Grave Flowers
Inspired by Tudor history, Autumn Krause’s Grave Flowers is an intriguing fantasy novel full of conflict and love.
Madalina is princess of Radix, a staid kingdom known for its grave flowers, deadly magical plants. Her twin sister, Inessa, is sent to marry the heir of Acus, a place known for its wild parties. But when Inessa dies, Madalina is sent to take her sister’s place—and to kill Aeric, her betrothed. While she has been taught to believe that she must do her duty to keep Radix’s independence, her attraction to Aeric throws her off. Further, the identity of her sister’s killer remains hidden.
The grave flowers center the book’s intriguing magic system, standing in for royal abuses of power, death, and the afterlife. Felys, people who are displaced and mistreated, have deep knowledge of the grave flowers; Madalina’s Fely heritage through her mother plays a powerful role. Indeed, Madalina is a complicated but lovable heroine who grows from cold to vulnerable across the book, her qualities contrasting with those of Aeric, who is strong underneath his lighthearted behavior. The secondary characters, including Madelina’s friend Yorick, are well-developed too, as with notes about Yorick’s distance from the social order and his gentle care for Madalina.
The prose includes evocative descriptions, as of a “garden [writhing] in fretful waves.” People’s exchanges are formal, reflecting their various suspicions and social roles, and the background is fleshed out with keen details, as of the norms at parties, which are used to reflect the respective kingdoms’ cultures.
Fast and tense, the exciting fantasy novel Grave Flowers follows a princess as she navigates the complications of love and political intrigue.
Reviewed by
M. W. Merritt
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