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Those Fatal Flowers
Greco-Roman mythology and the mystery of the vanished Roanoke colony collide in this epic adventure filled with sapphic longing and female rage—a debut novel for fans of Madeline Miller, Jennifer Saint, and Natalie Haynes.Before, Scopuli. It has been centuries since Thelia made the mistake that cost her the woman she loved. As the handmaidens charged with protecting Proserpina, the goddess of spring, Thelia and her sisters are banished to the island of Scopuli, cursed to live as sirens—winged half-woman, half-bird creatures. In luring men to their death, they hope to gain favor from the gods who could free them. But then ships stop coming and Thelia fears a fate worse than the underworld. Just as time begins to run out, a voice emerges, Proserpina’s voice; and what she asks of Thelia will spark a daring and dangerous quest for freedom.Now, Roanoke. Thelia can't bear to reflect on her last moments in Scopuli, where she left behind her sisters. After weeks drifting at sea, Thelia’s renewed human body is close to death. Luckily, an unfamiliar island appears on the horizon—Roanoke. Posing as a princess arriving on a sailboat filled with riches, Thelia infiltrates the small English colony. It doesn’t take long for her to realize that this place is dangerous, especially for women. As she grows closer to a beautiful settler who mysteriously resembles her former love, Thelia formulates a plan to save her sisters and enact revenge on the violent men she’s come to hate. But is she willing to go back to Scopuli and face the decisions of her past? And will Proserpina forgive her for all that she’s done?Told in alternating timelines, Those Fatal Flowers is a powerful, passionate, and wildly cathartic love letter to femininity and the monstrous power within us all.
384 pages, Paperback
First published January 21, 2025
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14055 people want to read
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March 12, 2025
We uniquely begin this review with two brief lessons from two very different places in time: Greco-Roman mythology and Colonial American history! Proserpina’s abduction into the underworld is a very well-known myth. She was earthside, innocently picking flowers, when she was accosted, raped, and taken by The King of the Underworld (Pluto); her mother, Ceres, was so inconsolable she plagued the earth with her wrath, creating a devastating famine to deliver souls to the underworld in an unrelenting stream; in the meantime, Pluto deceived Proserpina into eating pomegranate seeds, ensnaring her there for eternity; Zeus decreed Proserpina would live half of her time with her mother on Earth and half with Pluto in the Underworld, which accounts for the seasons on Earth. The Nymph handmaidens who failed to protect the goddess were transfigured into the Sirens of legend, which were woman-bird hybrids continually questing to recover their fallen deity. Sirens are typically portrayed as beguiling temptresses, luring men to their watery graves with beautiful enchantments woven into song. The Lost Colony of Roanoke was a settlement in North America whose fate is a perplexing mystery still not agreed upon by historians in modern times. The settlement’s population totally disappeared with no clear explanation in sight. As the author shares with us in the author’s note, these people likely assimilated into the existing Native American populace for survival, but with no clear evidence, new adventures can always be written!
Shannon Ives’s debut novel entitled Those Fatal Flowers captivates the reader with a fascinating and propulsive plot, stunning character complexity, forbidden sapphic love, and enduring thematic resonance! This chimeric creation cleverly constellates juxtaposing elements, effectively breathing new life into mythos harvested from Greco-Roman antiquity and creatively giving us a new theory on what obviously happened to the Lost Colony of Roanoke. Initially, I just could not see how connections could be made between the Lost Colony of Roanoke and classical Roman Mythos, but I was pleasantly surprised to discover this thrilling and heartening story of sisterhood standing in solidarity of the female experience: this is a story of women flowering in the face of unfathomable hardships. Our tale begins in the aftermath of Proserpina’s abduction from ancient days, takes the reader on a thrilling, time-traveling odyssey to the wilds of North America during colonial times, and maroons the reader back in reality with much to contemplate!
I immensely enjoyed reading the alternating past and present timelines with our narrator and main character, Thelia. She is one of the handmaidens mentioned above, in addition to her sisters Pisinoe and Raidne. I was easily able to see the incredible evolution her character undergoes in many respects since I could see a sort of natural compare-contrast occurring between the past and present psyches. Her moral development where she moves away from thinking in absolutes (namely, all men are bad; all women are good) and emotional maturation where she can find her own salvation and finally move forward to nascent beginnings had me totally engrossed. There are valuable lessons to be discovered within the pages of this book on the subject of men and monsters, learned through the lens of both real and fictional women that came before us. Thelia came to know cruelty as multifaceted, with humans in general---not just men---being the painters of its innumerable nuanced hues. I appreciated her beastly ferocity as much as I enjoyed seeing a more human side start to bloom. I really liked that Thelia got a love story, and I thought it was very fitting to be one forged from harrowing circumstances and tragically entangled within the threads of fate. Ives presents the reader with powerful commentary on feminine fury and the consequential ferocity of female transformation and empowerment. The author also has oral symbolism woven throughout the book, displaying what truly endangers the power of patriarchy. Some of these include the power of oral storytelling (gossip, mythology, same thing, right?!) and the seductive power of the sirens and their song, both of which possess the probable kiss of death for their audiences. I highly recommend picking up this book. Move over, Madeline Miller! Publication day was back in January, so go grab a copy!
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Randomhouse Publishing Group-Ballantine/Dell for the ARC and the opportunity to share what I think! All opinions are my own.
Shannon Ives’s debut novel entitled Those Fatal Flowers captivates the reader with a fascinating and propulsive plot, stunning character complexity, forbidden sapphic love, and enduring thematic resonance! This chimeric creation cleverly constellates juxtaposing elements, effectively breathing new life into mythos harvested from Greco-Roman antiquity and creatively giving us a new theory on what obviously happened to the Lost Colony of Roanoke. Initially, I just could not see how connections could be made between the Lost Colony of Roanoke and classical Roman Mythos, but I was pleasantly surprised to discover this thrilling and heartening story of sisterhood standing in solidarity of the female experience: this is a story of women flowering in the face of unfathomable hardships. Our tale begins in the aftermath of Proserpina’s abduction from ancient days, takes the reader on a thrilling, time-traveling odyssey to the wilds of North America during colonial times, and maroons the reader back in reality with much to contemplate!
I immensely enjoyed reading the alternating past and present timelines with our narrator and main character, Thelia. She is one of the handmaidens mentioned above, in addition to her sisters Pisinoe and Raidne. I was easily able to see the incredible evolution her character undergoes in many respects since I could see a sort of natural compare-contrast occurring between the past and present psyches. Her moral development where she moves away from thinking in absolutes (namely, all men are bad; all women are good) and emotional maturation where she can find her own salvation and finally move forward to nascent beginnings had me totally engrossed. There are valuable lessons to be discovered within the pages of this book on the subject of men and monsters, learned through the lens of both real and fictional women that came before us. Thelia came to know cruelty as multifaceted, with humans in general---not just men---being the painters of its innumerable nuanced hues. I appreciated her beastly ferocity as much as I enjoyed seeing a more human side start to bloom. I really liked that Thelia got a love story, and I thought it was very fitting to be one forged from harrowing circumstances and tragically entangled within the threads of fate. Ives presents the reader with powerful commentary on feminine fury and the consequential ferocity of female transformation and empowerment. The author also has oral symbolism woven throughout the book, displaying what truly endangers the power of patriarchy. Some of these include the power of oral storytelling (gossip, mythology, same thing, right?!) and the seductive power of the sirens and their song, both of which possess the probable kiss of death for their audiences. I highly recommend picking up this book. Move over, Madeline Miller! Publication day was back in January, so go grab a copy!
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Randomhouse Publishing Group-Ballantine/Dell for the ARC and the opportunity to share what I think! All opinions are my own.
June 15, 2025
I will eat up any rendition of a feminist Greek/Roman mythology story...and combine that with American history? An immediate yes for me based on the premise and potential. Though the execution fell a bit flat.
