📖 About
Maria hasn’t been back to her hometown of Talalora since her mother sent her away as a child. When her mother dies, she is called home to participate in a series of trials to claim her inheritance. The town worships the Diwata – an entity it credits with Talalora’s fertile land. As memories of her mother and her childhood return and the trials become increasingly sinister, Maria is determined to uncover the truth about the Diwata and Talalora’s history.
⭐️ Review
★★★★½
This was my first Daphne Fama book and it won’t be the last.
I love botanical body horror and this did not disappoint! The descriptions of the blooming and the Diwata had me feeling dread and horror right along with Maria. If you’re a fan of Annihilation you will probably enjoy this as well.
I enjoyed Maria as a character and particularly liked how her relationships developed with her newfound family members. My one criticism about the book is that the villain is a bit one dimensional and lacks much depth or nuance, but that doesn’t detract from how well-written his character is or how much I enjoyed hating him.
Overall, this is a solid, well-written piece of folk horror and I enjoyed it immensely.
A Deadly Blooming comes out on March 9, 2027. Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the ARC!
