Blood Flowers

By Author / Illustrator

Jay McGuiness

Genre

Dystopian

Age range(s)

14+

Publisher

Scholastic

ISBN

9780702328770

Format

Paperback / softback

Published

01-02-2024

Synopsis

An explosive new dystopian YA, perfect for fans of The Hunger Games, The Atlas Six and Leigh Bardugo. 17-year-old Bear lives in the walled town of Calleston - a place of stark divide between the rich and poor. Living down in Cobbleside, Bear is painfully conscious of the inequalities between him and residents of Roofside.

When the town's annual Field Day - an event during which those who've recently come of age test their Sinsen growing capacities - shows Bear to have unprecedented abilities, he's hurtled into the upper echelons of society, and everything he's ever wanted is within his grasp. But it soon becomes apparent, that it's not all he expected it to be.

He finds himself existing amidst an uncaring, callous people, concerned only with themselves, living in a society in which corruption is rife. Finding himself unwillingly entangled with the Overlord's beautiful but spiteful daughter, Bear is forced to make decisions which may jeopardise everything he's dreamed of - or risk the lives of the people he once lived amongst.

A story of love, witchcraft, betrayal and murder! From a member of the internationally adored band The Wanted, Jay McGuiness, comes his breathtaking debut YA novel. A beautifully told YA with themes of poverty, class divide and addiction. A powerful plot, sweeping, heartfelt romance and an iconic new YA hero.

Reviews

This fantasy has a poetic, paradoxical plot that subtly addresses the power of social status and the manipulation of rulers who rule by fear, exploring the power of influence and just how much damaged it can do, issues that are prominent today. Blood Flowers, a dark dystopia depicting poverty, inequality, class divide and addiction, is also a story of love, witchcraft, betrayal and murder!

The realms rely only upon Sinsen, and Calleston is the town where the fields burst with these blood read flowers on Field day. However, the growth of this addictive flower can only be achieved by enlacing. 17-year-old Bear who lives in the high walls of Calleston has formidable abilities that rocket him into a spiteful world of privilege and entitlement. Bear is painfully conscious of the inequalities between him and residents of Roofside, so when he finds himself existing among these cruel, uncaring and callous people, he learns that materialism is pointless and that it's the relationships you form in life that are important.

Bear comes to realise that he must now fight for their rights; the rights of those left behind, those who are deemed expendable by higher powers, those discriminated and killed as they potentially pose a threat to the power the queendom is desperate to keep. Finding himself unwillingly entangled in the politics of the Queendom, Bear is forced to make decisions which may jeopardise everything he's dreamed of - or risk the lives of the people he once lived among.

This read is explosive and empathetic, it really captures elements of our own world and portrays it in a way to get people listening. It's a captivating, beautiful and heartbreaking read, the juxtapositions in the novel highlighting what needs to be done both in the book and in the real world. Recommended to 14-year-olds as the complexity of the read is the essence and should be fully enjoyed.

432 pages / Reviewed by Ophelia McCluskey Gahan