Blood & Flowers

By Penny Blubaugh

Three years ago, Persia ran awayfrom her drug-addict parents and found a homewith the Outlaws, an underground theatertroupe. This motley band of mortals and fey,puppeteers and actors, becomes the lovingfamily Persia never had, and soon Persia notonly discovers a passion for theater but also fallsin love with Nicholas, one of the other Outlaws.Life could not be more perfect.

Until an enemy with a grudge makesan unfair accusation against the group andforces them to flee the mortal world and hidein the neighboring realm of Faerie. But inFaerie, all is not flowers and rainbows—withbloodthirsty trolls, a hostile monarchy, anda dangerous code of magic, the fey world isnot quite the safe haven the Outlaws hadhoped for. And they must decide what’s moreimportant: protecting their right to performor protecting themselves.

From critically acclaimed author PennyBlubaugh comes this mesmerizing tale offamily, faeries, and finding a place to call home.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperTeen
• Release date: Mar 1, 2011
• ISBN: 9780062084439

Penny Blubaugh

Penny Blubaugh is a writer, librarian, and former flight instructor. She received her MFA in writing for children and young adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. She currently lives in Chicago with her husband and dreams of living at the End of the World in a house with a witch's-hat roof. Serendipity Market is her first novel and was named a Kirkus Reviews Best Young Adult Book.

Reviews for Blood & Flowers

[yabookiemonster · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

What first drew me to Blood and Flowers by Penny Blubaugh was its beautiful cover, but what kept me reading was the unique concept and great story. Oh, and faeries. I'd forgotten how much I loved faeries, but was thankfully reminded how much I love them by Blood and Flowers!Blood and Flowers takes place in a world where everyone knows about Fey. Where everyone blames the Fey for everything; crime, drug abuse, etc. Where everyone is afraid of the Fey's magic. Persia and her friends, one who's in fact a faerie, are all apart of a travelling theatre troupe and they always use faerie magic in their shows to give it a little somthing extra. When an enemy of the group uses the groups use of magic against them and begins spreading rumours about the group dealing illigal faerie "drugs" (pixie dust, coloured drinks), they are forced to flee into the land of Faerie in order to escape the possibilty of being thrown in prision for crimes that they didn't commit. Once they reach Faerie, they realize that not everything is perfect like they hoped it would be and that Faerie may be even more dangerous than their world. The central character, Persia, was a great character. Although I don't think she realized it herself, I found her to be a strong character, pretty much the rock of the whole group. If it hadn't been for her, I don't think that the troupe would have made it through everything that they did. At the beginning of the book, she seemed to like to just be in the background, but as the book progressed I could tell that she realized just what she could do if she took charge and I really liked that. I also really loved the diversity of the people in the threatre group. There is Tonio, the sort of leader of the Outlaws (that's the name of their troupe) who is gay and rather flamboyant, there is Max, Tonio's ex-boxer boyfriend, then there is Floss, the fierce and artistic and talented faerie, Lucia, a sweet and fragile girl, and lastly Nicolas, a law student. I really loved how all of these people who were so different from one another could come together and from their very own tight-knit family. The idea behind Blood and Flowers was rather original, I thought, and I really liked that. I though thought that Penny Blubaugh's writing was great and just like the book, I felt that it had a special uniquness to it. Although the book wasn't focused mainly on romance, I really liked the little sprinkle that was incorperated into the story!As a whole, I really enjoyed Blood and Flowers and found it to be a great, quick read! The story was really unique, like nothing I've ever really read before and the characters were fun and diverse. I would definitley recommend picking a copy up if you are a fan a faeries or if you are just looking for something different to read!

[katiedoll_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Blood & Flowers was definitely an enjoyable, new spin on the faerie trend, but it wasn’t what I was expecting at all. If you’re like me, you’ll start this book with the idea that it will be somewhat dark. It’s not.The story focuses on the Outlaws: a theater troupe of outcast misfits and one faerie, and their attempt to flee from a vindictive ex-lover of one of the Outlaws who has the power to disband and destroy them, all while they struggle to continue to do the thing that makes them most happy - theater. There’s really no intensity or suspense or darkness. It’s sort of lighthearted and fun, and that’s not a bad thing at all. I closed this book with a smile on my face. The differing personalities and quirks and talents of each Outlaw member really came together, and the chapters where they were working on a show (which was pretty much all of them) were definitely the most entertaining.I do wish the story was a bit more personal. The main character, Persia, narrates, and she does have a good voice. But at times I felt like she was just someone telling us what was going on, rather than a character having a firsthand part in what was going on. And I would’ve loved to learn more about Nicholas. I feel like he’s the only character that got neglected when it came to spotlighting each Outlaw and getting a sense of their personality.But other than that, I very much enjoyed Blood & Flowers. It’s not what you’d expect, but the lightness and the fun that the book brings is definitely worth checking out!

