This book was like, a breath of fresh air. I’ve needed a book to consume me, and everything about it is just what I needed. Scholastic books never fail to devour me, from the covers to the writing to the formatting. This book was SO GOOD. I’m going to be watching for more from this author 100%!!

This was the first book I’ve read by the author. First, the book’s cover and title immediately grab your attention. It was an incredible adventure!!! I loved the first-person narration of the story and the author’s writing style. If you enjoy reading gothic fantasy romance and YA fiction; then this one is definitely for you!

This is an ARC review. I appreciate receiving this copy from NetGalley and the publisher in return for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book , it's dark, atmospheric and the setting on a remote Scottish Island is the perfect setting- the gothic vibes are obviously going to appeal to me but it has a really nostalgic feel and I can absolutely see why some other reviews have spotted comparisons with Wednesday!

Love the concept where "Dangerous Girls" those with uncontrollable powers are brought to a remote island to learn control (if they can,) our main character Imogen can sprout poisonous plants from her fingertips which has found her at the school, I was intrigued by the plant that the author chose but I would have loved to have known why that plant?

Quite early on in the book things start to take a dark turn for Imogen, is someone trying to frame her?

Dangerous Girls is really fast paced, I love when a book just keeps moving and this one did not let up I finished it in less than 24hrs with the tension building and building, there is also a slow burn romance building on the sidelines which helps with the twists and turns because your attention is always shifting which makes the twists even more impactful. While there is magic this book is far more focussed on the mystery which for me was not an issue at all as the Gothic came through all the more.

Would definitely recommend as a YA read although I think it would work well for the younger end of teen who want more challenge and a little more darkness than they get from middle grade.

Okay, you need to read Dangerous Girls, seriously, I devoured it in like two sittings. If you’re into gothic fantasy with a hint of dark mystery and just the right amount of romance, this one’s for you. It gave me total Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children vibes, but with its own unique, haunting twist.

So, the main character, Imogen Brine, is not your average teenage girl. She can literally grow poisonous flowers from her fingertips (yes, really). Because of this strange and slightly terrifying gift, she’s invited to this secret island where girls like her are able to learn how to control their powers. Sounds cool, right? But of course, things don’t go smoothly. Weird stuff starts happening as she arrives, and suddenly everyone’s looking at her like she’s the problem.

What I loved is that it wasn’t just spooky for the sake of being spooky. There’s mystery, tension, and this creepy sense of “something’s not right” that keeps you flipping pages. Plus, the powers the other girls have? Wild. Think summoning swarms of insects, starting fires with a glance, even turning into a mermaid. It's like X-Men meets dark fairy tale.

There’s also a sweet romance woven in, not overpowering, not cheesy, just the right amount to make you smile a bit while still letting the mystery take the spotlight. And the found family element? Ugh, so good. These girls are messy and powerful and trying to figure themselves out, and you can’t help but root for them all.

All in all, it’s a fast, eerie, magical ride that hits all the right YA notes. If you love gothic fantasy with heart and atmosphere, you need to add this to your TBR ASAP.

I read an eARC of this book on NetGalley so thank you to the author and the publisher.

This was an atmospheric book with a great premise. We have a girl with uncontrollable powers sent to a school/home on a remote island in Scotland that can cater to the education she needs to manager her power. Imogen’s power itself was really fascinating. She can grow Oleander, a poisonous plant from her fingertips, but only that specific plant. When this was introduced I thought this was really cool. I wanted to see a lot more of this. I also wanted to know, why Oleander? I thought this likely had a fascinating backstory or explanation so I would have loved to have seen this explored further. All the girls we meet at the school have interesting powers. We did get to see a decent bit of this at the start, but it tailed off and this was a shame as I’d have loved more focus on the magic. The author had some really interesting ideas on this space, we just needed more detail. I liked the school location and how this helped with Imogen’s sense of self. Despite the danger she faces here, she starts to feel more confident and comfortable in her own skin, not feeling like she has to hide because of her kinship with her fellow students that blossoms throughout the book.

