Blood & Flowers

by Penny Blubaugh

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062084439
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	01/17/2024
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	357
File size:	844 KB
Age Range:	12 - 18 Years

About the Author

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.

Editorial Reviews

As in Serendipity Market (2009), Blubaugh blends the magical and mundane into an original fantasy, told here by an 18-year-old who finds a home among an eclectic group of human and faerie folk. With a "penchant for dropping out of school" and "a mile-wide love of Shakespeare," Persia left her "drugged-out, fey-bashing parents" a year ago to join The Outlaw Puppet Troupe, known for its fringe, slightly subversive underground performances. Finding The Outlaws was "like coming home to the place" she'd "been looking for forever." Persia's unidentified world is rife with illegal pixie-dust dealing, a tumbling economy and environmental troubles. Fey-phobic authorities blame the faerie for everything bad, and The Outlaws are prime suspects with a faerie puppet-maker wielding magic behind the scenes. When their gay artistic director is subpoenaed on false charges by Major, his corrupt, vindictive ex-lover, The Outlaws flee their world of blood and flowers into Faerie, a practically perfect place. Here they assimilate with local faeries, trolls and griffins, until Major appears to deliver an ultimatum. To avoid becoming "a lost bunch of misfits," The Outlaws stage what could be their final production. While the denouement feels anticlimactic, atmospheric language, arresting "culture mash-up," unique characters, an alluring overlap of fantasy and reality and strong themes of family and friendship create a provocative read. (Fantasy. 12 & up)

Kirkus Reviews

As in Serendipity Market (2009), Blubaugh blends the magical and mundane into an original fantasy, told here by an 18-year-old who finds a home among an eclectic group of human and faerie folk. With a "penchant for dropping out of school" and "a mile-wide love of Shakespeare," Persia left her "drugged-out, fey-bashing parents" a year ago to join The Outlaw Puppet Troupe, known for its fringe, slightly subversive underground performances. Finding The Outlaws was "like coming home to the place" she'd "been looking for forever." Persia's unidentified world is rife with illegal pixie-dust dealing, a tumbling economy and environmental troubles. Fey-phobic authorities blame the faerie for everything bad, and The Outlaws are prime suspects with a faerie puppet-maker wielding magic behind the scenes. When their gay artistic director is subpoenaed on false charges by Major, his corrupt, vindictive ex-lover, The Outlaws flee their world of blood and flowers into Faerie, a practically perfect place. Here they assimilate with local faeries, trolls and griffins, until Major appears to deliver an ultimatum. To avoid becoming "a lost bunch of misfits," The Outlaws stage what could be their final production. While the denouement feels anticlimactic, atmospheric language, arresting "culture mash-up," unique characters, an alluring overlap of fantasy and reality and strong themes of family and friendship create a provocative read. (Fantasy. 12 & up)

Kirkus Reviews - Kikus Reviews