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Bitterbloom
Not yet published
Expected 10 Mar 26For fans of Hannah Whitten and Ava Reid comes a thrilling new fantasy by the author of Spit Back the Bones.
Once a fool. Twice a thief.
In a village plagued by mysterious deaths, Adelaide Thorn wonders if she is truly touched by the Devil. The villagers believe her to be the monster responsible for all the tragedies. Even her father, the vicar, presumes she’s guilty, tying her to a chair as punishment, afraid that if he cuts her loose, more girls will wind up dead. Her chronic illness causes her to have strange visions and blackouts, and even Addie herself begins to wonder if she is the one with blood on her hands.
Addie feels drawn to the Rowan Wood on the outskirts of her village, and when she wades out into the river to get closer, she cuts her foot on a strange bell nestled in the riverbed. Ransom Black, a lordling with secrets of his own, helps her stanch the bleeding and speaks to her without any indication of fear.
Back at home, Addie rings the bell and realizes it gives her the power to see the ghosts of those the village has lost, including the ghost of Bram Avery, who begs for her help. Bram tells her that the bell—a Reaper’s Bell—can open the door to the Rowan Wood, a hellish purgatory where the souls of the dead reside.
Accompanied by Bram and Ransom, Addie ventures into the Rowan Wood with hopes of rescuing her late mother. There, Addie quickly realizes that their beloved might not be who they once were. Addie’s journey to find her mother’s soul is complicated by her attraction to Ransom and her unexpected feelings for Bram, who might be more dead than alive but sees Addie in a way no one has before.
As the three make their way deeper into the Wood, each motivated by their own desperate desires, trust turns to betrayal and flawless facades begin to flicker. It may be that the ones Addie has so longed to reunite are those who have been lying to her her entire life.
Once a fool. Twice a thief.
In a village plagued by mysterious deaths, Adelaide Thorn wonders if she is truly touched by the Devil. The villagers believe her to be the monster responsible for all the tragedies. Even her father, the vicar, presumes she’s guilty, tying her to a chair as punishment, afraid that if he cuts her loose, more girls will wind up dead. Her chronic illness causes her to have strange visions and blackouts, and even Addie herself begins to wonder if she is the one with blood on her hands.
Addie feels drawn to the Rowan Wood on the outskirts of her village, and when she wades out into the river to get closer, she cuts her foot on a strange bell nestled in the riverbed. Ransom Black, a lordling with secrets of his own, helps her stanch the bleeding and speaks to her without any indication of fear.
Back at home, Addie rings the bell and realizes it gives her the power to see the ghosts of those the village has lost, including the ghost of Bram Avery, who begs for her help. Bram tells her that the bell—a Reaper’s Bell—can open the door to the Rowan Wood, a hellish purgatory where the souls of the dead reside.
Accompanied by Bram and Ransom, Addie ventures into the Rowan Wood with hopes of rescuing her late mother. There, Addie quickly realizes that their beloved might not be who they once were. Addie’s journey to find her mother’s soul is complicated by her attraction to Ransom and her unexpected feelings for Bram, who might be more dead than alive but sees Addie in a way no one has before.
As the three make their way deeper into the Wood, each motivated by their own desperate desires, trust turns to betrayal and flawless facades begin to flicker. It may be that the ones Addie has so longed to reunite are those who have been lying to her her entire life.
288 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication March 10, 2026
19 people are currently reading
2295 people want to read
About the author
Teagan Olivia King
7 books130 followersTeagan Olivia King(she/her) is an adult author living on the sandy shores of Lake Huron, passionate about writing stories of women who are stronger than they know. Teagan graduated from Northern Michigan University with a degree in Creative Writing and used that to pursue her love of Shakespeare, acting and directing in her local theatre, and studying the art of dramaturgy. Short stories of Teagan’s can be found in anthologies from Phantom House Press, Quill and Crow Publishing, Shortwave Publishing, Black Spot Books, and Eerie River Publishing.
Having been diagnosed with General Anxiety Disorder and PTSD for most of her life, Teagan is passionate about telling stories of resilience. Stories of characters who discover the power of their own emotions, and use that power to overcome.
Teagan lives in a farmhouse on a dead-end road with her rescue pup, Remus and a black cat who may or may not harbor the soul of some-long dead deity. Her debut adult horror novel, SPIT BACK THE BONES, comes out September 23rd, 2025.
Teagan is represented by Amy Giuffrida
Having been diagnosed with General Anxiety Disorder and PTSD for most of her life, Teagan is passionate about telling stories of resilience. Stories of characters who discover the power of their own emotions, and use that power to overcome.
Teagan lives in a farmhouse on a dead-end road with her rescue pup, Remus and a black cat who may or may not harbor the soul of some-long dead deity. Her debut adult horror novel, SPIT BACK THE BONES, comes out September 23rd, 2025.
Teagan is represented by Amy Giuffrida
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 97 reviews
September 1, 2025
This little book of my heart comes out in one year!!
December 16, 2025
hanks to Keylight Books and NetGalley for this advanced reader copy of Bitterbloom by Teagan Olivia King, to be published on March 10th, 2026.
This is a kind of gothic paranormal book, especially for those who love mystery mixed with the dark side of fantasy. I'd recommend this book to those who have enjoyed the works of Rachel Gillig, Keri Lake, or Camilla Bruce.
I found it good, but my expectations were high for this book, since the premise was really compelling for me.
This is a kind of gothic paranormal book, especially for those who love mystery mixed with the dark side of fantasy. I'd recommend this book to those who have enjoyed the works of Rachel Gillig, Keri Lake, or Camilla Bruce.
I found it good, but my expectations were high for this book, since the premise was really compelling for me.
January 13, 2026
Adelaide Thorn is believed to be cursed by a god, mysterious deaths are stalking her village. Her father believes her to be involved, and lets her out of the house only when necessary, for safety. Hers or other people’s, she’s not sure. She herself starts to wonder if she’s really innocent after all.
She can see monsters. For years the images of them haunted her. Until she comes into possession of a bell, the Reaper’s bell. That’s when she discovers what she’s seeing is actually souls. And that with the bell, she has the power to bring people back to life.
Then we have a young lord, Ransom Black. He wants one thing: his mother back from the dead. And he’s not the only one, Adelaide wants the same for herself, as hers died too.
And finally, there’s Bram Avery, a childhood friend of hers. He died ten years prior to the events of this book and pays a visit to Addie because he wants to be brought back with her help.
They all essentially take a quick trip to a (scary) forest called the Rowan Wood, which leads down to purgatory. To figure out if they can indeed bring back people’s souls to life. Insane, right? It’s all very spooky. With all the creatures that live there and all.
Let’s start with the romance. I don’t necessarily know if I’m one for love triangles, I’ll be honest. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t. This time I was simply more invested in the plot. I liked the FMC, the other two were just okay for me.
That is what really makes this book, the plot. SO intricate. You can’t trust anyone. My complaint here is just one: the twists were definitely twisting but I can’t say I’m completely satisfied with the ending. Hence my rating. But I really liked the writing, eerie but not too lyrical, and weirdly beautiful to read. Plus, the book went by very fast. Granted, it’s a shot book to begin with.
There are heavy topics in this book, so maybe look up trigger warnings. There’s a lot of abuse going on from our main character’s father. He changed drastically since his wife died, and is pretty much taking it out on his daughter. Apart from his abusive remarks, he’s also said to have beaten her, and (like I mentioned before) locked her in a room and only let her out only occasionally. And she’s not the only one experiencing this kind of abuse. Those bits are hard to get through at times. I would add that there’s a spice scene, which could be a trigger for some.
I would recommend this book for the horror/fantasy-ish elements, not necessarily the romance(s). I will be reading more of this author’s work. 3.75/5⭐️
Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
She can see monsters. For years the images of them haunted her. Until she comes into possession of a bell, the Reaper’s bell. That’s when she discovers what she’s seeing is actually souls. And that with the bell, she has the power to bring people back to life.
Then we have a young lord, Ransom Black. He wants one thing: his mother back from the dead. And he’s not the only one, Adelaide wants the same for herself, as hers died too.
And finally, there’s Bram Avery, a childhood friend of hers. He died ten years prior to the events of this book and pays a visit to Addie because he wants to be brought back with her help.
They all essentially take a quick trip to a (scary) forest called the Rowan Wood, which leads down to purgatory. To figure out if they can indeed bring back people’s souls to life. Insane, right? It’s all very spooky. With all the creatures that live there and all.
Let’s start with the romance. I don’t necessarily know if I’m one for love triangles, I’ll be honest. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t. This time I was simply more invested in the plot. I liked the FMC, the other two were just okay for me.
That is what really makes this book, the plot. SO intricate. You can’t trust anyone. My complaint here is just one: the twists were definitely twisting but I can’t say I’m completely satisfied with the ending. Hence my rating. But I really liked the writing, eerie but not too lyrical, and weirdly beautiful to read. Plus, the book went by very fast. Granted, it’s a shot book to begin with.
There are heavy topics in this book, so maybe look up trigger warnings. There’s a lot of abuse going on from our main character’s father. He changed drastically since his wife died, and is pretty much taking it out on his daughter. Apart from his abusive remarks, he’s also said to have beaten her, and (like I mentioned before) locked her in a room and only let her out only occasionally. And she’s not the only one experiencing this kind of abuse. Those bits are hard to get through at times. I would add that there’s a spice scene, which could be a trigger for some.
I would recommend this book for the horror/fantasy-ish elements, not necessarily the romance(s). I will be reading more of this author’s work. 3.75/5⭐️
Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
November 23, 2025
A dark gothic fantasy with the setting of One Dark Window and the prose of Ava Reid, Bitterbloom has a strong, immersive atmosphere, but leaves a lot to be desired in its plot and clarity.
In a village shaken by a series of mysterious deaths, Adelaide Thorn, haunted by unexplained blackouts and unearthly visions, becomes the prime suspect. With even her own father turning against her and locking her away, Addie starts to doubt her innocence. When she finds a strange bell embedded in the river, she finally understands the truth behind her visions: they aren’t hallucinations, but glimpses of the village’s ghosts in purgatory, desperate for rest. Striking deals with the ghost of her childhood friend Bram Avery and the mysterious young lord Ransom Black, she uses the bell to travel into the Rowan Wood, determined to bring back the dead they each mourn. What she doesn’t know is that each man has his own secret motives, and before her journey ends, masks will crack and the truth will come to light.
