Let’s be up front about something I don’t think I am the target audience for this book. I mean I like paranormal romance as much as the next person , well probably more than the next person, but I usually like a side helping of vampire slaying. In addition, this is geared toward a teen audience, so I hesitated before checking out my review copy. But I am so glad I did.
Flowers for dead girls is a young adult novel about Astra a teenager who has the usual problems of family and fitting in at school but also one unique thing she can see ghosts. Ghosts come to visit her in the time between their death and their passing to the other side. She thinks she has gotten used to her ability when for the first time she is visited by a spirit that is the same age as her. Isla drafts Astra into helping her accomplish her anti-bucket list. Astra at first just wants to get things over with so she can go back to her normal life but over the course of their adventures she finds herself falling for Isla. Her feelings become further complicated as she learns more about what brought Isla to her side.
As I started to read Flowers, I was amazed at the authors ability to fill the text with evocative imagery. As an aspiring writer I struggle with crafting vivid descriptions, and I think Abigail gives a master class into how to seamless weave them into a story. The other thing that seemed effortlessly is how she lets us into Astra’s OCD tendencies without ever having a character call them out. But this is at its heart a coming-of-age romance and that is where it should be judged. The romance between Astra and Isla feels subtle, with all the awkwardness of a queer first relationship while still being charming and comforting. I guess the highest praise I can give is when the twist, which I even saw coming, left me in tears. I can think of a handful of books that has done this. All in all, I think this is a masterful book and deserves all the praise I can heap on it . Go read it now.
https://www.boldstrokesbooks.com/books/flowers-for-dead-girls-by-abigail-collins-4299-b
Paper Phoenix ink 