Unfortunately, this book was not for me. I found the story could have used more editing and I found myself not really caring for the characters or their story.

I have to say, the cover art really needed a bit more work and doesn't really match the theme of the book besides the title and magic system.

The story itself was a little discombobulating. I understand that this might not be the finished product, however, it reads as if it needs further editing.

The main character Flora, I struggled to connect to and disconnected me from the overall story arc. The love interest is a little on the nose to Rhysand from ACOTAR, the same can be said for the city being too similar to Velaris, which made the book a little disappointing. I'm all about creative freedom and using inspiration, but this feels a little too heavily influenced by it.

I struggled not to DNF this, but I wanted to see if the end had anything to offer, sadly I was left a little disappointed. There were some elements that were interesting, and I wish they followed that idea more. It feels very much like the author tried to fit the genre and current popularity, rather than write for them and their readers who have similar interests.

The Age of Larkspur is a YA fantasy novel that follows Flora, an anxious, sheltered teen girl as she goes on an epic adventure to save her adopted mother and, hopefully, herself. This story is packed full of gorgeously described places, magic, and character growth. There is navigation of friendship dynamic changes and budding romantic relationships, as well as navigating parental relationships.

The language used throughout the book was descriptive and engaging, although it could be dense at times with the word choice. The characters made you want to stay invested in their story without being one-dimensional. There were points throughout the story that I became annoyed with Flora, but then I remembered she is a sheltered teen and her reactions to situations made a lot more sense. I'm not sure if we were supposed to like Anise (Flora's best friend) for the entire book... I can say I didn't. I found her to be extremely controlling and selfish, although she does get some redemption in the end. I just found her shady.

I am a sucker for a good adventure story. Especially one that includes a trek across the land, with magic! The Age of Larkspur was an enjoyable read that I would recommend to readers 13+ who enjoy fantasy!

𝖳𝖶: 𝖽𝖾𝖺𝗍𝗁, 𝖽𝖾𝗌𝖼𝗋𝗂𝗉𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇𝗌 𝗈𝖿 𝗀𝗈𝗋𝖾, 𝗉𝖺𝗋𝖾𝗇𝗍𝖺𝗅 𝖽𝖾𝖺𝗍𝗁, 𝖺𝖻𝖽𝗎𝖼𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇, 𝗆𝗎𝗋𝖽𝖾𝗋

This book is all about the line between good or evil and that depending on the point of view, you could be the hero or the villain.

I really liked the storyline and the world building.

Flora who has a hidden magic and a curse that she has to hide from everyone. She has to stay hidden with her adoptive mother. I also loved how the author wrote her. She's different from so many FMCs. She's socially anxious, she has a hard time trusting herself and she's always questioning her decisions.
When she meets Kanaan, he forces her to trust herself more. He's giving her confidence and I loved that.

The one I had a hard time with, was Anise, her best friend. Honestly, I was team Kanaan and wanted her gone 🤣. She tries to protect Flora and every time it feels like she doesn't trust her friend and her ability. Flora needed to stand up for herself.

Kanaan was a great morally grey character. Flora needed him to grow and he needed her to see things differently.

This book should have spent more time in the beta reading and editing process.

The concept of Flora racing against the clock to save herself from a curse that is slowly eating away at her is in itself, a very cool premise. The execution of this premise left a lot to be desired.

Parke's writing lacked any polish and felt very juvenile. This book is marked as YA, but feels more middle grade. Any exposition or world building is performed in an info dump that is usually awkwardly timed. Parke will also spell out people's thought processes for far longer than is necessary. She doesn't seem to trust the reader and feels the need to spoon feed us everything. (Hence why it feels middle grade, like come on teenagers are smarter than that.)

Kaanan is clearly a rip off of Rhysand from ACOTAR and the Pitch City is supposed to be Velaris. I know that the success of ACOTAR has led authors to copying aspects of the story but the main love interest having shadow powers is so overdone, can we please stop? That being said, I enjoyed his character the most. Flora is an idiot. Anise was annoying and the worst friend ever. (Why is Flora forgiving her after Anise gave her a concussion and kidnapped her?) And well that's really all the characters we spend any time with. The world felt very unpopulated.

And I'm sorry, but how did an editor not pick up on the flagrant anachronisms that made NO SENSE in a fantasy world. The use of biological mother instead of birth mother. Randomly having guns but no other vaguely modern technology. (and no explanation is given). Name dropping aloe vera as a treatment for sunburn. And the worst offender, Flora knowing what atropine and scopolamine are despite them being chemicals only isolated within the last century in our world. (I'm a doctor so that one really pissed me off).

I'm confused as to why this was approved for publication without significantly more time spent in the editing process.

Reviews will go live on Goodreads, Storygraph, Fable, my blog and tik tok on 9/9

"I would rather be the villain in the story than bind myself to the rules of the so called ‘good.’”

☆☆☆☆.5

I just finished reading The Age of Larkspur by Aleighsha Parke, and this was such a good story!!

This book is a classic coming-of-age YA fantasy, with intricate history, incredible magic, and a girl who realizes she is more capable than she thinks!

