*This book was sent to me for review purposes by the author. All thoughts are my own.

Blog tour day has finally arrived! I was so excited when Danielle Koste asked me to review her upcoming release, What the Flower Says of Death. This book will be available for purchase September 25th. There’s a ton of info I want to give you before I get into my full thoughts, including the synopsis and a giveaway link. The giveaway will run until September 15th, so just a few more days! My review will be spoiler free.

Everything You Need To Know:

Title: What The Flower Says of Death

Author: Danielle Koste

Demographic: Young Adult

Genres and themes: paranormal, romance, death and suicide, family and relationships

Release Date: September 25th 2018

Short Synopsis:

After a failed suicide attempt, Violet Holt is left in the company of her estranged grandmother and comatose grandfather at their seaside estate in Newport. While biding her time until her rescheduled rendezvous with Death, Violet stumbles across Jack instead. He has his own secrets for why he’s in Newport, and in the process of figuring them out, Violet finds herself reconsidering life.

Blurb:

Violet Holt has already met Death once.

After a failed suicide attempt, she finds herself dumped by her callous mother on the doorstep of her family’s desolate oceanside estate. With only the company of her estranged grandmother, comatose grandfather, and the monsters in her head, at least there was no one to interfere with her plans to try again on her eighteenth birthday.

No one, except maybe Jack: a skeleton of a boy who says he’s there to rake her grandmother’s leaves, yet seems more experienced at stalking than grounds-keeping. She knows he’s keeping a secret behind his gentle smiles and aloofness, but it’s difficult for Violet to be put off by his untimely thin-air appearances when figuring out the mystery of his true identity makes for such a good distraction.

Violet’s trauma is deeper than the wound on her wrist though, and it cannot be simply whisked away in a whirlwind of guessing games and pleasant gestures. She struggles to reconnect with her grandmother, find forgiveness for her mother, and closure with her grandfather’s dire condition, all while battling the strain of it all on her family. Even with a flicker of something hopeful blossoming within herself, Violet knows her birthday plans must be inevitable.

Death wouldn’t be there for her if it wasn’t.

About the Author:

Danielle Koste is a born and raised Canadian, but currently lives with her significant other in the equally snowy and cold Stockholm, Sweden. While working a day job and learning the language of the locals, she spends her free time honing the craft she’s always had a passion for.

When procrastinating, Danielle likes to enjoy other forms of rich storytelling, besides the obvious abundance of novels filling up her apartment and Kindle. Movies, music, and video games are among her favorite time-wasters.

Links:

WtFSoD on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28873663-what-the-flower-says-of-death

Danielle on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/daniellekoste

Author page: https://www.www.daniellekoste.com

Tumblr: https://www.daniellekoste.tumblr.com

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/daniellekoste

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/daniellekoste

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/daniellekoste

Rafflecopter Giveaway:

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/12bc1bb73/?

My Thoughts

Danielle Koste has one other book published, Pulse, but I had never read it before so I went into What the Flower Says of Death totally blind to this author’s writing style. This can be a dangerous or wonderful thing. There’s always the risk of hating the story or how the author writes but thankfully, that was not the case here. I am in love with What the Flower Says of Death.

I read this book in one day and had tears dripping down my face for the majority of it; I mean that in the best possible way. It does need to be noted that this book deals with some very heavy topics like suicide, death of a loved one and intense anxiety. This might not be the best read for those in a fragile state of mind. I loved so much about this book that I need a bullet list to organize it all so here we go:

• This book does have a romance in it (like most YA) but it is honestly the most unique and refreshing romantic relationship I’ve read about. It is so pure and not your typical basic girl meets basic boy and they fall in love kind of story.
• All of the characters are relatable and have flaws they need to work on.
• The portrayal of anxiety and suicidal thoughts in this book are done respectfully and with grace.
• I loved the setting and atmosphere. Violet’s home in New York is mentioned occasionally but the story takes place at her grandparent’s home and in the surrounding woods/ocean coastline. It’s a very small world, as the surrounding area is never really mentioned, but the world building is excellent and detailed.
• Like with the setting, our cast of characters is also small. You really get to know and feel for every one of them because there’s not multiple characters vying for attention.
• The ending was bittersweet and not necessarily what I wanted but it left a lasting impression.

I love books that make me feel something and this one definitely left me with an aching heart. It’s not forgettable in the slightest and I see myself reading it again in the future.

If you like stories written with a darker tone, romance and the supernatural you NEED to read this book. This book is going to be perfect for any YA readers, except the certain group I mentioned above. Don’t forget to enter the giveaway and please let me know if you’re interested in picking up What the Flower Says of Death! Thanks for reading and have a great day!