Wallflower

by Iasmin Omar Ata

From the author of the critically acclaimed Nayra and the Djinn comes a stunning graphic novel about a girl who must uncover the truth behind her strange visions.

For as long as Marlena can remember, she has seen flowers growing on everyone she meets: personalized poppies and daisies and roses of every color that give away what their owners truly feel. Invisible to the rest of the world, the flowers have always felt too overwhelming, too much for Marlena to take in when they don’t always match what their owner shows. She’s long since given up convincing anyone else that they’re there.

Until she meets Ashe, a charming transfer student who can somehow see these mysterious flowers, too. Unfortunately for Marlena, Ashe wants nothing to do with her. But as their thorny connection blooms, so do hidden secrets buried years ago. In this stunning graphic novel where dreams are woven into reality and not everything is as it seems, Marlena and Ashe must unfold the truth together, no matter where it may lead.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Middle Grade, Fantasy, Young Adult, LGBT, Comics, Childrens

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 13, 2026

About the author

I'm Iasmin Omar Ata, a Middle Eastern & Muslim comics artist, game developer and illustrator who creates art about coping with illness, self-acceptance, and Islamic futurism. I’m currently working on two books with Viking Books, the first of which is to release in 2022! (They/them pronouns, please!)

I'm an Ignatz Award winner and Excellence In Graphic Literature Award finalist; I’ve been interviewed & reviewed by Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, Electronic Intifada, Library Journal, and NPR. I've worked with clients/groups such as PEN America, L’Institut du Monde Arabe, Palestine International, Bigmouth Comix, O/R Books, and more; I’ve also spoken/taught at Harvard University, the New York Public Library, and University of Maryland.

Reviews

[Bookishrealm · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately, Iasmin Omar Ata just isn't the author for me. This is the second book that I've read by them and unfortunately the storytelling never works for me. The artwork is always immaculate; however, the narrative rarely ever makes sense.

[Frank Chillura (OhYouRead) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wallflower is a beautiful story that masks painful topics like childhood trauma and mental health with vibrant colors and gorgeous artwork. Like the name implies, our main character Marlena is a bit of a loner. Yes, she has friends and family, but she’s rather sit alone quietly people watching than be the life of the party.

She has a gift. She’s an empath who sees flowers that are attached to every person. Those flowers tell her how the person is feeling, even when their facial expressions and actions may be saying something completely different. But being near people and seeing their flowers takes a lot out of her. She has to be alone in her room decompressing after a day at school just to handle life. And as far as she knows, no one else can see the flowers… that is until the new kid, Ashe, transfers to her school.

They are everything that Marlena is not. They feed off of being the center of attention and are friendly to everyone they meet, with one exception. Ashe seems to hate Marlena from the first time they meet. They do everything they can to isolate her even more than ever, taking her friends and becoming close to them.

In passing, Ashe mentions knowing that their flowers are wilted, but they don’t care. They are angry at the world and lashing out at any form of authority figure because of it.

Being a middle grade graphic novel and covering deep topics is always interesting to see, because you can’t always outright say a child is queer without getting backlash from someone. And any kid reading this wouldn’t necessarily see it either, but I know that Marlena and Ashe are supposed to be part of the LGBTQIAP+ community. We welcome them with open arms.

It’s also impressive to see an author seemlessly incorporate mental health into a book without blatantly saying it. You have to take in context clues to figure out that her empathy and decompression are all in relation to her well being.

I really love how this was written and will be happy every time I see a kid pick it up at the bookstore I work at.

[Aimee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this. The art is gorgeous and stimulating. The story is just confusing and seemed rushed. It just didn’t make sense. Maybe just me. But I am so lost.

[Kiera Beddes · Rating 2 out of 5]

Marlena is a middle school girl who can see different flowers on people. But no one else can see them. Until one day when a new transfer student, Ashe, who is nonbinary, reveals that they also can see these flowers. Thus, prompting Marlena and Ash to figure out why they both see flowers and what exactly their families are not telling them about their shared past.

This was such a weird read. I thought the premise was interesting and could be a metaphor for how trauma affects individuals and families. But I was confused the whole time. And felt like they could have been more done with it.

[Chiara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Much like with Nayra and the Djinn by the same author I am OBSESSED with the colours in Wallflower. The story itself is one I would like to read again, especially since a lot of the explanations happened in just a few pages. I think using flowers as a manifestation of the effects of a traumatic experience was very unique.