It follows along Flora, who has an epic secret... she is the missing Larkspur Lady and has the coveted magic of the larkspur flower and all its deadly properties. After her mother died, her adoptive mother, Rosie, has been protecting her from all the people who want to use her for her magic, like the terrifying Pitch King. On top of that, when she finds her adoptive mother missing and believes the evil Sage Witch is to blame, her magic might be the only thing that can save herself, her friends, Rosie, and everyone she knows. With so much at stake, her anxiety runs rampant.

She sets out on a quest with her best friend to find the missing magical amulet the Sage Witch seeks to trade for her mother's life, and meets a handsome boy that is more than willing to help her. Is he also a threat, or can she trust him? Guess you'll just have to read it to find out!

This book covers all the bases... we've got magic, Icelandic folklore, mysteries and plot twists galore, and major anxiety rep! I loved how Flora's anxiety was represented because it is so unbelievably accurate. While the beginning starts off a little slow with world-building, it gets super good in the middle, and I couldn't put it down! You're going to love Kaanan 🫠

A huge thank you to Aleighsha Parke for the opportunity to read this ARC! The Age of Larkspur just got released today!

I really like this book but if I'm being honest I was almost DNF it but I'm happy that I didn't. Why did I was almost DNF? I think that's important the amount of times the author uses the FMC name, Flora I think it was a bit much.. I understand why she did but it became to a part where it was too much.. Anyway I did liked the book and I think it's a wonderful start to a fantasy world, for teens who want to dive in, I would have enjoyed a book like this if I was younger

At the beginning, when I started reading this book, I found it a little hard to get into. It was a little slow at first and a little repetitive. That being said, after getting through the first 10% or so things really started picking up. I found the story to be pretty intriguing and the concept felt very original! I think the hardest part for me was feeling like I couldn’t really connect with Flora as our FMC. I was also anticipating a little more of a twist at the end. Overall, I think this is a pretty good YA fantasy novel, and gave it a rating of 4 stars.

Thank you to the author and Wild Rose Press for providing an ARC copy!

This was a great coming of age story. I'm going to be honest that it took me a couple tries to get into it due to what felt like a slow start. I'm happy that I did though.the Norse legends sprinkled throughout was a take on the genre that you don't normally see. Very strong storytelling and will recommend.

Thank you to Net Galley and The Wild Rose Press for the ARC. I was excited to read this but unfortunately it ended up quite boring for me. I didn't really care about Flora.

I got this as an arc on Netgalley and it will come out in September. Yeah this was pretty good! I think it might have worked better as a duology. Some things were a bit hurried through and it would have been more interesting to have those worked out.

Thoughts: This was an intriguing young adult fantasy (note: I’d say slightly older YA because of some rather graphic gruesome scenes, especially at the end). The author does an amazing job of setting the scene and building the world. We are immersed in Flora’s life from the first page. Based on Icelandic folklore, the myths and old sagas are woven throughout with a deft hand.

The story moves along quickly as Flora and her best friend Anise set out on a quest to find the four parts of an amulet in order to set their world to rights and save Flora’s foster mother, Rosie. Along the way, they meet Kanaan, a rather interesting character. Flora is immediately drawn to him, but he is a lot more than he seems. All the characters have issues that make them relatable. And the secondary characters were as unique as the main three.

The end was a tad gory for my tastes, but in keeping with the story and the myths. And the result was perfect. Without giving anything away, I loved how Flora deals with the end, possibly opening up room for future stories in a possible series. Nicely done.

Recommended.

Disclaimer: Disclosure of Material: I received a final and/or advanced reader copy of this book with the hope that I will leave my unbiased opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that… My Opinions. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”

I would've given The Age of Larkspur all the stars in the night sky just for Flora alone if I could. Honestly, I think I need to write an essay about how much I loved Flora. I found her so relatable and despite all the differences between us, I could still see so many aspects of my teen years being played right in front of me as I followed her tale.
But aside from Flora, The Age of Larkspur was fantastic. The plot on its own was very intriguing but the fantasy nerd in me couldn’t help but be fascinated by the world-building and the magic system. I can’t really give a higher compliment to an author than saying that their story made me so interested in a culture that I decided to spend a good chunk of my time researching the folklore the story is based on.
The Age of Larkspur is an incredible debut by Aleighsha Parke. It’s a magical story with an incredible and relatable protagonist that you really don’t want to miss.

Flora is a sheltered, bi, anxious girl who's been hiding her identity, and her magical curse for her entire life.
Until her mother's kidnapping, when she is forced out of her comfort zone on a high-stakes adventure. The quest is necessary to save her mother, and hopefully also save herself and her town in the process.

She brings along her best (and only) friend Anise, who is fiercely loyal yet often overshadowing her. Along the way they meet a mysterious stranger with questionable motives who ends up joining the venture.

Steeped in Icelandic folklore, the plot is intriguing and easy to follow, with detailed writing and immersive world building. This is a story about personal growth, learning and accepting hard truths, and carving your own path in the world, woven into a fairytale with great vibes!

My fellow anxious people will totally be able to relate to Flora, and probably her dynamic with Anise too. I loved the character development that Flora has, the examination of complex childhood friendships as we come of age, and the budding relationship was sweet and swoony!

My review will also be posted on my instagram @readwithchrista in the next couple weeks!