Scan barcode
cheye13's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
A very interesting and subtly ominous literary piece. Also incredibly prescient and timely. I would have liked a little more of something, but not everything. Maybe a little more lean-in to the language, or a little more focus on the nature and merit of art, or a little more focus on the building overseers. There were a lotta great pieces of the narrative that built a cool overall work, but I think I would've liked one topic to sorta spearhead the work.
Really pensive and subtle story, one to keep thinking about.
Really pensive and subtle story, one to keep thinking about.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Grief, Stalking, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Death and Mental illness
more minor warnings: gaslighting and stalking in the context of voyeurism and conspiracy (also vague paranoia); discussion of climate disasters & mass death events; graphic depiction of suffering through a heat wave (heat sickness?); discussions of hypnosis; I briefly feared a subplot would turn transphobic, but it does not; if you're picking up on the vibes I did, don't be concerned.bookedbymadeline's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
I’ve loved de Rosnay’s other works and I’ve been slowly making my way through her bibliography! This one was so different compared to her usual historical fiction novels as it’s a literary novel with sci fi elements. The premise was to look at the effects of AI and surveillance, set in a futuristic Paris!
This was an interesting plot/idea and I quite enjoyed it for the most part. I loved the character relationships and having an older protagonist! I also enjoyed the past POV through the MCs notebook, which slowly revealed a major conflict/secret. It kept me guessing and it was a nice unexpected twist!
It’s a very detailed, character driven story which is always 50/50 for me. At times I loved it and other times I found it difficult to focus on. For instance, I was pulled in really quickly but then it slumped a bit in the middle before picking back up again for the last 1/3.
It was feeling like a 4 star read until the last 20 pages when the ending felt rushed and there were too many loose ends-I have questions still-so I dropped half a star for those reasons. Flowers of Darkness is in the middle of my rankings so far for de Rosnay’s works; I have 2 of her books ranked below at 3 ⭐️s, Sarah’s Key and The House I Loved are still my top 2 at 5 ⭐️s, and I have 2 more left to read 😁
TW/CW: stillbirth, terrorism attack, cancer, infidelity, suicide, climate disaster, depression
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Mental illness, and Suicide
Moderate: Cancer and Infidelity