[renkellym · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Summary: Persia works as a program-maker for the Outlaws, a group of traveling puppeteers who perform satirical shows. When the Outlaws run into a bit of trouble with the law, they escape to Faerie, a magical place that, if one wishes hard enough, can offer refuge. However, the fey don’t have a great reputation in the mortal realm, so the Outlaws might be in more trouble there than they were before…My thoughts: Penny Blubaugh’s vivid fantasy is not one to be missed. It transports the reader (along with its characters) into a whole new world filled with sharp-toothed creatures and political unrest. I fell in love with Blood and Flowers almost instantly; the way it’s written is clever and whimsical, and the whole time I was enraptured with its merry band of characters. Though the story is told through the eyes of Persia, a girl who has a somewhat underdeveloped “bad past”, the characters that are not Persia were wonderfully crafted. I especially enjoyed the lone faerie of the group, Floss, because her blissful one-liners made me crack up. Other characters of note include El Jeffery, a lovable griffin, Elbe, a mysterious man with a shop that you’ll only find if he wants you to, and Lucia, a somewhat dreamy girl who once wished herself into Faerie. Each member of the Outlaws contributed something unique to the story, and when they all came together, their camaraderie and teamwork was impressive. I loved reading about how the team put together a show! Each performance took quite a bit of coordination, and I found it fascinating how everything came together to create something fantastic! Speaking of shows, Penny Blubaugh crafted at least two stories within Blood and Flowers to serve as the plays her characters put on. I enjoyed Persia’s outlines of the stories that they were to perform, and admired their creativity. Though I do sing the praises of the characters and the storyline, I must note that I enjoyed them on entertainment value alone. Blood and Flowers offers little that will allow the reader to connect with the story or characters, but is still a wonderful fantasy read. If you let go of yourself while reading, you’ll find it to be quite enjoyable; it provides an excellent escape into the lives of street performers—a life I personally found to be very interesting. If you love fantasy, I’d recommend you give Blood and Flowers a try—you’ll be swept off your feet!

[c5ibarra · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Persia left her drug-addicted parents to join a traveling theater troupe. There is something special about this theater troupe though. They use faerie magic! Soon troubles from the past begin to resurface, and everyone Persia cares about could be in jeopardy. They decide to hide in Faerie, but quickly discover they can’t run from their problems.I have mixed feelings about this one. I liked the idea of a traveling theater troupe that used Faerie magic to animate puppets, but the characters didn’t leave a lasting impression on me. I know I can’t end every book feeling like I have a new BFF, but with this one they all felt like strangers. This should not be the case after spending 300+ pages together. The cast was quite large, but Persia is the main focus. We see things through her eyes. The characters had the potential to be fantastic, but they just weren’t developed enough for my liking. The world also wasn’t explained well enough to really pull me in. Really a great concept, but with the lack of development in the characters and world, it just didn’t win me over.The ending seemed open for a sequel. I’d definitely pick up the next book and give the author, Persia, and her friends a second chance if this does turn out to be a series. Cover thoughts: Gorgeous and a perfect fit for the story it accompanies. It does an excellent job of making me think faeries and magic are a big part of the book.

[xxlovelyxladyxx · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Blood & Flowers is a thrilling debut by Penny Blubaugh with a creative plot, fresh characters, and wonderful writing that keeps you interested and enthralled throughout the entire story. In this literary world where humans and Fae live side-by-side as common enemies, Blubaugh tells the story of Persia and her Outlaw Troupe, the perfect friends and family that are impossible not to love and enjoy. What I really love about this book is the interaction between all of the troupe members. You can immediately tell that if there were no major crisis in their life, the characters themselves would be able to continue living, because they feel so realistic. Each and every character has a distinct personality and while Persia is the main character and the story is from her POV, she never steals the limelight from the others. There were however a few things I did have a problem with. One, I felt the ending did not do the book any justice. It was short, choppy and seemed incomplete to me. I was expecting such an amazing story to go off with a big bang and although it seemed to be going that way at first, it didn't live up to my standards. Two, when I finished the book, I felt as if Blubaugh had avoided talking about the Fae themselves. I loved the air of mystery in the beginning and the Fae royalty idea but I would've loved to read more about it: secrets, the hidden places, and of course the forbidden magic. And finally, the book was just too short. With the way it ended, I can't tell if there's going to be a sequel or not, and I desperately want a LONGER one.All in all, I really enjoyed this book. I pray and hope this solitary book becomes a series because this debut author has most definitely caught my attention, so her books will always appear on my to-read list and should be on yours as well.Rating: 4.75 out of 5 stars