A romantasy set amidst adorable plants and enchanting protagonists sweeps us away to a magical island full of greenhouses, singing flora, and mythical creatures that many a reader would wish to have at home.
The story follows the unassuming yet gifted Terla, who is serving an all-too-cruel punishmentâbeing transformed into a sohca for bringing a plant to life just to drive away her loneliness. Her journey leads her to an island where she meets the tight-lipped Yarros.
It has been a long time since I encountered a story where the author leaned so heavily into creativity and color. And I mean that literally. Everything in the narrative was vibrant with color, from hair and eyes to skin, as it isn’t every day we come across a purple skin tone. It is a refreshing change of pace within my recent reading list. Furthermore, a winged cat and tiny dragonsâwhich I could easily picture in my own backyardâare a massive bonus for the author in my book. It is a pity itâs only fantasy; I doubt I would be the only one thrilled to have such a pet.
Now for the characters themselves. It is absolutely true that the punishment Terla had to endure for bringing a plant to life was far too cruel, but on the other hand, I can understand the judge’s perspectiveâhe wanted to make an exemplary case out of her. Terla herself admitted several times throughout the story how dangerous it is when an untrained person practices magic. Side effects or a single mispronounced word can carry catastrophic consequences. It must be truly terrifying to spend several years as a statue, with no ability to move, speak, or even blink. After a moment, I found myself thinking that if the punishment or petrification lasted any longer, a person would likely fall into some form of slumber, completely ceasing to perceive external stimuli.
Her awakening in an unfamiliar place and the ‘friendly’ welcome she received from Yarros was also quite a challenge for her character. You spend six years as a statue, and the first person you meet basically just snaps at you. Given that these two were the only souls on the island, it was highly probable that a romantic relationship would develop between them. I must admit, I was a bit disappointed that the winged cat didn’t turn out to be an enchanted mage who would stir up some excitement in the plot. But perhaps that would have been a bit too fairy-tale-like.
I found myself wondering if the relationship between Terla and Yarros happened simply because there was no one else on the island, and pure proximity was what brought them together. I’d call it a ‘love of proximity.’ On a positive note, the characters themselves actually asked each other this very same question; it wasnât just left unsaid for the reader to ponder. Yarros struck me as quite an interesting character, and I must say his childhood was anything but easy. Being abandoned by your own uncle in caves for three days as a child is psychologically grueling, and I am surprised he came out of it without more severe psychological trauma. His overall upbringing by his father was also peculiar. It definitely left its mark, particularly in how he struggled to express himself or show his feelings toward the people who mattered to him. Then again, the other possibility is that the author was just trying to make him the mysterious male lead, which is probably more likely.
Terla felt exactly as one of her previous suitors had described herâcomforting to hold. Sweet, adorable, a bit naive, yet willing to do so much for the people she cares about. Ultimately, though, I couldnât quite understand what drew them together besides proximity; I just didnât feel a spark between them. Their romance felt secondary to saving the greenhouse. I missed having that something extraâsomething that would make me love their relationship, and not just the characters as individuals.
The story was a pleasant romantic journey, though I must note that I haven’t read the first book in the series, but it is highly possible I will pick it up in the future. Aside from the dragons, what I loved most about the entire story was the concept of a small, self-sustaining island that managed to function outside all the chaos of the empire and the world. They lived in their own bubble, much like in a greenhouse. A minor disappointment for me, however, was the execution of their relationship dynamics, as well as the repetitive conversations that revolved solely around her fear of practicing magic, how he more or less just grunts at everything, and how the greenhouse needs to be saved.