3.5 stars. I know they say not to judge a book by its cover but this cover is truly captivating ane caught my eye immediately.

This was a really unique idea - I loved the links to Vietnamese mythology and this book touches on a lot of really key social issues - racism, gender identity, environmental and natural disaster concerns but a lot more. The relationships in this book are complex despite the length of the novel and it comes together well.
I did find myself struggling with this book towards the end as the pace suddenly changes but overall I enjoyed the experience reading this.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC

Such a beautifully haunting book about identity, acceptance, culture and trauma.

I adored the writing style so much and found the book hard to put down. I was desperate to find out more about the characters and the troubles they faced both in their past and in the new world they are discovering after the hurricane.

A story of found family, found self and love of the sea.

Trang Thanh Tran’s novel presents a setting that sounds undeniably intriguing: a small Louisiana town overwhelmed by a toxic red algae bloom, mutated wildlife lurking in the floodwaters, and a protagonist grappling with both external monsters and her own internal turmoil. On paper, this blend of swampy atmosphere, horror elements, and personal struggles seemed like the kind of story I would normally enjoy. Unfortunately, it did not work for me in execution.

The central character, Noon, is weighed down by past trauma and a mother who believes their family members have been reborn as sea creatures. While that premise is unique, I struggled to form any real connection to Noon or the people around her. Even the mother’s eccentric beliefs, which might have been a captivating subplot, felt underexplored and distant. The introduction of Mercy’s menacing leader and his skilled hunter of a daughter initially hinted at a complex power dynamic, but the tension never fully developed into something I could invest in.

The constant threat posed by the mutated environment was described in detail, yet for all the novel’s focus on horror, it never evoked a strong emotional reaction. By the time Noon had to make her fateful decisions, I felt more detached than invested. While others may find the coastal lore and the eerie mood compelling, I personally found it difficult to latch onto any character or narrative thread. Despite its promising premise, the story ultimately fell flat and left me wanting more clarity and depth.

They Bloom at Night is a beautifully eerie mix of eco-horror, folklore, and deep emotional storytelling. Set in a flooded Louisiana town after a hurricane, the book follows Noon as she faces strange disappearances, mutated creatures, and haunting whispers in the rising waters. But beyond the supernatural scares, it’s really about identity, trauma, and finding the courage to fight back.

The writing is rich and atmospheric, pulling you into a world that feels unsettling yet mesmerizing. The story has a great blend of psychological tension and cultural depth. The horror isn’t just about monsters; it’s also about the fear of being seen, of confronting who you really are.

I enjoyed this slow-burn, character-driven horror with folklore and a strong emotional core , although you might want to leave the light on after reading it!

Gothic, eco-horror unevenly spliced with a brooding variation on a coming-of-age story. There are strange things in the waters surrounding Mercy, a small fishing community in Louisiana. In the aftermath of a near-apocalyptic hurricane, bizarre red algae have been growing at a ferocious pace, mutant sea creatures abound, people are disappearing, and there are rumours of a Lovecraftian monster lurking beneath the waves. Nhung aka Noon and her mother are all that’s left of their family, they travel through the red bloom in their boat, fishing and searching for answers. When Noon’s mother’s unexpectedly injured, Noon’s forced to team up with her boss’s daughter Covey, and they form a tentative bond. But Noon is struggling with the impact of a traumatic assault, sworn to secrecy by her mother, she’s filled with rage and self-loathing. And now, she too may be undergoing an intense process of transformation.

Trang Thanh Tran’s atmospheric narrative’s partly inspired by Laurie Halse Anderson’s Speak and partly influenced by the surreal, wilderness zone depicted in Annihilation. But Tran also weaves in aspects of Vietnamese myth and culture taking her story in unanticipated directions. However, I felt Tran was trying to tackle too many weighty topics here: environmental disaster, issues around gender, embodiment, and alienation through to the possibility of renewal or rebirth. The result’s definitely intriguing, lots of striking images and macabre, unsettling passages but it could be frustratingly slow. The style’s oddly dense, and I found the structure a little confusing, hard to follow at times. Noon's a sympathetic figure but the supporting characters need fleshing out – the villains are particularly cartoonish. But I relished the observations about aquatic life, and the queer rep’s well integrated.

An atmospheric horror novel full of thrills and monsters. Noon and her mother are wonderful characters who draws you in. Not for the faint hearted this is a well written book. I will be looking up more of this authors work.

I always love ocean horror stories, especially if they are queer. Nhung and Covey are two girls with complicated parental relationships - Covey's mother is missing, and Nhung's mother is obsessed with bringing back their dead family members. Also, there is some kind of red algae drowning the water, and people are disappearing.

I liked Noon and Covey and their friends as characters, they were a fun bunch and said interesting things about life and parents. So they were kind of the heart of the book for me. The other big theme is of course Noon being uncomfortable in her body, and trying to find her place. I couldn't figure out if she was meant to be nonbinary or simply rejecting humanity, but it was an interesting character arc.

