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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror
Minor: Grief
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
What an amazing book! A modern Frankenstein story told through plants and mycelium. Absolutely lovely and so thoughtful
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
An odd but engaging idea for a story. It combined a hint of fantasy and horror in a historical based setting with the complexities of human relationships thrown in. Honestly it was the complex and ever changing motives, thoughts and feelings behind the characters that made this book interesting. The ethical stance of the experiment and using the "substrate" they did made me as a reader conflicted, particularly with how she developed and the influence this had on her actions.
Gregor, Simon and Jennifer were all distinct in their own way. I grew to really like Simon and Jennifer - Jennifer was so enthusiastically human and full of life while Simon was stiff and reserved but once he came out of his paternal instinct kicked in, I loved his development. Meanwhile, I had the opposite view of Gregor, he was immediately charming and likeable but as the story developed, he became slightly more unhinged, sterner and honestly the way he flipflopped from fatherly to scientific was confusing.
The imagery throughout was phenomenal, clear and detailed but not overwhelming or overly fluffy. I liked the confines of the setting and it really suited the story.
I'm unsure how I feel about the ending, I think I liked it but it felt very neat and almost like they had forgotten everything that had led them there.
Gregor, Simon and Jennifer were all distinct in their own way. I grew to really like Simon and Jennifer - Jennifer was so enthusiastically human and full of life while Simon was stiff and reserved but once he came out of his paternal instinct kicked in, I loved his development. Meanwhile, I had the opposite view of Gregor, he was immediately charming and likeable but as the story developed, he became slightly more unhinged, sterner and honestly the way he flipflopped from fatherly to scientific was confusing.
The imagery throughout was phenomenal, clear and detailed but not overwhelming or overly fluffy. I liked the confines of the setting and it really suited the story.
I'm unsure how I feel about the ending, I think I liked it but it felt very neat and almost like they had forgotten everything that had led them there.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Murder
Minor: Homophobia, Suicide
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was interested in this, then I wasn't. Then I was, then I wasn't. My biggest gripe with this story is that I feel it could've been told in less than 350 pages. Maybe even less than 300. I didn't know where the book was going, but not in a positive way. Just when I thought we had gotten to the central problem/climax of the novel, something else would happen
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, Murder
Moderate: Animal death
Minor: Sexual content
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Blood
Minor: Animal death, Homophobia, Misogyny, Death of parent, Lesbophobia
Necromancy, Necrophilia
“Yet she knew in her heart that her strange yearnings made her belong here, in the queer forest of botanical oddities and human misfits. It hurt so much to be pushed away even from such a special sanctuary.”
•This book was the epitome of "no plot, just vibes."
•I wrote an annotation that said: delightfully macabre.
•I was immediately reminded of T. Kingfisher because of the quirkiness but the atmosphere felt reminiscent of Emily Tesh's Silver in the Wood.
•The interpersonal conflicts felt very surface level, which the story underwhelming as a whole considering the stakes weren't high to begin with.
•I really, really wanted to love this but unfortunately, the plot lacked urgency and the premise just fell a little short.
“A wonderful thing about taxidermy is that it transforms the chaos of life and death into perfect stasis. When captured in art, the subject ceases to be a creature of unpredictability, of yearning to one day be. It becomes fixed and finite. Its ‘becoming’ is finally and permanently completed.”
“But her body would be the host of this congregation of plants and fungi. It would be an abandoned cathedral, once more filled with spirit.”
•This book was the epitome of "no plot, just vibes."
•I wrote an annotation that said: delightfully macabre.
•I was immediately reminded of T. Kingfisher because of the quirkiness but the atmosphere felt reminiscent of Emily Tesh's Silver in the Wood.
•The interpersonal conflicts felt very surface level, which the story underwhelming as a whole considering the stakes weren't high to begin with.
•I really, really wanted to love this but unfortunately, the plot lacked urgency and the premise just fell a little short.
“A wonderful thing about taxidermy is that it transforms the chaos of life and death into perfect stasis. When captured in art, the subject ceases to be a creature of unpredictability, of yearning to one day be. It becomes fixed and finite. Its ‘becoming’ is finally and permanently completed.”
“But her body would be the host of this congregation of plants and fungi. It would be an abandoned cathedral, once more filled with spirit.”
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A bizarre concoction stems from the pages of A Botanical Daughter, and it's tendrils of horrific design grip you in a vice to venture into the absurdity of science and love.
Gregor and Simon live in Grimfern, a haven household where they can fulfill their job roles in seclusion; maintaining a secret, defiant relationship that borders between lust and emotive damage. When Gregor receives a package for a sentient Fungus that can adapt to light and it's environment, how far is the scientist willing to experiment to reclaim his honor of a botanist.
Truly a conflicting moral dilemma occurs between the pages of this book; from gravedigging, to horticultural affairs that anthropomorphise the term 'human' through plant life, to the detainment of life - a raging war is held closely between Gregor and his counterparts. Although the creator, his love for the creature that is known as Chloe shatters once he discovers her nature tends to be malicious and of ill-intent towards those that defy the Grimfern household. Simon adopts the doting father role, seeing the specimen as the epitome of his taxidermy skills; the finest creation, masterpiece of botany and humankind. And then there is Jennifer - the lover of Connie, a long lost daughter, now a vessel. A truly complex relationship develops in the absurd household.
The Victorian-esque etiquette and formalities lend itself to the intriguing narrative; the secluded nature of homosexual relationships, the glorified use of language, and the nefarious activities that commence within the chambers of Gregor's study. As a reader, the premise and characterization is a horrific yet beautifying experience. However, towards the latter half of the narrative, I was lost for the lustrous nature expressed by Jenny for the sentient botanical daughter; verging on primal instinct and leaning further into absurdity.
Gregor and Simon live in Grimfern, a haven household where they can fulfill their job roles in seclusion; maintaining a secret, defiant relationship that borders between lust and emotive damage. When Gregor receives a package for a sentient Fungus that can adapt to light and it's environment, how far is the scientist willing to experiment to reclaim his honor of a botanist.
Truly a conflicting moral dilemma occurs between the pages of this book; from gravedigging, to horticultural affairs that anthropomorphise the term 'human' through plant life, to the detainment of life - a raging war is held closely between Gregor and his counterparts. Although the creator, his love for the creature that is known as Chloe shatters once he discovers her nature tends to be malicious and of ill-intent towards those that defy the Grimfern household. Simon adopts the doting father role, seeing the specimen as the epitome of his taxidermy skills; the finest creation, masterpiece of botany and humankind. And then there is Jennifer - the lover of Connie, a long lost daughter, now a vessel. A truly complex relationship develops in the absurd household.
The Victorian-esque etiquette and formalities lend itself to the intriguing narrative; the secluded nature of homosexual relationships, the glorified use of language, and the nefarious activities that commence within the chambers of Gregor's study. As a reader, the premise and characterization is a horrific yet beautifying experience. However, towards the latter half of the narrative, I was lost for the lustrous nature expressed by Jenny for the sentient botanical daughter; verging on primal instinct and leaning further into absurdity.
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Very poorly written with a lot of telling instead of showing. A majority of the time, there was non-realistic human behavior that was used to cheaply transition the plot.
It's a shame because the premise really sounded intresting, but it just wasn't what I was looking for.
It's a shame because the premise really sounded intresting, but it just wasn't what I was looking for.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Grief, Murder, Lesbophobia
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Animal death, Sexual content