The author did an excellent job blending the classic tales of Ceres (Demeter) and Proserpina (Persephone) + the myths of the sirens with early American history. After failing to protect Proserpina, our FMC, Thelia, and her two sisters have suffered a curse for millennia—forced to live in siren bodies and lure ships to the isle of Scopuli. Centuries later, Thelia seizes an opportunity, in which she's able to leave the island and washes ashore on an English colony.
Going into this book, I was curious to see how the author would connect two completely different periods of time (and locations) together, yet it worked well. One of the aspects I enjoyed most was how the author compared and contrasted English colonial society with Ancient Greek society. Specifically, how women are treated quite similarly under differing patriarchal societies. It was also interesting to read Thelia's reactions to the bible/Christian religion, as she grew up in a completely different time period.
Though I wasn't a big fan of the pacing. The book started out slowly, and I contemplated DNFing for the first 100 or so pages. The "before" chapters, which followed Thelia and her sisters on the isle, were much more intriguing. The colony chapters dragged, and there wasn't enough plot/action happening for me.
I also didn't feel very connected to the characters, and I wish there was more of a variety of emotions in this book. And even though the author mentions indigenous stories are not hers to tell, I'm not sure why there wasn't a single indigenous character in a book heavily featuring early American colonialism? Especially when said colony is the lost colony of Roanoke? I believe that this is shelved as a romance, but, while there were romantic tones that play a strong role, it felt way more like a historical fiction fantasy.
The author did an excellent job blending the classic tales of Ceres (Demeter) and Proserpina (Persephone) + the myths of the sirens with early American history. After failing to protect Proserpina, our FMC, Thelia, and her two sisters have suffered a curse for millennia—forced to live in siren bodies and lure ships to the isle of Scopuli. Centuries later, Thelia seizes an opportunity, in which she's able to leave the island and washes ashore on an English colony.
Going into this book, I was curious to see how the author would connect two completely different periods of time (and locations) together, yet it worked well. One of the aspects I enjoyed most was how the author compared and contrasted English colonial society with Ancient Greek society. Specifically, how women are treated quite similarly under differing patriarchal societies. It was also interesting to read Thelia's reactions to the bible/Christian religion, as she grew up in a completely different time period.
Though I wasn't a big fan of the pacing. The book started out slowly, and I contemplated DNFing for the first 100 or so pages. The "before" chapters, which followed Thelia and her sisters on the isle, were much more intriguing. The colony chapters dragged, and there wasn't enough plot/action happening for me.
I also didn't feel very connected to the characters, and I wish there was more of a variety of emotions in this book. And even though the author mentions indigenous stories are not hers to tell, I'm not sure why there wasn't a single indigenous character in a book heavily featuring early American colonialism? Especially when said colony is the lost colony of Roanoke? I believe that this is shelved as a romance, but, while there were romantic tones that play a strong role, it felt way more like a historical fiction fantasy.
July 2, 2024
Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an arc of this.
When I asked publishing for more unhinged sapphic books, that now apparently has to come with an asterisk of "that don't use a real-life settler colony and its relationship to the ongoing genocide of native Americans as set dressing for White Sapphic Yearning™"
The author says in her ending notes that she didn't include a central Indigenous character because she felt that "wasn't her story to tell", yet at multiple points within this book, she attempts to draw a line between the suffering of the white women within Roanoke under the patriarchal colony leaders and those same leaders' enslavement and slaughter of Indigenous women. There is no thought or commentary to the specific racial dynamics behind the history of this. She is clearly hesitant to question whether even her "good" colonist characters should be here at all, often handwaving it with that they were forced to by their husbands and it therefore doesn't matter what role they're playing in the theft of native land - even framing the portion of forest lived in by a woman who is exiled from Roanoke as being 'hers'. I would ask where on earth the sensitivity reader for this book was, except I suspect any such reader would have told the author what a disastrous premise this is. The lost colony of Roanoke was a colony, and it does not exist divorced from its subsequent legacy of colonization and genocide. Letting white women have revenge while the only Indigenous bodies on the page are corpses who their actions killed isn't any story about "female rage" that I find compelling, new, or subversive.
When I asked publishing for more unhinged sapphic books, that now apparently has to come with an asterisk of "that don't use a real-life settler colony and its relationship to the ongoing genocide of native Americans as set dressing for White Sapphic Yearning™"
The author says in her ending notes that she didn't include a central Indigenous character because she felt that "wasn't her story to tell", yet at multiple points within this book, she attempts to draw a line between the suffering of the white women within Roanoke under the patriarchal colony leaders and those same leaders' enslavement and slaughter of Indigenous women. There is no thought or commentary to the specific racial dynamics behind the history of this. She is clearly hesitant to question whether even her "good" colonist characters should be here at all, often handwaving it with that they were forced to by their husbands and it therefore doesn't matter what role they're playing in the theft of native land - even framing the portion of forest lived in by a woman who is exiled from Roanoke as being 'hers'. I would ask where on earth the sensitivity reader for this book was, except I suspect any such reader would have told the author what a disastrous premise this is. The lost colony of Roanoke was a colony, and it does not exist divorced from its subsequent legacy of colonization and genocide. Letting white women have revenge while the only Indigenous bodies on the page are corpses who their actions killed isn't any story about "female rage" that I find compelling, new, or subversive.
May 30, 2025
the only Roanoke mystery theory I’ll accept
April 16, 2025
What happens when you mix a mystery from America’s history with mythology, feminist rage, and romance?
This book right here.
It presents an interesting case: what if sirens from Greco-Roman mythology were responsible for the disappearance of the inhabitants of the lost colony of Roanoke? The author explains that her aim with this story was to explore the effects of loss and guilt on the psyche while also examining structural violence. It does a fair job in this endeavor, while also including a sapphic love story.
Our main character is Thelia, one of three sisters who acted as handmaidens to Proserpina (Persephone), and who were transformed into winged creatures to assist in the search for their charge when she was abducted by Dis (Hades). When they fail to find and rescue the goddess, they are imprisoned on an island as punishment. There, they lure sailors with their singing. (This book alternately refers to them as harpies and sirens, but I think the singing and luring part indicates they were just sirens, not harpies?)
After centuries have gone by, Thelia learns there may be a way to lift the curse she and her sisters are under, but it requires the sacrifice of many treacherous men…something the English colony of Roanoke in the Americas has more then a few of.
I liked the unique premise of the story and the bits detailing the lives of Thelia and her sister sirens on the island of Scopuli, and the writing on the sentence level was good.
On the other hand, I questioned the reliability of the behavior and speech of the Puritans depicted here. The men and women of Raleigh drank an awful lot of alcohol in this book, and said things like, “Fun little secret for you, my lady” before revealing some bit of gossip. I’m no scholar of history, but these things didn’t seem right to me. And I just wasn’t much feeling the romance — it was a bit of instalove on Thelia’s side (although in part because the object of her affections apparently looks so much like her long lost love that for a time she is trying to determine if it might actually BE her); and also, when on a timed mission for redemption, shouldn’t a centuries old divinity be able to keep it in her skirts?
All the hate for anything male really bothered me, BUT this does get addressed later on in the book, as Thelia finally learns that “monsters are made, not born”.
So while this book wasn’t a home run for me, it was decent and presents some intriguing concepts. If I were allowed half or even quarter star ratings, I’d say this was a 3.25 or 3.5 read for me.
Thank you the NetGalley and Dell/Penguin Random House for the eARC in exchange for my honest review! This book is slated for publication in January of 2025.
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This book right here.
It presents an interesting case: what if sirens from Greco-Roman mythology were responsible for the disappearance of the inhabitants of the lost colony of Roanoke? The author explains that her aim with this story was to explore the effects of loss and guilt on the psyche while also examining structural violence. It does a fair job in this endeavor, while also including a sapphic love story.
