“They Bloom at Night” by Trang Thanh Tran
Ever since a hurricane devastated the small town of Mercy, Louisiana, a red algae bloom has taken over. Mutated wildlife lurks in the water that rises by the day, but Mercy has always been a place where monsters walk in plain sight. Especially at its heart: the Cove, where Noon’s life was upended long before the storm at a party her older boyfriend insisted on.
Now, Noon is stuck navigating the submerged town with her mom, who believes their family have been reincarnated as sea creatures. Alone with the pain of what happened that night at the cove, Noon buries the truth: she is not the right shape.
When Mercy’s predatory leader demands Noon and her mum capture the creature drowning residents, she reluctantly finds an ally in his deadly hunter of a daughter and friends old and new. As the next storm approaches, Noon must confront the past and decide if it’s time to answer the monster itching at her skin.
Review
I really enjoyed this book and getting to know the characters. Noon is great and I really like the relationships they have with their mother and their friends. I’ve gone back and forth on thinking the writing style was to vague in places but also realizing that it was likely intentional on the part of the author. As much as what has happened in Mercy is important it’s not entirely the main point of the story. Noon figuring out their identity is the more important part of the story and in a lot of ways what has happened has influenced how Noon figurings things out. I really liked the extended friend group that Noon has and the way that group helps with everything.
This interview with the author adds some more context and explanations to the story: Trang Thanh Tran explores identity and transformation in They Bloom at Night.
Additional reviews and warnings at the StoryGraph page for “They Bloom at Night”.
Book Details
- Author’s Website
- Trang Thanh Tran
- Publisher / Date
- Bloomsbury YA, March 2025
- Genre
- Fantasy, Horror, Young Adult
- Page Count
- 262
- Date Completed
- Completed December 4, 2025