Written by Sarah Jio
I recently read The Last Camellia by Sarah Jio and as I was reading, I couldn’t help but be astonished by the amount of damage a flower could inflict on a family.
The book follows the misadventures of Flora, an American girl who goes to England to help a con-artist steal a rare species of camellia. One thing leads to another, and before long she’s thrust into the middle of a family feud and a murder plot. Then there’s Addison who is running from her dark past when she goes to live where Flora’s drama went down.
A few years ago, I had read Blackberry Winter by Sarah Jio and I loved the way the chapters alternated between the past and the present so when I saw that The Last Camellia was the same, I decided to give it a try. It’s nice that there are two heroines in the book who are connected by their common interests but at the same time are extremely different because they are separated by a lifetime.
Expecting a serious BANG after all the buildup in the story, I was a little disappointed by the story’s resolution. I felt like Jio had run out of steam by the time she came to the end of the book. But it was still a good story.
My favorite character was Flora because I feel like she was the most developed, and I appreciate how even though she’s warned about the con-artist she’s working for, she still makes the mistake of working with him. Also it was interesting to see how Jio gave each character flaws unique to themselves; it’s just like real people.
So while I only rated this book three stars on Goodreads, if you want a quick read (I finished it in 4 hours) for a rainy day, then find a cozy spot and read The Last Camellia.
Advertisements Love it? Share it!