Our main character is Thelia, one of three sisters who acted as handmaidens to Proserpina (Persephone), and who were transformed into winged creatures to assist in the search for their charge when she was abducted by Dis (Hades). When they fail to find and rescue the goddess, they are imprisoned on an island as punishment. There, they lure sailors with their singing. (This book alternately refers to them as harpies and sirens, but I think the singing and luring part indicates they were just sirens, not harpies?)
After centuries have gone by, Thelia learns there may be a way to lift the curse she and her sisters are under, but it requires the sacrifice of many treacherous men…something the English colony of Roanoke in the Americas has more then a few of.
I liked the unique premise of the story and the bits detailing the lives of Thelia and her sister sirens on the island of Scopuli, and the writing on the sentence level was good.
On the other hand, I questioned the reliability of the behavior and speech of the Puritans depicted here. The men and women of Raleigh drank an awful lot of alcohol in this book, and said things like, “Fun little secret for you, my lady” before revealing some bit of gossip. I’m no scholar of history, but these things didn’t seem right to me. And I just wasn’t much feeling the romance — it was a bit of instalove on Thelia’s side (although in part because the object of her affections apparently looks so much like her long lost love that for a time she is trying to determine if it might actually BE her); and also, when on a timed mission for redemption, shouldn’t a centuries old divinity be able to keep it in her skirts?
All the hate for anything male really bothered me, BUT this does get addressed later on in the book, as Thelia finally learns that “monsters are made, not born”.
So while this book wasn’t a home run for me, it was decent and presents some intriguing concepts. If I were allowed half or even quarter star ratings, I’d say this was a 3.25 or 3.5 read for me.
Thank you the NetGalley and Dell/Penguin Random House for the eARC in exchange for my honest review! This book is slated for publication in January of 2025.
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February 13, 2025
firstly, thank you to the publisher for an arc!
2.5 stars
not the best retelling i’ve read, and i’ve read many, but also not entirely the worst.
2.5 stars
not the best retelling i’ve read, and i’ve read many, but also not entirely the worst.
August 7, 2024
Greek mythology meets colonial America, yes, that is a must read for me! This novel alternates from the past and present. The past is Thelia's life as a siren having been banished to an island when she failed to protect Proserpina. The present is Thelia in Roanoke, on a quest to save her sisters and herself.
This was such a unique book filled with action, mystery, violence, and a little romance. It was a story of survival and women empowerment. The writing flowed and I was completely invested in what was going to happen. I did enjoy the Colonial America setting more than when Thelia is on Scopuli. The author did a great job of showing what it would be like for a former Greco/Roman woman who was turned into a monster, to become a Colonial American woman. The entire premise was engaging.
If you enjoy historical fiction novels especially ones with mythology and strong female characters this is a unique book that you will definitely enjoy!
Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for this Arc.
This was such a unique book filled with action, mystery, violence, and a little romance. It was a story of survival and women empowerment. The writing flowed and I was completely invested in what was going to happen. I did enjoy the Colonial America setting more than when Thelia is on Scopuli. The author did a great job of showing what it would be like for a former Greco/Roman woman who was turned into a monster, to become a Colonial American woman. The entire premise was engaging.
If you enjoy historical fiction novels especially ones with mythology and strong female characters this is a unique book that you will definitely enjoy!
Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for this Arc.
August 14, 2024
This book is a Greek mythology retelling blended with the mystery of the lost colony of Roanoke.
I have honestly never read a book that has this mix of times, and yet it worked wonderfully. The integration of these two distinct times in history was seamless and created a very unique story. In my opinion, this has been one of the most captivating retellings that I have read this year.
This book has sisterly bonds, friendships, and feminism, and is also a sapphic romance. These characters were unique and interesting, and I genuinely cared about every single one of them. Ives is also talented at writing villains that anger and infuriate you while also having a terrifying factor to them.
This book was brilliant and such a strong five-star read for me! Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing for allowing me to read and review this arc <3
I have honestly never read a book that has this mix of times, and yet it worked wonderfully. The integration of these two distinct times in history was seamless and created a very unique story. In my opinion, this has been one of the most captivating retellings that I have read this year.
This book has sisterly bonds, friendships, and feminism, and is also a sapphic romance. These characters were unique and interesting, and I genuinely cared about every single one of them. Ives is also talented at writing villains that anger and infuriate you while also having a terrifying factor to them.
This book was brilliant and such a strong five-star read for me! Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing for allowing me to read and review this arc <3
January 28, 2025
Disclaimer: I know the author
Facts: if you've ever wondered what it would be like to read a book where the protagonist regularly fillets trashy men (NOT A METAPHOR) this is the book for you!
Facts: if you've ever wondered what it would be like to read a book where the protagonist regularly fillets trashy men (NOT A METAPHOR) this is the book for you!
January 21, 2025
Admittedly, I knew very little about mythology, so I approached Shannon Ives's Those Fatal Flowers without comparing it to the original versions from which the inspiration was drawn. The combined Greco-Roman mythology and American colonialism seemed a novel and intriguing prospect. I was swept up in the story immediately and stayed engaged throughout. I was on the edge of my seat in suspense until the very end.
The writing style was lovely, easy to read and follow, not overly wordy but just enough to really paint the settings, and a bit gruesome at times. I noticed a lot of symbolism as well. Dialogues were clear, and I never lost who was speaking. The characters were complex, and our main point of view was introspective and insightful.
I enjoyed the sapphic romance between Thelia and Cora. It began with Thelia's infatuation with Cora because she resembled her first love but ended with her understanding the person of Cora as an individual, not just because of her initial impression. I believed the tension between them.
I recommend heeding the trigger warnings that the author gives.
The suffering was long but, ultimately, there was a payoff that I found satisfying. Now we know what happened to the lost colony of Roanoke...
"The divine, the profane. They’re two sides of the same coin."
The main theme seemed to be a relevant and universal cry of feminine rage from mythological history to the world we find ourselves in today, with hope for justice for the endurance of the misdeeds of evil men (and female enablers).
“'Monsters are made, Thelia. Not born.'”
I read some of the mixed reviews, and I can appreciate the criticisms regarding the lack of depth regarding the plight of the natives during this time.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this author's debut novel, and I will look out for more of their work.
#mythology #colonialism #epilogue #historicalfiction #sapphic #sirens #godsandgodesses #patriarchy #religiousoppression #HEA #dualtimeline
I received this free ARC from NetGalley. This is my honest opinion.
The writing style was lovely, easy to read and follow, not overly wordy but just enough to really paint the settings, and a bit gruesome at times. I noticed a lot of symbolism as well. Dialogues were clear, and I never lost who was speaking. The characters were complex, and our main point of view was introspective and insightful.
I enjoyed the sapphic romance between Thelia and Cora. It began with Thelia's infatuation with Cora because she resembled her first love but ended with her understanding the person of Cora as an individual, not just because of her initial impression. I believed the tension between them.
I recommend heeding the trigger warnings that the author gives.
The suffering was long but, ultimately, there was a payoff that I found satisfying. Now we know what happened to the lost colony of Roanoke...
"The divine, the profane. They’re two sides of the same coin."
The main theme seemed to be a relevant and universal cry of feminine rage from mythological history to the world we find ourselves in today, with hope for justice for the endurance of the misdeeds of evil men (and female enablers).
“'Monsters are made, Thelia. Not born.'”
I read some of the mixed reviews, and I can appreciate the criticisms regarding the lack of depth regarding the plight of the natives during this time.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this author's debut novel, and I will look out for more of their work.
#mythology #colonialism #epilogue #historicalfiction #sapphic #sirens #godsandgodesses #patriarchy #religiousoppression #HEA #dualtimeline
I received this free ARC from NetGalley. This is my honest opinion.
