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Owl's Flower #1
Owl's Flower
Iris Faulkner is the owner of Owl's Flower, a small cafe in the center of William's Grove. Her life is a mix of work, marathoning cooking shows, and caring for a neighbor's three cats... until the day Herne walks into her shop.
As far as she knows, Herne is an eccentric local. As far as Iris's one employee Stormy is concerned, he's an amnesiac drifter. But in actuality, Herne is the guardian deity of William's Grove — the "Forest King" of local legend. And, rather disconcertingly for him, he and Iris have hit it off.
But not everyone is happy with the idea of a human and an immortal falling in love, and strange forces begin to move around the cafe. Will Iris and Owl's Flower survive the mysterious attacks? Will Herne make the whole thing moot? And who left that cookie under Herne's tree?
As far as she knows, Herne is an eccentric local. As far as Iris's one employee Stormy is concerned, he's an amnesiac drifter. But in actuality, Herne is the guardian deity of William's Grove — the "Forest King" of local legend. And, rather disconcertingly for him, he and Iris have hit it off.
But not everyone is happy with the idea of a human and an immortal falling in love, and strange forces begin to move around the cafe. Will Iris and Owl's Flower survive the mysterious attacks? Will Herne make the whole thing moot? And who left that cookie under Herne's tree?
155 pages, ebook
First published September 17, 2016
6 people want to read
About the author
Kara Dennison
44 books20 followersBay-born and NASA-raised author of fiction, essays, and light novels. Journalist for Crunchyroll and Otaku USA, former book reviewer for Sci-Fi Magazine. Still reading and reviewing for my own good time, in search of a new periodical to review for.
Reviews do not imply coverage in or recognition by my employers. Please refrain from mentioning Crunchyroll, Otaku USA, Sci-Fi Magazine, or any of my other employers when quoting reviews unless they are explicitly mentioned in said review.
Reviews do not imply coverage in or recognition by my employers. Please refrain from mentioning Crunchyroll, Otaku USA, Sci-Fi Magazine, or any of my other employers when quoting reviews unless they are explicitly mentioned in said review.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 2, 2018
I am probably the last person you'd expect to read a paranormal romance light novel, let alone award it five stars, and yet this is the universe we find ourselves in. Dennison and Hoesly have crafted a beautiful first novel.
The universe is genuinely interesting, with a great deal of mythology to explore. The writing and art are both beautiful. And, most importantly, the characters are well-drawn and full of life.
That last one is the spark that makes this something genuinely wonderful. It's because they're wonderful characters that Hern and Iris avoid all of the nonsense you might expect from a novel with "romance" as part of its defining genre. The will-they-won't-they is out the window. Complications that could be avoided just by talking to each other are avoided. They're real, sensible people acting sensibly.
The novel is free. Even if you're not sure if this is your cup of tea, give it a try. You have nothing to lose, and quite a lot to gain.
The universe is genuinely interesting, with a great deal of mythology to explore. The writing and art are both beautiful. And, most importantly, the characters are well-drawn and full of life.
That last one is the spark that makes this something genuinely wonderful. It's because they're wonderful characters that Hern and Iris avoid all of the nonsense you might expect from a novel with "romance" as part of its defining genre. The will-they-won't-they is out the window. Complications that could be avoided just by talking to each other are avoided. They're real, sensible people acting sensibly.
The novel is free. Even if you're not sure if this is your cup of tea, give it a try. You have nothing to lose, and quite a lot to gain.
December 27, 2022
This is my first "non-Asian-made light novel" (or, I believe this is what you call "novella" in Western literary lingo).
It's really nice, sweet, and cute. I've always loved the trope of a dorky non-human love interest who tries his best to act human, and is just bumbling it constantly. Bonus points because he's illustrated and described as looking like an older gentleman. It makes it unique. It's not often I see an older man type in a romance that's not steamy. Usually I only see the older man love interest in erotica or otherwise adult novels.
This is my personal taste, but there is just something about the supernatural character having this "I don't know how to human" quirky behaviour that's especially endearing when the character doesn't look like a teenage brat. Maybe because I'm older now, so when a young-looking character behaves like that, it just looks like "being bratty/stupid" to me. But when a visibly grown adult is acting like that (in fiction), I perceive that to be just a character trait.
Anyway, the world building is rather light/sparse here, but I feel like the point of the novel is more about the character interaction and relationship and the novel doesn't try to act like it's that deep, so it doesn't bother me. It's a quick and easy read, and all around charming and fun.
One minor issue I have with this is that I constantly have this niggling feeling that this reads like a Doctor Who fanfiction with the serial numbers filed off. Especially knowing that both creators has been involved with Doctor Who projects. , but maybe that's just unconscious influence on the creators' part.
This book was provided for free by the authors, and I'm excited to get the second one.
It's really nice, sweet, and cute. I've always loved the trope of a dorky non-human love interest who tries his best to act human, and is just bumbling it constantly. Bonus points because he's illustrated and described as looking like an older gentleman. It makes it unique. It's not often I see an older man type in a romance that's not steamy. Usually I only see the older man love interest in erotica or otherwise adult novels.
This is my personal taste, but there is just something about the supernatural character having this "I don't know how to human" quirky behaviour that's especially endearing when the character doesn't look like a teenage brat. Maybe because I'm older now, so when a young-looking character behaves like that, it just looks like "being bratty/stupid" to me. But when a visibly grown adult is acting like that (in fiction), I perceive that to be just a character trait.
Anyway, the world building is rather light/sparse here, but I feel like the point of the novel is more about the character interaction and relationship and the novel doesn't try to act like it's that deep, so it doesn't bother me. It's a quick and easy read, and all around charming and fun.
One minor issue I have with this is that I constantly have this niggling feeling that this reads like a Doctor Who fanfiction with the serial numbers filed off. Especially knowing that both creators has been involved with Doctor Who projects. , but maybe that's just unconscious influence on the creators' part.
This book was provided for free by the authors, and I'm excited to get the second one.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews