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A Flower to Remember
Milo Van Buren is a struggling young doctor who is running out of treatment options for his eccentric mother’s deteriorating memory. Just when he is about to give up all hope, his brother’s dead body is dumped on the steps of his infirmary with a small piece of a rare plant stuffed in his pocket, the gilobi flower.
According to Milo’s textbooks, this plant has the potential to restore his mother’s mind back to normal if he can find a more stable sample. With his little brother, Ryan, now gone, Milo must retrace his sibling’s steps in hopes of finding the flowers origin. This may be the last chance to engineer a cure for his mother, Diana, before her mind is lost forever. The problem is that the gilobi flower grows somewhere deep in the strange Susurri Forest, home to deadly beasts, native tribes, and unusual magic.
There is only one organization that can successfully traverse the forest and live to tell the tale, The Dusters. Milo must convince this company of gun toting men and women, who scoff at his oath to do no harm, to help him in his quest. Will Milo be able to maintain his integrity in this treacherous landscape with his mother’s life hanging in the balance or will he have to choose between the two?
According to Milo’s textbooks, this plant has the potential to restore his mother’s mind back to normal if he can find a more stable sample. With his little brother, Ryan, now gone, Milo must retrace his sibling’s steps in hopes of finding the flowers origin. This may be the last chance to engineer a cure for his mother, Diana, before her mind is lost forever. The problem is that the gilobi flower grows somewhere deep in the strange Susurri Forest, home to deadly beasts, native tribes, and unusual magic.
There is only one organization that can successfully traverse the forest and live to tell the tale, The Dusters. Milo must convince this company of gun toting men and women, who scoff at his oath to do no harm, to help him in his quest. Will Milo be able to maintain his integrity in this treacherous landscape with his mother’s life hanging in the balance or will he have to choose between the two?
377 pages, Paperback
Published July 7, 2023
9 people are currently reading
260 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 27, 2023
Loved this story and hope there a second one !
October 24, 2023
This book had the perfect mix of fantasy, adventure, and family drama. I hope there is a sexond book.
March 18, 2024
Great story! Was instantly pulled in and captivated. Definitely needs to be a series!!
September 2, 2023
I absolutely love being given a book by a brand-new author, especially one that completely grabs my attention and does not disappoint me in any way. Debut author John Clay Harvey has given that to me, as well as all readers out there, with his first young adult novel, “A Flower to Remember.”
“A Flower to Remember” is the story of Milo Van Buren, a young doctor being trained in the ways of medicine by his grandfather. Milo is trying desperately to come up with ideas that will help him cure his mother’s failing memory before she hurts herself, or someone else, or simply forgets who he is completely.
Just as we see that Milo is running out of time, the body of his brother Ryan is found on the doorstep of his grandfather’s infirmary with a piece of a rare flower in his pocket. As Milo has found during his research, this flower could very well be the ingredient he needs to create a mixture that could possibly bring his mother’s mind back to normal. Of course, as with any great plan, there is always a problem that must be solved. In this case, the sample of the flower found on his brother’s body is just too small and the only way for a lasting cure is to find a complete and perfect flower.
Nothing is ever simple as Milo finds out that the flower he needs, the gilobi, grows only in a forest called the Susurri which is a place filled with deadly creatures, tribes that would rather kill an intruder than help them, and lots of very strange magic. The only people that can get into the forest are members of The Dusters, an organization led by Milo’s father. The Dusters is full of strong, weapon-wielding men and women who are willing to risk their lives every day.
Since Milo is a young man who wants to help, not hurt others, being a part of The Dusters is not something he has ever seen fitting into his plans for the future. But he also knows there is no other choice. His brother has already died trying to retrieve this flower from the Susurri Forest. Does Milo stand any chance at all?
“A Flower to Remember” is truly an excellent read. The book pulls the reader in from the very first page and you are completely hooked, as there is never a dull moment after that. The plot itself is intricate and there are parts of the story in the beginning that seem to be completely unrelated. But eventually, they start to weave together into the whole story and become more important than you can imagine. The author was able to pull everything together in such a seemingly effortless way, and I was very impressed by that.
