The Bookish Mindset

Overview:

Title: The Dandelion Riots
Author: Kim Smejkal
Published: March 2025
Genre: YA Dystopian
Themes: Found Family, Chosen One

One sentence summary: One of the cursed, Drinn is destined for destruction, but is it all worth the risk for the ones she loves?

One sentence review: Good fun in a short read, perfect for fans of The Gilded Ones.

Review:

Drinn is one of the cursed; young girls cursed at birth by the Aunts with curses varying from plagues to the destruction of the world. 

She’s moved around each year to keep her away from anyone else but this is the year she escapes.

So this was a fun and snappy read. It’s not often a dystopian is under 300 pages but it managed everything you’d enjoy in the genre in the longer book: interesting world building, cursed/chosen ones, clever magic systems and a sprinkling of devastation.

It was pacy and a great range of characters, some you’ll love more than others of course. Our main trio are quite the combo and it was enjoyable seeing them grow throughout. 

Based on vibes and tropes, fans of The Gilded Ones will appreciate this one for sure. 

If reading more is something that you’re looking at doing this year then should check my reading challenge out here! Read nine books from nine prompts over the first six months of the year and be entered into a draw to win a bundle of bookish goodies.

If you’d like to get yourself a copy, you can support local bookshops while doing so on Bookshop.org with this link here.

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And don’t forget to check out my other blogs and reviews – you can find books with similar themes in the same folder link below, or click back onto blogs to see the whole offering.

Last updated 19/05/2025