“Everything about Iran-born, former Northern California dance critic Anita Amirrezvani’s first novel is meticulously designed: its nine-year creation; its hypnotic cadence and considered approach to plot and characters inspired by Iranian tales and its immaculately researched historical detail, down to its unnamed narrator. It’s all crafted, as the author’s note indicates, “in tribute to the anonymous artisans of Iran.” Beginning with and framed by real and imagined Iranian and Islamic fairy tales, the novel’s form is itself homage to past raconteurs and storytelling traditions. Even before the main story is under way, it’s clear that The Blood of Flowers isn’t just any novel.”