[Paige · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gorgeous artwork and colors!

This book shows how trauma can manifest differently in people. How even though it stays hidden, it still affects you and connects you to who you experienced it with.

I like that they showed some of the resolution, I would have liked to have seen a little bit more.

I would also like to know why Marlena's family is always having people over and treating it like a job?! Still a mystery to me lol.

[Sesana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful art. I do kind of like the concept: the main character has visions of flowers on people that represent their personalities. Unfortunately, I don't think she really did anything interesting with it. The concept doesn't really get explored, which is kind of par for the course with this book. There's a lot that's brushed past very quickly, to the detriment of the book.

[Kirin · Rating 2 out of 5]

The premise of this book is pretty cool, the format and graphic novel illustrations, also well done, but the character arcs and storytelling in general, left a lot to be desired, and for me, even understood. Marlena sees flowers growing on people that reveal their nature. This makes social situations highly stressful for her and anger is always about to burst through. Lonely and unable to get answers about her departed father, makes even home life toxic. When a new kid shows up at school with the same flower ability, they immediately clash and by the end a shared history and trauma between the two is revealed. SPOILER: ok so there is a lot there to be really explored about pronoun identity, anxiety, trauma, mixing dreams and reality. But it all just stays on the surface in its resolution. Why would the families blame the children, why don't Ashe and Marlena recognize they have no memories from their earlier childhood, why are they afraid of these abilities. How does it get resolved exactly? What changed? What was the purpose of the dreams? It was a lot of buildup for a lacking conclusion, no understanding, and a hasty abandonment of all the threads. I read the book because there is a hijabi in the illustrations, a presumably ethnic Arab name filled family at the center, but no mention of culture or Islam in the pages. It is a quick 256 page middle grade read, and if someone can explain it to me, I'm happy to listen.

[Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 3.5 stars

Wallflower has a great premise: Marlena can see flowers growing on everyone she meets that give away what their owners truly feel. Since no one else can see it, she is desperately seeking answers about her ability. Then she meets Ashe who also sees flowers, but their relationship is tenuous-a push and pull type as Ashe's mask tends to fall and reveal their vulnerable side. Marlena and Ashe work their way to friendship and soon find out that they have a lot of things in common.

I love the digital and manga-styled illustrations and the beautiful color scheme. The flowers really pop on the page. I just wished the plot was fleshed out a bit more. I wanted to linger a bit more on the flower aspect and their significance. I was also a bit alarmed on how long Marlena and Ashe did not have emotional support from their families to address their issues.

[Amanda Shepard (Between-the-Shelves) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has such a cool, interesting concept and I don't think it was necessarily used to its full potential here. The main character can see flowers on people, but it's not really fully explored as to why, or if this is reflecting magical aspects of this world overall. While an explanation isn't always need, I think a bit more exploration would have helped, especially since this is geared towards a younger audience.

However, the artwork and the colors used are stunning. Absolutely beautiful. This does partly make up for the confusing story, but not quite all the way.

[Caroline · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really, really beautiful artwork. I felt like my copy was missing about 40 pages of explanation (it wasn't, it just felt like it). This story was hard to follow and resolved itself too quickly in the end. Kind of a bummer.

[Erin Torchia · Rating 3 out of 5]

The pacing for this book was a bit odd - some parts felt very slow and others very quick. The ending was good, but the process of getting there felt a tad confusing in some areas; overall, I loved the concept and the art style and I'm glad I read it.

[Frida · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75 ⭐️

[Kelsey · Rating 2 out of 5]

The art is gorgeous, but I am sooo confused by this story.

[Elaine Fultz, Teacher Librarian, MLS · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty but confusing. I handed to a student who loves Dragon Tea Society and Hooky, and they expressed a similar opinion. "The story could have been better."

[Kaylie Voutier · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations and interesting concept but the story moved way too quickly., including the explanation of the flowers.

[Ali Suchy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I guess it was a metaphor for trauma and dealing with it before it takes too much out of somebody? Unsure. Art was great but the story is so forgettable and really weird.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

pretty. but shallow pretending at deepness

[Haley The Caffeinated Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

The art was gorgeous, loved the concept, it just didn't quite meet the mark for me.

[Yutzil Valeria]

I loved the premise so much! the actual thing? just felt so flat. like I think the actual storytelling was bad.

1 start for story
3 starts for art style