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Flowers for the Sea
Flowers for the Sea is a dark, dazzling debut novella that reads like Rosemary's Baby by way of Octavia E. Butler.
We are a people who do not forget.
Survivors from a flooded kingdom struggle alone on an ark. Resources are scant, and ravenous beasts circle. Their fangs are sharp.
Among the refugees is Iraxi: ostracized, despised, and a commoner who refused a prince, she’s pregnant with a child that might be more than human. Her fate may be darker and more powerful than she can imagine.
Zin E. Rocklyn’s extraordinary debut is a lush, gothic fantasy about the prices we pay and the vengeance we seek.
We are a people who do not forget.
Survivors from a flooded kingdom struggle alone on an ark. Resources are scant, and ravenous beasts circle. Their fangs are sharp.
Among the refugees is Iraxi: ostracized, despised, and a commoner who refused a prince, she’s pregnant with a child that might be more than human. Her fate may be darker and more powerful than she can imagine.
Zin E. Rocklyn’s extraordinary debut is a lush, gothic fantasy about the prices we pay and the vengeance we seek.
108 pages, Paperback
First published October 19, 2021
89 people are currently reading
8875 people want to read
About the author
Zin E. Rocklyn
15 books95 followersZin E. Rocklyn is a contributor to Bram Stoker-nominated and This is Horror Award-winning Nox Pareidolia, Kaiju Rising II: Reign of Monsters, Brigands: A Blackguards Anthology, and Forever Vacancy anthologies and Weird Luck Tales No. 7 zine. Their story "Summer Skin" in the Bram Stoker-nominated anthology Sycorax's Daughters received an honorable mention for Ellen Datlow's Best Horror of the Year, Volume Ten. Zin contributed the nonfiction essay “My Genre Makes a Monster of Me” to Uncanny Magazine’s Hugo Award-winning Disabled People Destroy Science Fiction. Their short story "The Night Sun" and flash fiction "teatime" were published on Tor.com. Flowers for the Sea is their debut novella. Zin is a 2017 VONA and 2018 Viable Paradise graduate as well as a 2022 Clarion West candidate.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 579 reviews
September 26, 2023
**3.5-stars rounded up**
For me, this reading experience was very similar to my time spent with The Deep by Rivers Solomon.
My initial reaction upon completing both novellas was, what the heck did I just read?
Followed shortly thereafter by thoughts such as, that was gorgeous writing, this is beautiful and important, and finally, I wish I had a better understanding of it.
Flowers for the Sea is a Dark Fantasy novella centering around Iraxi, a headstrong, powerful woman trapped on a claustrophobic-feeling ark sailing the high seas.
For a good portion of the story she is struggling through the last moments of, what seems to be, an unwanted pregnancy.
Iraxi's emotions take center stage as she works through anger, pain, revenge and motherhood. It's a lot.
A story set at sea, with a sea creature aspect, this is an intriguing premise and the writing shows so much promise.
I would love to read more from Zin E. Rocklyn; hopefully at some point in a longer format, so I can really settle into their style and ideas.
Thank you so much to the publisher, Dreamscape Media, for providing me with an Audio-ARC to listen to and review.
I am really happy I had the opportunity to check this one out. It was memorable!
I do highly recommend the audio for this one, as the narrator's voice is completely enchanting!
For me, this reading experience was very similar to my time spent with The Deep by Rivers Solomon.
My initial reaction upon completing both novellas was, what the heck did I just read?
Followed shortly thereafter by thoughts such as, that was gorgeous writing, this is beautiful and important, and finally, I wish I had a better understanding of it.
Flowers for the Sea is a Dark Fantasy novella centering around Iraxi, a headstrong, powerful woman trapped on a claustrophobic-feeling ark sailing the high seas.
For a good portion of the story she is struggling through the last moments of, what seems to be, an unwanted pregnancy.
Iraxi's emotions take center stage as she works through anger, pain, revenge and motherhood. It's a lot.
A story set at sea, with a sea creature aspect, this is an intriguing premise and the writing shows so much promise.
I would love to read more from Zin E. Rocklyn; hopefully at some point in a longer format, so I can really settle into their style and ideas.
Thank you so much to the publisher, Dreamscape Media, for providing me with an Audio-ARC to listen to and review.
I am really happy I had the opportunity to check this one out. It was memorable!
I do highly recommend the audio for this one, as the narrator's voice is completely enchanting!
June 5, 2021
It's been two days since I finished this novella and I still don't know what to say. Pregnant on an ark, seventeen hundred forty three days at sea, this is the story of Iraxi. Is she a queen or a peon? You'll have to read this to find out!
Zin E. Rocklyn skillfully weaved this story in so few words, it's hard to believe. There's a lot going on in this thin little paperback and I'm finding it difficult to say much without spoiling everything. The prose here is dense and powerfully descriptive.
It was so nasty on that boat, I could smell it. I could feel the filth on my skin, the dampness in the air. Fangs from the sky and tentacles from below the water line. The sea permeated every part of this story, and it was filled with, and home to...almost everything.