January 6, 2025
This book was definitely full of feminine rage. To an extreme. I enjoyed how it wove Greco Roman mythology into the mysteries of the American civilization of Roanake. But once you introduce that subject it’s hard to not think about the elephant in the room of colonization..
Definitely a different and refreshing take, just wasn’t quite what I was expecting from it.
Thank you to NetGalley and Dell for opportunity to read this advanced copy.
Definitely a different and refreshing take, just wasn’t quite what I was expecting from it.
Thank you to NetGalley and Dell for opportunity to read this advanced copy.
January 27, 2025
Those Fatal Flowers (Paperback)
by Shannon Ives
wow what a great fractured mythology. The monsters, women cursed by the gods to live forever have to risk so much to find forgiveness. A monster Thelia left Scopuli the isle of the lily eaters to find food and forgiveness. Thelia finds herself in Roanoak, with a girl similar to her beloved Proserpina. She has to struggle against the needs of humans, the gods, and legends. She has to find her place in the world, and find sustenance for her remaining aging sisters.
by Shannon Ives
wow what a great fractured mythology. The monsters, women cursed by the gods to live forever have to risk so much to find forgiveness. A monster Thelia left Scopuli the isle of the lily eaters to find food and forgiveness. Thelia finds herself in Roanoak, with a girl similar to her beloved Proserpina. She has to struggle against the needs of humans, the gods, and legends. She has to find her place in the world, and find sustenance for her remaining aging sisters.
August 30, 2024
This book was a very unique premise but hard to get through for the first 80% and only engaging in the last 20%.
The writing was well-written but overly dense in the exposition. To be fair, I was also trying to figure out what parts of the myth were being retold and kept and was overly analyzing as I read. There definitely was more gore than I expected and I don't think it's all that necessary. The romances in the book were kind of oddly thrown in and didn't land right to me, but I am glad to see Sapphic fantasy elements.
I'm not sure how the author landed on mixing ancient Greece with the Roanake Colony while choosing to exclude the indigenous tribes from the Roanoke side of the story. The author's note explains that the indigenous people were not her story to tell, so she intentionally excluded them. I don’t really understand that explanation- why choose a colonial setting and exclude colonialism? There are, unfortunately, plenty of settings with violence and oppression against women to choose from. I was also confused at the mix of Greek and Roman names in the book, and the author's note doesn't really explain this choice. I'm baffled why, choosing between the Greek and Roman names, the author chose the Roman versions of Persophone and Hades. Most people are not going to immediately recognize Prosperina and Dis (finally that 6 years of Latin pays off), although they'll realize enough with context clues. I would have expected all the names to be Greek because the "then" side of the story is set in Scopuli, and the sirens are famous in the Greek epic, the Odyssey.
I think the kernel of the story and general time jumping "then" and "now" narrative structure has promise, but there are definitely issues that would have caused me not to finish this book if it wasn't an arc. The "now" setting needs to change or colonialism needs to be addressed and indigenous people included. The exposition is really tough to get through and could use some reworking.
Thank you Random House for the arc!
The writing was well-written but overly dense in the exposition. To be fair, I was also trying to figure out what parts of the myth were being retold and kept and was overly analyzing as I read. There definitely was more gore than I expected and I don't think it's all that necessary. The romances in the book were kind of oddly thrown in and didn't land right to me, but I am glad to see Sapphic fantasy elements.
I'm not sure how the author landed on mixing ancient Greece with the Roanake Colony while choosing to exclude the indigenous tribes from the Roanoke side of the story. The author's note explains that the indigenous people were not her story to tell, so she intentionally excluded them. I don’t really understand that explanation- why choose a colonial setting and exclude colonialism? There are, unfortunately, plenty of settings with violence and oppression against women to choose from. I was also confused at the mix of Greek and Roman names in the book, and the author's note doesn't really explain this choice. I'm baffled why, choosing between the Greek and Roman names, the author chose the Roman versions of Persophone and Hades. Most people are not going to immediately recognize Prosperina and Dis (finally that 6 years of Latin pays off), although they'll realize enough with context clues. I would have expected all the names to be Greek because the "then" side of the story is set in Scopuli, and the sirens are famous in the Greek epic, the Odyssey.
I think the kernel of the story and general time jumping "then" and "now" narrative structure has promise, but there are definitely issues that would have caused me not to finish this book if it wasn't an arc. The "now" setting needs to change or colonialism needs to be addressed and indigenous people included. The exposition is really tough to get through and could use some reworking.
Thank you Random House for the arc!
August 18, 2024
virginian redneck misogynist goes on bloody greek vacation
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 6, 2025
Those Fatal Flowers is a Greco-Roman inspired historical retelling. We follow Thelia, a nymph who was once the handmaiden and lover of the goddess Proserpina. After Proserpina is kidnapped, her mother curses Thelia and her sisters for failing to protect her. They are banished to an island called Scopuli and are transformed into monstrous winged sirens. Surviving for centuries off the men who get shipwreck on their island, their lives are threatened when the ships stop coming. Looking for a way to finally free her sisters, Thelia sails off to find more sacrifices and finds herself off the coast of the island Roanoke. It’s there that she finds a woman who looks exactly like her past love, Proserpina.
One thing I hate about books that heavily focus on feminine rage and the atrocities committed against women, is when they’re just so WHITE. The lack of intersectionality is truly distasteful and completely undermines the point. I’m just so confused as to how and why we landed on Roanoke? Like out of all possible places and times, why there? It added nothing to the story. Cora being a colonizer is very briefly brought up as a conflicting element but doesn’t go any further. Her culpability in the atrocities of her people is quickly discarded, as if we could possibly just ignore it going forward.
Thelia’s whole thing is learning that evil is made, not born. She has to move past her assumptions that all men are evil. But to do so, she must have encounters with men like Will who can prove to her that there is good in the opposite sex. The problem— HES A COLONIZER. Like we’re to believe that he’s good unlike Thomas all because he respects women and is gay? Am I expected to believe he never participated in the violence committed against indigenous people to settle on their land? It just doesn’t work.
Not even the romance could redeem this book. Cora was just the blandest rice cake. The only thing going for her is her resemblance to Proserpina, Thelia’s past love. At no point does she develop a strong enough personality to justify Thelia’s blooming feelings and their subsequent romance. I understand that Cora is living in a very dangerous time for women and is indoctrinated with very horrific ideas, but the way she treated Thelia was absolutely deplorable. The minute she said Thelia was giving her cunt away for free, I was out. How do you even come back from that? Not to mention that she calls her a witch in front of other people despite knowing how dangerous that word was. At no point did I believe she actually had feelings for Thelia.
The Scopuli timeline was definitely more interesting, but it was completely underutilized. Thelia’s sisters were mere cardboard cutouts. We spent all that time on the island and yet we barely get any well developed interactions amongst the sisters. Their dynamic would have been super interesting to explore considering they were eternally punished because of Thelia. It’s interesting how a book focused on female vengeance and rage offers more characterization for its male characters than its female ones.
A side observation is how this book weirdly tried to position Thelia’s religion as more moral than the colonists. Thelia kept making comments about how her people would be horrified by the colonists’ actions and it was very eye brow raising. Made it feel like the author doesn’t know much about Greco-Roman mythology. Throwing stones in a glass house and all that, especially since a major crux of the book is teenage Proserpina’s kidnapping by an elder god.
One thing I hate about books that heavily focus on feminine rage and the atrocities committed against women, is when they’re just so WHITE. The lack of intersectionality is truly distasteful and completely undermines the point. I’m just so confused as to how and why we landed on Roanoke? Like out of all possible places and times, why there? It added nothing to the story. Cora being a colonizer is very briefly brought up as a conflicting element but doesn’t go any further. Her culpability in the atrocities of her people is quickly discarded, as if we could possibly just ignore it going forward.
Thelia’s whole thing is learning that evil is made, not born. She has to move past her assumptions that all men are evil. But to do so, she must have encounters with men like Will who can prove to her that there is good in the opposite sex. The problem— HES A COLONIZER. Like we’re to believe that he’s good unlike Thomas all because he respects women and is gay? Am I expected to believe he never participated in the violence committed against indigenous people to settle on their land? It just doesn’t work.
Not even the romance could redeem this book. Cora was just the blandest rice cake. The only thing going for her is her resemblance to Proserpina, Thelia’s past love. At no point does she develop a strong enough personality to justify Thelia’s blooming feelings and their subsequent romance. I understand that Cora is living in a very dangerous time for women and is indoctrinated with very horrific ideas, but the way she treated Thelia was absolutely deplorable. The minute she said Thelia was giving her cunt away for free, I was out. How do you even come back from that? Not to mention that she calls her a witch in front of other people despite knowing how dangerous that word was. At no point did I believe she actually had feelings for Thelia.
The Scopuli timeline was definitely more interesting, but it was completely underutilized. Thelia’s sisters were mere cardboard cutouts. We spent all that time on the island and yet we barely get any well developed interactions amongst the sisters. Their dynamic would have been super interesting to explore considering they were eternally punished because of Thelia. It’s interesting how a book focused on female vengeance and rage offers more characterization for its male characters than its female ones.
A side observation is how this book weirdly tried to position Thelia’s religion as more moral than the colonists. Thelia kept making comments about how her people would be horrified by the colonists’ actions and it was very eye brow raising. Made it feel like the author doesn’t know much about Greco-Roman mythology. Throwing stones in a glass house and all that, especially since a major crux of the book is teenage Proserpina’s kidnapping by an elder god.
December 16, 2024
ARC by NetGalley and the publisher.
Those Fatal Flowers tells the tale of Thelia and her curse of living as a siren, a half winged bird and woman creature. Not only is she left in this manor but banished as well to the island of Scupoli away from her goddess whom she loves deeply. Her only way of redemption is to atone for her past transgressions that leads her on a dangerous quest for freedom in a new strange land called Roanoke.
What initially intrigued me about this alternating timeline tale was the mix of Greco-Roman mythology and the ever elusive missing colony of Roanoke. I mean how could I not as a lover of mythology and history it just felt that these two worlds combining was a unique spin that brought both these interests together. However, once I started to really get farther into the book I was felt myself losing interest and questioning certain aspects. For example the language and manor of speech that the the colonist of Roanoke displayed felt far too modern for the era in which the book takes place. Now I can understand that this is obviously a loose interpretation of this time in history but this aspect just ended up taking me out of being fully engaged in the story. And while there is sapphic romance in this and representation of this, there surprisingly was a lack of Native American characters. Considering this took place in the Americans I found this as a missed opportunity by the author to shine light on awful prejudices, particularly since much of the book focuses on women being oppressed… why not also do so for Native Americans as well. It just felt weird as once again as a long time lover of learning from our past to have a book prominently feature Roanoke yet leave this aspect out, especially considering one of the actual historical beliefs of what happened to the missing colony is that they left with the local Native American tribes. Overall while there were some interesting plot points and I do love a good female rage narrative there were just too many creative liberties that just ended up not personally working for me.
Those Fatal Flowers comes out January 21st, 2025.
Thank you again NetGalley and Random House Publishing-Ballantine for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Those Fatal Flowers tells the tale of Thelia and her curse of living as a siren, a half winged bird and woman creature. Not only is she left in this manor but banished as well to the island of Scupoli away from her goddess whom she loves deeply. Her only way of redemption is to atone for her past transgressions that leads her on a dangerous quest for freedom in a new strange land called Roanoke.
What initially intrigued me about this alternating timeline tale was the mix of Greco-Roman mythology and the ever elusive missing colony of Roanoke. I mean how could I not as a lover of mythology and history it just felt that these two worlds combining was a unique spin that brought both these interests together. However, once I started to really get farther into the book I was felt myself losing interest and questioning certain aspects. For example the language and manor of speech that the the colonist of Roanoke displayed felt far too modern for the era in which the book takes place. Now I can understand that this is obviously a loose interpretation of this time in history but this aspect just ended up taking me out of being fully engaged in the story. And while there is sapphic romance in this and representation of this, there surprisingly was a lack of Native American characters. Considering this took place in the Americans I found this as a missed opportunity by the author to shine light on awful prejudices, particularly since much of the book focuses on women being oppressed… why not also do so for Native Americans as well. It just felt weird as once again as a long time lover of learning from our past to have a book prominently feature Roanoke yet leave this aspect out, especially considering one of the actual historical beliefs of what happened to the missing colony is that they left with the local Native American tribes. Overall while there were some interesting plot points and I do love a good female rage narrative there were just too many creative liberties that just ended up not personally working for me.
Those Fatal Flowers comes out January 21st, 2025.
Thank you again NetGalley and Random House Publishing-Ballantine for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
June 24, 2025
I love retellings and this one had so much potential but just sort of fell flat. I think it spanned too much time and covered too much. I did love the feminist aspects and the idea was very interesting. I'm giving this 2.5 stars rounded up to 3.
September 16, 2024
Thelia finds a place that is unfamiliar to her. She decides to trust her instincts. A nice read.
dnf
December 26, 2024DNF at 51%. I may finish reading this book at some point, since the sections that happen in the past with the three sisters on their island I find interesting, but nothing else about the plot has kept me engaged enough to want to continue. Plenty of other people have mentioned the glaring lack of native Americans present during the scenes that take place in Roanoke - and yet there are plenty of mentions of massacres of native peoples as well as those taken to be enslaved - so I won’t go too in-depth with that here. In all honesty, that issue is not why I decided to stop reading this book. I just could not get over how poorly I felt the plot of the two locations in this book were stitched together.
The scenes on the island felt natural, and I did enjoy the ability to see the passing of time based on the names and outfits of the sailors - as compared to the siren sisters who are stuck in one place and from the time they were banished. However, once the main sister washes ashore on Roanoke, I felt like the plot fell apart entirely. You would have me believe that these people simply believed that a woman, by herself in a boat surrounded by treasure, washed ashore and their response was to simply believe that she is actually a princess looking for a husband? Huh? This part felt so poorly formulated I was in disbelief when her plan had come to light, because it seemed absolutely wild that anyone would ever believe this story - and especially not a bunch of godly people living in the harshness of the New World. Everything that happened during the “Now” parts felt unrealistic and like it only existed to make the story move forward.
I also found the story to be oddly told - with only bits and pieces being shown to us as we read, and yet already kicking off the plot with the much later actions. The entire reason Thelia is at Roanoke is because, apparently, she was told by Proserpina that she could reverse their curse if “she had more blood” but. That’s it. I don’t know how she was the one chosen to go to Roanoke, how they decided on the plan to shove her in a boat with treasure, how or when they were changed back into humans, nothing. And I would like to clarify that yes, I know I haven’t finished this book, but I feel like those are very reasonable plot questions that should have been answered earlier and when they were occurring. Especially about the boat with the treasure, or why Thelia was chosen, or why she chose the ridiculous reasoning for her presence that she did. Once again, I stopped reading because I felt like half of the plot was so poorly held together it stretched the imagination past believability.
I also felt like the “romance” that was presented in this book was uncomfortable. The entire reason our main character is attracted to the woman that she is is because she, apparently, looks exactly like her former love of Proserpina - and for no other reason. Every description of the woman forces us to be reminded that she is only interested in her because of someone else, and never by her own merits. In my opinion, as the “romance” progressed and we see the beginnings of the love interest being attracted to the main character, I was rooting for her to NOT be because she deserved better than to just come as a runner-up to someone Thelia has been in love with for millenia.