This was… interesting. I finished it with very mixed feelings. For every compliment I can offer, there is a negative to match. Starting with the prose, it is undeniably strong and carries that ethereal, gothic tone I love in dark fantasy. The book is steeped in a blend of religious and grotesque imagery that is very compelling and immersive. Yet the prose also has a feverish, hazy quality that leaves a sort of sheen over every description; I could only picture an abstract of what the author described, never anything in clear detail. I couldn’t tell if that was a deliberate stylistic choice, but regardless, while it may appeal to other readers, it left me feeling detached rather than grounded in the story the way I prefer.
The plot, setting, and characters were a bit inconsistent, full of strengths and weaknesses. Addie is an intriguing, troubled heroine who is easy to root for. The world-building drew me in, and once the story picks up after the bell’s discovery, I was eager to see how everything would unfold and what twists the author had planned. In particular, once the characters arrive in the Rowan Wood, the setting and immersion are crazy good. The hellish landscape was haunted and otherworldly in a way I’ve never seen in a book before, with its nightmare-like descriptions, gory monsters, and tormented ghosts. But these strengths are offset by nonsensical twists, start-and-stop pacing, and unresolved plot lines (this is a standalone). There was always something keeping me engaged, but just as often something else undermining that enjoyment.
The romance(s) in particular were a major weak spot. There seems to be a love triangle, but it’s played out so half-heartedly that, again, I’m not sure if it was intentional. Regardless, neither love interest is fully developed, and both have a severe case of insta-love. With both Ransom and Bram, Addie is instantly overwhelmed by heart-fluttering reactions and thoughts about how good their touch feels, despite barely knowing them. Her interactions with Bram were fleeting and over a decade ago, and she meets Ransom the same day she finds the bell. It felt like several steps were missing, or as if a prior relationship existed off-page that the reader never sees. Both dynamics could have been drastically improved with more backstory or simply more build-up before Addie becomes “irresistibly drawn” to them. As it stands now, they all act overly familiar despite having never interacted, leaving me confused and unconvinced by their relationship.
While this is a sub-genre I typically love, this was a bit hit or miss, with some amazing, unique aspects, while also being undeveloped in other areas. A lot of elements reminded me of works by Ava Reid, C.G. Drews, and Adalyn Grace, and I hope fans of those authors give this a try. Overall, it left me impressed in some moments and frustrated in others, a reading experience that never quite settled into what I hoped it would be.
Thank you to NetGalley, Turner Publishing Company, and Keylight Books for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
In a village shaken by a series of mysterious deaths, Adelaide Thorn, haunted by unexplained blackouts and unearthly visions, becomes the prime suspect. With even her own father turning against her and locking her away, Addie starts to doubt her innocence. When she finds a strange bell embedded in the river, she finally understands the truth behind her visions: they aren’t hallucinations, but glimpses of the village’s ghosts in purgatory, desperate for rest. Striking deals with the ghost of her childhood friend Bram Avery and the mysterious young lord Ransom Black, she uses the bell to travel into the Rowan Wood, determined to bring back the dead they each mourn. What she doesn’t know is that each man has his own secret motives, and before her journey ends, masks will crack and the truth will come to light.
This was… interesting. I finished it with very mixed feelings. For every compliment I can offer, there is a negative to match. Starting with the prose, it is undeniably strong and carries that ethereal, gothic tone I love in dark fantasy. The book is steeped in a blend of religious and grotesque imagery that is very compelling and immersive. Yet the prose also has a feverish, hazy quality that leaves a sort of sheen over every description; I could only picture an abstract of what the author described, never anything in clear detail. I couldn’t tell if that was a deliberate stylistic choice, but regardless, while it may appeal to other readers, it left me feeling detached rather than grounded in the story the way I prefer.
The plot, setting, and characters were a bit inconsistent, full of strengths and weaknesses. Addie is an intriguing, troubled heroine who is easy to root for. The world-building drew me in, and once the story picks up after the bell’s discovery, I was eager to see how everything would unfold and what twists the author had planned. In particular, once the characters arrive in the Rowan Wood, the setting and immersion are crazy good. The hellish landscape was haunted and otherworldly in a way I’ve never seen in a book before, with its nightmare-like descriptions, gory monsters, and tormented ghosts. But these strengths are offset by nonsensical twists, start-and-stop pacing, and unresolved plot lines (this is a standalone). There was always something keeping me engaged, but just as often something else undermining that enjoyment.
The romance(s) in particular were a major weak spot. There seems to be a love triangle, but it’s played out so half-heartedly that, again, I’m not sure if it was intentional. Regardless, neither love interest is fully developed, and both have a severe case of insta-love. With both Ransom and Bram, Addie is instantly overwhelmed by heart-fluttering reactions and thoughts about how good their touch feels, despite barely knowing them. Her interactions with Bram were fleeting and over a decade ago, and she meets Ransom the same day she finds the bell. It felt like several steps were missing, or as if a prior relationship existed off-page that the reader never sees. Both dynamics could have been drastically improved with more backstory or simply more build-up before Addie becomes “irresistibly drawn” to them. As it stands now, they all act overly familiar despite having never interacted, leaving me confused and unconvinced by their relationship.
While this is a sub-genre I typically love, this was a bit hit or miss, with some amazing, unique aspects, while also being undeveloped in other areas. A lot of elements reminded me of works by Ava Reid, C.G. Drews, and Adalyn Grace, and I hope fans of those authors give this a try. Overall, it left me impressed in some moments and frustrated in others, a reading experience that never quite settled into what I hoped it would be.
Thank you to NetGalley, Turner Publishing Company, and Keylight Books for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
December 4, 2025
1.25 ⭐️
I made it to 55% before deciding to DNF, and even that took effort. Bitterbloom is a book with an intriguing premise of ghosts, curses, a mysterious bell, a girl caught between fear and fate, but the execution never really found its footing.
The biggest struggle I had was the writing itself. It aimed for lyrical and atmospheric, but it consistently crossed into overwrought and confusing. Nearly every page is crowded with dense metaphors, sensory descriptions, and elaborate turns of phrase that rarely clarified anything. Instead of building tension or mood, the language often obscured meaning and disrupted the flow. Moments that should’ve felt eerie or emotional were buried beneath imagery that didn’t quite align with the scene or simply didn’t make sense to me.
Character work was equally difficult. The protagonist spent most of the first half reacting to terror, collapsing, trembling, or narrating her internal misery. Repetitive fear responses made the story feel stuck. By the halfway point, I still didn’t feel connected to her or her cause.
On the worldbuilding side, there were some compelling ideas… ghosts, fractured religious tradition, a weird bell with a backstory. But these ideas never developed into a coherent system, at least at the point I made it to. The lack of internal logic at points made it difficult to immerse myself or understand how this world operates.
Ultimately, Bitterbloom felt more like a series of dramatic images than a developing plot. The pacing was extremely slow and the atmosphere became repetitive. While the author’s ambition is clear and the overall concept had a lot of promise, the execution didn’t work for me, and I wasn’t confident the second half would shift the experience in any meaningful way.
Thank you to NetGalley and Turner Publishing for the ARC.
I made it to 55% before deciding to DNF, and even that took effort. Bitterbloom is a book with an intriguing premise of ghosts, curses, a mysterious bell, a girl caught between fear and fate, but the execution never really found its footing.
The biggest struggle I had was the writing itself. It aimed for lyrical and atmospheric, but it consistently crossed into overwrought and confusing. Nearly every page is crowded with dense metaphors, sensory descriptions, and elaborate turns of phrase that rarely clarified anything. Instead of building tension or mood, the language often obscured meaning and disrupted the flow. Moments that should’ve felt eerie or emotional were buried beneath imagery that didn’t quite align with the scene or simply didn’t make sense to me.
Character work was equally difficult. The protagonist spent most of the first half reacting to terror, collapsing, trembling, or narrating her internal misery. Repetitive fear responses made the story feel stuck. By the halfway point, I still didn’t feel connected to her or her cause.
On the worldbuilding side, there were some compelling ideas… ghosts, fractured religious tradition, a weird bell with a backstory. But these ideas never developed into a coherent system, at least at the point I made it to. The lack of internal logic at points made it difficult to immerse myself or understand how this world operates.
Ultimately, Bitterbloom felt more like a series of dramatic images than a developing plot. The pacing was extremely slow and the atmosphere became repetitive. While the author’s ambition is clear and the overall concept had a lot of promise, the execution didn’t work for me, and I wasn’t confident the second half would shift the experience in any meaningful way.
Thank you to NetGalley and Turner Publishing for the ARC.
December 13, 2025
I like to thank Edelweiss and the publisher allowing me an early read.
Hey. Any book that has Death personified has me needing a copy. And any time I read an ARC, especially one that doesn't hit me the right way (over 3 stars) I think "glad I didn't waste my money".
This book is one of those where the flowery prose and the repeating of things over and over in a single chapter ruined what could be an easy tale to understand. It shouldn't have to be that I wait until the villain's swan song that I understand what is happening. I still don't quite understand how characters once dead come back to their bodies for a second chance at life. I still don't understand that we hear about these two gods often that we never exactly meet them.
The romance was all over the place, and by the end of the book, the guy she ends up with... yeah, don't see it. Nobody had any chemistry.
I liked the hell-hound.
But yeah, this book was a chore of a read.
Hey. Any book that has Death personified has me needing a copy. And any time I read an ARC, especially one that doesn't hit me the right way (over 3 stars) I think "glad I didn't waste my money".
This book is one of those where the flowery prose and the repeating of things over and over in a single chapter ruined what could be an easy tale to understand. It shouldn't have to be that I wait until the villain's swan song that I understand what is happening. I still don't quite understand how characters once dead come back to their bodies for a second chance at life. I still don't understand that we hear about these two gods often that we never exactly meet them.
The romance was all over the place, and by the end of the book, the guy she ends up with... yeah, don't see it. Nobody had any chemistry.
I liked the hell-hound.
But yeah, this book was a chore of a read.
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January 6, 2026Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC copy
Unfortunately this book was for me and yet the writing wasn't, if that makes sense. I love the prose, but it gets too flowery for me. So that is why I am dnfing.
However I hope to see more stories like this one in the future, and I hope one of them will be for me.
Unfortunately this book was for me and yet the writing wasn't, if that makes sense. I love the prose, but it gets too flowery for me. So that is why I am dnfing.
However I hope to see more stories like this one in the future, and I hope one of them will be for me.
November 25, 2025
I would recommend this book to fans of Ava Reid and CG Drews, haunting, lyrical writing that reads like poetry with the bleakness of a foggy day. A story soaked in blood, religious beliefs and dark magic. I am always a fan of flowery, descriptive writing. Here, I have to wonder if the author is trying to plant hints or suggestions with the characters emotions and the way some feelings are portrayed because I didn’t always understand the sudden tension or unease that the character experiences. It sort of makes me feel like i am missing something, however i did love this book amidst some of the confusing phrases. I think I understand it now, as Adelaide lives in a constant state of fear and tension, these feelings were carried throughout the book. The seed of her anxiety was planted on the first page, and grew and grew and grew. The entire story kept me nervous for what would happen on the following page, like we were never safe at any point. I did struggle with some of the descriptions as it was full of so much language that it was almost hazy. An adjective less in every sentence would have kept the haunting vibe without feeling too dressed up.
Near the 150 page mark things started to go down a totally different path than what i was expecting- pleasantly! This story totally surprised me and I believe the plot was very well thought out, however I would have liked to read more progression in the plot, especially at the end. It wrapped up very quickly with no questions asked, which always irks me a bit. I had a million questions about the religion of the village, Brams’ family ect. I am not one to guess plot twists and i did not guess this one. The ending was very beautiful, full of emotion and rounded up so well. I may have shed a few tears, which is easy for me to do, but completely a reflection of the tragically beautiful storyline. Adelaide was a wonderful main character.
The romance was interesting. I initially did not feel the attraction to Bram, I felt their introduction was a bit rushed and slightly confusing, and I feel a lot of the time Adelaide still had Ransom on her mind despite having only just met both of them.
I have tried to avoid talking about the actual plot in this review because i do think it is best to go in with as little information as possible - that is what i prefer while reading, so I do not like to outline the story in my reviews - it is too easy for me to completely spoil it for others. I loved the characters of this book and i will definitely be reading more of Teagans writing in the future, for I absolutely favoured the gothic writing style. I really really liked this however felt it was undercooked in some parts.
Thank you Net Galley for allowing me to read this ARC copy in exchange for my honest review!
Near the 150 page mark things started to go down a totally different path than what i was expecting- pleasantly! This story totally surprised me and I believe the plot was very well thought out, however I would have liked to read more progression in the plot, especially at the end. It wrapped up very quickly with no questions asked, which always irks me a bit. I had a million questions about the religion of the village, Brams’ family ect. I am not one to guess plot twists and i did not guess this one. The ending was very beautiful, full of emotion and rounded up so well. I may have shed a few tears, which is easy for me to do, but completely a reflection of the tragically beautiful storyline. Adelaide was a wonderful main character.
The romance was interesting. I initially did not feel the attraction to Bram, I felt their introduction was a bit rushed and slightly confusing, and I feel a lot of the time Adelaide still had Ransom on her mind despite having only just met both of them.
I have tried to avoid talking about the actual plot in this review because i do think it is best to go in with as little information as possible - that is what i prefer while reading, so I do not like to outline the story in my reviews - it is too easy for me to completely spoil it for others. I loved the characters of this book and i will definitely be reading more of Teagans writing in the future, for I absolutely favoured the gothic writing style. I really really liked this however felt it was undercooked in some parts.
Thank you Net Galley for allowing me to read this ARC copy in exchange for my honest review!
December 7, 2025
First of all thanks so much to the folks at Netgalley for this ARC!
3.5 stars. I typically love gothic fantasy, so I’m a bit disappointed that I feel so mixed about this book. It’s by no means bad. There were parts of it that I found super compelling, but at the same time some plot points and certain character dynamics just left me baffled.
Things I liked
The author does a wonderful job of describing the rich settings where the story unfolds. The first third takes place in the little religious town of Rixton, while the second half takes place in the adjacent woods, which were (to me) reminiscent of the Silent Hill games; full of evil creatures, ghosts, and ever-present fog.
I liked how the world was presented as queer normative. That felt really fresh and interesting even though it only took up a relatively small portion of the story.
Rascal the hound. He was such a good boy, and I loved him. 🥰
Things I didn’t like
This book struggles with overusing adjectives and descriptive language. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a fan of flowery writing when it’s done well, and I read a lot of gothic fiction where that’s the case, but here the author leans so heavily on description that it becomes distracting and slows the pacing. Many sentences pile multiple adjectives together, and the sheer number of similes and metaphors often left me confused about their intended meaning (ex: “Something between determination and fear… Like oil in a rain puddle,” “A sucked penny-scent,” or “I vomit laughter”). I could see what the author was going for, but the phrasing sometimes felt more decorative than meaningful. At times the writing was genuinely beautiful, but at others it pulled me out of the story because the comparisons felt either unclear or repetitive.
The romance (and the teased love triangle that never really goes anywhere) felt so rushed. I can’t explain it other than the foundation of both relationships felt super flimsy. Adelaide, our main character, *just* met Ransom maybe a day before the main events of the book and only knew about the other MMC, Bram, from years earlier, though they never actually interacted. They spend a couple days together, maybe a week at most, before the love interest and Adelaide are sleeping together and professing deep feelings for one another. I liked them as individual characters but the romance was not well fleshed out and never felt earned.
Things I felt mixed about
Ransom… he just really annoyed me. Bro was … I didn't really feel bad for him in the end, despite what his father had done to him. Which is such a shame because the first half of the book I felt like he was the character with the *most* personality.
I also wish religion played a bigger part in the story. It’s strange because the gods, the afterlife, and purgatory are explicitly and repeatedly referenced (hell the main character’s father is the vicar of the town and forced her to recite holy verses as punishment) but the religion just felt kind of hollow. The theology exists but we never really got to see how the townspeople practice, discuss, or emotionally engage with the religion. They just kind of existed in the background, throwing distrustful looks at the FMC.
3.5 stars. I typically love gothic fantasy, so I’m a bit disappointed that I feel so mixed about this book. It’s by no means bad. There were parts of it that I found super compelling, but at the same time some plot points and certain character dynamics just left me baffled.
Things I liked
The author does a wonderful job of describing the rich settings where the story unfolds. The first third takes place in the little religious town of Rixton, while the second half takes place in the adjacent woods, which were (to me) reminiscent of the Silent Hill games; full of evil creatures, ghosts, and ever-present fog.
I liked how the world was presented as queer normative. That felt really fresh and interesting even though it only took up a relatively small portion of the story.
Rascal the hound. He was such a good boy, and I loved him. 🥰
Things I didn’t like
This book struggles with overusing adjectives and descriptive language. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a fan of flowery writing when it’s done well, and I read a lot of gothic fiction where that’s the case, but here the author leans so heavily on description that it becomes distracting and slows the pacing. Many sentences pile multiple adjectives together, and the sheer number of similes and metaphors often left me confused about their intended meaning (ex: “Something between determination and fear… Like oil in a rain puddle,” “A sucked penny-scent,” or “I vomit laughter”). I could see what the author was going for, but the phrasing sometimes felt more decorative than meaningful. At times the writing was genuinely beautiful, but at others it pulled me out of the story because the comparisons felt either unclear or repetitive.
The romance (and the teased love triangle that never really goes anywhere) felt so rushed. I can’t explain it other than the foundation of both relationships felt super flimsy. Adelaide, our main character, *just* met Ransom maybe a day before the main events of the book and only knew about the other MMC, Bram, from years earlier, though they never actually interacted. They spend a couple days together, maybe a week at most, before the love interest and Adelaide are sleeping together and professing deep feelings for one another. I liked them as individual characters but the romance was not well fleshed out and never felt earned.
Things I felt mixed about
Ransom… he just really annoyed me. Bro was … I didn't really feel bad for him in the end, despite what his father had done to him. Which is such a shame because the first half of the book I felt like he was the character with the *most* personality.
I also wish religion played a bigger part in the story. It’s strange because the gods, the afterlife, and purgatory are explicitly and repeatedly referenced (hell the main character’s father is the vicar of the town and forced her to recite holy verses as punishment) but the religion just felt kind of hollow. The theology exists but we never really got to see how the townspeople practice, discuss, or emotionally engage with the religion. They just kind of existed in the background, throwing distrustful looks at the FMC.
November 20, 2025
“Pain makes monsters of us all.”
Thank you to NetGalley, Teagan Olivia King and Turner Publishing for the E ARC.
Bitterbloom is exactly the kind of dark, gothic story I love. From the very first pages, the atmosphere pulled me in with its eerie forests, creeping shadows and the constant feeling that something is watching from just out of sight. The worldbuilding is wonderfully done and the setting feels alive in the most unsettling way. I also loved how moments of light and hope slowly pushed through the darkness. It created a beautiful balance that made the story feel even richer.
The characters were one of my favorite parts. Every single one, even the truly evil ones, felt layered and compelling. Adelaide’s emotional journey was especially interesting. Although her back and forth between Ransom and Bram moved a bit too quickly for my taste, I can see how it helped her understand who she really is and what she wants. Her growth by the end felt earned.
The romance with Ransom and a few of the twists felt slightly over the top, but overall everything still came together in a way that worked for me. The pacing stayed strong throughout and the last hundred pages were absolutely wild. I could not put the book down. Also, it had a very satisfying ending.
Bitterbloom delivered exactly what its premise promised. A dark, atmospheric, character driven story with a vivid world and a haunting charm that lingers long after the final page. I truly enjoyed it.
Thank you to NetGalley, Teagan Olivia King and Turner Publishing for the E ARC.
Bitterbloom is exactly the kind of dark, gothic story I love. From the very first pages, the atmosphere pulled me in with its eerie forests, creeping shadows and the constant feeling that something is watching from just out of sight. The worldbuilding is wonderfully done and the setting feels alive in the most unsettling way. I also loved how moments of light and hope slowly pushed through the darkness. It created a beautiful balance that made the story feel even richer.
The characters were one of my favorite parts. Every single one, even the truly evil ones, felt layered and compelling. Adelaide’s emotional journey was especially interesting. Although her back and forth between Ransom and Bram moved a bit too quickly for my taste, I can see how it helped her understand who she really is and what she wants. Her growth by the end felt earned.
The romance with Ransom and a few of the twists felt slightly over the top, but overall everything still came together in a way that worked for me. The pacing stayed strong throughout and the last hundred pages were absolutely wild. I could not put the book down. Also, it had a very satisfying ending.
Bitterbloom delivered exactly what its premise promised. A dark, atmospheric, character driven story with a vivid world and a haunting charm that lingers long after the final page. I truly enjoyed it.