Iraxi is the strongest, most powerful woman I've read about in some time. She and her offspring will most likely haunt my dreams for years. Her anger now lives in my heart and I already know I'll be back to read about her again and I'm fervently hoping that we hear more from her in the future.
My highest recommendation!
*Thanks to Tor for the ARC in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it!*
Zin E. Rocklyn skillfully weaved this story in so few words, it's hard to believe. There's a lot going on in this thin little paperback and I'm finding it difficult to say much without spoiling everything. The prose here is dense and powerfully descriptive.
It was so nasty on that boat, I could smell it. I could feel the filth on my skin, the dampness in the air. Fangs from the sky and tentacles from below the water line. The sea permeated every part of this story, and it was filled with, and home to...almost everything.
Iraxi is the strongest, most powerful woman I've read about in some time. She and her offspring will most likely haunt my dreams for years. Her anger now lives in my heart and I already know I'll be back to read about her again and I'm fervently hoping that we hear more from her in the future.
My highest recommendation!
*Thanks to Tor for the ARC in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it!*
Read
April 26, 2025I had hight hopes for this one but ultimately it didn't really work for me. Flowers for the Sea is I guess a take on cosmic horror in novella form, following a pregnant woman surviving on a ship after her home has flooded. Except she really doesn't want to be pregnant and maybe isn't carrying a human child.
The premise is interesting, but I wasn't a fan of the execution. Flashbacks weave into the present weave into dreamscapes that make the narrative difficult to follow. The depictions of pregnancy, childbirth, and early motherhood are very gruesome and disturbing. And as someone who has had a couple of children including a traumatic birth, I found myself irritated by inaccuracies and strange choices, especially when real childbirth can be horrific enough. Like you're going to have sex while in active labor??? And have no pain before immediately delivering? I don't know, I just couldn't get into it.
I'm not opposed to using the horror genre to explore these topics and think it can be done in a compelling way. This reminds me a bit of Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon, but while their execution really worked for me, this didn't. It's also quite short and doesn't feel like there was enough time to really tell the story the author is trying to tell here. So if this sort of thing interests you, I might recommend checking out Sorrowland instead. I received an advance copy of this book for review via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
February 7, 2022
Flowers for the Sea could fall into several categories, but I would drop it mainly in fantasy horror or cosmic horror.
It is the story of Iraxi, a refugee of a flooded kingdom on an ark with her people. But it is so much more than that. It is a story about isolation, otherness, oppression, and rage. It details the dark grittiness of Iraxi's unwanted pregnancy and subsequent birth of her (human?) child.
It is bleak and desolate and deeply powerful for such a short story. This is one I won't soon forget.
It is the story of Iraxi, a refugee of a flooded kingdom on an ark with her people. But it is so much more than that. It is a story about isolation, otherness, oppression, and rage. It details the dark grittiness of Iraxi's unwanted pregnancy and subsequent birth of her (human?) child.
It is bleak and desolate and deeply powerful for such a short story. This is one I won't soon forget.
September 13, 2021
If you follow the bookish people on social media, I bet you’ve seen people praising this book here, there, and everywhere. There’s a reason for all of the praise. This book isn’t one you finish and forget. It’ll stick with ya whether you want it to or not and that is the mark of an excellent read if you ask me.
Flowers for the Sea is a gorgeously told tale of rage, isolation, and all the unearthly hells that the sea and sky have up for offer in this bleak universe created by author Zin E. Rocklyn. The sea is angry, the sky is angry but most of all the heroine of this tale is angry. And justifiably so.
She is stuck on a godforsaken sea vessel as the world dies. She is heavily pregnant with a child that she fears may not be 100% human. Who knows? This world has been turned upside down. At any rate, she doesn’t want it and she has no say in the matter. She is surrounded by people she despises, people who despise her, people who have made her an outcast time and time again. They may live what’s left of their miserable lives on this horrible ship. But her rage simmers and she keeps going out of pure spite. She is an incredibly written character.
There is a lot packed into this thin novella. The prose is filled with suffocating anger and descriptions of the dank, disgusting, rotting ship and the people who inhabit it. There’s a lot left to the imagination as the author never spells it all out for the reader and this made me eager to keep turning the pages, to attempt to soak it all in and figure it out.
I don’t want to say too much about this novella and honestly, I can’t spill out the words without spoiling the things that every reader should discover on their own. If you’re a fan of nightmarish worlds and powerfully strong women who persevere despite the odds, and a killer ending this is one you’ll want to add to your reading pile.
CW:
Flowers for the Sea is a gorgeously told tale of rage, isolation, and all the unearthly hells that the sea and sky have up for offer in this bleak universe created by author Zin E. Rocklyn. The sea is angry, the sky is angry but most of all the heroine of this tale is angry. And justifiably so.
She is stuck on a godforsaken sea vessel as the world dies. She is heavily pregnant with a child that she fears may not be 100% human. Who knows? This world has been turned upside down. At any rate, she doesn’t want it and she has no say in the matter. She is surrounded by people she despises, people who despise her, people who have made her an outcast time and time again. They may live what’s left of their miserable lives on this horrible ship. But her rage simmers and she keeps going out of pure spite. She is an incredibly written character.