This book also goes to great lengths to show us how every man in this world is cruel and evil, and how our main character cannot talk to a single one without thinking about how he should be killed. Practically every woman in this book is shown to be trapped and unhappy with her lot in life, and every man is shown to be completely happy doing the trapping. I’m not saying that plenty of women weren’t oppressed during this time, but - even for the scenes outside of Roanoke - we cannot get one single mention of a man without the negative commentary about his actions or personality, even if he hasn’t actually done anything by that point. Instead, we (within the mind of the main character) are simply waiting for him to prove our disdain, every single time. It got extremely tiring and repetitive after a while.
I think this book could have captured my attention better if it had done a better job of using its location properly (it seems odd to specifically mention how you, as the author, didn’t feel like it was your place to write native American characters and then use Roanoke as a location), or improve the plot and characterization. The idea of Greek sirens being the reason for the disappearance of the colony at Roanoke I think could have been interesting, but the way this was written was not and required a lot of suspension of disbelief that kept taking me out of the story. I also felt like the storytelling format fell flat, where decisions would be made and we (as the reader) had no understanding or reasoning behind them - which, when so many of those same decisions were rather absurd - having an ounce of reasoning would have, potentially, helped keep me in the story.
Also. Why the Roman names for everyone? Odd choice.
Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for providing this e-ARC.
The scenes on the island felt natural, and I did enjoy the ability to see the passing of time based on the names and outfits of the sailors - as compared to the siren sisters who are stuck in one place and from the time they were banished. However, once the main sister washes ashore on Roanoke, I felt like the plot fell apart entirely. You would have me believe that these people simply believed that a woman, by herself in a boat surrounded by treasure, washed ashore and their response was to simply believe that she is actually a princess looking for a husband? Huh? This part felt so poorly formulated I was in disbelief when her plan had come to light, because it seemed absolutely wild that anyone would ever believe this story - and especially not a bunch of godly people living in the harshness of the New World. Everything that happened during the “Now” parts felt unrealistic and like it only existed to make the story move forward.
I also found the story to be oddly told - with only bits and pieces being shown to us as we read, and yet already kicking off the plot with the much later actions. The entire reason Thelia is at Roanoke is because, apparently, she was told by Proserpina that she could reverse their curse if “she had more blood” but. That’s it. I don’t know how she was the one chosen to go to Roanoke, how they decided on the plan to shove her in a boat with treasure, how or when they were changed back into humans, nothing. And I would like to clarify that yes, I know I haven’t finished this book, but I feel like those are very reasonable plot questions that should have been answered earlier and when they were occurring. Especially about the boat with the treasure, or why Thelia was chosen, or why she chose the ridiculous reasoning for her presence that she did. Once again, I stopped reading because I felt like half of the plot was so poorly held together it stretched the imagination past believability.
I also felt like the “romance” that was presented in this book was uncomfortable. The entire reason our main character is attracted to the woman that she is is because she, apparently, looks exactly like her former love of Proserpina - and for no other reason. Every description of the woman forces us to be reminded that she is only interested in her because of someone else, and never by her own merits. In my opinion, as the “romance” progressed and we see the beginnings of the love interest being attracted to the main character, I was rooting for her to NOT be because she deserved better than to just come as a runner-up to someone Thelia has been in love with for millenia.
This book also goes to great lengths to show us how every man in this world is cruel and evil, and how our main character cannot talk to a single one without thinking about how he should be killed. Practically every woman in this book is shown to be trapped and unhappy with her lot in life, and every man is shown to be completely happy doing the trapping. I’m not saying that plenty of women weren’t oppressed during this time, but - even for the scenes outside of Roanoke - we cannot get one single mention of a man without the negative commentary about his actions or personality, even if he hasn’t actually done anything by that point. Instead, we (within the mind of the main character) are simply waiting for him to prove our disdain, every single time. It got extremely tiring and repetitive after a while.
I think this book could have captured my attention better if it had done a better job of using its location properly (it seems odd to specifically mention how you, as the author, didn’t feel like it was your place to write native American characters and then use Roanoke as a location), or improve the plot and characterization. The idea of Greek sirens being the reason for the disappearance of the colony at Roanoke I think could have been interesting, but the way this was written was not and required a lot of suspension of disbelief that kept taking me out of the story. I also felt like the storytelling format fell flat, where decisions would be made and we (as the reader) had no understanding or reasoning behind them - which, when so many of those same decisions were rather absurd - having an ounce of reasoning would have, potentially, helped keep me in the story.
Also. Why the Roman names for everyone? Odd choice.
Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for providing this e-ARC.
January 7, 2025
Hmmm, while an interesting concept, didn’t really stick the landing. Review to come 🥀
(FINAL REVIEW:)
This was an interesting take on the Greco-Roman myth of the Sirens, their origins, and their relationships with Prosperina, their mistress. While I really liked how Ives tackled themes of guilt, healing, and revenge all done with beautiful prose, I wasn’t a big fan of the pacing, insta-love, and time jumping. 🙁
I’ll start off as always with my positives. Thelia is a great protagonist as she deals with her guilt over being a supposed part of Prosperina’s abduction by Dis and how her sisters take the fall with her for this. I really liked the growth she goes through as she learns that the gender of a person doesn’t influence their outlook on life. I was getting really tired of “feminist” takes on men where they’re just cartoonishly evil and one dimensional because are we really okay with the idea of doing the exact same thing to men have been doing for centuries, or are we going to stand by the stance that feminism equals equality and equal rights? Because judging from what some authors have been doing, it feels like the former is happening and adding fuel to the fire of anti-feminism arguments. 🙄
And the yearning and pining that Thelia goes through with Cora? Round of applause to Ives for doing an incredible job on that! 😍
As much as I loved this pining, it did feel super insta-lovey and one sided for a good majority of the plot. Speaking of the plot, I wasn’t a big fan of the flashback scenes sprinkled throughout the book. I think it would have built the story better if it had gone chronologically instead of with little snippets from Thelia’s past leading up to her decision to leave Scopouli. I also felt like the ending suddenly sped up and then deposited me at the end to the point where I kind of blinked a few seconds and thought, “wait, that’s it?”🪽
The last thing that still got to me here and there was the colony itself. While Ives does go into detail in her Author’s Note stating that she thought it wasn’t her place to tell indigenous stories, it still felt rather weird having the native population spoken (with some hostility) about in past tense by the colonists or not speaking at all when on the page. In general, it’s a bit hard describing what I felt when reading about subject and think others should come to their own conclusions when reading this book. 🤷🏻♀️
All in all, good story but it just didn’t stick the landing for me. Big thank you goes out to Dell for reaching out with this book! While I had my thoughts about it, I still look forward to Ives’ future works! ❤️
Publication date: January 21!
Overall: . . . I dunno, 3.75/5 ⭐️?
(FINAL REVIEW:)
This was an interesting take on the Greco-Roman myth of the Sirens, their origins, and their relationships with Prosperina, their mistress. While I really liked how Ives tackled themes of guilt, healing, and revenge all done with beautiful prose, I wasn’t a big fan of the pacing, insta-love, and time jumping. 🙁
I’ll start off as always with my positives. Thelia is a great protagonist as she deals with her guilt over being a supposed part of Prosperina’s abduction by Dis and how her sisters take the fall with her for this. I really liked the growth she goes through as she learns that the gender of a person doesn’t influence their outlook on life. I was getting really tired of “feminist” takes on men where they’re just cartoonishly evil and one dimensional because are we really okay with the idea of doing the exact same thing to men have been doing for centuries, or are we going to stand by the stance that feminism equals equality and equal rights? Because judging from what some authors have been doing, it feels like the former is happening and adding fuel to the fire of anti-feminism arguments. 🙄
And the yearning and pining that Thelia goes through with Cora? Round of applause to Ives for doing an incredible job on that! 😍
As much as I loved this pining, it did feel super insta-lovey and one sided for a good majority of the plot. Speaking of the plot, I wasn’t a big fan of the flashback scenes sprinkled throughout the book. I think it would have built the story better if it had gone chronologically instead of with little snippets from Thelia’s past leading up to her decision to leave Scopouli. I also felt like the ending suddenly sped up and then deposited me at the end to the point where I kind of blinked a few seconds and thought, “wait, that’s it?”🪽
The last thing that still got to me here and there was the colony itself. While Ives does go into detail in her Author’s Note stating that she thought it wasn’t her place to tell indigenous stories, it still felt rather weird having the native population spoken (with some hostility) about in past tense by the colonists or not speaking at all when on the page. In general, it’s a bit hard describing what I felt when reading about subject and think others should come to their own conclusions when reading this book. 🤷🏻♀️
All in all, good story but it just didn’t stick the landing for me. Big thank you goes out to Dell for reaching out with this book! While I had my thoughts about it, I still look forward to Ives’ future works! ❤️
Publication date: January 21!
Overall: . . . I dunno, 3.75/5 ⭐️?
January 15, 2025
An intriguing premise of a book that I found hard to put down. Roman mythology meets with the mysterious disappearance of the Roanoke colony in this dual-timeline novel of love, female fury, and the lengths one will go to protect or avenge those they love.
By weaving the origin of the Sirens from Homer's The Odyssey with the lore of Roanoke, the lost colony, the author creates a narrative that feels both fresh and timeless. I was particularly drawn to Thelia’s perspective: her transformation into a monster—both literal and metaphorical—is a powerful exploration of lost innocence, betrayal, and the darker sides of the gods when you fall out of favor. The Siren sisters exemplify the struggle to retain empathy and compassion in a place where no one is left to give it.
One of the novel’s most striking elements is its depiction of female rage—a searing, elemental force born from centuries of injustice, exploitation, and subjugation. This anger isn’t just reactionary; it’s deeply rooted in the experiences of the characters, from Thelia’s personal tragedy to the systemic oppression of women in the colony. Similarly, the female colonists—depicted as possessions or mere tools for the ambitions of men—highlight the pervasive dehumanization women endured and embody the resilience and quiet defiance in a world that seeks to strip them of agency.
Ives doesn’t shy away from examining the costs of this rage, showing how it can be both empowering and destructive. This theme also intersects with historical injustices faced by Native Americans, a point the book touches on briefly, adding a broader dimension to its exploration of power and oppression of the white colonists and men.
Ives’ lyrical prose is another highlight, drawing readers into a richly imagined world and guiding them through a rollercoaster of emotions. Fans of Madeline Miller will likely appreciate the poetic style and mythological depth.
Readers should be aware that the novel tackles heavy themes, including sexual violence, graphic violence, murder, and the loss of children. All triggers are listed at the beginning of the book.
Thank you to NetGalley, Shannon Ives, and Random House Publishing for providing an advanced e-copy of this book.
By weaving the origin of the Sirens from Homer's The Odyssey with the lore of Roanoke, the lost colony, the author creates a narrative that feels both fresh and timeless. I was particularly drawn to Thelia’s perspective: her transformation into a monster—both literal and metaphorical—is a powerful exploration of lost innocence, betrayal, and the darker sides of the gods when you fall out of favor. The Siren sisters exemplify the struggle to retain empathy and compassion in a place where no one is left to give it.
One of the novel’s most striking elements is its depiction of female rage—a searing, elemental force born from centuries of injustice, exploitation, and subjugation. This anger isn’t just reactionary; it’s deeply rooted in the experiences of the characters, from Thelia’s personal tragedy to the systemic oppression of women in the colony. Similarly, the female colonists—depicted as possessions or mere tools for the ambitions of men—highlight the pervasive dehumanization women endured and embody the resilience and quiet defiance in a world that seeks to strip them of agency.
Ives doesn’t shy away from examining the costs of this rage, showing how it can be both empowering and destructive. This theme also intersects with historical injustices faced by Native Americans, a point the book touches on briefly, adding a broader dimension to its exploration of power and oppression of the white colonists and men.
Ives’ lyrical prose is another highlight, drawing readers into a richly imagined world and guiding them through a rollercoaster of emotions. Fans of Madeline Miller will likely appreciate the poetic style and mythological depth.
Readers should be aware that the novel tackles heavy themes, including sexual violence, graphic violence, murder, and the loss of children. All triggers are listed at the beginning of the book.
Thank you to NetGalley, Shannon Ives, and Random House Publishing for providing an advanced e-copy of this book.
January 15, 2025
I received a free eARC of "These Fatal Flowers" by Shannon Ives in exchange for a honest review. I fear I honestly would have enjoyed the book much better were it not set about the "mystery" of Roanoke in America.
Ancient Greece and Rome had colonies which came to mysterious ends as well. It wouldn't have been hard to imagine a Siren washing to shore as supposedly it happened in Neapolis or Leukosia were the tomb or shrine of the Siren could be found.
I am also of the opinion that the Sirens weren't cursed to be monsters but served a psychpomp function for sailors to Persephone/Demeter, so it fell a bit short of expectations for me feeling more like Wonder Woman mixing Beauty and the Beast set in the Age of Discovery rather than a Greek myth, which isn't bad, but could have been it's own book and didn't need to have Sirens in Roanoke.
I did read this at the start for the intriguing take of a queer Siren and Persephone, but that stopped being the focus of the story and romance once Cora came into the scene.
Regardless, Thelia's (or Thelxiope) story starts at the side of Proserpina with her sisters Raidne and Pisinoe, where she's in love until a terrible mistake sends her and her sisters in search of Proserpina as Sirens, bird bodied winged women with songs to send sailors to their doom on the shores of Scopuli, lost, like the lost Proserpina.
Until a living man washes up on the island and Proserpina's voice sends Thelia on a quest to undo their curse with the blood of evil men. Coming ashore she plays at being a princess with wealth for her wedded husband to come to Scopuli.
While away from her sisters and helpless in human form, she encounters men and women as she's never known them. She finds love and treachery in both and must still sway the colonies most oppressed to free themselves and her cursed sisters.
Ancient Greece and Rome had colonies which came to mysterious ends as well. It wouldn't have been hard to imagine a Siren washing to shore as supposedly it happened in Neapolis or Leukosia were the tomb or shrine of the Siren could be found.
I am also of the opinion that the Sirens weren't cursed to be monsters but served a psychpomp function for sailors to Persephone/Demeter, so it fell a bit short of expectations for me feeling more like Wonder Woman mixing Beauty and the Beast set in the Age of Discovery rather than a Greek myth, which isn't bad, but could have been it's own book and didn't need to have Sirens in Roanoke.
I did read this at the start for the intriguing take of a queer Siren and Persephone, but that stopped being the focus of the story and romance once Cora came into the scene.
Regardless, Thelia's (or Thelxiope) story starts at the side of Proserpina with her sisters Raidne and Pisinoe, where she's in love until a terrible mistake sends her and her sisters in search of Proserpina as Sirens, bird bodied winged women with songs to send sailors to their doom on the shores of Scopuli, lost, like the lost Proserpina.
Until a living man washes up on the island and Proserpina's voice sends Thelia on a quest to undo their curse with the blood of evil men. Coming ashore she plays at being a princess with wealth for her wedded husband to come to Scopuli.
While away from her sisters and helpless in human form, she encounters men and women as she's never known them. She finds love and treachery in both and must still sway the colonies most oppressed to free themselves and her cursed sisters.
September 2, 2024
This book was violent female rage and I thoroughly enjoyed reading about them. I feel like we definitely need more of this in sapphic historical fantasy.
I am not extremely familiar with all the lore and grit of the myths so some of the retelling was a bit confusing in the beginning, but I acknowledge that was probably on me. I enjoyed the writing style a lot, and the dual timeline, which I’m usually not a fan of, was done really well and I was intrigued by both timelines.
