Reviews - The Enchanted Greenhouse

1.14k reviews for:

The Enchanted Greenhouse

Sarah Beth Durst

4.37 AVERAGE

reynawhile's review against another edition

4.5

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

pslili1998's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous lighthearted medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

This book was another very sweet story, just like the previous one. While the last one truly felt like a warm hug, this was once again a lovely adventure that really draws you in alongside the characters. It mainly focuses on their growing bond, combined with a fun adventure.

catvonb's review against another edition

2.75

lighthearted slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I found this book quite slow and uneventful. I liked the first one in the series a lot more fun.

bibi_reads_writes's review against another edition

4.0

Wow, did someone read my mind and throw everything I love into a series? These books feel like a warm fuzzy blanket, and I really enjoyed listening to the narration. I recommend to fans of cozy fantasy with a cottagecore feel!

Note: I received an audio ARC from NetGalley in exchange for honest feedback.

Talking and singing plants, flying cats, dragons, enchanted greenhouses, an angry ghost, and romance between a librarian and a grumpy gardener/baker? YES PLEASE. Everything was there for me to *love* this one.

I really enjoyed the writing, especially the evocative and vivid descriptions of settings, food, and atmosphere. I also loved the “save the greenhouses/plants!” and mad scientist / coded spellbooks plot. At the same time, I had a hard time shipping the two MCs and feeling *really* involved in the story. I really liked Terlu as an FMC and loved all of the non-human sidekicks, but the love interest and most of the side characters didn’t feel very likeable. (There are grumpy MMCs, and then there are stubborn and deeply resentful MMCs…) I think that if it wasn’t for the whole alone-on-a-deserted island thing, these two would never have gotten together. There was also a lot of repeated interactions, near misses, inner monologues, and struggles, which led to some dragging. There was also a TON of named characters, so much so that the author had to define them almost every single time (e.g., “Bobby, Yarrow’s uncle,” and “Rosie the fireweed”). It’s not high/epic fantasy --- there shouldn’t be that many names to digest. Urgh!

Bottom line, I enjoyed listening to this one, but I feel like it was a bit of a let down as compared to the first book.

Tropes to expect: grumpy vs. sunshine, the hermit & the mad scientist, together on a deserted island, second chances, self-discovery, the healing power of community

❤️ Drool-worthy food descriptions
❤️ Cozy vibes
❤️ Flying cats & friendly dragons
❤️ Focus on plants
❌ Stubborn, annoying MMC
❌ Unlikeable side characters
❌ Repetitions and dragging
❌ Too many characters

Trigger warnings: confinement, civil war, child abuse, abandonment, death and grief, fire and fire injury, emotional abuse, petrification, etc.

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