There is a lot packed into this thin novella. The prose is filled with suffocating anger and descriptions of the dank, disgusting, rotting ship and the people who inhabit it. There’s a lot left to the imagination as the author never spells it all out for the reader and this made me eager to keep turning the pages, to attempt to soak it all in and figure it out.
I don’t want to say too much about this novella and honestly, I can’t spill out the words without spoiling the things that every reader should discover on their own. If you’re a fan of nightmarish worlds and powerfully strong women who persevere despite the odds, and a killer ending this is one you’ll want to add to your reading pile.
CW:
October 19, 2021
Flowers for the Sea, by Zin E. Rocklyn blends dark, dystopian fantasy with isolation horror in this chilling debut. The story centers on Iraxi, a pregnant woman among a displaced people adrift at sea on an ark going nowhere.
In one hundred pages, Rocklyn foregoes world-building in order to zero in on Iraxi's experience; a woman with no options. Her homeland is gone, she's in the middle of the ocean, and her fate is not in her own hands. Not to mention she's pregnant, facing imminent motherhood not of her own choosing. A real nightmare. Iraxi's range of emotions are the focus of this tale.
Since this book is so short, there is a real risk of reviews giving too much of the reader's discovery away. The comparisons to The Handmaid's Tale and Rosemary's Baby are accurate but I think this is an experience best enjoyed by going in dark; no expectations. A powerful tale of the threats against female agency set against a dystopian dark fantasy backdrop at sea. A debut not to be missed.
In one hundred pages, Rocklyn foregoes world-building in order to zero in on Iraxi's experience; a woman with no options. Her homeland is gone, she's in the middle of the ocean, and her fate is not in her own hands. Not to mention she's pregnant, facing imminent motherhood not of her own choosing. A real nightmare. Iraxi's range of emotions are the focus of this tale.
Since this book is so short, there is a real risk of reviews giving too much of the reader's discovery away. The comparisons to The Handmaid's Tale and Rosemary's Baby are accurate but I think this is an experience best enjoyed by going in dark; no expectations. A powerful tale of the threats against female agency set against a dystopian dark fantasy backdrop at sea. A debut not to be missed.
August 26, 2021
As short as it is, Flowers for the Sea certainly packs a punch. The prose is gorgeous and incredibly detailed. The story itself is weird (in a good way) and satisfying. My main problems lie with my ability to follow what was happening and what had happened in the time before this story. I don’t think it was bad, just confusing to me hence the rating.
*Thank you to the publisher for sending me an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*
*Thank you to the publisher for sending me an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*
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August 26, 2021Flowers for the Sea is a compelling and horrifying gothic fantasy novella about rage, revenge, and eldritch horrors.
- Follows Iraxi, a commoner who refused a prince aboard an ark at sea with unspeakable monsters circling the ship. Iraxi is also pregnant - and is the only person able to carry a baby to full term - and she suspects that the child she bears may not be human.
- I liked the mix of dark fantasy and post-apocalyptic setting with dystopian imagery and atmosphere. The atmosphere in this story is immediately compelling and eerie, the characters on the ark unable to escape.
- Wouldn't spoiling too much, I think this story is about maternal rage, dissonance with one's body during pregnancy, and an unfettered desire for revenge.
- The eldritch horrors that await were terrifying but so fascinating! I felt like I was holding my breath for most of the story.
*I've left this unrated because it wasn't really my thing, but I think, objectively, it was a good book.
Content warning: childbirth, death of loved one, sex, descriptions of gore and body horror
I was provided an eARC of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
- Follows Iraxi, a commoner who refused a prince aboard an ark at sea with unspeakable monsters circling the ship. Iraxi is also pregnant - and is the only person able to carry a baby to full term - and she suspects that the child she bears may not be human.
- I liked the mix of dark fantasy and post-apocalyptic setting with dystopian imagery and atmosphere. The atmosphere in this story is immediately compelling and eerie, the characters on the ark unable to escape.
- Wouldn't spoiling too much, I think this story is about maternal rage, dissonance with one's body during pregnancy, and an unfettered desire for revenge.
- The eldritch horrors that await were terrifying but so fascinating! I felt like I was holding my breath for most of the story.
*I've left this unrated because it wasn't really my thing, but I think, objectively, it was a good book.
Content warning: childbirth, death of loved one, sex, descriptions of gore and body horror
I was provided an eARC of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
August 5, 2022
The way she speaks. As if each word is carefully planned, deliberately feasted upon before easing from her tiny, puckered lips like elegant vomit.
Yikes, creepy baby alarm! It'snot only the baby, there are creatures in Flowers for the Sea that will chill your blood and a very discouraging birth scene which might make you lose all enthusiasm for motherhood. All the more interesting it is that Iraxi, refugee on a ship from a lost kingdom, finds the empowerment she needs to satiate her rage right there, in this ghoulish little creature.
I love sea monsters and the writing was perfect, so it was my kind of book.
Yikes, creepy baby alarm! It'snot only the baby, there are creatures in Flowers for the Sea that will chill your blood and a very discouraging birth scene which might make you lose all enthusiasm for motherhood. All the more interesting it is that Iraxi, refugee on a ship from a lost kingdom, finds the empowerment she needs to satiate her rage right there, in this ghoulish little creature.
I love sea monsters and the writing was perfect, so it was my kind of book.
October 15, 2021
I don’t understand why this book is considered horror/dark fantasy/ cosmic horror. There wasn’t much cosmic about it except for maybe the description of Iraxi’s child. There’s not much back story. Why is she carrying this creature child? How is her child a creature when the father is human? There are a lot of plot holes and gaps in the story.
Something that really bothered me was the depiction of pregnancy in this story. I’m not entirely sure if the author has children, or has experienced pregnancy, but a lot of the information surrounding it was inaccurate or lazily researched. Also as a mother of 3, I know for a fact no woman wants to have passionate sex while experiencing active labor, and that’s with a human child, nevermind some cosmic creature shredding your insides. I also find it weird how often the author mentions the main character’s vagina scent. It’s odd.
Characters are flat and not interesting. I was confused the entire time about this messy love triangle that didn’t make sense. There are barely any horror elements in this novella and honestly I feel like the plot was thrown together just
To set up for the final scene.
There’s not a lot of information on who Iraxi is, or why she’s having a hybrid baby/creature that can speak full sentences at its birth.
Overall a very messy story. The cover is beautiful and the writing is good so I’ll leave it at a 2 star.
Thank you to TorNightfire and NetGalley for an advanced copy.
Something that really bothered me was the depiction of pregnancy in this story. I’m not entirely sure if the author has children, or has experienced pregnancy, but a lot of the information surrounding it was inaccurate or lazily researched. Also as a mother of 3, I know for a fact no woman wants to have passionate sex while experiencing active labor, and that’s with a human child, nevermind some cosmic creature shredding your insides. I also find it weird how often the author mentions the main character’s vagina scent. It’s odd.
Characters are flat and not interesting. I was confused the entire time about this messy love triangle that didn’t make sense. There are barely any horror elements in this novella and honestly I feel like the plot was thrown together just
To set up for the final scene.
There’s not a lot of information on who Iraxi is, or why she’s having a hybrid baby/creature that can speak full sentences at its birth.
Overall a very messy story. The cover is beautiful and the writing is good so I’ll leave it at a 2 star.
Thank you to TorNightfire and NetGalley for an advanced copy.
September 28, 2021
Star review in Library Journal, October 2021: https://www.libraryjournal.com/?revie...
Three Words That Describe This Book: captivating, disquieting, all senses engaged
Many reviews say how you can't say much about this book in a review beyond the set up in the plot summary, I didn't understand until I finished. This is correct.
There is so much here in 100 pages. All five senses are engaged when reading. It is both spare and lyrical, dense and easy to follow. Like the very best of stories it allows you to feel actual feelings but also leaves you desperately wanting more.
Dark fantasy that laps at the edges of horror-- tentacles from the sea and razorfangs from the sky
Draft Review:
Dark Fantasy and Horror work in tandem, gently overlapping at first, before violently colliding, in this captivating and disquieting novella. Iraxi lives with the remnants of humanity on a ship, helplessly floating on the sea surrounded by the dual threat of tentacled monsters from below and “razorfangs” from above. It has been 1,743 days since the land flooded and became uninhabitable. Iraxi is the last of her people, “nims,” who have a magical connection to the sea, but their power is no longer revered. The story is framed around Iraxi’s final days of pregnancy up to just after she gives birth, a pivotal moment for these survivors as no one has been able to birth a live baby on board and most have died trying, coupled with flashbacks to Iraxi in the before-times. Told in language that is both lyrical and spare, employing immersive but efficient world building, Rocklyn engages all five of the reader's senses, allowing them to physically experience the dread, claustrophobia, and fear but also the wonder, awe, and hope; and all in only 100 pages.
Verdict: This is an astounding story that will leave readers breathlessly begging for more, much like other critically acclaimed Tor.Com novellas such as Ormeshadow by Priya Sharma and Black God's Drum by P. Djeil Clark.
Three Words That Describe This Book: captivating, disquieting, all senses engaged
Many reviews say how you can't say much about this book in a review beyond the set up in the plot summary, I didn't understand until I finished. This is correct.
There is so much here in 100 pages. All five senses are engaged when reading. It is both spare and lyrical, dense and easy to follow. Like the very best of stories it allows you to feel actual feelings but also leaves you desperately wanting more.