I will say, after reading some other reviews I see where there is room for criticism. Including the setting of colonial America and leaving out the racial aspect doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. I wish that setting had been removed from the story. In the authors note, she states that it’s “not her story to tell” while fair kind of negates the purpose for putting it in the story.
Overall, I’m leaving my rating at 3 stars. The second half was much faster paced and kept me interested, but the first half was definitely slow and a bit confusing. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to Arc read this book.
I am not extremely familiar with all the lore and grit of the myths so some of the retelling was a bit confusing in the beginning, but I acknowledge that was probably on me. I enjoyed the writing style a lot, and the dual timeline, which I’m usually not a fan of, was done really well and I was intrigued by both timelines.
I will say, after reading some other reviews I see where there is room for criticism. Including the setting of colonial America and leaving out the racial aspect doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. I wish that setting had been removed from the story. In the authors note, she states that it’s “not her story to tell” while fair kind of negates the purpose for putting it in the story.
Overall, I’m leaving my rating at 3 stars. The second half was much faster paced and kept me interested, but the first half was definitely slow and a bit confusing. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to Arc read this book.
August 17, 2024
I want to say thank you Shannon Ives, Random House Publishing, and Net Galley for access to an advanced copy of this book. All opinions of this book are my own.
3.5 - a very cool book!! This had a bit of everything: mythology, colonial America, dumb men, badass women. It definitely was a more strange plot but I had fun with this read, especially in the context of observing a mythical creature experience colonialism, patriarchy, organized religion. At the same time, the loose navigation of female camaraderie through various struggles, especially against power-hungry and disgusting men, was a nice addition to the plot I didn’t expect. You have to work your way through the beginning for a bit, but it puts into perspective what our society has normalized and let’s you reflect on the danger that our systems and structures have. This definitely has a bunch to impact, but thankful for the chance to experience this read!
3.5 - a very cool book!! This had a bit of everything: mythology, colonial America, dumb men, badass women. It definitely was a more strange plot but I had fun with this read, especially in the context of observing a mythical creature experience colonialism, patriarchy, organized religion. At the same time, the loose navigation of female camaraderie through various struggles, especially against power-hungry and disgusting men, was a nice addition to the plot I didn’t expect. You have to work your way through the beginning for a bit, but it puts into perspective what our society has normalized and let’s you reflect on the danger that our systems and structures have. This definitely has a bunch to impact, but thankful for the chance to experience this read!
February 26, 2025
I’m not *quite* sure what I expected when I picked up this book, but a combination of the classic Greco-Roman siren (read: bird-like and kinda scary, not deadly beautiful mermaids) and the lost settlement at Roanoke wasn’t it. 😅
I really enjoyed Thelia’s story once I got used to the back and forth of the timeline format and wrapped my head around the whos and whats of it all. There are some dark themes and trigger warnings, so definitely read those before going in so you’re prepared.
Overall a solid 3.75 out of 5. Good for mythology fans and those of us who prefer the fun “what ifs” of history rather than (typically boring) reality.
I received an advance copy from the publisher, all opinions are my own, and a review was not required.
I really enjoyed Thelia’s story once I got used to the back and forth of the timeline format and wrapped my head around the whos and whats of it all. There are some dark themes and trigger warnings, so definitely read those before going in so you’re prepared.
Overall a solid 3.75 out of 5. Good for mythology fans and those of us who prefer the fun “what ifs” of history rather than (typically boring) reality.
I received an advance copy from the publisher, all opinions are my own, and a review was not required.
January 21, 2025
4.5 stars. This is a powerful read about female rage and forgiveness.
Dual timelines can be tricky but it’s done well here, exploring the sirens of Ancient Rome as one leaves their exile to end up in the Lost Colony of Roanoke. Thelia’s story in Roanoke is depicted as just as brutal if not more so than her time in exile. And while it could’ve very easily made the statement that men = bad, it touches on the idea that bad people are made and not born.
Thank you to NetGalley, Shannon Ives, and Dell Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Dual timelines can be tricky but it’s done well here, exploring the sirens of Ancient Rome as one leaves their exile to end up in the Lost Colony of Roanoke. Thelia’s story in Roanoke is depicted as just as brutal if not more so than her time in exile. And while it could’ve very easily made the statement that men = bad, it touches on the idea that bad people are made and not born.
Thank you to NetGalley, Shannon Ives, and Dell Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
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January 8, 2025**ARC REVIEW**
LGBTQA+ representation, mythology, and scheming?? Hell yes. I had a blast reading this book. Thelia is ripped from life as she knows it and wakes up on foreign soil unsure what her next steps will be. However, she's cunning and quickly thinks of a way to stay hidden amongst the townspeople and plot a way to overthrow the man she hates the most.
Go women, go!
Thank you the NetGalley and Dell Penguin Random House for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!
LGBTQA+ representation, mythology, and scheming?? Hell yes. I had a blast reading this book. Thelia is ripped from life as she knows it and wakes up on foreign soil unsure what her next steps will be. However, she's cunning and quickly thinks of a way to stay hidden amongst the townspeople and plot a way to overthrow the man she hates the most.
Go women, go!
Thank you the NetGalley and Dell Penguin Random House for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!
January 19, 2025
The best part of this is the last 25ish%. I liked the combination of Grecco-Roman with the lost colony of Roanoke. Bringing these two pieces of history together was original and a really cool concept. But something about the story itself was off for me. I think it was the pacing. It did get better as the book went on. This is definitely a book about feminine rage. I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it either. This was a just okay read.
January 21, 2025
Thanks to PRHAudio for the preview. All opinions are my own.
I was drawn to this because I’m a sucker for anything Greek mythology related. While it was a quick listen, I’m not sure it was for me.
One, you need a really strong stomach for this one. There’s cannibalism, SA, human sacrifice, abuse, miscarriage, and overall some pretty detailed gore. And it will definitely make you ragey with the misogyny and patriarchy. Other than that, it just left me kind of cold. I didn’t really connect with the characters, and am overall just meh on the whole thing.
I was drawn to this because I’m a sucker for anything Greek mythology related. While it was a quick listen, I’m not sure it was for me.
One, you need a really strong stomach for this one. There’s cannibalism, SA, human sacrifice, abuse, miscarriage, and overall some pretty detailed gore. And it will definitely make you ragey with the misogyny and patriarchy. Other than that, it just left me kind of cold. I didn’t really connect with the characters, and am overall just meh on the whole thing.
August 15, 2024
In Those Fatal Flowers, Shannon Ives has woven a tale of love, betrayal, and perseverance. Inspired by Greco-Roman mythology and basic human nature. Thelia and her two sisters are banished to the island of Scopuli, far away from their home and the woman Thelia loves. Tranformed into sirens, they live as half-birds and half-humans, forced to survive by luring the men of passing ships to their deaths. As the years pass, fewer and fewer boats come until finally there are none, and the sisters' lives are in danger. Sparked by the voice of her beloved Prosperpina, Thelia sets out into the world on a dangerous quest to colonial America in an attempt to save her sister's from certain death.
I enjoyed this story and love the mythological vibes it gives off. It is told in alternating timelines, past Thelia and present Thelia, which I found slightly confusing at first but overall added to the unfolding of the story. I also appreciate that this story acknowledged the difficulties women faced in that time period and focused on survival and the strength of women. Even adding in some unfortunate betrayal by a greedy woman for some added realism.
Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, for an advanced copy of Those Fatal Flowers in exchange for an honest review.
I enjoyed this story and love the mythological vibes it gives off. It is told in alternating timelines, past Thelia and present Thelia, which I found slightly confusing at first but overall added to the unfolding of the story. I also appreciate that this story acknowledged the difficulties women faced in that time period and focused on survival and the strength of women. Even adding in some unfortunate betrayal by a greedy woman for some added realism.
Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, for an advanced copy of Those Fatal Flowers in exchange for an honest review.
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