Thank you NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC.

Unfortunately this story did not do it for me. The pacing was really off for this book and the plot didn't fully make sense. The characters themselves weren't relatable in any way or really thought out. Almost every character truly seemed to be lacking emotion beyond Dara. I know this is a middle grade story however, there are plenty of good examples of quick paced, middle grade stories that are wonderful.

The family dynamic was strange here. Her parents had abandoned their daughters and randomly one day her mother comes to take her on a journey to save the kingdom, yet what drove this. It's never answered as to why now her mother returns. There's a lot of the plot moving forward here with no reason for why. It didn't make sense that she needed to go find her father to save the kingdom all of the sudden. Just for them to find him and it really led to nothing.
Her mother did stay on brand though, as a neglectful mother, by selling her daughter out to the bad guy for no reason.

I wanted to like this book, however this was unfortunately one of those where I judged the book by it's cover. The books cover is wonderfully designed but I feel it's a little misleading.

Overall this book wasn't terrible just needed more to the story and the characters to really make it magical.

“The Pearl Blossom Heart” is the debut novel of Arthena Hall. It is a fantasy set in the magical land of Ireland. I have always loved middle grade novels especially fantasy fiction, I really liked the story but there were elements I didn’t love. In the beginning, it narrated the heartbreaking struggle of a little girl named Maura and her two sisters as they do their best to survive on their own. Their parents abandoned and sold them as they live through an age of war. Unfortunately, I don’t think this is a safe topic for middle-graders to read on their own as they reflected the ugliness of adults and contained some dark themes. Guidance is advised.

Thank you Net galley for this advanced copy. The opinions in this review is entirely my own.

Ahhh, what a letdown this one was.

DO NOT LET THE COVER FOOL YOU!

This whole story was dry, with no emotion in the characters whatsoever. They were just there, existing within this world and were moved around and about to fulfil whatever they had to fulfil. The whole plot was badly executed, the idea was there, but privying characters from any individuality and development is always going to be a no for me. I really liked the beginning, it was interesting and was a promising adventure, family dynamics and just something to look forward to. But there were so many potholes, things thrown here and there, just because I don't know why? Things were disjointed and made no sense. A father and a mother who abandoned their children and never came back for 15 or so years, and then suddenly they remembered they have kids lol this was so bizarre, no emotion from the mother, the only glimpse of any feelings I got from was from Tyne and the other billy goats...

I was more interested in the goats and her sisters' fate than the whole rest of this book.... what a let down, pity the cover and the legend it was based on are the only cool things about it. Definitely not suitable for any children, they will not understand what is going on, and it will not be interesting since they won't be able to relate to any of the characters.

Overall, 2 stars because of the goats, the cover and the Afterword behind the inspiration for the whole story, which was more interesting than the whole book was.

Sometimes the best adventures begin in the quiet moments. Like confiding in your beloved goats while worrying about your sick sisters. That's where we find thirteen-year-old Maura in Arthena Hall's enchanting tale, and honestly, I was hooked from that cozy mountainside start.

The familial bond in this book is everything. Maura's determination to help her sisters breathes life into every page. When she's thrust from her simple goat farm into a war-torn world, her journey becomes not just about saving her family but discovering who they really are.

The worldbuilding caught me off guard in the best way. We're not treading the usual fantasy path here; instead, Hall weaves together druids, dire wolves, and aurochs in a world that feels refreshingly unique. It's like stumbling across an old fairy tale you somehow never heard, especially knowing it draws from forgotten histories. The way nature is described had me feeling the wind and seeing the landscapes as if I were walking alongside Maura.

Watching Maura grow throughout her journey was deeply satisfying. She might start as a simple goat girl, but her development into someone who faces impossible choices about destiny versus family loyalty was beautifully handled. What really resonated was how faith is portrayed. Not as a plot device or something to critique, but as a natural part of these characters' lives. It's subtle, authentic, and adds another layer to this rich world without ever feeling preachy.

This book succeeds because it takes familiar elements and infuses them with genuine heart and distinctive touches. It's the kind of story that makes you want to find your own mountainside to daydream on, hugging a goat while contemplating adventures yet to come. For readers who love feminine protagonists, sister bonds that make your heart ache (in the good way), and fantasy worlds that don't feel like copies of everything else out there, "The Pearl Blossom Heart" is an absolute treat.

An easy to read middle grade fairy tale following thirteen year old Maura who lives in a valley caring for a herd of goats and her two sick sisters. Her mother who has been gone reappears and tells Maura she is needed to end a years long war, find her long lost father and reunite a kingdom. Desperate for a cure for her sisters Maura agrees to go. Along the way Maura meets Dara and his dire wolf and has a run in with the “king” who overthrew the kingdom. This one only took a few hours to read and I liked seeing Maura discover her inner strength.

I love middle grade novels and I really wish we had more magical stories. In Portugal, middle grade is a level that is often forgotten, but some of my favourite books are from this age group and while I am an adult reading these books, I can tell you I have a lot of fun reading them. This is one reason I requested this book - I had a huge nostalgia for books like the Fairyland series and even Gaiman’s work has brought me immense joy (that I no longer support).

