I received an advance reader’s copy (ARC) of Where Shadows Bloom by Catherine Bakewell. Since this version is just a proof and not the final version, I won’t quote directly and will keep my comments general.

If nothing else, this book gave me the excuse to listen to the Hadestown soundtrack again. Not that I need an excuse; that’s one of the best musicals ever made.

Where Shadows Bloom by Catherine Bakewell follows Ofelia and Lope. The former has been raised in luxury by her mother, who has told her all about Le Chateau Enchante, the court of King Leo, filled with magic and wonder. Lope serves as Ofelia’s knight, protecting her and her home from the Shadows, strange and deadly beasts from the Underworld, which are encroaching more and more. Frightened by this threat, Ofelia asks her mother to appeal to King Leo for refuge in Le Chateau. But when her mother doesn’t return, Ofelia takes it upon herself to go after her. Lope, of course, accompanies her, and the two young women are swept into a world of prestige and power. However, Le Chateau houses secrets and darkness, and Ofelia and Lope might lose everything, including each other, if they aren’t careful.

I’ll admit, the description of this book being a sapphic version of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth really grabbed my attention. And overall, I liked this well enough.

I really liked Lope’s character. She’s tough and capable, but with a tragic past and a tender love for Ofelia that makes her easy to sympathize with. I also liked Ofelia, though her naivete and damsel-in-distress tendencies were a little trying sometimes. However, I liked her overall character arc of becoming bolder. And the romance between the two of them is sweet.

I also enjoyed the setting of Le Chateau Enchante, with its opulence and refinement disguising dark secrets. It’s perhaps not the most original idea, but I liked its execution for the most part. King Leo, though, is incredibly obvious as the villain, and not particularly interesting to me. On the other hand, the lord of the Underworld is kind of fun, if only for the number of Hadestown references I made in my head because of him.

Where this book mostly suffers, I believe, is in its pacing. Things happen too quickly for my taste; we should have lingered on so many plot points in order to make the character development land better. Instead, it felt a bit like we were simply brushing the surface of everything, rather than really delving into emotions and worldbuilding details. This is especially evident in the Shadow King’s character development. The speed at which he changes is way too fast for it to hold any weight.

However, in the end, Where Shadows Bloom is a decent story. The magic is cool, the myth-inspired plot is interesting, and I liked the settings. I just think it should have been a longer book, dug deeper, to be more effective.

Where Shadows Bloom will be published on February 11th, 2025!