Dark fantasy that laps at the edges of horror-- tentacles from the sea and razorfangs from the sky
Draft Review:
Dark Fantasy and Horror work in tandem, gently overlapping at first, before violently colliding, in this captivating and disquieting novella. Iraxi lives with the remnants of humanity on a ship, helplessly floating on the sea surrounded by the dual threat of tentacled monsters from below and “razorfangs” from above. It has been 1,743 days since the land flooded and became uninhabitable. Iraxi is the last of her people, “nims,” who have a magical connection to the sea, but their power is no longer revered. The story is framed around Iraxi’s final days of pregnancy up to just after she gives birth, a pivotal moment for these survivors as no one has been able to birth a live baby on board and most have died trying, coupled with flashbacks to Iraxi in the before-times. Told in language that is both lyrical and spare, employing immersive but efficient world building, Rocklyn engages all five of the reader's senses, allowing them to physically experience the dread, claustrophobia, and fear but also the wonder, awe, and hope; and all in only 100 pages.
Verdict: This is an astounding story that will leave readers breathlessly begging for more, much like other critically acclaimed Tor.Com novellas such as Ormeshadow by Priya Sharma and Black God's Drum by P. Djeil Clark.
October 12, 2021
This was a short and haunting read. I've never seen a depiction of childbirth quite as gruesome as this one. Iraxi is living on a ship that has spent months at sea in a community barely surviving where she is still considered an outcast. She is pregnant with a baby that is considered a new hope for all but the baby is the last thing she wants.
I wish we would've gotten a little bit more about the Lovecraftian inspired monsters that lurked beneath the deep. It felt like this novella was a set up for a larger story and that it ended right as the real story was beginning. I can easily see this concept being expanded to a full length novel.
Overall it was still an entertaining and very descriptive read. I received an arc from Tor in exchange for review.
I wish we would've gotten a little bit more about the Lovecraftian inspired monsters that lurked beneath the deep. It felt like this novella was a set up for a larger story and that it ended right as the real story was beginning. I can easily see this concept being expanded to a full length novel.
Overall it was still an entertaining and very descriptive read. I received an arc from Tor in exchange for review.
January 1, 2023
Shades of Octavia Butler's Xenogenesis trilogy and Rivers Solomon's The Deep permeate this dark fantasy book of birthing horror. This story should probably have a trigger warning so as not to be read by heavily pregnant women. The language is immediate and immersive - I felt the main character's unnatural pregnancy pains, the stink of her body, the bitterness of her anger. The book seems to swim in the emotions of the characters. In many ways, I wish it were longer.
The book, that is. Not the birthing pains. The only thing that relieved that agony was the woman's flashbacks to the destruction of her family.
The book, that is. Not the birthing pains. The only thing that relieved that agony was the woman's flashbacks to the destruction of her family.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 5, 2025
"The night was theirs and everything that dared to cut through the ocean's surface."
Zin E. Rocklyn, Flowers for the Sea
It’s not that the writing wasn’t breathtakingly beautiful and haunting. Because it was.
It’s not that I didn’t feel a bit of suspense, and didn’t want to know what was going to happen because I did.
It’s not that I didn’t like the story. It’s that I didn’t understand it.
That’s why I ultimately chose to give it a little reading. One of this books, other reviewers said it perfectly, that this story reminded her of the short story, “The deep”. I didn’t finish the deep. I did finish this one, but I did feel reminded of the deep as well.
If somebody asked me, what was this about? I’m not sure I’d have an answer. I know what aspects of it was. This was another world they were in so there was a huge fantasy element to it. And the protagonist was pregnant and she was carrying a baby the kids destroy the universe only I don’t understand the details because they weren’t provided. For example, I want to know.
Light spoilers ahead:
How did she get pregnant? How could the baby she was carrying be immortal if the father was mortal?
What exactly were the powers that the sea people had? What kind of power did the baby have?
How did the protagonist love deny her?
I really felt frustrated and I guess my feelings would be best summed up as there was a giant, glittering? In my head the whole time I was reading this.
I have a very, very difficult time with stories like this where the background isn’t really supplied and you kind of have to fill in the blanks, but there were so many plot twists that just leave you sort of befuddled and you’re not sure if how you’re interpreting the information correctly or not.
There was also very little dialogue, which is, as I’ve written many times before not my favorite thing in Books. There was occasional dialogue and there was a lot of remembering and a lot of internal dialogue but not a lot of actual communication and long sequences involving talking.
At the end of the day I feel I’m just not the target audience.
Zin E. Rocklyn, Flowers for the Sea
It’s not that the writing wasn’t breathtakingly beautiful and haunting. Because it was.
It’s not that I didn’t feel a bit of suspense, and didn’t want to know what was going to happen because I did.
It’s not that I didn’t like the story. It’s that I didn’t understand it.
That’s why I ultimately chose to give it a little reading. One of this books, other reviewers said it perfectly, that this story reminded her of the short story, “The deep”. I didn’t finish the deep. I did finish this one, but I did feel reminded of the deep as well.
If somebody asked me, what was this about? I’m not sure I’d have an answer. I know what aspects of it was. This was another world they were in so there was a huge fantasy element to it. And the protagonist was pregnant and she was carrying a baby the kids destroy the universe only I don’t understand the details because they weren’t provided. For example, I want to know.
Light spoilers ahead:
How did she get pregnant? How could the baby she was carrying be immortal if the father was mortal?
What exactly were the powers that the sea people had? What kind of power did the baby have?
How did the protagonist love deny her?
I really felt frustrated and I guess my feelings would be best summed up as there was a giant, glittering? In my head the whole time I was reading this.
I have a very, very difficult time with stories like this where the background isn’t really supplied and you kind of have to fill in the blanks, but there were so many plot twists that just leave you sort of befuddled and you’re not sure if how you’re interpreting the information correctly or not.
There was also very little dialogue, which is, as I’ve written many times before not my favorite thing in Books. There was occasional dialogue and there was a lot of remembering and a lot of internal dialogue but not a lot of actual communication and long sequences involving talking.
At the end of the day I feel I’m just not the target audience.
December 4, 2021
Wow, for such a short book, novella, it really packed a punch!
October 5, 2025
Sadly, this did not work for me, I found the writing pretty difficult to get into + first person present is always tough for me. The prose felt kind of needlessly convoluted. Even a simple sentence like 'The anamnesis renews my goal' made my brain stumble, though I know what all of those words mean! I love books that use rarer words, but this didn't feel particularly flowy to me.
Picked this up because of the Octavia Butler comp and I'll say that the vibes are definitely there, but it's a short novella with too many things to say, but somehow not a lot of complexity, so it didn't achieve the Octavia effect for me. I would more likely compare it to The Deep, but that one felt a lot more focused. Would definitely read more things from this author, though, because I loved some of the gory-griminess, the visceral quality that it got sometimes and the imagery was definitely fascinating at times!
Picked this up because of the Octavia Butler comp and I'll say that the vibes are definitely there, but it's a short novella with too many things to say, but somehow not a lot of complexity, so it didn't achieve the Octavia effect for me. I would more likely compare it to The Deep, but that one felt a lot more focused. Would definitely read more things from this author, though, because I loved some of the gory-griminess, the visceral quality that it got sometimes and the imagery was definitely fascinating at times!
November 26, 2021
I preordered this book 6 months ago after it was mentioned in the SF&F group and I read this in the description: "Flowers for the Sea is a dark, dazzling debut novella that reads like Rosemary's Baby by way of Octavia E. Butler."
Uhh, yes please.
Then I promptly forgot about the book, and having preordered it. I am not a preorderer. I can count on both hands with fingers left over the number of books that I've preordered in my life, so, when this book, or novella, appeared in my kindle a few weeks ago, I was like "What the heck is this?"
I quickly remembered once I reread the book description though, and then I got excited to read it.
And now I've read it, and... yeah. I wouldn't say that Rosemary's Baby is an apt comparison... but it's not NOT apt? It just depends on what you take from Rosemary's Baby, I guess. They do both deal with unusual pregnancies, but to me, that's where the similarities end.
For me, Rosemary's Baby is less about the baby than it is about the gaslighting and the abuse and the cult and the rape and the manipulation and use of Rosemary herself. It's HER story, to me. The story of the plot to use her to obtain the baby she carries. The baby is just the end goal, one that she has no part in aside from incubator.
But in Flowers for the Sea, those external to our main character have no part to play in her pregnancy (other than sperm donation, obviously), or how it develops - all of that is dependent on who Iraxi is, and her own heritage and history and destiny. It's all about her - not external forces acting on her, as with Rosemary.
Anyway, all of that being said, I really did like this. My disagreement with the description comparison isn't a negative, it just set an expectation for a story that the author didn't write. I liked the story she DID write though, quite a lot. It's visceral, gritty, raw, and so, so angry. We don't have all of the history, all of the context, but what we do have is enough. This is the kind of story that only offers a bit of itself, but makes you want to examine and re-examine for more. All of the edges are hazy and undefined, but the points are sharp as needles.
Uhh, yes please.
Then I promptly forgot about the book, and having preordered it. I am not a preorderer. I can count on both hands with fingers left over the number of books that I've preordered in my life, so, when this book, or novella, appeared in my kindle a few weeks ago, I was like "What the heck is this?"
I quickly remembered once I reread the book description though, and then I got excited to read it.
And now I've read it, and... yeah. I wouldn't say that Rosemary's Baby is an apt comparison... but it's not NOT apt? It just depends on what you take from Rosemary's Baby, I guess. They do both deal with unusual pregnancies, but to me, that's where the similarities end.
For me, Rosemary's Baby is less about the baby than it is about the gaslighting and the abuse and the cult and the rape and the manipulation and use of Rosemary herself. It's HER story, to me. The story of the plot to use her to obtain the baby she carries. The baby is just the end goal, one that she has no part in aside from incubator.
But in Flowers for the Sea, those external to our main character have no part to play in her pregnancy (other than sperm donation, obviously), or how it develops - all of that is dependent on who Iraxi is, and her own heritage and history and destiny. It's all about her - not external forces acting on her, as with Rosemary.
Anyway, all of that being said, I really did like this. My disagreement with the description comparison isn't a negative, it just set an expectation for a story that the author didn't write. I liked the story she DID write though, quite a lot. It's visceral, gritty, raw, and so, so angry. We don't have all of the history, all of the context, but what we do have is enough. This is the kind of story that only offers a bit of itself, but makes you want to examine and re-examine for more. All of the edges are hazy and undefined, but the points are sharp as needles.
September 30, 2021
Woahhhhhhhhhh... what did I just read?! For the majority I had no clue what was going outside of the pregnancy and eventual birth. But the writing is so lyrical that I was mesmerized into smelling the nastiness of the ark, the flesh, the hunger, hearing the water flush against the walls, the tearing of Iraxi, the taste of pain, betrayal and the salted air. UFFFFFFF.
This dark fantasy novella is worth every single word. While it is dense in writing in a short 112 pages, Rocklyn powerfully brings us right inside Iraxi's head and I loved seeing her rebellious nature change throughout. This definitely is graphic in nature and at times I just wanted the birthing to end already but damnnnnnnnnnn Iraxi.... I feel you. Anger, motherhood and revenge. Let's get ON IT.
I fear anything else I say could potentially spoil it but I absolutely loved the powerful ending and while this may not be a story for everyone, I am highly satisfied with that ending. I'm gonna need to go check out this author's backlist.
"We are a people who do not forget."
This dark fantasy novella is worth every single word. While it is dense in writing in a short 112 pages, Rocklyn powerfully brings us right inside Iraxi's head and I loved seeing her rebellious nature change throughout. This definitely is graphic in nature and at times I just wanted the birthing to end already but damnnnnnnnnnn Iraxi.... I feel you. Anger, motherhood and revenge. Let's get ON IT.
I fear anything else I say could potentially spoil it but I absolutely loved the powerful ending and while this may not be a story for everyone, I am highly satisfied with that ending. I'm gonna need to go check out this author's backlist.
"We are a people who do not forget."
October 27, 2021
The more I think about it, the less I'm sure of WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED HERE.
Okay so, this book. What was it? No clue. It was gorgeously detailed and with enough gruesome parts to make me interested in the rest of the story but like... What was the rest of the story? It's about time I go to sleep because I'm pretty sure this was a fever dream and tomorrow morning I'll most likely find out that I typed all this in a dream.
Seriously, I am so confused right now.
Okay so, this book. What was it? No clue. It was gorgeously detailed and with enough gruesome parts to make me interested in the rest of the story but like... What was the rest of the story? It's about time I go to sleep because I'm pretty sure this was a fever dream and tomorrow morning I'll most likely find out that I typed all this in a dream.
Seriously, I am so confused right now.
Want to read
March 17, 2021I'm into it
September 4, 2021
Review to be published in Apex Magazine later this year and shortly after publication.
March 3, 2024
I've been very much looking forward to reading Flowers for the Sea since I first got early access to it through netgalley. It's just right up my alley. I ended up taking a depressingly long time to get to it, but I finally read it. Wow.
This is my first time reading Zin E. Rocklyn. Their writing style is very smooth and poetic. This blend of horror, fantasy, sci-fi, and the stark and brutal realities of past and present weave together perfectly to create a striking little book. Rocklyn's ability to bring out the absolute horror in pregnancy, childbirth, and motherhood is profound.
Parts of this were a little hard to follow, but I did eventually settle on reading this through audiobook format. Audiobooks take a lot more effort for me, and while the narrator here was fantastic, I definitely had the thought a couple of times that this was maybe a book I needed to see with my eyes and skim passages over and over to get the most out of. The 30 seconds back button got a ton of play here.
Overall, this is a striking book with a lot of power to it, and I definitely enjoyed the ride. I'll be keeping my eyes out for more from Zin E. Rocklyn, as they're definitely a writer I'm interested in.
This is my first time reading Zin E. Rocklyn. Their writing style is very smooth and poetic. This blend of horror, fantasy, sci-fi, and the stark and brutal realities of past and present weave together perfectly to create a striking little book. Rocklyn's ability to bring out the absolute horror in pregnancy, childbirth, and motherhood is profound.
Parts of this were a little hard to follow, but I did eventually settle on reading this through audiobook format. Audiobooks take a lot more effort for me, and while the narrator here was fantastic, I definitely had the thought a couple of times that this was maybe a book I needed to see with my eyes and skim passages over and over to get the most out of. The 30 seconds back button got a ton of play here.
Overall, this is a striking book with a lot of power to it, and I definitely enjoyed the ride. I'll be keeping my eyes out for more from Zin E. Rocklyn, as they're definitely a writer I'm interested in.
November 20, 2021
Hmmn...this one has left me a bit confused truthfully. I am unsure how to rate it. The writing is good and very descriptive but the story also has left me with more questions than answers. I think maybe this needs to be expanded so we can see more clearly exactly what is going on? But without a doubt this is a story about bitter revenge set in a dying world ravaged by a flood and strange creatures. I do admit I find myself more interested in the creatures than the human characters. And I have no idea if it's supposed to be that way?
I found myself confused by the human characters too. Like a prince was mentioned early on in the story. Was one of the male characters living on the ship with her the prince? It's never stated clearly so I have no idea. Also another character was described once by the word "halfling" so does the author mean the world has actual hobbits or does she mean he's not fully grown? I have no idea and these things do affect my view of the story. Basically I would like to know the answers, as nothing bugs me more than not understanding something properly.
