together to fight back. The themes of forgiveness and risking love were also poignant. Still, overall, I just never was really able to enjoy myself while reading this book because I found everyone so unlikeable and most of it was a bit too dark, gory, gruesome, and bleak for me. Because of that, I can't really say that I'd recommend it, unless that sounds like more of your thing than it is for me.

This book didn't work for me. There was a lack of discussion around colonization and to me felt like romanticized being a colonizer. This topic is a definite part of history but I was very surprised to not find more of a discussion around it. Also not to mention that the characters weren't diverse at all which there could have been room for more native/Indigenous characters. At times I felt that the violence took over from the story a bit as well.

Overall just fell flat to me.

Thanks to Dell and NetGalley for a copy of this ARC.