Review: Flower and Thorn by Rati Mehrotra

Posted January 19, 2024 by Lillian in Reviews / 5 Comments

I received this book via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

Review: Flower and Thorn by Rati MehrotraFlower and Thorn by Rati Mehrotra
Published by Wednesday Books on 2023-10-17
Length: 352 pages
Reviewing eARC from Netgalley
Rating:
Reading Challenges: #NGEW2024, 2024 COYER Unwind

A young flower hunter gets embroiled in the succession politics of the Sultanate when she must retrieve the rarest and most powerful magical flower after giving it to the wrong hands, in Rati Mehrotra's Flower and Thorn.

Irinya has wanted to be a flower hunter ever since her mother disappeared into the mysterious mist of the Rann salt flats one night. Now seventeen, Irinya uses her knowledge of magical flowers to help her caravan survive in the harsh desert. When her handsome hunting partner and childhood friend finds a priceless silver spider lily—said to be able to tear down kingdoms and defeat entire armies—Irinya knows this is their chance for a better life.

Until Irinya is tricked by an attractive impostor.

Irinya's fight to recover the priceless flower and fix what she's done takes her on a dangerous journey, one she's not sure she'll survive. She has no choice but to endure it if she hopes to return home and mend the broken heart of the boy she's left behind.

What an amazing read! Flower and Thorn by Rati Mehrotra is a standalone YA historical fantasy that asks the question: “What if India had magic when the Portuguese invaded during the 16th century?” I am a sucker for books like this that are full of history but rewritten to include other things. For this one, it’s magical flowers that turn the tide of an invasion. It is both beautiful and haunting.

Irinya is a flower hunter for her nomadic kul, inspired by her mother who was also a flower hunter before she disappeared into the Rann salt flats. Only seventeen, she uses her knowledge of flowers, and their thorns, to keep her family and friends safe. When her hunting partner Fardan finds the mythical and rare silver spider lily, Irinya knows it is the key to saving not just their kul, but their country as well.

This story took me off guard. At first, I didn’t like Irinya, and with the entire story told from her POV, that makes it hard to connect. However, I quickly found myself in love with her and rooting for her to succeed. She makes several questionable decisions, first giving the silver spider lily to a stranger who makes grand promises to running away from her kul and leaving all she knows and loves behind to save them. She goes on an epic adventure, and the story follows her through it all.

If you are expecting a romance, set that expectation aside. Yes, there is a touch of romance, but I’d classify it more as teenage longing and hope than true romance. Irinya is more concerned about setting right her wrongs then pursuing love. This plot focuses more on her adventure, the magic of the flowers, the danger she is in, the invading Portuguese, and the unrest in the sultanate. And y’all, I could not have asked for a better story than what this book delivers!

Overall, I really enjoyed Flower and Thorn. The magic system Mehrotra develops is seamlessly integrated into the history of the time period. I love seeing and learning about it through Irinya’s perspective. The story itself reminds me of one you’d find in One Thousand and One Nights or being told out loud by Scheherazade herself. It is lush in its imagery, evoking a sense of wonder as you read. Highly recommend for fans of fantasy!

Rating: 5 out of 5.

About Rati Mehrotra

Author Rati Mehrotra

Born and raised in India, Rati Mehrotra now lives and writes in Toronto, Canada. She is the author of the science fantasy novels Markswoman (2018) and Mahimata (2019) published by Harper Voyager and the YA fantasy novels Night of the Raven, Dawn of the Dove (2022) and Flower and Thorn (2023) published by Wednesday Books. Her short fiction has been shortlisted for The Sunburst Award, nominated for The Aurora Award, and has appeared in multiple venues including The Magazine of Fantasy & Science FictionLightspeed MagazineUncanny Magazine, Apex MagazinePodcastleCast of Wonders, and AE – The Canadian Science Fiction Review.

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5 responses to “Review: Flower and Thorn by Rati Mehrotra

    • It was such a good read! The alternate history added with magic was *chef’s kiss* The writing style is what really drew me in. It’s like it is being orally told. It would make a fantastic audiobook with the right narrator.

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