4.25 rounded down
The review: Rocklyn draws you into the world of the deteriorating ark with disquieting, ornate, enveloping prose that will raise the hair on your arms. The wet, crumbling texture of the ship’s wood is palpable, and the graphic descriptions of labor are, frankly, unsettling. Despite the limited setting and page count, the book succeeds in creating a sense of claustrophobia, most impressively using Iraxi’s own body. Beyond the typical issues pregnant people face, the child can control her body in terrifying ways, forcing her to relive traumatic memories and see visions of a condemned future, and her labor forces her into unsafe spaces aboard the ship. The similarities between this world and our own are immediately recognizable, and Rocklyn isn’t subtle about making sure the reader understands the point they are trying to make. Iraxi bears the scars of her people’s genocide, furious at the fact of her pregnancy, the circumstances surrounding it, and that she is still shunned by the other passengers despite being the only one able to carry a pregnancy to term. For Iraxi, anger is sustenance. And at the prompting of her otherworldly child, she embraces her rage to make the world a better place for herself. Rocklyn intentionally leaves a bit of ambiguity about a few things, including the mysterious monsters and the magical powers of Iraxi’s people; some readers may find that this contributes to the horror, while it may leave others wishing for a few more pages. Also, sensitive readers should be aware that the book does not treat pregnancy and motherhood gently or favorably.
Goes well with: If you haven’t already read them, Octavia Butler’s works would make excellent follow-up reads to this one. Rocklyn also has another novella, The Night Sun, that also explores what embracing monstrosity can mean for marginalized people but in a very different way.
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Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2023
Reviewed in the United States on March 24, 2023
Reviewed in the United States on April 24, 2022
I had a hard time putting this one into words especially after reading Flowers for the Sea when Rocklyn so masterfully wrote a beautiful story in so few words.
I'll start by explaining the novella - we follow Iraxi who is late in her pregnancy on a ship with people who very clearly don't like her. It seems as though they are royalty, and Iraxi is used only for her pregnancy. They have to learn how to survive on this ship with ravenous creatures flying above them and swimming below them. Iraxi may be the only one able to save everyone if she and her baby can survive her pregnancy, but "her fate may be darker and more powerful than she can imagine".
A word of advice - trust the process. I felt confused more times than I'd care to admit, BUT I was still thoroughly enjoying the story. I will say that is what knocked it down half a star because I felt that I was missing pieces a few more time than I would've liked, but it all came together in the end.
Flowers for the Sea is described as dark fantasy and gothic fantasy. I would recommend this to my fellow horror lovers as it's incredibly atmospheric and will have you wondering what the hell is going to happen.
a beautifully written, atmospheric, lovecraftian horror novella
Reviewed in the United States on April 24, 2022
4.5⭐Reviewed in the United States on April 24, 2022
I had a hard time putting this one into words especially after reading Flowers for the Sea when Rocklyn so masterfully wrote a beautiful story in so few words.
I'll start by explaining the novella - we follow Iraxi who is late in her pregnancy on a ship with people who very clearly don't like her. It seems as though they are royalty, and Iraxi is used only for her pregnancy. They have to learn how to survive on this ship with ravenous creatures flying above them and swimming below them. Iraxi may be the only one able to save everyone if she and her baby can survive her pregnancy, but "her fate may be darker and more powerful than she can imagine".
A word of advice - trust the process. I felt confused more times than I'd care to admit, BUT I was still thoroughly enjoying the story. I will say that is what knocked it down half a star because I felt that I was missing pieces a few more time than I would've liked, but it all came together in the end.
Flowers for the Sea is described as dark fantasy and gothic fantasy. I would recommend this to my fellow horror lovers as it's incredibly atmospheric and will have you wondering what the hell is going to happen.
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Reviewed in the United States on February 1, 2022
Reviewed in the United States on May 11, 2022
Reviewed in the United States on March 11, 2022
Reviewed in the United States on September 6, 2022
