Author: Zin E. Rocklyn
Publisher: Tor.com
Released: October 19, 2021
Received: NetGalley
Warnings: Pregnancy, graphic depictions of pregnancy, trauma

Zin E. Rocklyn’s latest novella, Flowers for the Sea, was marketed as being perfect for fans of Octavia E. Butler, with a Rosemary’s Baby flare. That was certainly enough to have caught my attention (Plus that cover? Chef’s kiss!)

Iraxi is one of a depressingly small number of survivors fleeing a flooded kingdom. But she’s also more than that. She’s the one her people hate – as she had the nerve to turn down their prince. Now, she’s pregnant with a baby that will very likely be more than anyone could ever have imagined – literally.

Flowers for the Sea is arguably the heaviest book I’ve read all year. Not literal weight, mind you – but it weighed heavy on my mind. The situation Iraxi is in it…a lot. Losing her home, having her people hate her, seeing monsters outside hunt the remaining few, and an unwanted pregnancy on top of all of that.

This is not light reading, is what I’m trying to get at. I honestly don’t think that this is a book for everyone, and that’s okay. There’s a lot of anger and pain within these pages, and it resonates loud and clear.

Thanks to Tor.com and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.