ARC Review: Wildflower by Becky Jenkinson

Wildflower
Author: Becky Jenkinson
Publication: Del Rey (June 16, 2026)

Description: A magical florist journeys from the kingdom’s capital to its wild woods to fulfill an unusual request, and stumbles upon friendship, conspiracy, and the buds of new love in this debut cozy fantasy.

“Wildflower is a lovely respite from reality, featuring a charming cast of characters, snappy dialogue, and so much heart. Prepare to be enchanted.”—Brigitte Knightley, author of The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy

The book contains hand-drawn floral sketches inside!

Cursed from birth to always tell the truth, magical florist Felicity “Fliss” Farrow chooses her words carefully to avoid trouble. But when she receives an anonymous request for a mysterious flower, her search leads her directly into trouble’s path: to Willoh Vane.

Fliss knows the outcast—yet teasingly handsome—sorcerer is rumored to have used dark magic to corrupt the northern forest five years ago. She’s witnessed the resulting feud with Prince Bastion, whom her best friend, Card, is soon to marry. Despite her divided loyalty, Fliss reluctantly accepts Will’s help with gathering rare flowers and finds herself increasingly drawn to him.

As the royal wedding approaches, Fliss fears the flowers she’s delivered are intended for a sinister purpose. But when her warnings are ignored, can she and Will save the kingdom from disaster, and ultimately discover what Fliss has sought for so long—the truth.

My Thoughts: Felicity Farrow has been cursed from birth to always tell the truth. This has made it difficult to make friends, and it makes her a tool for the increasingly paranoid queen. Fliss's one and only friend Card is soon to marry Prince Bastion who is the heir to the throne. She is to be his Maid of Honor. 

Fliss is a floral mage who is well-versed in the lore of flowers. She has a way of using flowers to sooth, comfort, or discomfit as she feels the need. She has lately been commissioned to locate some unusual flowers for an anonymous buyer. 

In order to find the unusual flowers, she needs the help of sorcerer Willoh Vane who is in the middle of a feud with Prince Bastion. Will has taken the blame for a magical spell gone really wrong in order to protect the prince. The spell has blighted much of the north of the kingdom and caused the people there to rebel.

As Will and Fliss search for the flowers, they fall in love and Fliss begins to wonder at the purpose for the flowers. They also uncover a number of secrets from the past. Some of the secrets include their own mothers.

This was a cozy fantasy. It was also a sweet romance. LGBTQ+ themes may limit this one for younger readers. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Half City by Kate Golden

Half City
Author: Kate Golden
Series: Harker Academy (Book 1)
Publication: Ace (February 17, 2026)

Description: Welcome to Harker Academy for Deviant Defense. Keep your daggers sharp, and your wits even sharper.

Viv Abbot is an average twenty-one-year-old girl. She lives in an expensive city where the rent is too high, works long hours at a thankless job, and is dating a guy she doesn’t even like in the hopes of winning her prickly mother’s approval.

Ever since her father's murder, she's been forced to hunt deviants alone, meaning everyone, including her family, sees her as an outsider . . . until the day she crosses paths with a dangerously alluring demon, Reid Graveheart. The reformed deviant tells her of a school for people just like her: Harker Academy for Deviant Defense. If she enrolls, she'll learn to hone her craft, work with other hunters, and never be alone again.

But Viv has a deadly secret. One that not even her new friends at Harker can know about, not if the school might hold the answers to untangling the mystery surrounding Viv's father’s death. When strange occurrences begin to plague the students, Viv will have to figure out who she can trust, all while trying to ace her classes, avoid falling for a demon, and make it through her first year at Harker in one piece. How hard could that be?

My Thoughts: Viv Abbott lives in Astera. She's twenty-one and works at a museum for her sister-in-law. She is also an aeon - a specialized and rare sort of demon hunter. She has been hiding that part of her life from everyone since she watched her father - another hunter - lose his life to a band of Brood demons. 

When she is spotted rescuing a young mother and her children from a monster attack, she is recruited to attend the Harker Academy for Deviant Defense. There, she finds friends who understand her. She also finds romance in the person of one of her instructors who also happens to be a Brood demon, but one who has sworn off taking souls. There is also something dangerous and secret going on at Harker. It looks like someone is trying to gather the ingredients for a spell that will give unimaginable power to the Thane - the head demon. 

Viv has to deal with all sorts of stresses. She's still trying to maintain her human life and friends while learning more about her powers and the world the lives alongside the human world. 

This was an engaging start to a series. The was a cliffhanger ending but lots of things were resolved in this episode. I liked Viv. She is smart, impulsive, and carries a deep loneliness inside. Finding friends, even if she is still keeping some secrets from them, expands and enriches her life. I am eager for more in this series. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.