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The Solvren Maw: Blooming Rot
274 pages, Paperback
Published February 9, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 27, 2026
Initially, I came across this book during Independent Bookstore Day at a local indie bookstore, where the author was sitting at a table with her book. I was curious, so I went up and asked her about it. I think what initially drew me in was the pretty cover and that she said it was fantasy. But she clarified it was actually fantasy horror, and I’m not a big fan of horror as a genre in any format. Still, I do like fantasy, so I gave it a shot based solely on that. I don’t really remember the rest of the pitch the author gave, other than that it was a fantasy horror novel. I bought it, got it personalized, and was excited to start reading.
At first I was enjoying it and getting to know the characters, but then there was a huge gap in my reading where I didn’t pick it up for a few weeks, and I ended up putting it on pause. I was starting to lose interest in the characters, the story, and the plot, because I felt like I’d been thrown into this world with no backstory or world-building. I didn’t understand why this specific group of people would get calls when a dead body was found and go investigate, even though they weren’t law enforcement or crime scene investigators or anything like that. I kept going, telling myself maybe it would get explained somewhere, but I got halfway through the book and still wasn’t getting it.
The author also uses a lot of similes, to the point where it was distracting. I don’t normally notice things like that, but it was used so much that I did, and I ended up looking up what this is called. Apparently it’s called purple prose. There was a whole paragraph just describing, through simile, how a floorboard sounded when it was stepped on. That took me out of it a bit, and I wasn’t really enjoying it anymore. There was so much more of that kind of writing that I started skipping over anything that wasn’t dialogue.
I was halfway through the book and tried to push myself to at least finish it, since it is a short book. But then I told myself there are plenty of other books I could be reading right now that actually excite me, so I decided not to give this one any more of my time. It’s not the book for me, for all the reasons above, but it might be better suited to a reader who enjoys lyrical, heavy-handed prose.
I would have given the book 2.5 or 2.75 stars anyway if I would have tried to continue until the end.
At first I was enjoying it and getting to know the characters, but then there was a huge gap in my reading where I didn’t pick it up for a few weeks, and I ended up putting it on pause. I was starting to lose interest in the characters, the story, and the plot, because I felt like I’d been thrown into this world with no backstory or world-building. I didn’t understand why this specific group of people would get calls when a dead body was found and go investigate, even though they weren’t law enforcement or crime scene investigators or anything like that. I kept going, telling myself maybe it would get explained somewhere, but I got halfway through the book and still wasn’t getting it.
The author also uses a lot of similes, to the point where it was distracting. I don’t normally notice things like that, but it was used so much that I did, and I ended up looking up what this is called. Apparently it’s called purple prose. There was a whole paragraph just describing, through simile, how a floorboard sounded when it was stepped on. That took me out of it a bit, and I wasn’t really enjoying it anymore. There was so much more of that kind of writing that I started skipping over anything that wasn’t dialogue.
I was halfway through the book and tried to push myself to at least finish it, since it is a short book. But then I told myself there are plenty of other books I could be reading right now that actually excite me, so I decided not to give this one any more of my time. It’s not the book for me, for all the reasons above, but it might be better suited to a reader who enjoys lyrical, heavy-handed prose.
I would have given the book 2.5 or 2.75 stars anyway if I would have tried to continue until the end.
May 27, 2026
Wow! Truly, wow. I went into this book completely blind & I'm so glad that I did. Not once did this story go in the way that l expected it to. I was shocked & confused in the best ways possible.
This author has such a way with words. She's able to pull you in & make you FEEL the story.
Like you're actually in it.
I laughed, I cringed, I teared up & I was enamored from the first page.
I cannot wait to read book 2!
This author is an immediate read for me, always.
This author has such a way with words. She's able to pull you in & make you FEEL the story.
Like you're actually in it.
I laughed, I cringed, I teared up & I was enamored from the first page.
I cannot wait to read book 2!
This author is an immediate read for me, always.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews