Rosemary meets Ash at the farmers' market. Ash-precise, pretty, and practically perfect-sells bars of soap in delicate pastel colours, sprinkle-spackled cupcakes stacked on scalloped stands, beeswax candles, jelly jars of honey, and glossy green plants.
Ro has never felt this way about another woman; with Ash, she wants to be her and have her in equal measure. But as her obsession with Ash consumes her, she may find she's not the one doing the devouring...
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The modern world is severely lacking In magic, and those who crave it are at a constant disadvantage because they are desperate and it's in short supply.
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(Titan Books, 3 October 2023, e-galley, 208 pages, ARC from the publisher via NetGalley)
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I thought Bloom was a fantastic read, a sapphic horror novel about obsession. The novel opens brilliantly when Ro and Ash meet, and nothing is quite the same again. The story is focalised through Ro, and you get access to her thoughts as her life is thrown out of orbit by the alluring Ash. There are hints from the start that Ash is not everything she seems to be, but Ro is so besotted she misses all the warning signs and red alerts. There are some things predictable about their relationship, Ro's naivety, and Ash's controlling nature but the book is so well written this hardly mattered. The ending is shocking but not unexpected. I liked this book a lot.
