1.53k reviews for:

A Botanical Daughter

Noah Medlock

3.67 AVERAGE

senqin's review against another edition

3.0

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Something deep inside them both erupted, and all they could see was beauty, and each other, and iridescent algal green.

★★★

There are not nearly enough reimaginings of Frankenstein out there! Not to mention queer ones or even those that really play with the body/biological horror aspect

ohcorkyboyy's review

1.0

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Two strange queer dudes that have nothing in common, just the fact that they’re both odd. So that gave us this trash book! Thank you.

ohallows's review against another edition

4.5

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objectively, this was all over the place and the concept could have been interested in a much more interesting way but I had so much fun reading it that I'm choosing to turn off the more severe critical thinking parts of my brain for the time being. I had a lot of fun. Simon and Gregor are deeply weird terrible people (affectionate) and

I hope jenny and constance are fingerblasting each other in the afterlife

dolljointed's review against another edition

2.5

slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

ocie's review against another edition

4.0

dark funny tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

holly_pop's review

3.0

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The horror in this book would have been better if the story had leaned more into exploring the actual most horrifying thing about it (imo), which was the NONCONSENSUAL USE of a dead young woman's BODY to grow a plant-woman as a hubris-filled man's experiment, and then having her best friend/unfulfilled lover unwittingly tend to the plant-woman WHILE ACTIVELY CONCEALING FROM HER THAT THIS WAS HER DEAD FRIEND! Basically the continuous infantilization and exploitation of the two young women was not explored deeply enough. Also, all the other themes (queer relationships, jealously, found/created family, emotional suppression, art as coping skill) were all over the place and none of them really came to the forefront. Interesting concept, messy execution. I wouldn't discourage someone from reading this, it was still diverting, but definitely could have been better.

eliris3's review

4.0

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This book was entertaining the whole way through and I loved the dymanic of a little queer (in more ways than one) family living together in this greenhouse. I love that everyone kind of found themselves in the end from this entire Frankenstein-esque experience, although the ending surprised me quite a bit. It made me a little sad but also it was a good way to wrap up the storyline. Also I am so surprised that absolutely none of them faced the consequences of their actions but in this, it's better that way.

hattey's review against another edition

2.0

challenging dark emotional informative sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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I liked most of the beginning of this book but th e last half really fell apart to me. Gregor felt more and more inconsistent as a character. The ending felt very rushed and kind of out of place. It’s hard to explain, but the ending just didn’t sit right with me. It’s something about the way the men got to continue living without consequence, even though Gregor became a controlling spiteful murderer. But the women end up dead and contained. Forever stuck in one small fake world, controlled by the men who controlled them in life. It doesn’t just feel like a tragedy, it feels uneven. 

m4razm's review against another edition

4.0

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

jeski's review against another edition

4.25

dark emotional mysterious 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