December 6, 2025
if you’re looking for a story that freezes your veins and pulls you straight into its atmosphere, you’ve picked the right book
Bitterbloom hooks the reader from the very beginning with its mysterious, dark tone. FMC is a young, isolated girl pulled into a web of danger, looming betrayal and a hint of something real?.. who should she trust? where does betrayal wait for her? or… could it be love?
I honestly wasn’t sure until the very end and it’s impressive that such a short tale kept me engaged all the way through
that said, a few of the FMC’s decisions felt a bit unbelievable. while story hints at romance, I felt only lust and tension than actual love
pacing is good overall, but there are moments where scenes felt slightly unclear or oddly written, making it harder to follow what exactly happened
still, the atmosphere is creepy and perfect for me. to deepen it, try reading it with the Ambient Essentials playlist, it blends beautifully with the mood of the story
Thank you to Turner Publishing Company and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reading copy💘
Bitterbloom hooks the reader from the very beginning with its mysterious, dark tone. FMC is a young, isolated girl pulled into a web of danger, looming betrayal and a hint of something real?.. who should she trust? where does betrayal wait for her? or… could it be love?
I honestly wasn’t sure until the very end and it’s impressive that such a short tale kept me engaged all the way through
that said, a few of the FMC’s decisions felt a bit unbelievable. while story hints at romance, I felt only lust and tension than actual love
pacing is good overall, but there are moments where scenes felt slightly unclear or oddly written, making it harder to follow what exactly happened
still, the atmosphere is creepy and perfect for me. to deepen it, try reading it with the Ambient Essentials playlist, it blends beautifully with the mood of the story
Thank you to Turner Publishing Company and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reading copy💘
November 8, 2025
Everyone in the village of Rixton believes that Adelaide Thorn has been cursed by a god. Her father, the vicar, keeps her locked away—only letting her out during funerals.
When Adelaide finds a bell that opens a portal to the underworld, she decides that it's time to seek out the truth. She's joined by Lord Ransom Black and a ghost, named Bram Avery. As the three push forward with their quest, they're challenged by love, family trauma, and death.
🔔Adult Fiction
🌼Gothic Fantasy Horror
🌿Underworld Journey
🔔Gloomy Small Village
🌼Family Trauma
🌿Love Triangle
🔔Open Door
'Bitterbloom' is an atmospheric gothic fantasy that features a dreary village, tormented characters, and a shadowy underworld. The setting feels like the Brothers Grimm mixed with ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.’
Adelaide is a lonely character who’s been traumatized by her abusive father. She's struggling with a chronic illness that's ostracized her from the rest of the village. Those two things mean that she’s been trapped inside for most of her life. She thinks that she’s feisty, when in reality she’s naïve, a terrible planner, and a horrible judge of character.
The journey through the underworld was the most interesting part of this story. It was full of dead creatures, interesting plants, and betrayals. Once they start exploring, Ransom and Bram become more prominent parts of the plot.
The biggest problem with this book is that it could be a bit clunky, especially in the first half. Generally, I have a high tolerance for purple prose in gothic books because I see it so often. But it gets tiresome when information is needlessly stretched across three paragraphs.
This book might be of interest to fans of Adalyn Grace, Ava Reid, and Krystal Sutherland.
Thank you to NetGalley, Turner Publishing Company, and Keylight Books for providing an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.
When Adelaide finds a bell that opens a portal to the underworld, she decides that it's time to seek out the truth. She's joined by Lord Ransom Black and a ghost, named Bram Avery. As the three push forward with their quest, they're challenged by love, family trauma, and death.
🔔Adult Fiction
🌼Gothic Fantasy Horror
🌿Underworld Journey
🔔Gloomy Small Village
🌼Family Trauma
🌿Love Triangle
🔔Open Door
'Bitterbloom' is an atmospheric gothic fantasy that features a dreary village, tormented characters, and a shadowy underworld. The setting feels like the Brothers Grimm mixed with ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.’
Adelaide is a lonely character who’s been traumatized by her abusive father. She's struggling with a chronic illness that's ostracized her from the rest of the village. Those two things mean that she’s been trapped inside for most of her life. She thinks that she’s feisty, when in reality she’s naïve, a terrible planner, and a horrible judge of character.
The journey through the underworld was the most interesting part of this story. It was full of dead creatures, interesting plants, and betrayals. Once they start exploring, Ransom and Bram become more prominent parts of the plot.
The biggest problem with this book is that it could be a bit clunky, especially in the first half. Generally, I have a high tolerance for purple prose in gothic books because I see it so often. But it gets tiresome when information is needlessly stretched across three paragraphs.
This book might be of interest to fans of Adalyn Grace, Ava Reid, and Krystal Sutherland.
Thank you to NetGalley, Turner Publishing Company, and Keylight Books for providing an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.
December 6, 2025
Bitterbloom is a book that starts slowly but once you are gripped it is so hard to put down. I haven’t felt this immersed in a book in a long long time. What’s so delightful and refreshing about Teagan’s writing is that her fantasy worlds are well built and lush while the characters themselves are so authentically grounded to reality. You feel so intimately connected to the genuine expression of humanity in the most unique imaginative worlds.
In this book, we have Addie who is a delightfully messy character navigating chronic illness, an oppressive father, and the judgement of a religious small town with so much grace and strength. She meets Ransom a lonesome lord in a rotting estate and they seek to go into this purgatory-like, in-between realm and bring back their dead mothers along with a long dead young man from the town, Bram. The premise is compelling but the execution is what makes the book so strong. Addie feels like such an authentic representation of anxiety and the painful othering those with chronic illness experience and it is such a beautiful privilege to experience her journey through hell to find her unique strength. But beyond just Addie, the growth in all of the main characters make you reflect on your own strength and the found family that help you discover it.
The strongest aspect of this book is the world building. It’s not a particularly long text, but Teagan’s writing is so pungently expressive you can taste, see, smell, and hear the world around you fully. I loved seeing a characters laugh described like “liquid chocolate” and the “church bells”. It’s the kind of writing that captures the magical and haunting nature of life itself.
I felt so delightfully immersed in the Village of Rixton almost immediately. It’s a hauntingly oppressive atmosphere that has you hanging on the edge of your seat and unable to read the book fast enough. I would recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of gothic fantasy but also likes a twinge of horror. The world is dark and while not strictly a horror novel, there are amazing moments of true horror that add to the nuances of the text.
I loved Spit Back the Bones so much and Bitterbloom does such a wonderful and different job at examining the complexities of the human existence. I cannot wait to read Teagan Olivia Kong writes next!
Big thanks to Keylight Book, Turner Publishing Company, and Net Galley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
In this book, we have Addie who is a delightfully messy character navigating chronic illness, an oppressive father, and the judgement of a religious small town with so much grace and strength. She meets Ransom a lonesome lord in a rotting estate and they seek to go into this purgatory-like, in-between realm and bring back their dead mothers along with a long dead young man from the town, Bram. The premise is compelling but the execution is what makes the book so strong. Addie feels like such an authentic representation of anxiety and the painful othering those with chronic illness experience and it is such a beautiful privilege to experience her journey through hell to find her unique strength. But beyond just Addie, the growth in all of the main characters make you reflect on your own strength and the found family that help you discover it.
The strongest aspect of this book is the world building. It’s not a particularly long text, but Teagan’s writing is so pungently expressive you can taste, see, smell, and hear the world around you fully. I loved seeing a characters laugh described like “liquid chocolate” and the “church bells”. It’s the kind of writing that captures the magical and haunting nature of life itself.
I felt so delightfully immersed in the Village of Rixton almost immediately. It’s a hauntingly oppressive atmosphere that has you hanging on the edge of your seat and unable to read the book fast enough. I would recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of gothic fantasy but also likes a twinge of horror. The world is dark and while not strictly a horror novel, there are amazing moments of true horror that add to the nuances of the text.
I loved Spit Back the Bones so much and Bitterbloom does such a wonderful and different job at examining the complexities of the human existence. I cannot wait to read Teagan Olivia Kong writes next!
Big thanks to Keylight Book, Turner Publishing Company, and Net Galley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Rixton is a town haunted by a series of mysterious deaths and Adelaide feels she might be at the centre of them. Between her frequent blackouts, strange visions and the black blood caused by her sickness, she fears she may be responsible for the tragedies. This changes when she finds a copper bell by the river and realises the visions she has may actually be the souls of those who have passed away. This discovery starts a journey where Adelaide must decide who to trust and discover who the real monster is.
I truly loved the setting of this book: the red woods, the monsters, the “upside-down”... Everything combined to create a great, creepy gothic vibe that kept me interested in the world. However, the characters can sometimes become tiresome and difficult to relate to. Similarly, the narrative includes far too many sensory descriptions (especially constant references to smells) which felt overwhelming and totally took me out of the story. Instead of building the atmosphere, it became a distraction.
I think the premise was really good, but for me, the execution could have been better. The story relies on many clichés and subplots that are clearly intended to shock the reader, but they are often too easy to foresee.That said, it is not a bad book and I enjoyed my time reading it but I felt like something was missing.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and comments are my own.
I truly loved the setting of this book: the red woods, the monsters, the “upside-down”... Everything combined to create a great, creepy gothic vibe that kept me interested in the world. However, the characters can sometimes become tiresome and difficult to relate to. Similarly, the narrative includes far too many sensory descriptions (especially constant references to smells) which felt overwhelming and totally took me out of the story. Instead of building the atmosphere, it became a distraction.
I think the premise was really good, but for me, the execution could have been better. The story relies on many clichés and subplots that are clearly intended to shock the reader, but they are often too easy to foresee.That said, it is not a bad book and I enjoyed my time reading it but I felt like something was missing.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and comments are my own.
December 8, 2025
Fans of C.G. Drews will love this.
Dark gothic horror based in the U.K, filled with old traditions, monsters and things that go bump in the night. It was a thoroughly enjoyable read for me. Quick too. I absolutely devoured this book just like I did with Don't let the Forest in and Hazelthorn.
I initially requested this book because it reminded me of the floriography book I own. I'll be honest, to then discover it is set in England and has a lot of the older traditions of the country (more in line with Irish history I believe; from stories my mates have told me about Ireland over the years) this felt refreshing to read. I dont think we get that many new books that aren't so heavily romanced based. There was some but the main plot revolved around monsters which I was pleasantly surprised for.
Not sure if it was intentional either, but the focus on colours and moods and themes throughput this book also reminded me of my time studying English in college. Beautifully wrote. I look forward to reading more from this author should they continue to write.
Brixton huh? Had to double check because I think this is the third book this year I've read that is based in Rixton- considering the town has inspired seemingly a multitude of books, I may have to visit.
Thank you for the arc via Netgallery 🙏
Dark gothic horror based in the U.K, filled with old traditions, monsters and things that go bump in the night. It was a thoroughly enjoyable read for me. Quick too. I absolutely devoured this book just like I did with Don't let the Forest in and Hazelthorn.
I initially requested this book because it reminded me of the floriography book I own. I'll be honest, to then discover it is set in England and has a lot of the older traditions of the country (more in line with Irish history I believe; from stories my mates have told me about Ireland over the years) this felt refreshing to read. I dont think we get that many new books that aren't so heavily romanced based. There was some but the main plot revolved around monsters which I was pleasantly surprised for.
Not sure if it was intentional either, but the focus on colours and moods and themes throughput this book also reminded me of my time studying English in college. Beautifully wrote. I look forward to reading more from this author should they continue to write.
Brixton huh? Had to double check because I think this is the third book this year I've read that is based in Rixton- considering the town has inspired seemingly a multitude of books, I may have to visit.
Thank you for the arc via Netgallery 🙏
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 6, 2025
In this book Adelaide Thorn goes together with Ransom Black to an unknown and scary place because they both want their own mother back. Both want to fix their family’s but Adelaide also decided to help a certain ‘ghost’ Bram Avery to bring him back to live. From here the adventure starts for them. An adventure filled with plot twists and finding out things out about yourself and your family, and not in the way they expected.
It took me a long time to get into the story, I had a hard time connecting to the story and the characters. When I got through 50% of the book I started to get really into it and I started to like or dislike (for good reasons, you know when you read it) the characters.
There were some really good plottwists in it, one I saw coming but the rest was a complete shock for me. I loved that there was a sweet romance in the story too. The story started slow but eventually the pace got picked up and you started learning so much about the place they were in and the creatures that lived there. Really liked the epilogue we got on the end , I think it was a great way to end this story.
Thank you to NetGalley, Turner Publishing Company and Keylight Books for providing me this ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.
December 9, 2025
Rich in both prose and worldbuilding, Bitterbloom swept me away from the first line. Gothic stories are my favorite, and this novel definitely scratched that itch. King’s main characters are flawed and lovely in their brokenness, a skill she has woven into all her books it seems and one that can resonate with most everyone.
Thank you, Turner Pub and Netgalley, for an advanced copy of this delightful story. Opinions are my own.
Thank you, Turner Pub and Netgalley, for an advanced copy of this delightful story. Opinions are my own.
December 10, 2025
3.5 ⭐️’s. The premise and main plot of this book was excellent however the execution for me was a little off. It had all the makings of a 5 star book but sadly it felt rushed to me. I think had this been a series of books or maybe a longer book it would have been better. I felt the character development was rushed and didn’t make sense due to this. The FMC’s emotions changed so much so quickly that I found it hard to believe.
Overall it was a good story and i enjoyed it.
Overall it was a good story and i enjoyed it.
November 30, 2025
Bitterbloom is an eerie gothic fantasy novel set in a small town in a deeply religious land. Addie's town has been plagued by a string of mysterious deaths, and due to her position as outcast in the village, she is on the verge of being blamed for these murders. This all changes when she finds a mysterious bell in the river, realises that she can talk to ghosts, and becomes enamoured with bring her mother back from the realm of the dead. If she succeeds, not only will she regain her mother's love, but also save her from the father that hates her.
This book has been heavily marketed as a 'romantasy', which upon reading it has turned out to be a misnomer, in my opinion. While there is some romance in this book, it is very light, with very little affect on the plot of the novel. A romantasy novel is a romance book set in a fantastical world; it cannot exist without the romance. However, if the romance was excised from Bitterbloom, it really wouldn't have much (any) impact on the plot.
In summary, this book is for fantasy readers rather than romance ones, and it is a very entertaining ride. It would suit fans of tropes such as 'the outcast girl discovers she has magical powers' and 'magical quests to save dead mothers', as well as authors such as Ava Reid.
Thank you to Turner Publishing Company for providing this book for review consideration via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
This book has been heavily marketed as a 'romantasy', which upon reading it has turned out to be a misnomer, in my opinion. While there is some romance in this book, it is very light, with very little affect on the plot of the novel. A romantasy novel is a romance book set in a fantastical world; it cannot exist without the romance. However, if the romance was excised from Bitterbloom, it really wouldn't have much (any) impact on the plot.
In summary, this book is for fantasy readers rather than romance ones, and it is a very entertaining ride. It would suit fans of tropes such as 'the outcast girl discovers she has magical powers' and 'magical quests to save dead mothers', as well as authors such as Ava Reid.
Thank you to Turner Publishing Company for providing this book for review consideration via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
January 13, 2026
I enjoyed the writing style. I found it to be a quick read. However, the pacing of the story felt slower to me. It's a shorter book, but not much happens until after the 50% mark. I would still give Teagan Olivia King another chance.
Thank you to NetGalley, Teagan Olivia King, and Turner Publishing Company for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley, Teagan Olivia King, and Turner Publishing Company for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
December 7, 2025
Thank you for the E ARC trough netgalley.
3.5⭐️
I really liked the dark vibes this book radiated and I was immediately gripped by the dedication. I loved the plot and the description of this kind of limbo underworld that we are in and the eerie vibes of the town of Rixton.
At times it was a tad slow but not boring. I loved the animal companion in this book. Maybe the love triangle needed to be fleshed out a bit more, because you do need to suspend belief a little bit to follow our main protagonists feelings and thoughts about these men.
3.5⭐️
I really liked the dark vibes this book radiated and I was immediately gripped by the dedication. I loved the plot and the description of this kind of limbo underworld that we are in and the eerie vibes of the town of Rixton.
At times it was a tad slow but not boring. I loved the animal companion in this book. Maybe the love triangle needed to be fleshed out a bit more, because you do need to suspend belief a little bit to follow our main protagonists feelings and thoughts about these men.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
The synopsis of this story is everything I love on paper. A girl held captive by her community’s beliefs and prejudice’s, blamed by her village for the mysterious deaths of girls found in the river. Her black blood a telltale sign, that she is a chosen of the death god, a bad omen for everyone to stay clear of. Her visions and black outs, a further confirmation even to herself. For where does she go when all is black? Is she truly the killer taking young girls lives away? This is all put aside as she discovers that her visions have been ghosts reaching out to her beyond the grave. And finds herself in a deal with the spirit of a boy who died years ago and the young lord of Blackbourne castle to venture into the inbetweens of purgatory, and possibly reclaim the souls of those who’ve passed.
This is a poorly written book, with a terrible love triangle, terrible characters and the most Y/N main character I have ever seen written. This half baked story is hidden by all the flowery repetitive prose. It tries its best to be artful and meaningful while providing meandering empty words. It’s such a shame because I can see something here, if I really squint hard enough I can see the potential for a deep and tragic story about self identity and acceptance. But my god, this needed to be reworked and needs all the fluff cut out.
The settings in this story were unimaginative, and we kept on getting descriptions of the same environments over and over again. Not just the settings were written like this but the character writing as well. It’s like the author thought the reader always on the cusp of forgetting just how broken and sad everyone is and in need of a constant reminder of their emotional state. The worldbuilding goes nowhere, and the lore surrounding the gods is equally underdeveloped. Which is especially disappointing because you, the author, are going to have the central plot follow the lore of these fictional gods. To which we know nothing about. And this be the main way our protagonist identifies herself and not explain anything about them or the religion?! The only thing I know is they are two brothers and one sent the other down to hell. Like wow, everyone clap, Christianity reskin I suppose. It would have helped greatly if we had some some proverbs or texts sprinkled throughout so that the reader could get a better understanding of this world and it’s beliefs. But nooo.. let’s talk about how the protagonist both hates and desires our male love interests.. and omg no, they’re fighting again! “STOPPP FIGHHTINGG”, Y/N bellows.
I am tired of the overuse of false feminine rage. The protagonist hates men so much yet yearns to be wanted and validated by them. She in unable to recognize how one of the males leads (I would argue both, but one is dressed in honeyed words so he’s obviously the “correct” choice) sees her worth in what she could give him, both in lust (disgustingly so) and power, discovered later on in the book. She was being used by BOTH male leads to get what they wanted. Being flirted with and tossed around like a bouncy ball. QUEEN GET UP, I beg of you! She was just a means to an end for them, until they found that- SURPRISE they also wanted her! Yippie! Don’t you just love romance?
Overall I saw the potential was just let down. I also want to thank Netgalley for the arc!
This is a poorly written book, with a terrible love triangle, terrible characters and the most Y/N main character I have ever seen written. This half baked story is hidden by all the flowery repetitive prose. It tries its best to be artful and meaningful while providing meandering empty words. It’s such a shame because I can see something here, if I really squint hard enough I can see the potential for a deep and tragic story about self identity and acceptance. But my god, this needed to be reworked and needs all the fluff cut out.
The settings in this story were unimaginative, and we kept on getting descriptions of the same environments over and over again. Not just the settings were written like this but the character writing as well. It’s like the author thought the reader always on the cusp of forgetting just how broken and sad everyone is and in need of a constant reminder of their emotional state. The worldbuilding goes nowhere, and the lore surrounding the gods is equally underdeveloped. Which is especially disappointing because you, the author, are going to have the central plot follow the lore of these fictional gods. To which we know nothing about. And this be the main way our protagonist identifies herself and not explain anything about them or the religion?! The only thing I know is they are two brothers and one sent the other down to hell. Like wow, everyone clap, Christianity reskin I suppose. It would have helped greatly if we had some some proverbs or texts sprinkled throughout so that the reader could get a better understanding of this world and it’s beliefs. But nooo.. let’s talk about how the protagonist both hates and desires our male love interests.. and omg no, they’re fighting again! “STOPPP FIGHHTINGG”, Y/N bellows.
I am tired of the overuse of false feminine rage. The protagonist hates men so much yet yearns to be wanted and validated by them. She in unable to recognize how one of the males leads (I would argue both, but one is dressed in honeyed words so he’s obviously the “correct” choice) sees her worth in what she could give him, both in lust (disgustingly so) and power, discovered later on in the book. She was being used by BOTH male leads to get what they wanted. Being flirted with and tossed around like a bouncy ball. QUEEN GET UP, I beg of you! She was just a means to an end for them, until they found that- SURPRISE they also wanted her! Yippie! Don’t you just love romance?