“The Pearl Blossom Heart” is a middle grade novel that takes the reader to the depths of a magical Ireland. The first chapters are heart breaking as we witness Maura and her two sisters barely surviving on their own. Their parents have disappeared and the three young girls are barely making ends meet. The two sisters get sick until one day Maura finds her mother, who is returning to help Maura brave war to find a cure for them.

The book delivers a very important and unignorable message: adults are terrible! They are greedy, they lie, and they have no regrets abandoning three girls on their own. Maura must navigate a world at war where humanity’s ugliness is on full display. Maura’s parents abandoned them, the mother has no issues selling her daughter for something, the father hides from war and avoids it knowing people are dying. “The Pearl Blossom Heart” has a lot of themes to talk about with its readers regarding how the adults behave.

Unfortunately, a lot of elements in the book were very confusing, especially since a lot of the adults were using Maura as their pawn. The writing conveyed little emotion and Maura was often used to drive the plot forward even though it made little sense for her to do so. I was hoping for a beautiful narrative about a legend, but the plot was very dark with no plot points tying everything together.

“The Pearl Blossom Heart” carries a slightly dark tone for a middle-grade novel and offers numerous themes that readers can explore. If you enjoy something more serious, then this book is for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC.

This is a story set in the wilds of Ireland where a young girl has to free a kingdom in order to help her sisters. I really wanted to love this book but I just really didn’t enjoy it.

The two younger characters and the sisters are characterized well and their actions and motivations make sense. However, all of the adult characters are not fleshed out and I really didn’t understand their motivations. It felt kind of like when an adult tells a child “Because I told you so”. This story is also told in their person but it’s really close to our main character. However, we automatically know the adults' names without them having introduced themselves. It was strange.

The pacing of this book was also really strange because most of it is spent traveling but most of the traveling is done off-page. So we would just get random time skips and then it would be weeks later for seemingly no reason. We also just seemed to move from plot point to plot point without many connections. Decisions were made instantly and without much thought. I understand that this was a middle-grade book but middle-grade books can be written well.

Finally, there was almost no world-building in this book. It’s said to be fantasy but there aren’t any fantasy elements within this book. There are fantastical elements but I wouldn’t call this a fantasy book. There is also a religious element to this book that isn’t fully explained until the author’s notes about the book. After reading the author’s note this book is basically a hodgepodge of interesting elements that aren’t connected super well so the book feels a little scattered.

Overall, I really didn’t like this book. I will note that I am an adult reading a middle-grade book but these books are allowed to be written well.

This is an easy, cosy read. I liked the premise of this book but I feel it’s a tad too short. A little more elaboration on certain key points would have elevated it that much more! But I did enjoy it as my first ever Net Galley ARC. Thank you to Net Galley for letting me read this one 😊

A heartfelt, fast-paced fantasy full of cozy Celtic vibes, sweet sisterhood, and quiet magic. Perfect for younger readers who love adventure, healing, and stories rooted in love and loyalty.

Great book for children about family and growth, the story is a fast-paced adventure, but this also contributes to the characters' lack of depth. For a short children’s story, it is well written and holds the reader's attention.

Thanks to Netgalley and Shaherazad Shelves | Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Titles for this ARC. This is my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc!

Initially I was intrigued by the cover and the title. Once I discovered it was a fantasy novel steeped in Irish history I couldn’t help but give it a try.

While the history was rather interesting, I found myself struggling to truly connect with any of the characters. I know this is a Middle Grade and I’ll admit I read few of those, but there was something missing. After high action moments I expected them to last longer and be hard for our protagonist to get out of, but nothing seemed difficult for her. Even when her own mother betrayed her, she easily forgave her for it.

Overall it is an interesting read, the metaphor of the Pearl Blossom Heart was quite lovely, and the small fantasy elements were comforting. However, I feel there was still room for our characters to grow and sit with their feelings more than they did.

I felt like this could have been expanded upon to fill in a bit of story gaps or make it a bit better and well rounded. I realize this is for middle grade and maybe that's a factor.

The story starts off with Maura and her favorite goat Tyne. That friendship they had was cute. When their mother arrived, I was so frustrated. Their mother abandoned their daughters and then arrives out of no where asking Maura to go with her while her sisters are sick? like what?!?!?! That really threw me off. Why did Maura have to go, why couldn't anyone else seem to do speak to her father?

I felt it got better once Maura arrived to the town, I loved the relationship she made with Dara and Fang. I thought that was cute.

The Pearl Blossom Heart is a middle grade fantasy novel about a young girl, Maura, and her quest to save the kingdom of Del Salbach. It started off quite strong, as Maura’s story was grounded in her desire to keep her sisters safe and healthy, but the stakes and plot quickly outgrew the scope of what I expected this novel to be. The highlights of this novel were the lower stakes, more intimate moments — the early sections where Maura cares for her sisters, Dara and Maura collecting plants, and Maura listening to different stories of the past. I thought that these moments were sweet, but these moments are surrounded by action and plot that doesn’t quite make sense.