In addition, each of the characters, whether they are good or bad, is extremely well-developed and has a reason for being there. They are all believable and, in many cases, people that the reader can relate to and honestly feel for as the story progresses. The descriptive writing, whether telling about human characters, animals, or locations, is very vivid. The reader will feel as if they are there in the Susurri right next to Milo and the others.
“A Flower to Remember” is simply enthralling and a book that I would recommend to absolutely everyone regardless of their age. The storytelling is excellent, the characters are genuine, the dialogue is very well done, and everything comes together in an amazing adventure. I think that John Clay Harvey has hit a home run with this debut novel, one that will keep readers thinking about the characters long after the book is finished and closed. To me, that is an absolute success. I cannot wait to see what happens to the characters in the next installment, as there are plenty of questions left to be answered. 5 Stars!
“A Flower to Remember” is the story of Milo Van Buren, a young doctor being trained in the ways of medicine by his grandfather. Milo is trying desperately to come up with ideas that will help him cure his mother’s failing memory before she hurts herself, or someone else, or simply forgets who he is completely.
Just as we see that Milo is running out of time, the body of his brother Ryan is found on the doorstep of his grandfather’s infirmary with a piece of a rare flower in his pocket. As Milo has found during his research, this flower could very well be the ingredient he needs to create a mixture that could possibly bring his mother’s mind back to normal. Of course, as with any great plan, there is always a problem that must be solved. In this case, the sample of the flower found on his brother’s body is just too small and the only way for a lasting cure is to find a complete and perfect flower.
Nothing is ever simple as Milo finds out that the flower he needs, the gilobi, grows only in a forest called the Susurri which is a place filled with deadly creatures, tribes that would rather kill an intruder than help them, and lots of very strange magic. The only people that can get into the forest are members of The Dusters, an organization led by Milo’s father. The Dusters is full of strong, weapon-wielding men and women who are willing to risk their lives every day.
Since Milo is a young man who wants to help, not hurt others, being a part of The Dusters is not something he has ever seen fitting into his plans for the future. But he also knows there is no other choice. His brother has already died trying to retrieve this flower from the Susurri Forest. Does Milo stand any chance at all?
“A Flower to Remember” is truly an excellent read. The book pulls the reader in from the very first page and you are completely hooked, as there is never a dull moment after that. The plot itself is intricate and there are parts of the story in the beginning that seem to be completely unrelated. But eventually, they start to weave together into the whole story and become more important than you can imagine. The author was able to pull everything together in such a seemingly effortless way, and I was very impressed by that.
In addition, each of the characters, whether they are good or bad, is extremely well-developed and has a reason for being there. They are all believable and, in many cases, people that the reader can relate to and honestly feel for as the story progresses. The descriptive writing, whether telling about human characters, animals, or locations, is very vivid. The reader will feel as if they are there in the Susurri right next to Milo and the others.
“A Flower to Remember” is simply enthralling and a book that I would recommend to absolutely everyone regardless of their age. The storytelling is excellent, the characters are genuine, the dialogue is very well done, and everything comes together in an amazing adventure. I think that John Clay Harvey has hit a home run with this debut novel, one that will keep readers thinking about the characters long after the book is finished and closed. To me, that is an absolute success. I cannot wait to see what happens to the characters in the next installment, as there are plenty of questions left to be answered. 5 Stars!
January 21, 2024
A great adventure! This book kept me on my toes! I cannot wait for the next one!
March 5, 2025
Great book
Couldn't put it down. I hope there will be a follow up to it. Very unexpected ending. Keep up the great writing John (cleatus)
Couldn't put it down. I hope there will be a follow up to it. Very unexpected ending. Keep up the great writing John (cleatus)
December 2, 2023
It was good but I just think too many unnecessary characters being introduced
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews