Compelling read but kinda predictable. I'm glad I refreshed my memory on the back stories of the Roman Gods before I started. I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Those Fatal Flowers by Sharon Ives is wonderful!

I love the retelling of Greek and Roman mythology that is taking place now, it seems as if there is a new generation of writer’s retelling the myths I read in my childhood, and I am all in with these versions.

In this book the author brings together Sirens and the lost island of Roanoke and weaves a tale of love, mystery, and revenge in a story that is intriguing and left me wanting more.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC.

At first I was a little concerned with how the plots of two story lanes would connect but holy moly, did they! Greek mythology has been gaining popularity, and I was worried this may end up as one in a mass of them, but I can honestly say this one not only stands out, but towers. Retellings with saphic romance, say no more. I foresee a future, upon book release, where the popularity of this book will soar and it will become an instant favorite of many, such as myself.

Note to the author: we want more!

What if the Roanoke colony disappeared because a queer ancient Roman misandrist siren washed up on shore and stole everyone so she could sacrifice them to her ex gf goddess and become divine again? If that premise doesn't hook you, I don't know what would.

This was an entertaining revenge fantasy full of female rage and sapphic love. There was also an interesting theme throughout of how being monstrous = safe whereas being beautiful = dangerous.

The writing style reminded me a bit of When the Moon Hatched: modern speech and grammar mixed in with kind of pretentious synonyms instead of normal words. Like the stars "scintillate", it's an "aperture" not a window, there were descriptions of a spider and lily early on that were VERY purple. I got used to the prose but it did take me a bit. I also thought there'd be more likeable male characters to show the MC Thelia that not all are evil, but there was only one (plus some small children).

I'm never really into "reincarnated" love interests. That's not the case here, the love interest only LOOKS like Thelia's former love, but that's even weirder maybe? Thelia clearly has a type.

I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Dell and particularly Kathleen Quinlan for allowing me to read a copy of this book! There are content warnings in the book, which I appreciated, and certainly my students would too.

Unfortunately, I do not think I am the type of reader for it. I was very excited-- sapphic Roman myth, assumed anticolonialism, and dual timelines-- but some of the things seemed... a bit over simplistic. There was very little mention of those who were being forcibly displaced and warred against, as the author had mentioned it didn't feel like her place to write-- so most of the mentions were from the island. There was very little of Thelia hearing any talk of Indigenous peoples in Roanake, only at Scopuli. Which in itself felt odd.
I'm... also not sure what the purpose of a certain death at the end of the chapter was. It seemed to have no true benefit-- there was no consequence, no pain other than "hmm it is sad I'm killing this person". To raise the stakes, maybe but. . . in that case it felt very artificial.

The misogyny too, felt very heavy-handed-- they believe she's a princess, and she will choose one of them to marry so a way to do that is to. Hold her hostage, assault her, and punish her for handing out what is believed to be some parts of her dowry because she's "stealing" from them, even as she'd chosen someone else before? At that point I would have made new rules, said there were further trials for husbandry, or said I'd be going to another colony-- even though the purpose of coming is well. to kill men.

The "mystery" of Roanoke also seemed. . . . we have oral histories of Roanoke peoples, a good amount of them marry Native people and integrating in. I'm not sure how I felt about this version.

Queer? Mythology? Sign me up! I really enjoyed this book. Took a little to get invested but once I was I loved it. It’s very unique and the characters are different and intriguing. I will be adding this to our library it’s a great debut!

Greco-Roman mythology meets American puritan colony history in this debut novel. It took me a while to feel comfortable with the alternating time line and I was puzzled as to how the two stories would come together. But I should have just relaxed and trusted the author because this is a very clever and interesting entwining of two worlds.

The retelling of Greek myths has been popular in recent years with authors such as Madeline Miller, this takes a different approach but I think would appeal to those who enjoyed Circe and The Song of Achilles.

Thank you to @netgalley @randomhouse for the ARC

I got this ARC from NetGalley! This was a really good book! It started off a little slow but after I got like half way through and it picked up I really enjoyed it. I love a good mythology retelling. And queer too? Sign me up. Yes please.

I loved this book. I study Classical history, like I'm going to university for it, and loved this take. I've literally never seen an author mix Greek myth with this history of the lost colony. I highly recommend

I loved how this story effortlessly weaved different centuries and cultures together to create a strong narrative that followed these characters. I love the mythology aspects as well as the character building that happened. This book was a great story, and I highly recommend it. I think Ives has a wonderful writing style that flows nicely and has a talent for storytelling.

Rich in mythology, beautifully written, and deeply moving. It is brimming with sapphic longing and female rage. A must-read for fans of the literary brilliance. I can’t wait enough to start recommending it.

Drawing from the myth of the sirens of Scopuli and Persephone (here called Proserpina), Those Fatal Flowers weaves centuries and cultures together, creating a solution to the mystery of the Roanoke Colony. These violence of the original myths is combined with the social hierarchies of colonial times, but the most poetic and intriguing inclusion is that of sapphic love - the main character, one of the sirens (Thelxiope), loves many of the powerful women throughout this winding story.

This was a great read!! I highly recommend it to my fellow readers and have been telling my bookish friends about it!