Even though this books is intended for younger readers, I found it unnecessarily confusing. It felt as though sections of this book that contained explanations were missing. Even just a couple of chapters in, I had left with many basic questions that were never answered, the most pressing being why must Maura be the one to find her father, and why has no one else gone to retrieve him if his appearance alone could rally the people of Del Salbach. Additionally, I could not figure out why Maura felt as though she had to choose between her sisters and her kingdom. It felt like a choice that had no real reasoning behind it. Overall, I found the lack of information to be more distracting and frustrating than intriguing and though provoking.

Despite the cozy cottage vibes of this book, I did not find it endearing, and I’m left feeling a bit disappointed.

The premise of this story sounded really interesting but sadly the book couldn't hold up. The description of the nature and the world was beautiful to read but the story itself felt rushed and as nothing was really finished. I would probably would have liked the book more if it was a bit longer. A storyline started and was already over on the next page without a lot of explanation. I also sadly had a hard time getting into the book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Shaherazad Shelves for this EARC!

The aspects of this book I enjoyed: I enjoyed the descriptions of the nature and I was able to easily imagine the world Maura was exploring as the writing style was smooth and quite developed. I enjoyed the underlying notes of family loyalties and faith.
Unfortunately for me this wasn’t a hit. Maura lacked depth and emotion, she did not seem to react to anything that was happening around her, her only concern or thought throughout the entire book was that of her unwell sisters back at home. I was disappointed that some aspects weren’t explored more. I felt at times the book was disjointed and we hopped around without much explanation, and this made the story a tad confusing at times.

I was so confused with this book. Maura and her sisters live in a small house with a herd of goats and a missing mother … who then appears and takes Maura away with vague promises of healing Maura’s sisters of some unknown sickness. They’re off to search for Maura’s father and stop a war, and Maura has to have training to help fight this war. It’s a lot of plot points with no story to string them together and no background as to why any of this is happening. Nothing made sense or fit together and I have no idea what’s going on over halfway into the book.

Maura has neither an opinion nor a reaction to anything happening to her or around her. To her credit, she is concerned about her poor sisters left behind, sick in their house … but that’s it. It’s her motivation, and unfortunately, her only personality trait.

I’m sorry, but I was bored by this book, uninterested in Maura, and I’m not sure I’d be confident in recommending this to a younger reader. The book isn’t well put together, with so much world building and plot relevant details missing, leaving what plot there is to be little more than a recitation of A, B, C and Maura plopped in this location or that so the book can move to the next chapter. However, the writing isn’t terrible, which along with the absolutely lovely cover is its one saving grace.

This is a pass. Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC.

The Pearl Blossom Heart tells the story of a girl who grows up secluded with her two sisters and suddenly finds herself embarking on an adventure.

The writing style is pleasant and easy to read, and I was fascinated by the historical background of the story. However, the book didn’t quite manage to fully captivate me. The lack of emotional depth was particularly frustrating—why did the mother leave her daughters behind? Why does no one question her return after her long absence? The task she is suddenly entrusted with also didn’t feel logical.
All in all, it wasn’t a bad book, but it needed more depth and cohesion to be truly compelling.

this was a very heart warming story and i loved being on this journey with Maura and Dara. this was emotional and inspirational.

2⭐️

Thank you to Net galley for the ARC!

This book did not hit for me. While it was cool at the start, I was bored the entire rest of the time. I absolutely adored Dara, but Maura didn’t feel relatable at all. The end felt very rushed, and it didn’t satisfy me. If the book had more pages, maybe it would have been better. Overall, it wasn’t the greatest but I loved Dara and the overall plot. It just felt rushed.

“We didn’t come this far to do nothing, even if doing nothing seems easier.”

This story feels particularly cozy and comforting, not necessarily because of the events of the story, but the tone and theming throughout.

“To the women and men whose names were erased from history and denied their own heritage for believing”

Learning that a lot of the inspiration for this novel came from historical events forgotten to history adds to the feeling of this story feeling like a long lost fairy tale.

“Yet, here she was, tasting the last bit of foreign air and heaving at the trail of innocent blood that led to the unknown.”

The world feels interesting and nature is described in ways that vividly illustrated the world. It doesn’t feel like a carbon copy of other fantasy books. It feels uniquely inspired. The references to druids, dire wolves, and aurochs are some examples of the (unique) explorations imbedded into the story.

The depiction of faith was also incredibly refreshing. As often times in fantasy novels, or novels in general, religion is either shown to be corrupt or for those ill-informed. To see that the protagonist’s family holds their faith so dearly and it just being an accessory to the story not a major theme—means a lot.

The mysteries of this world are baked into the plot through the interactions with characters and a lack of understanding of histories and motivations. It creates a decently complex web of relationships amongst the characters.

The driving motivation of Maura being the love of her sisters is refreshing to see in a novel. It’s also impactful how she’s a more feminine protagonist, when that is often overlooked in fantasy novels.

“He was watching her as if it was not the sun lighting up the sky but her.”

The subtle implication of a future romantic relationship between Maura and Dara was so wholesome. Their interactions made me smile. The whole bracket thing had my heart entirely. It is a little funny their names rhyme though.

I must confess, that even after finishing the novel I’m not entirely sure if the “pearl blossom heart” was real or figurative.