I immediately loved the characters; they were so real and intriguing that I found myself connecting to them almost as soon as they came on the page. Nova is such a strong, yet slightly broken individual, having been through so much hardship so young that has taken a mental toll despite her resilience in continuing forward.
From the status of her kingdom and parents, to the simple fact of being ostracized for her magic from a young age, a fact that has left her feeling like she doesn’t belong her entire life. She’s extremely relatable and yet determined to get vengeance for her family and kingdom despite it being a place that has never embraced her. Phantom of course was insta-love for me. I’m a sucker for an animal companion, and when said animal is a dog, my heart has no chance. Even better is the fact of how sassy Phantom is in his interactions with Nova.
Let’s not forget Aleksander who is is incredibly swoon worthy and though he would never admit it, immediately taken by Nova despite his standoffishness towards her. They are constantly at each others’ throats, blaming the other for their misfortunes and the tension is perfection between them. The snappishly sarcastic dialogue between them is everything and I loved every minute of it.
What Blooms From Death starts off so quickly and the action never stops. There is no meandering through the storyline and getting to know the world and the characters in a slow-moving introduction to the story. This served the story so well as it becomes immediately addictive and unputdownable because you’re sucked into the story and the world so quickly and getting to know the wonders of the world as you move along through the plot. I loved it so much and having a story that immerses you into it so deeply and immediately is a fantastic book in my opinion. I was smitten in a heartbeat. The magic in this book was so intriguing and I wanted to learn as much as possible about it, from Nova’s dark magic to Aleksander’s magic of light. They were both so deeply intriguing and I loved learning more as the book went. The beaded bracelets Nova uses to direct her magic were particularly interesting to me and I especially loved that she had one she had no idea the purpose of because it definitely amped up the curiousity I had.
Not only are there the lands the characters come from and rule over to get to know, but perhaps even more sinister and magical is the fact that most of the story takes place in the land of Death. Getting to learn about the realm of Death was very intriguing, especially as Nova spends more time there and realizes there are actual cities amongst the land and she learns more about this and the dead themselves.
All together this was a deeply intriguing start to a new series and I cannot wait to dive more deeply into the world introduced in this book. I really loved What Blooms From Death, and to be perfectly frank it ripped out a little piece of my soul by the end. Prepare for an emotional ride that promises an incredible trilogy.