There is a lot about rape culture, trauma, Vietnamese culture, climate change, weird gender feelings, and body horror, so if you're interested in those themes and also water monsters, then this might be the book for you.

They Bloom At Night by Trang Thanh Tran is a beautifully descriptive piece with a terrifying creature supposedly being the reason people are disappearing without trace.
In Mercy, Louisiana, after a hurricane ruined life there, a small number of determined families are trying to stay and make a living from a river that has sprouted red algae substance, and is creating mutated creatures. People also seem to disappear.
A local business man that literally runs the town his way by force, demands that a young girl called Noon, and her mum catch the creature that is causing all this mayhem. He also says they have to take his daughter Covey with them, to make sure that they do it!
I really enjoyed it, and loved the ending! The descriptive writing really helped me to visualise the scenes as the story unfolded. We learn about Noon and her life experiences, that are not all pleasant. It really makes you think about life.
Many thanks to Bloomsbury Publishing for the opportunity to read this arc copy via Netgalley. My opinion is my own.
#Netgalley, #BloomsburyPublishing, #NVTran_

An atmospheric horror novel full of thrills and monsters. Noon and her mother are wonderful characters who draws you in. Not for the faint hearted this is a well written book. I will be looking up more of this authors work. Thanks to Bloomsbury and Netgalley for this review ARC.

They Bloom at Night is a beautifully written novel exploring the complexities of the human condition, set against an eiree Louisiana backdrop.
It follows the journey of Noon and her mother, who have been hired to catch a ‘monster’, in a town full of hate and examines the concept of the often-misplaced fear of the unknown and how those with power use it to their advantage.
It is a novel about displacement not only within the physically environment but also the displacement of one’s identity and the pain we must sometimes endure to truly know who we are.
The descriptions of the landscape and ‘red bloom’ that engulfs it, are wonderfully evocative, it was a joy to read.
Thank you to Bloomsbury and NetGalley for providing an eARC of this book.

Coming of rage for sure! I adored this book, I'm always a big fan of nature reclaims violent apocalypse. Like the last of us? Cordyceps is literally the coolest ever, so this book was right up my alley and I adored it!

Noon is changing and nothing nor anyone can stop it.

Noon and her mum live from the ocean in the town of Mercy and one day, against their will they have to go on a quest to find the supposed monster that live in these red algae infested waters. The one they’ve been avoiding.

… and they are joined by Covey, the daughter of the man that is forcing them.

This an YA book that not just delivers body horror with supernatural elements but touches subjects like friendship, grief, abuse, gender identity and sexuality.

If you like slow burns, with a dark ocean setting, you will like this one.

Also, if you’re like me that builds an imaginary world while you’re reading, you’re going to see yourself lost in this town.

They Bloom at Night by Trang Thanh Tran made me so scared! This climate horror thriller for young adults had me on the edge of my seat. I felt genuine suspense, thrills, and surprising moments. It starts from page one, and it’s so chilling. You feel like everything’s already been set in motion, and there’s no stopping what will happen. Even in the new world, these entitled rich folks just want to exploit the Earth. It’s such a great book, and the anger it shows is completely justified. It’s a total breakdown of all those power structures, and it really shines a light on how they hurt everyone.

I was excited to read They Bloom At Night, based on the synopsis and that excellent cover art, but I'll admit to being hesitant when I'd seen it described as YA—not usually my thing. Fortunately, this is a dark, emotionally resonant piece of storytelling that has just as much to offer for the more mature reader.

Following Nhung—pronounced 'Noon' to those less familiar with Vietnamese—an inhabitant of Mercy, Louisiana. Taken over by a mysterious red algae that causes those exposed to it to begin changing, Nhung and her mother are recruited to try and find a suspected monster that's stalking the town and to try and discover why so many locals are going missing. Her relationships with her mother and with other local teenagers are stretched, tested, and taken in unexpected new directions as their mission continues, and it starts to feel like she won't escape it unchanged.

Thematically, Trang Thanh Tran manages to fit so much into this story. Through trauma and sexual assault, queerness and otherness, the desire to fit in versus learning to love the person you are, or the immigrant experience, we learn a lot about Nhung. These ideas are filtered through the lens of oceanic body horror, at times surprisingly grotesque for a YA book, as well as Vietnamese folklore. The end result is a book almost bursting at the seams with ideas and points to make—in lesser hands this narrative could split and become too much, but Tran manages to form it into a coherent whole.

The start of the story is a little slow, and I can understand some readers struggling with the pacing. There is a lot of world for Tran to build here, and the setup is vital for appreciating the back half of the book—despite the time spent on it, however, sometimes ideas feel a little confused or hard to follow. This isn't a major issue and certainly doesn't happen often, but I feel like some concepts weren't quite fleshed out enough for me to follow.