Overall I saw the potential was just let down. I also want to thank Netgalley for the arc!
November 20, 2025
😶🌫️😶🌫️🫥I'm one of those readers who gets instantly sucked in by a specific kind of oppressive, small-town horror, and honestly, when I started Bitterbloom, the atmosphere was exactly that.
The initial setup in Rixton, where Adelaide Thorn is basically held responsible for every bad thing that happens, gave me major "Anathema" flashbacks. You know that feeling—that deep, knotting dread where the real monster is the collective cruelty of the villagers? I thought, "Yes, this is going to be a slow-burn nightmare of social persecution."
But, let me tell you, that connection stops fast. King doesn't linger on the village’s persecution for long; she flips the script and just shoves Addie into the supernatural. It’s less subtle horror and more a headfirst dive into dark fantasy. If you were expecting a full-length book about the vicar’s daughter slowly losing her mind in a closed-off town, brace yourself—this story is much more concerned with the other side of the veil.
📖World Building:
I absolutely loved the world-building, because it doesn't just feel like scenery. The Rowan Wood is established as a formidable presence, something deeply hostile and unforgettable. It’s not just a spooky forest; it's a hellish, sensory purgatory with its own rules, and the writing makes you feel the cold, the rot, and the suffocation of the place. It does a fantastic job of creating a confined, dangerous space that forces the characters together.
🤿The Deepness of the Characters:
The real strength here is the way the book handles trauma and motivation. Addie’s story is about transforming her greatest perceived weakness—the strange visions and illness—into a source of power, which I found really compelling.
And the trio dynamic? It’s complicated, messy, and totally high-stakes. The author doesn't give you easy answers. You're constantly analyzing the two men who join her journey. Are their motivations good? Are they using her? The character work is deep because it's built entirely on hidden agendas and fragile trust, making the emotional core of the book as tense as the external plot.
📣The Tone in the Writing: Beautifully Bleak
King’s style is right up my alley for dark fantasy. The tone is one of lyrical, unrelenting bleakness. The writing is gorgeous, but it’s gorgeous in a gut-wrenching way. It doesn't shy away from the pain or the monstrous elements of the world, but it layers it with prose that feels almost poetic. It’s the kind of book where the atmosphere is thick, and the emotional stakes are always humming beneath the surface. You feel Addie’s isolation and desperation in every chapter, giving the journey an urgent, almost desperate energy.
My Final Take: Bitterbloom is for readers who want an emotional, gothic punch with complex relationships and a fully realized, terrifying setting. It sets a high standard for dark fantasy where the journey into the heart of the nightmare is just as important as the destination.
The initial setup in Rixton, where Adelaide Thorn is basically held responsible for every bad thing that happens, gave me major "Anathema" flashbacks. You know that feeling—that deep, knotting dread where the real monster is the collective cruelty of the villagers? I thought, "Yes, this is going to be a slow-burn nightmare of social persecution."
But, let me tell you, that connection stops fast. King doesn't linger on the village’s persecution for long; she flips the script and just shoves Addie into the supernatural. It’s less subtle horror and more a headfirst dive into dark fantasy. If you were expecting a full-length book about the vicar’s daughter slowly losing her mind in a closed-off town, brace yourself—this story is much more concerned with the other side of the veil.
📖World Building:
I absolutely loved the world-building, because it doesn't just feel like scenery. The Rowan Wood is established as a formidable presence, something deeply hostile and unforgettable. It’s not just a spooky forest; it's a hellish, sensory purgatory with its own rules, and the writing makes you feel the cold, the rot, and the suffocation of the place. It does a fantastic job of creating a confined, dangerous space that forces the characters together.
🤿The Deepness of the Characters:
The real strength here is the way the book handles trauma and motivation. Addie’s story is about transforming her greatest perceived weakness—the strange visions and illness—into a source of power, which I found really compelling.
And the trio dynamic? It’s complicated, messy, and totally high-stakes. The author doesn't give you easy answers. You're constantly analyzing the two men who join her journey. Are their motivations good? Are they using her? The character work is deep because it's built entirely on hidden agendas and fragile trust, making the emotional core of the book as tense as the external plot.
📣The Tone in the Writing: Beautifully Bleak
King’s style is right up my alley for dark fantasy. The tone is one of lyrical, unrelenting bleakness. The writing is gorgeous, but it’s gorgeous in a gut-wrenching way. It doesn't shy away from the pain or the monstrous elements of the world, but it layers it with prose that feels almost poetic. It’s the kind of book where the atmosphere is thick, and the emotional stakes are always humming beneath the surface. You feel Addie’s isolation and desperation in every chapter, giving the journey an urgent, almost desperate energy.
My Final Take: Bitterbloom is for readers who want an emotional, gothic punch with complex relationships and a fully realized, terrifying setting. It sets a high standard for dark fantasy where the journey into the heart of the nightmare is just as important as the destination.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
ARC received from NetGalley.
Here’s another one to add to my ever-growing pile of Evil Woods Fantasy AND what I’ve come to not-so-fondly call Go Girl Give Us Nothing Fantasy. Go Girl Give Us Nothing Fantasy is always heavy on the vibes and light on…well, everything else. You may be tempted to read these books because of their intriguing premises and you may see glimmers of interesting ideas here and there within their pages, but GGGUNF books are fundamentally flimsy and deeply underbaked. They need a few more months of work and/or a few more drafts, at the very least.
Bitterbloom checks basically every other box I’ve seen its sisters check before. The author’s prose is positively STRAINING to be lyrical/poetic/atmospheric but it lacks any kind of finesse so it just ends up coming across as overwrought, awkward and kind of embarrassingly melodramatic instead. Each page is laden with questionable metaphors and similes and increasingly inventive ways of describing Addie’s visceral physical reactions to the book’s events. What might have started as a way to explore her emotional/psychological connection to her body’s reactions as a character with chronic illness ends up becoming distractingly repetitive and limiting her psychological depth as a character instead.
Addie is only ever vague as a character, as are her two love interests, Ransom and Bram. She spends so little time with them and we know so little about them that all of the emotional beats and plot developments related to them land poorly as a result; the fact that she ends up horribly betrayed by one and happily declaring her love for the other by the end feels funny more than anything else. We end up learning very little about Addie’s world and the religion underlying her quest into purgatory, which would bother me less if her quest was richer in thematic exploration or personal growth. Addie starts out the book righteously denouncing her horrible father for his abuse and seething about how medicine and doctrine are wielded to scapegoat vulnerable women. She ends the book with all of these same opinions but also able to attack people with flowers because she has 1) grown into her magical heritage and 2) confirmed that she was not, in fact, serially murdering women in her village in a fugue state. So that’s good!!! Idk it really just feels like nothing has been given enough time to be developed adequately, and I’m so puzzled that everyone involved in this book’s creation decided that THIS was the point to stop at.
I mostly just see the unfulfilled potential here, but if you are particularly drawn to Evil Woods Fantasy and are happier than me to chill with creepy rotting botanical vibes, lots of metaphors, and the merest whiff of girlpower overcoming religious trauma, this might be a better experience for you.
Here’s another one to add to my ever-growing pile of Evil Woods Fantasy AND what I’ve come to not-so-fondly call Go Girl Give Us Nothing Fantasy. Go Girl Give Us Nothing Fantasy is always heavy on the vibes and light on…well, everything else. You may be tempted to read these books because of their intriguing premises and you may see glimmers of interesting ideas here and there within their pages, but GGGUNF books are fundamentally flimsy and deeply underbaked. They need a few more months of work and/or a few more drafts, at the very least.
Bitterbloom checks basically every other box I’ve seen its sisters check before. The author’s prose is positively STRAINING to be lyrical/poetic/atmospheric but it lacks any kind of finesse so it just ends up coming across as overwrought, awkward and kind of embarrassingly melodramatic instead. Each page is laden with questionable metaphors and similes and increasingly inventive ways of describing Addie’s visceral physical reactions to the book’s events. What might have started as a way to explore her emotional/psychological connection to her body’s reactions as a character with chronic illness ends up becoming distractingly repetitive and limiting her psychological depth as a character instead.
Addie is only ever vague as a character, as are her two love interests, Ransom and Bram. She spends so little time with them and we know so little about them that all of the emotional beats and plot developments related to them land poorly as a result; the fact that she ends up horribly betrayed by one and happily declaring her love for the other by the end feels funny more than anything else. We end up learning very little about Addie’s world and the religion underlying her quest into purgatory, which would bother me less if her quest was richer in thematic exploration or personal growth. Addie starts out the book righteously denouncing her horrible father for his abuse and seething about how medicine and doctrine are wielded to scapegoat vulnerable women. She ends the book with all of these same opinions but also able to attack people with flowers because she has 1) grown into her magical heritage and 2) confirmed that she was not, in fact, serially murdering women in her village in a fugue state. So that’s good!!! Idk it really just feels like nothing has been given enough time to be developed adequately, and I’m so puzzled that everyone involved in this book’s creation decided that THIS was the point to stop at.
I mostly just see the unfulfilled potential here, but if you are particularly drawn to Evil Woods Fantasy and are happier than me to chill with creepy rotting botanical vibes, lots of metaphors, and the merest whiff of girlpower overcoming religious trauma, this might be a better experience for you.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Bitterbloom starts strong. The prose is genuinely beautiful, lyrical in a way that pulls you under quickly. The atmosphere is heavy with rot and dread, the setting steeped in suspicion, sickness, and religious judgment. For a while, I felt fully immersed, like I’d slipped back into an older gothic tradition. Creepy, moody, and quietly unsettling in the best way.
The premise is solid. A village haunted by death, a young woman blamed and watched, a bell that bridges the living and the dead. The bones of this story are good. The horror elements work, the central mystery is compelling, and there were plenty of lines I stopped to highlight because the writing itself was doing something right.
Unfortunately, the book slowly backs away from its own strengths.
The biggest issue is commitment. Bitterbloom gestures toward gothic horror, religious trauma, female rage, and moral corruption, but it never fully follows through. The religious elements, despite being heavily signposted, remain surprisingly shallow. As someone who was intrigued by the promise of exploring faith, guilt, and punishment, that felt like a missed opportunity. The story introduces an original religion and gods, but this added complexity doesn’t deepen the themes. If anything, it muddies them. Traditional religious imagery would have carried more weight with far less explanation.