The setting was great, an isolated Scottish island. Elements of this were used really well, particularly around water. This really added to the atmosphere of the book.

The storyline that positions the mystery and the growing menace was intriguing. I liked how this built up on the girl’s different powers, giving us more depth around what they can do whilst adding suspense. I felt I wanted more of this. The romance felt quite unnecessary and didn’t add anything to the book. It could have just been friendship and given us more space for the mystery.

Some great elements to this book, I would have just liked them explored in more detail and for it to have been a bit longer. Certainly memorable and worth a read for the mystery and atmosphere

It reminds me a lot of "Green Rising" by Lauren James, but it is a very different kind of story. The plants that grow out of the fingertips of the heroine are poisonous. It is an easy read in the sense that the author keeps the voice of the heroine authentic and steers clear of more advanced words. It has enough mystery in the story to keep me going. Sometimes I wish that the feelings of the characters were given a bit more coverage. All in all, it is an engaging and enjoyable read.

I loved that the book was mainly thriller with some slight fantasy elements. It was a very easy read and I enjoyed that the romance was kept to a minimum. There were so many twists and turns throughout, I wasn’t sure who the bad person was going to be! Very different to other books I’ve read! I would love another book that focused more on the girls abilities and the school!

3
There were several things that I liked about this book, but I didn't quite love it.
Imogen has the power to grow poisonous flowers from her hands and is send to an island where girls with dangerous powers live and are tought to control their powers.
Immediately after her arrival an accident happens that makes the other girls weary of her, and a deer is found dead, killed by poisonous flowers. Someone is trying to frame Imogen...
The mistery plot was done very well and the gotic atmosphere was my favorite aspect of the book.
I would have liked a bit more depth in the characterization of the other girls but their voices felt different enough so that was not too bad.
The world building was a bit confusing. There is no real explanation of the girls' powers and why they have them. But also, the story is supposedly taking place now but doesn't feel like it. The Island feels outside of time and none of the girls act or speak like 21st century's young adults (is not even clear how old they are supposed to be). Which is not a bad thing per se, because it works very well with the gothic atmosphere. However every now and then there is a clear reference to technology, or Google is mentioned, bringing the reader back to the 21st century which is quite jarring.
However my main problem was with the "romance". Tepid, born out of nowhere, it felt completely forced and out of place. This story would have worked so much better with a stronger and clearer focus on the group of girls and their friendship, but I feel like the author felt forced to introduce the romantic element because that is what sells now.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me this arc in exchange for my honest review

3.5 ⭐️

This was a surprisingly fun and fast-paced read. I absolutely flew through it. Think Wednesday meets Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children with a gothic fantasy twist and a touch of murder mystery.

I really enjoyed the concept. Girls with dangerous magical gifts brought to a mysterious island? It had me hooked. Imogen’s ability to grow poisonous flowers was so intriguing, and the setting was creepy in the best way… although I wish the WHY behind this was explored a little more?! The tension builds nicely, there are some great twists and the slow-burn romance added a little extra something.

Perfect if you’re after something that’s dark, magical and just a little bit different.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7722792180

https://fable.co/review/9b82d0d6-0dfe-4208-bed7-967a4afed7df/share

Really enjoyed this book, great twists and turns, fast paced and an overall exciting, well wrote, exciting read.

If you like dark, creepy, gothic YA fantasy, this book is for you. It’s beautifully atmospheric, and it felt so nostalgic to me. It feels like so many of my favourite YA books I read when I was a teenager. Whilst I enjoyed this book as an adult, it simply would have changed my brain chemistry as a teenager. I would have been completely OBSESSED with it. There were parts of this book that were super creepy and I loved those parts. It’s super fast paced and mysterious.

I’m a little sad that we don’t get to see an epilogue of the future of Imogen. Some of Imogen’s actions/thoughts, along with her relationships feel a little off and juvenile (this kind of makes sense, as she is a teenager), but made the character feel a little disjointed for me and her motivations didn’t seem realistic.

Overall I enjoyed it but I know teenage me would’ve made this book my whole personality.