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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I wanted to like this, I love fungus AND horror, but unfortunately the characters were not good enough to carry the plot :( They were constantly radically changing personality and relationships for no apparent reason, and I just couldn't make it make sense.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This one is so difficult to like explain my feelings for because I read this over such a long period of time because I loved the writing style and kind of just knowing he has just one book out wasn't enough for me I didn't want it to end. I felt the same way about Godkiller when I read that.
Anyway Spoiler free portion, I liked it the characters were interesting the setting was gorgeous in my mind at least and honestly I would love to see it become a movie I just think I need to see Chloe the plant creature on the big screen or even a series by Ryan Murphy it just feels like it would be such a fun watch.
OKAY time for a more in depth spoiler filled review so skip the rest of this review if you haven't read the book.
So it had the typical horror book things I enjoy in a book, some gore, some death/murder, a subjecrt or multiple subjects that fascinates the characters like the botanical side with Gregor and the taxidermy side with Simon. I liked the relationship between Jennifer and Chloe and I loved that in the end they were together again.
The ending though is honestly where it goes downhill for me. I gave this 4 stars rounded up honestly it was moreso a 3.5 if I'm being honest but the writing style was beautiful and the story itself was worth the read. It just missed the mark for me in terms of I personally never felt afraid when reading it. I felt horrified at the jenny being envoloped by chloe scene and i was worried we were heading into hentai territory at one point so that spooked me but just I wanted more from the ending.
It was like being on a rollercoaster getting close to the top and enjoying looking down and then you get halfway down and it ends up turning out to be a relaxing ending.
I wanted a sequel honestly I felt Chloe should have stayed as a person not becoming a sentient building. I know theres potential for a sequal there, I mean who's to say Jennifer cant detach from chloe and chloe cant regress back to a girl.
I found the book beautifully researched and the writing was almost prose like in its beauty at times so it deserves stars for that but it left me dissapointed I kind of like endings in horror books that leave me craving more, this tied things together perfectly fine but it felt a bit almost rushed and I kind of wanted the atmosphere of it as a whole to be darker than it was. It felt almost joyous too often.
Overall good book and I'd read his next book but the ride made me feel like there would be a dramatic conclusion but it missed the mark for me personally. I never want to slate a debut really because I feel bad doing so but it didn't deserve 3 stars, it was closer to 4 by a hair because of the authors descriptions and he did make me care for the characters.
Anyway Spoiler free portion, I liked it the characters were interesting the setting was gorgeous in my mind at least and honestly I would love to see it become a movie I just think I need to see Chloe the plant creature on the big screen or even a series by Ryan Murphy it just feels like it would be such a fun watch.
OKAY time for a more in depth spoiler filled review so skip the rest of this review if you haven't read the book.
So it had the typical horror book things I enjoy in a book, some gore, some death/murder, a subjecrt or multiple subjects that fascinates the characters like the botanical side with Gregor and the taxidermy side with Simon. I liked the relationship between Jennifer and Chloe and I loved that in the end they were together again.
The ending though is honestly where it goes downhill for me. I gave this 4 stars rounded up honestly it was moreso a 3.5 if I'm being honest but the writing style was beautiful and the story itself was worth the read. It just missed the mark for me in terms of I personally never felt afraid when reading it. I felt horrified at the jenny being envoloped by chloe scene and i was worried we were heading into hentai territory at one point so that spooked me but just I wanted more from the ending.
It was like being on a rollercoaster getting close to the top and enjoying looking down and then you get halfway down and it ends up turning out to be a relaxing ending.
I wanted a sequel honestly I felt Chloe should have stayed as a person not becoming a sentient building. I know theres potential for a sequal there, I mean who's to say Jennifer cant detach from chloe and chloe cant regress back to a girl.
I found the book beautifully researched and the writing was almost prose like in its beauty at times so it deserves stars for that but it left me dissapointed I kind of like endings in horror books that leave me craving more, this tied things together perfectly fine but it felt a bit almost rushed and I kind of wanted the atmosphere of it as a whole to be darker than it was. It felt almost joyous too often.
Overall good book and I'd read his next book but the ride made me feel like there would be a dramatic conclusion but it missed the mark for me personally. I never want to slate a debut really because I feel bad doing so but it didn't deserve 3 stars, it was closer to 4 by a hair because of the authors descriptions and he did make me care for the characters.
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
What a gorgeous book. My emotions were all over the place as I was reading - I loved Gregor and Simon, and their quirky relationship. I loved how the titular "botanical daughter" came about, and all the different ways she developed, especially her relationship with her governess.
Some of the horror left me reeling with its descriptions, but at its root-bound heart, this book is one about love and beauty, and the many ways that they can manifest.
The ending wasn't quite what I was expecting, nor was it what I feared - I think it was truly perfect.
Some of the horror left me reeling with its descriptions, but at its root-bound heart, this book is one about love and beauty, and the many ways that they can manifest.
The ending wasn't quite what I was expecting, nor was it what I feared - I think it was truly perfect.
You know when a book has all the right elements to make an amazing story and then the execution falls flat?? Yeah, that's what happened here.
The writing has so many metaphors and similes that, at some point, didn't even make sense anymore.The scene transitions are choppy,there's a surprising lack of suspense and horror for a book marketed as botanical horror, and the use of the phrase 'mossy clitoris' alone had me ready to close the book.
The first 30% of this was very frankensteinesque and I did enjoy it, so much so that I recommended it to a friend before I even finished the book. However, the rest of the book was poorly written and I spent the entire time wishing it would get better.
The writing has so many metaphors and similes that, at some point, didn't even make sense anymore.The scene transitions are choppy,there's a surprising lack of suspense and horror for a book marketed as botanical horror, and the use of the phrase 'mossy clitoris' alone had me ready to close the book.
The first 30% of this was very frankensteinesque and I did enjoy it, so much so that I recommended it to a friend before I even finished the book. However, the rest of the book was poorly written and I spent the entire time wishing it would get better.
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes