Where Darkness Blooms

Gr 9 Up–Hannah’s novel is a creepy, compelling supernatural tale examining power and the patriarchy. In a small town surrounded by sentient sunflowers, where women go missing or turn up dead regularly, four teens—whose mothers had gone missing two years before—can no longer ignore the strange circumstances around the disappearances or the other oddities in town. As they investigate, their secrets, along with the secrets of the town curse, begin to unravel. Told in the alternating views of Delilah, twins Whitney and Jude, and Bo, the novel is supernatural and visceral, keeping readers enthralled as they, too, try to piece together the mystery alongside the characters. The pacing is mildly inconsistent, but the story is eerie and captivating enough to distract from a handful of plot holes. Despite their obvious differences, the four main characters have similar voices, and readers may struggle to distinguish between them. Contains LGBTQIA+ representation. The start of book includes content warnings for implied then revealed rape, implied sex, mentions of underage drinking, and violence/death.