May Flowers: Top 10 Book Covers Featuring Flowers & Thorns | TTT

Posted on by Lauren

Hello, everyone! Happy May. 🙂 I’ve been loving all the greenery and flowers I’ve seen burgeoning but have not been quite as fond of the extremely high pollen rate in my area. Everyone I’ve talked to has mutually affirmed the fact that it’s the worst it’s been in years — something I can definitely attest to as it’s the first year I’ve really had seasonal allergies myself.

Despite all of that, I really loved the TTT prompt for this week. I started drafting this post when it was still abysmally cold a month or so back, so I’m happy to see how the seasons change!

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

1. The Boy With the Thorn in His Side by Pete Wentz

I know that thorns aren’t technically flowers but I feel like it fits sort of along the same vein, at least aesthetically. This novella/short story penned by Fall Out Boy’s lyricist is an offbeat fantasy tale about mental health and belonging, which is pretty aptly my speed! Physical copies cost a pretty penny but you can find it for free online too.

2. Before the Devil Knows You’re Here by Autumn Krause

I absolutely loved this delicious gothic, folktale-inspired horror story. The prose is splendid, the atmosphere is devilishly divine, the characters are earnest, and I had a really lovely time with it! It definitely sent me on a horror fantasy kick after finishing it.

3. Together We Rot by Skyla Arndt

Together We Rot is the prime example of my aforementioned “horror fantasy kick”. I really loved the atmosphere of this one, and it has a sweet “friends to enemies to lovers” type romance alongside it. It’s a little bit on the hokey side for me and reads a bit young but it’s YA, and I think it achieves what it seeks to well enough!

4. Rouge by Mona Awad

I’ve not actually finished reading Rouge just yet (I had to return my library loan before completing it) but I really enjoyed what I did get to! Mona Awad’s writing is very intriguing and enthralling, and I’ve found it captivates me very well.

5. Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher

I’ve been taking a turn towards more fairy tale-esque novellas lately like T. Kingfisher’s Thornhedge (and Premee Mohamed’s The Butcher of the Forest) and have quite enjoyed them! This story is a bit straightforward but the characters are compelling, and it’s a twist on Sleeping Beauty for those that are interested in that.

6. The Language of Thorns (Grishaverse Companion) by Leigh Bardugo

This collection of fairy tales from the Grishaverse is exactly the sort of thing I adore. Not only is it a bit of lore for a fictional world, but lore for one of my most favorite fictional worlds! It’s probably enjoyed best with some knowledge of the rest of the Grishaverse but it’s also very fun to read this and find a reference or two in the other novels subsequently like you grew up with the stories yourself (which happened for me as I read this before Siege and Storm (Shadow and Bone, #2)).

7. House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland

I have yet to read House of Hollow but it’s definitely one I’m looking forward to getting to. First of all, the cover is gorgeous and, second of all, it sounds very much like the fantasy horror fusion I love!

8. Uprooted by Naomi Novik

Another one I still have yet to read is Uprooted (eliciting a groan from everyone who’s seen me say it’s been on my TBR for the last six months) but it’s on my “up next” shelf, and I think I’m coming out of the other side of a reading slump so I have high hopes for getting to it soon!

9. Mexican Gothic by Sylvia Moreno-Garcia

In case you’re new to my posts and it isn’t already exceedingly apparent, I adore horror related to nature. The juxtaposition of the visceral, disconcerting fact of something typically viewed as so gorgeous and pure is so delectable to me. The infesting, the decaying, the metamorphoses, etc. — it makes my heart sing! And I think it’s Mexican Gothic‘s use of it that made me realize that in the first place.

10. The Cruel Prince (The Cruel Prince, #1) by Holly Black

Finally, this is one more I still have yet to read. I’ve mentioned it a few times in different posts, and I’m still not sure if/when I’ll read it but it seems like it fits this list well enough (considering I expanded the prompt a little). I might get to it when I sort out my physical TBR but that’s also perhaps as good as saying I may never get to it… Only time shall tell.

Have you read any of the books on this list? Did you like them? Why, or why not? What are your favorite covers with flowers and/or thorns? I’d love to hear your thoughts below!

[DISCLAIMER: Photos in this post may be paired with Amazon affiliate links, meaning I’d earn a small commission from qualifying purchases. Thank you for your support!]

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Published by Lauren

Hi! I’m Lauren (she/her, 22), and I like to read and write; I’m still trying to figure out the rest.

12 thoughts on “May Flowers: Top 10 Book Covers Featuring Flowers & Thorns | TTT”

    1. Thank you! I hadn’t realized how many covers I’ve seen with both of these elements — it was really interesting to note. 🙂 Happy reading!

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