Then there’s the romance. This is where the book truly loses its nerve. Instead of letting the horror breathe, the narrative pivots hard into romance, complete with multiple love interests and emotional declarations that feel wildly premature. Addie didn’t need to fall in love to be compelling. A flicker of tension would have been enough. Full-blown devotion after knowing someone for days undercuts both credibility and atmosphere. The choice to soften the story this way feels like a retreat, especially when the gothic tone had been working so well. And yes, sex with a dead man was… a choice.
The ending compounds the issue. The resolution feels rushed, as though the book suddenly realized it needed to wrap things up. Instead of lingering in consequence or unease, we’re ushered into a tidy, happily-ever-after epilogue that completely deflates the mood. Gothic stories thrive on ambiguity and discomfort. This one opts for reassurance, and the contrast is jarring.
Overall, Bitterbloom is a book with beautiful writing, a strong concept, and genuinely creepy potential that it never fully commits to. I enjoyed the idea of it more than the execution. It wanted to be gothic horror, but ultimately chose romance and neat closure instead. I finished it thinking not that it was bad, but that it could have been sharper, darker, and far more memorable if it had trusted its own atmosphere.
The premise is solid. A village haunted by death, a young woman blamed and watched, a bell that bridges the living and the dead. The bones of this story are good. The horror elements work, the central mystery is compelling, and there were plenty of lines I stopped to highlight because the writing itself was doing something right.
Unfortunately, the book slowly backs away from its own strengths.
The biggest issue is commitment. Bitterbloom gestures toward gothic horror, religious trauma, female rage, and moral corruption, but it never fully follows through. The religious elements, despite being heavily signposted, remain surprisingly shallow. As someone who was intrigued by the promise of exploring faith, guilt, and punishment, that felt like a missed opportunity. The story introduces an original religion and gods, but this added complexity doesn’t deepen the themes. If anything, it muddies them. Traditional religious imagery would have carried more weight with far less explanation.
Then there’s the romance. This is where the book truly loses its nerve. Instead of letting the horror breathe, the narrative pivots hard into romance, complete with multiple love interests and emotional declarations that feel wildly premature. Addie didn’t need to fall in love to be compelling. A flicker of tension would have been enough. Full-blown devotion after knowing someone for days undercuts both credibility and atmosphere. The choice to soften the story this way feels like a retreat, especially when the gothic tone had been working so well. And yes, sex with a dead man was… a choice.
The ending compounds the issue. The resolution feels rushed, as though the book suddenly realized it needed to wrap things up. Instead of lingering in consequence or unease, we’re ushered into a tidy, happily-ever-after epilogue that completely deflates the mood. Gothic stories thrive on ambiguity and discomfort. This one opts for reassurance, and the contrast is jarring.
Overall, Bitterbloom is a book with beautiful writing, a strong concept, and genuinely creepy potential that it never fully commits to. I enjoyed the idea of it more than the execution. It wanted to be gothic horror, but ultimately chose romance and neat closure instead. I finished it thinking not that it was bad, but that it could have been sharper, darker, and far more memorable if it had trusted its own atmosphere.
November 17, 2025
I need a book club to read this book and discuss it with me! I am sure there is a lot of symbolism and meaning that I have missed that can be teased out by discussing this great gothic romance with others. Adelaide Thorn lives in misery and loneliness in the village of Rixton. Rixton is plagued by mysterious and haunting deaths, and the village begins to whisper that Adelaide is responsible, including her father, the village vicar who believes that Adelaide has evil running through her blood. One day, Adelaide finds a strange bell in the village river, a way to open a doorway to the place between Heaven and Hell and seeks to use it's power to help the ghosts of the village rest, as well as bring back her dead mother. Adelaide heads off on a journey of discovery (of course!) filled with gothic nightmares, to find what has really been happening to the villagers of Rixton, as well her own place in the world.
I really enjoyed how Teagan Olivia King creates a gothic, atmospheric world, that explores grief – grief of losing a loved one and grief for the life that you thought you would have, as well as the power of found family, of connecting with people that really understand you and get you. Adelaide is a really strong protagonist, as a reader you want to be in her story and see how she is going to find the strength to do what she needs to. And what is great is that the supporting characters are also really interesting, with their own thoughts and motivations, not just there because they need to be someone for the protagonist to bounce off, so you really get a feel of the world.
The pacing is sometimes a little patchy, meaning I didn’t always fully buy into some of the relationships between the characters, but honestly, this is a minor quibble, especially as Teagan Olivia King respects you as a reader and doesn’t fill in all the blanks or spoon feed you, she wants you to immerse yourself in the world and although there are great horror visuals, you also get to use your own imagination, which is great because Teagan’s writing is so evocative that as a reader scenes build in your mind and also stay with you. I felt like there could be beautiful artwork created from scenes in this book.
If you like Mary Shelley, Garth Nix's Sabriel, Stranger Things, Rachel Gillig's One Dark Window, the Salem Witch Trials, and other gothic treasures then this is the book for you.
I will be following everything Teagan Olivia King does and will certainly be picking up anything she writes.
Thank you NetGalley and Turner Publishing for the opportunity to read this ARC for an honest review.
I really enjoyed how Teagan Olivia King creates a gothic, atmospheric world, that explores grief – grief of losing a loved one and grief for the life that you thought you would have, as well as the power of found family, of connecting with people that really understand you and get you. Adelaide is a really strong protagonist, as a reader you want to be in her story and see how she is going to find the strength to do what she needs to. And what is great is that the supporting characters are also really interesting, with their own thoughts and motivations, not just there because they need to be someone for the protagonist to bounce off, so you really get a feel of the world.
The pacing is sometimes a little patchy, meaning I didn’t always fully buy into some of the relationships between the characters, but honestly, this is a minor quibble, especially as Teagan Olivia King respects you as a reader and doesn’t fill in all the blanks or spoon feed you, she wants you to immerse yourself in the world and although there are great horror visuals, you also get to use your own imagination, which is great because Teagan’s writing is so evocative that as a reader scenes build in your mind and also stay with you. I felt like there could be beautiful artwork created from scenes in this book.
If you like Mary Shelley, Garth Nix's Sabriel, Stranger Things, Rachel Gillig's One Dark Window, the Salem Witch Trials, and other gothic treasures then this is the book for you.
I will be following everything Teagan Olivia King does and will certainly be picking up anything she writes.
Thank you NetGalley and Turner Publishing for the opportunity to read this ARC for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you NetGalley and Turner Publishing for the advance readers copy in exchange for my honest opinion.
Adelaide Thorn, a woman who spends half of the book shaking and passing out from fear to suddenly deciding she had enough of her family’s crap and essentially became an overpowered god. A story about women being empowered, the author takes you on a paranormal ride where I spent a good amount of time trying to figure out what happened in each scene.
The flowery, lyrical prose is convoluted and when it is clear, you are being bashed over the head with the intended message of the book. At one point I genuinely thought that the two main character were having sex with the best friend in the room. Could it be because I accidentally started skimming the pages… yeah but unfortunately there were multiple times during key moments when I was dialed in, I still was confused. Characters would end up insulating things that I don’t think the author ever meant to insulate.
While I read, I like to be able to visualize things and while the author does a fantastic job of that visually, we miss out on sense of time and distance. I still have zero idea how long Addie was in that world and there was a lot of running that was done with no indication of how far away some of the location are. It ended up just confusing me and kept me asking the same questions of “wait how far Place A from Place B because she’s running in a gown, corseted to the high heaven, and in what I can assume are heels through brambles and grass” or “wait did she sleep, why is there a time skip, how long have we been here?” This is a personal pet peeve of mine but I thought I should mention it.
Now the biggest problem of this book is that the two main characters have no romantic chemistry and what’s worse is that Addie at one point mentions how she probably only feels attraction for this other character because she’s battered and broken from the lack of love she has received from her father and that character shares that with her. Except that same logic can be used with the MMC because he too has daddy issues. Addie has known these two guys intimately for the same amount of time and the only reason we choose the paper cut out of a character (MMC) is because he does the bare minimum by respecting her and the other character is a cartoon villain (aka the guy that has some depth to him, it’s only kiddie pool depth but hey it better than the other guy).
Overall, it just wasn’t the book for me.
Adelaide Thorn, a woman who spends half of the book shaking and passing out from fear to suddenly deciding she had enough of her family’s crap and essentially became an overpowered god. A story about women being empowered, the author takes you on a paranormal ride where I spent a good amount of time trying to figure out what happened in each scene.
The flowery, lyrical prose is convoluted and when it is clear, you are being bashed over the head with the intended message of the book. At one point I genuinely thought that the two main character were having sex with the best friend in the room. Could it be because I accidentally started skimming the pages… yeah but unfortunately there were multiple times during key moments when I was dialed in, I still was confused. Characters would end up insulating things that I don’t think the author ever meant to insulate.
While I read, I like to be able to visualize things and while the author does a fantastic job of that visually, we miss out on sense of time and distance. I still have zero idea how long Addie was in that world and there was a lot of running that was done with no indication of how far away some of the location are. It ended up just confusing me and kept me asking the same questions of “wait how far Place A from Place B because she’s running in a gown, corseted to the high heaven, and in what I can assume are heels through brambles and grass” or “wait did she sleep, why is there a time skip, how long have we been here?” This is a personal pet peeve of mine but I thought I should mention it.
Now the biggest problem of this book is that the two main characters have no romantic chemistry and what’s worse is that Addie at one point mentions how she probably only feels attraction for this other character because she’s battered and broken from the lack of love she has received from her father and that character shares that with her. Except that same logic can be used with the MMC because he too has daddy issues. Addie has known these two guys intimately for the same amount of time and the only reason we choose the paper cut out of a character (MMC) is because he does the bare minimum by respecting her and the other character is a cartoon villain (aka the guy that has some depth to him, it’s only kiddie pool depth but hey it better than the other guy).
Overall, it just wasn’t the book for me.
December 3, 2025
Girls are going missing in Adelaide's village and turning up dead shortly after, always floating down the river. Slowly she sees herself getting blamed for those killings, even though there's nothing pointing toward her beside her otherness.. Not a reason to be believed to be a murderer, or is it?
This book tried to be a lot and that led to it just struggling by the end. I loved the beginning! It's gothic, it's dark, depressing, everything is hard and miserable, especially for Adelaide. She's suffering from some mysterious illness that just adds to her being different and even makes her question herself, wondering if she might be the cause of the problem after all. But then we meet the MMC and she hates him. Why? No reason. At all. We just need to know that they hate each other. For all of 10 minutes at least. That's the first question mark for me - why make such a point of her hating him, when there's no reason for it and she then turns around fully anyway?
Then there's that weird little love triangle.. That also lasts all of 10 minutes. Talk about insta-love though.. In the span of one day we're in love with this guy, then it's been the other one the whole time. All of the romance side plot wasn't very well done in my opinion, it also just wasn't really necessary.. There's so much going on with the mystery around the girls, the mystery you later discover, the whole black blood thing.. It's why that love story didn't really fit any more and probably why it was so rushed too.
Without giving too much away - I did enjoy the descriptions of the woods. That part was great! It really felt like a different world, a very fitting touch for the topic as well. The twists kept the story going pretty fast towards the end and I quite enjoyed some of them. The main mystery itself was well done too, if not a little heavy on the evil for evilsake theme, but at least it was done well!
Overall, I was so excited to read this book and I really really wanted to like it. And for the first part I did! I had such a good time. It was just later that things just started adding up too much to just ignore - and that love triangle made me so uncomfortable because of how quick it came out of absolutely nothing. Only to then just fall apart anyway. And I didn't love the ending either.. It was a little bit out there.
That said, the book isn't bad though and if you're up for some dark gothic themes and tension and mystery.. Have I got the book for you.
Thank you Turner Publishing Company for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
This book tried to be a lot and that led to it just struggling by the end. I loved the beginning! It's gothic, it's dark, depressing, everything is hard and miserable, especially for Adelaide. She's suffering from some mysterious illness that just adds to her being different and even makes her question herself, wondering if she might be the cause of the problem after all. But then we meet the MMC and she hates him. Why? No reason. At all. We just need to know that they hate each other. For all of 10 minutes at least. That's the first question mark for me - why make such a point of her hating him, when there's no reason for it and she then turns around fully anyway?
Then there's that weird little love triangle.. That also lasts all of 10 minutes. Talk about insta-love though.. In the span of one day we're in love with this guy, then it's been the other one the whole time. All of the romance side plot wasn't very well done in my opinion, it also just wasn't really necessary.. There's so much going on with the mystery around the girls, the mystery you later discover, the whole black blood thing.. It's why that love story didn't really fit any more and probably why it was so rushed too.
Without giving too much away - I did enjoy the descriptions of the woods. That part was great! It really felt like a different world, a very fitting touch for the topic as well. The twists kept the story going pretty fast towards the end and I quite enjoyed some of them. The main mystery itself was well done too, if not a little heavy on the evil for evilsake theme, but at least it was done well!
Overall, I was so excited to read this book and I really really wanted to like it. And for the first part I did! I had such a good time. It was just later that things just started adding up too much to just ignore - and that love triangle made me so uncomfortable because of how quick it came out of absolutely nothing. Only to then just fall apart anyway. And I didn't love the ending either.. It was a little bit out there.
That said, the book isn't bad though and if you're up for some dark gothic themes and tension and mystery.. Have I got the book for you.
Thank you Turner Publishing Company for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
December 10, 2025
Bitterbloom opens on a village steeped in superstition, where Adelaide Thorn has become the unwilling scapegoat for every misfortune that plagues Rixton.
What unfolds is a tense, haunted trek through a forest that becomes a character in its own right, hostile, oppressive, and unforgettable. The Rowan Wood isn’t just a backdrop; it’s a living force, and the prose makes you smell the decay and feel the claustrophobic dark pressing in on all sides.
This was exactly the kind of story I crave: a gothic tale steeped in dread, threaded with hope, and fueled by emotional depth. The atmosphere is intoxicating from the very first chapter. King has a talent for writing the uncanny in a way that lingers, shadowy edges, whispered warnings, the sense that someone is always watching. Yet she balances it with moments of warmth and yearning that keep the narrative from sinking into pure despair. That contrast gives the book its teeth.
The characters shine just as brightly. Everyone, from the sympathetic to the despicable, feels textured and human. Adelaide’s arc is the standout, her struggle to reinterpret her illness, her visions, and her identity gives the story a strong emotional pulse. Her dynamic with Bram and Ransom is intricate and turbulent, built on uncertainty and ulterior motives. While some shifts in their relationships happen quickly, they ultimately serve her growth and the story’s ever-tightening tension.
A few twists lean dramatic, and certain romantic beats with Ransom stretched my suspension of disbelief, but none of it derailed the narrative for me. In fact, the last third of the book becomes a nonstop surge of revelations and danger. I devoured the final hundred pages.
Ultimately, Bitterbloom delivers on every promise it makes:
• a claustrophobic, beautifully crafted world
• characters shaped by grief, longing, and secrets
• a dark fantasy journey that’s as emotional as it is terrifying
If you love stories where the dread is palpable, the relationships are messy, and the woods are full of monsters both literal and human, this one leaves a mark. It’s haunting in all the right ways, and it stays with you long after the final page.
What unfolds is a tense, haunted trek through a forest that becomes a character in its own right, hostile, oppressive, and unforgettable. The Rowan Wood isn’t just a backdrop; it’s a living force, and the prose makes you smell the decay and feel the claustrophobic dark pressing in on all sides.
This was exactly the kind of story I crave: a gothic tale steeped in dread, threaded with hope, and fueled by emotional depth. The atmosphere is intoxicating from the very first chapter. King has a talent for writing the uncanny in a way that lingers, shadowy edges, whispered warnings, the sense that someone is always watching. Yet she balances it with moments of warmth and yearning that keep the narrative from sinking into pure despair. That contrast gives the book its teeth.
The characters shine just as brightly. Everyone, from the sympathetic to the despicable, feels textured and human. Adelaide’s arc is the standout, her struggle to reinterpret her illness, her visions, and her identity gives the story a strong emotional pulse. Her dynamic with Bram and Ransom is intricate and turbulent, built on uncertainty and ulterior motives. While some shifts in their relationships happen quickly, they ultimately serve her growth and the story’s ever-tightening tension.
A few twists lean dramatic, and certain romantic beats with Ransom stretched my suspension of disbelief, but none of it derailed the narrative for me. In fact, the last third of the book becomes a nonstop surge of revelations and danger. I devoured the final hundred pages.
Ultimately, Bitterbloom delivers on every promise it makes:
• a claustrophobic, beautifully crafted world
• characters shaped by grief, longing, and secrets
• a dark fantasy journey that’s as emotional as it is terrifying
If you love stories where the dread is palpable, the relationships are messy, and the woods are full of monsters both literal and human, this one leaves a mark. It’s haunting in all the right ways, and it stays with you long after the final page.
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
Dark, lyrical, and emotionally devastating in all the right ways.
Bitterbloom is a gothic fantasy that doesn’t flinch. Set in the haunted village of Rixton, it follows Adelaide Thorn—a vicar’s daughter plagued by visions, chronic illness, and the suspicion that she’s responsible for a string of mysterious deaths. The atmosphere is thick with dread, and Teagan Olivia King’s prose is lush and immersive, wrapping you in fog and folklore from the first page.
Adelaide is a powerhouse of vulnerability and rage. Her arc is brutal and beautiful—tied to a chair by her own father, feared by her village, and unsure whether she’s a monster or a martyr. Her chronic illness adds layers of realism and emotional weight, and her descent into the Rowan Wood feels mythic and personal all at once. She’s not just a heroine—she’s a reckoning.
The romance is eerie and electric. Ransom Black, a mysterious lordling with secrets of his own, offers Adelaide a kind of twisted salvation. Their connection is slow-burning and strange, built on shared pain and quiet defiance. It’s not a traditional love story—it’s a collision of broken souls in a world that wants them silenced.
The writing is exquisite. King’s style is poetic without being overwrought, and every line feels intentional. The imagery is rich—bells in riverbeds, monsters in the woods, blood on hands—and the emotional beats hit hard. The story doesn’t rely on exposition; it unfolds like a fever dream, with just enough clarity to keep you grounded.
Other highlights:
• A haunting, folklore-infused setting that feels alive
• Themes of isolation, identity, and inherited guilt
• A heroine who refuses to be defined by fear or fate
Minor caveats: the pacing is deliberate, and the narrative leans heavily into ambiguity. Readers who prefer clean resolutions or traditional structure might struggle. But for those drawn to emotional intensity and mythic storytelling, Bitterbloom is unforgettable.
Overall, this is a standout gothic fantasy—explosive in emotion, rich in atmosphere, and deeply resonant. Perfect for fans of Ava Reid, Hannah Whitten, and anyone who craves stories that bleed.
Bitterbloom is a gothic fantasy that doesn’t flinch. Set in the haunted village of Rixton, it follows Adelaide Thorn—a vicar’s daughter plagued by visions, chronic illness, and the suspicion that she’s responsible for a string of mysterious deaths. The atmosphere is thick with dread, and Teagan Olivia King’s prose is lush and immersive, wrapping you in fog and folklore from the first page.
Adelaide is a powerhouse of vulnerability and rage. Her arc is brutal and beautiful—tied to a chair by her own father, feared by her village, and unsure whether she’s a monster or a martyr. Her chronic illness adds layers of realism and emotional weight, and her descent into the Rowan Wood feels mythic and personal all at once. She’s not just a heroine—she’s a reckoning.
The romance is eerie and electric. Ransom Black, a mysterious lordling with secrets of his own, offers Adelaide a kind of twisted salvation. Their connection is slow-burning and strange, built on shared pain and quiet defiance. It’s not a traditional love story—it’s a collision of broken souls in a world that wants them silenced.
The writing is exquisite. King’s style is poetic without being overwrought, and every line feels intentional. The imagery is rich—bells in riverbeds, monsters in the woods, blood on hands—and the emotional beats hit hard. The story doesn’t rely on exposition; it unfolds like a fever dream, with just enough clarity to keep you grounded.
Other highlights:
• A haunting, folklore-infused setting that feels alive
• Themes of isolation, identity, and inherited guilt
• A heroine who refuses to be defined by fear or fate
Minor caveats: the pacing is deliberate, and the narrative leans heavily into ambiguity. Readers who prefer clean resolutions or traditional structure might struggle. But for those drawn to emotional intensity and mythic storytelling, Bitterbloom is unforgettable.
Overall, this is a standout gothic fantasy—explosive in emotion, rich in atmosphere, and deeply resonant. Perfect for fans of Ava Reid, Hannah Whitten, and anyone who craves stories that bleed.
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