Overall, though, this is a very accomplished book, wonderfully written and with engaging and interesting characters. A sci-fi/dystopian thriller with elements of cosmic horror, at times reminiscent of a water-borne Annihilation, don't let the YA label fool you—They Bloom At Night is hiding some sharp teeth in its pages.

They Bloom at Night sent shivers down my spine. This climate horror delivers plenty of thrills, suspense and surprises.

I adored She is a Haunting and Tran returns in full force here with this ocean horror that is eerie, disquieting and delivers the goods. This is excellent YA horror. I really like how much we delve into the intersection between capitalism, colonialism and climate crisis. Even in this altered world, rich men seek to exploit the world around them for their own gain. It is a deeply angry book that looks to burn down those power structures by highlighting how they affect people.

Noon is a fantastic protagonist within this. She has been changed by a secret she holds deep within her heart but cannot let this show for fear of upsetting her grief-stricken mother, obsessed with rediscovering the people they have loved and lost. The throughline of grief is wonderfully depicted with nuance and sensitivity. Grief brings out differing responses in everyone it affects, which is on full display here.

I loved the unnerving feeling of inevitability that the book possessed. From the first page, it feels like the events have been set in motion, leading towards the outcome that was always destined to happen. Of course, as a story, the course is set by the author already, but as a reader, you wish for it to change anyway. It also matches the book’s fascination with fate and the expectations of where our lives may lead. This blends Vietnamese folklore with the speculative story within, blurring the lines between fantasy and reality even further.

They Bloom at Night bares its teeth, sinks them in and does not let go. It is horror at its finest – holding a mirror up to our society and warning of the monsters within.

I was really excited for this, as I enjoyed She Is a Haunting, particularly for the horror and gothic elements. I loved how in She Is A Haunting Tran wrote about and explored the impact colonialism had and is still having on the Vietnamese people, while looking in to the Vietnamese diaspora and how that can effect how Vietnamese people identify themselves and move through the world.

Tran continued with these themes of diaspora in this, with the added addition of Vietnamese folklore. I thought this was really interesting, showing how these stories can follow you and the impact they can have on your life. For Noon and her mum this is transformative, in ways I will not spoil.

I really enjoyed the plotting and storytelling in this one, and I thought it was fascinating. However, I did find the world building somewhat lacking and confusing. I understood that this was happening in Mercy, but I found myself confused on the rest of the world. There was some mention of how the rest of the world was running and their reactions, but it didn’t feel clear enough to me. I was all around just a tad confused the entire time.

This was a criticism I had for She Is A Haunting too, but some of the sentences in this just didn’t make sense to me. I found myself having to reread entire paragraphs at a time because the sentences did not feel like proper sentences nor did they make sense.

Additionally, while I enjoyed the cast of characters I never really found myself enamoured or caring too much about them. There wasn’t a great amount of chemistry! By far the best character was Noon, and the most interesting relationship was the one she had with her mum.

Overall, I did find this to be a good book and I would recommend it. However, at times I felt like the writing was difficult and the world building lacklustre.

This was such a dark read that had me fully invested immediately. I am a big fan of body horror books and movies so I felt drawn to this one.

disclaimer : I received this free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

content warnings: violence, horror, body horror, gore, rape, sexual assault, racism, queerphobia

rep: vietnamese non binary m/c, lesbian side character & LI, queer side characters

I so wanted to love They Bloom at Night & while I enjoyed the novel at times, I was also just so bored at times too - which I was shocked at bc it's such a short novel. They Bloom at Night follows Nhung in a louisiana town after a hurricane has devastated the area & a red algae bloom has caused mutated wildlife. It has a good blend of sci - fi/post apocalyptic horror & also a haunting supernatural element. It talks about class , racism, intergenerational trauma, climate change , discovery of one's gender & queerness , Asian American experience - but all in all - it's really a coming of age novel, which may be why I struggled to get into it bc I've aged out of that now (this isn't the novels fault). Even tho this didn't hit the spot for me, if you're wanting a YA ocean horror with sci fi & supernatural elements, then I do recommend you have a nosy at this one.

A Vietnamese folklore inspired body horror set on the waterways of Louisiana.
As a red algae starts clogging the water around the town of Mercy, the daughter of Vietnamese immigrants pairs up with the daughter of the local morally not-so-great man in charge to hunt a monster, all the while being aware that she herself is transforming.
This is YA, and not particularly subtle at times, but I enjoyed it quite a bit. There's an oppressive, swampy atmosphere, and I liked the empowering message.

Are you a horror reader?

I have never considered myself to be one, but I think this year I am having my horror renaissance.

This book was astounding - I could not put it down. I loved the horror of it, the folklore, the characters and the depiction of humanity and its depravity.

I am devastated this is only getting a paperback release because I would have paid good money for a beautiful but terrible special edition of this book.

The best horror book I've read this year by far, no notes.

Thank you to @netgalley and @bloomsburypublishing for my advanced copy of this amazing book.

#horrorbooks #yaficton #queerfiction