Some people might want to know this story contains a birth scene? Plus some other very weird stuff. The weird stuff is great!
And I would like to know what happened next after the end of this story. It would be intriguing to see this world expanded and to see more of it.
I found myself confused by the human characters too. Like a prince was mentioned early on in the story. Was one of the male characters living on the ship with her the prince? It's never stated clearly so I have no idea. Also another character was described once by the word "halfling" so does the author mean the world has actual hobbits or does she mean he's not fully grown? I have no idea and these things do affect my view of the story. Basically I would like to know the answers, as nothing bugs me more than not understanding something properly.
Some people might want to know this story contains a birth scene? Plus some other very weird stuff. The weird stuff is great!
And I would like to know what happened next after the end of this story. It would be intriguing to see this world expanded and to see more of it.
February 3, 2022
This book is dealing with a lot. Also when you first begin to read this book it provides you content warnings and it talks about miscarriages amongst Iraxi's people. Overall I really enjoyed reading this book. We are following a girl named Iraxi, who is considered an outcast but is the pillar of hope for her people because she is pregnant. I will say that this book is gruesome during the birth of Iraxi's daughter being born. But I think it also shows the beauty of pregnancy and how strong women are while in labor. I also find this interesting because throughout the entire book we are on an ark pretty much and I can only imagine what it would be like being pregnant and then giving birth on a boat. Now Iraxi is a mother and though she dreaded being pregnant and becoming a mother things start taking a turn. She seemed to be falling in love with her daughter and started to embrace how her daughter looks like her.
As we get to know more about Iraxi it is obvious that she does not want to be pregnant or even be alive. But as we get into a little more action in the story it ends. I feel like this could be a longer story, but I do appreciate this story. Throughout the time we know Iraxi she is not very happy and once you read this book it is understandable why she feels the way she feels.
As we get to know more about Iraxi it is obvious that she does not want to be pregnant or even be alive. But as we get into a little more action in the story it ends. I feel like this could be a longer story, but I do appreciate this story. Throughout the time we know Iraxi she is not very happy and once you read this book it is understandable why she feels the way she feels.
October 19, 2021
Review to come :)
December 28, 2022
I read the whole book from cover to cover and still have no clue what this is about.
January 6, 2024
Yo, this was weird, grimy, and eerie. I find monstrous motherhood fascinating, and the mix with cosmic horror was right up my alley. The writing was effective, Iraxi was full of rage but also numb, and the prose reflected that. I doubt this story would be as effective if this was longer, but I was left wanting more.
July 1, 2023
actual rating: 3/5 stars
read for the tarot readathon 2023: queen of wands
i had a great time reading this and i absolutely loved the themes of isolation and anger throughout the story. the write was so lyrical and dreamlike but also dense for such a short book. i enjoyed the descriptions of the ocean and birth throughout the story and thought it was done so well. i love a fever dream horror so much but this wasn't necessarily fever dreamy but more just disjointed which left me confused and not in a cute way. but i would still highly recommend this story if this seems like the type of story you are looking for
read for the tarot readathon 2023: queen of wands
i had a great time reading this and i absolutely loved the themes of isolation and anger throughout the story. the write was so lyrical and dreamlike but also dense for such a short book. i enjoyed the descriptions of the ocean and birth throughout the story and thought it was done so well. i love a fever dream horror so much but this wasn't necessarily fever dreamy but more just disjointed which left me confused and not in a cute way. but i would still highly recommend this story if this seems like the type of story you are looking for
July 19, 2021
I don’t want to say much about the story since it is quite short, and I think doing so would veer dangerously toward spoiler territory, so we’ll just focus on the writing. In just over 100 pages, Rocklyn manages to create a surprisingly complex small-scale society, well-developed characters, and a rich, engrossing story. Iraxi is wonderful. She is a complicated woman who is by turns vulnerable, tough, and combative. Even before the story gets going it is abundantly clear that she is nobody to fuck with.
Flowers for the Sea was my first foray into Rocklyn’s work, but it most definitely won’t be the last. I have The Night Sun already queued up on my Kindle, so I’m going to be hitting that soon. They’ve got a real talent for evocative prose, tension building, and satisfying storytelling. This novella is absolutely gorgeous.
Flowers for the Sea is a beautifully written bit of fiction. It will stay with you long after you turn the final page. It is a beautiful, dark debut novella from an author whose work I have to imagine will be absolutely flying off the shelves.
Flowers for the Sea was my first foray into Rocklyn’s work, but it most definitely won’t be the last. I have The Night Sun already queued up on my Kindle, so I’m going to be hitting that soon. They’ve got a real talent for evocative prose, tension building, and satisfying storytelling. This novella is absolutely gorgeous.
Flowers for the Sea is a beautifully written bit of fiction. It will stay with you long after you turn the final page. It is a beautiful, dark debut novella from an author whose work I have to imagine will be absolutely flying off the shelves.
April 22, 2022
i have no idea what i just read
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