I am a huge fan of thrillers/mysteries of any kind. Add to that a YA fantasy/dystopian setting and I was eager to get my hands on a copy of this novel. The synopisis promised everything I loved in a novel, and the cover was so gorgeous there was no way I'd pass it up.
*I was given an egalley ARC in exchange for an honest review! Thank you NetGalley and Amazon Publishing!**
THE WILTED FLOWER DISTRICT
Rating: ★ ★ ★
Authors: Martin Niewood
Publisher: Amazon
Format/Source: Netgalley ARC
From GoodReads: At sixteen Violet Noone is thrown into a world of deception and betrayal when her sister, Ophelia, missing and presumed dead for the last four years, suddenly reenters her life. Violet and her brother, Weylin, venture into in a desolate district of Fairhaven to meet Ophelia but instead of finding her, they discover the brutally murdered body of a young man, Claude Cole. Fleeing the scene, they become suspects, relentlessly pursued by Penny, the officer in charge of the investigation. They soon learn that this murder is no isolated incident as they unravel its mysterious connection to the forbidden fruit, Elsyn. Things in the Domain are different than they were on Earth. For one thing, death there holds no promise of rebirth into another realm. Fairhaven is an energized and diverse city with many neighborhoods including the Wilted Flower District, where Violet lives with her adoptive family. Having lost her parents many years ago, Violet relies on her brother, Weylin, and her best friend, Deena, for support while concealing the truth from her adoptive mom, Ivy, whose help she needs the most. Determined to solve the mystery and reunite her family, Violet confronts her own beliefs, the political order, and the physical world. The question is how far is she willing to go?
Here's what I think....
The cover was absolutely what caught my attention initially. It's undeniably gorgeous. The synopsis promised me a novel that I would get lost in, a story that would shock me and a girl that I could cheer for. Unfortunately, it did not meet my expectations.
I had a few recurring thoughts through out the book. First, WHY did we skip from a story about her mom, to this... ? LIke where is all the rest of the story. His first book "Forgotten Violets" was about Meadow, Violet's mom... this one is about her daughter, but in an entirely different way. I had so many questions through the novel about this subject.
Second, while I understood that the world Violet lived in was the "after-world" of sorts, it was never really explained why she was there at such a young age, aside from the vague explanation of being reborn. Her death was mentioned several times, which one would deduct meant it was important, yet not cause or reason was divulged. This really left a bad flow to the story.
The characters in the novel were very likable. You could easily understand why Violet did the things she did, why Wyelin was so vehemently protective, and feel the love that the family felt for each other. It's hard to way who was a better character, as I really think the cast was well rounded. I just wish they had been fleshed out a bit more and a bit more thought put into the personalities and reactions to situations. There were a few instances that both Violet and her brother acted out of character for no real reason. Those inconsistencies dampen the otherwise great characters!
The plot of the book was very intriguing, and for a young MG student they may not catch all the plot holes and inconsistencies but an older reader would probably not enjoy it immensely. If there is a third novel, and it does not time jump, but instead follows up on Violet's story and answered some of the questions, closing some of the plot holes, I believe it could be a very good ending to a promising series. However, as the second, sorta related novel on it's own, it doesn't quite reach it's potential.
TL;DR
The bones of the novel were great, and consistent but too many detail inconsistencies and holes detracted from the over all rating. The story was intriguing enough to keep me reading. Likable characters but the length of the book didn't give them time to be fleshed out properly, leading to lack luster performances and out of character decisions in the novel. Over all rating: 3 STARS
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