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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
fast-paced
emotional
mysterious
sad
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:
Yes
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
What the fuck did I just read… In the best way possible.
This book was out of my comfort zone because I don’t usually read horror, but I really enjoyed this. This book is disgusting and horrifying but it’s also surprisingly really funny and witty. Somehow fitting both of those into the same book is quite a feat from the author, so kudos for that. It’s also a super queer book which I really appreciated. If you like historical fiction with a bit of spice, and you wanna try out some horror, you will probably like this! Huge TW for body horror though.
I liked the writing too, but my only concern is that even though the book itself isn’t super fast paced, it’s like the plot points happen too fast for me to really get on board with it. There isn’t enough buildup which means the characters sometimes seemingly change their mind completely about something at the drop of a hat, which unfortunately made it less believable for me. I almost feel like this book just should have been longer in order to give the story the room and pages it deserves. Because wow, what a story.
All in all I was entertained throughout it the whole thing, and I did not see the progression of the story coming!
This book was out of my comfort zone because I don’t usually read horror, but I really enjoyed this. This book is disgusting and horrifying but it’s also surprisingly really funny and witty. Somehow fitting both of those into the same book is quite a feat from the author, so kudos for that. It’s also a super queer book which I really appreciated. If you like historical fiction with a bit of spice, and you wanna try out some horror, you will probably like this! Huge TW for body horror though.
I liked the writing too, but my only concern is that even though the book itself isn’t super fast paced, it’s like the plot points happen too fast for me to really get on board with it. There isn’t enough buildup which means the characters sometimes seemingly change their mind completely about something at the drop of a hat, which unfortunately made it less believable for me. I almost feel like this book just should have been longer in order to give the story the room and pages it deserves. Because wow, what a story.
All in all I was entertained throughout it the whole thing, and I did not see the progression of the story coming!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Sexual content, Blood, Murder
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was not expecting the ending. There's a lot in here about queer found family, but also the dangers of isolating yourself from the rest of the world. Also some creepy, plant-based body horror.
Not sure how those guys robbed a grave, killed a couple dudes, and did arson without getting caught, but good for them tbh
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror
Moderate: Homophobia
adventurous
hopeful
tense
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
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
lighthearted
“Simon, what do you understand to be the nature of a soul?”
“That part of us which cannot be destroyed.”
I'm pretty surprised, and really happy, that I'm ending on such a high note with this book. In the earlier chapters, I just thought it was okay, and I didn't love some things about the writing and the delivery, and the audiobook wasn't my favourite. I contemplated DNFing pretty early, but I stuck with it, and I'm really glad that I did! I can definitely see reasons why this wouldn't work for other readers, especially because of some of the characters, and because of the ending. But this ended up being the kind of horror that I ADORE, and my nitpicks are all things that were easily swept away in the face of how much I loved other elements.
This is a Victorian historical horror that could be described as cosy. Gregor and Simon are two Confirmed Bachelors (🏳️🌈) living together in a botanical garden on Gregor's family's ramshackle estate. Gregor is a botanist, Simon is a taxidermist, and they live a domestic, isolated life with their studies, their books, their plants and their dead animal corpses. When Gregor receives a new fungal specimen that proves surprisingly intelligent, he becomes obsessed with the idea of creating new life. And with the unknowing help of their laundress-turned-housekeeper, suffering from recent grief, they do just that. I think if you're the kind of reader that prefers to follow likeable main characters, you're going to have a difficult time with this one. Gregor is pompous and kind of insufferable. Simon is often ineffectual and a little bit of a doormat. Their romance isn't very demonstrative, and while we do get glimpses of the ways they click together and the ways they're good for each other and why they fell in love, there are probably going to be moments where you wonder what they have in common and why they're still an item. The characterisation is... I won't say inconsistent, but they both flip flop, back and forth, on what they make of their daughter, how to treat her, what to do with her, et cetera. I did get a little frustrated with that, especially when it came to Gregor.
It was as if a dozen voices sang in chorus, her mouth a sumptuous basilica.
But the book still ended up working for me a lot, mostly because of our other main characters. I still liked Gregor and Simon, but I LOVED Jenny and Chloe. They were such lovely characters, and instantly made me want to root for them. Jenny is fierce and stubborn and while she comes from a lower class and is at first awkward with the men, she definitely stands up for herself, and for Chloe, in ways that just... augh. When it comes to horror, I LOVE body horror, and when it comes to fantasy, I LOVE plant magic. This felt like the perfect amalgamation of both those things. I loved the descriptions of Chloe's creation and birth, of the mycelium, of the way she functioned as part plant, part human. The moments where she sways in the breeze, or soaks up the sunlight, or starts growing roots and sprouting vines if she stays in place for long. I felt like I could picture everything perfectly; it was a visual feast. This does get gory at times, and it's delicious and weird.
I was a little devastated that Jennifer never realised what Gregor and Simon did, that they stole Constance's body. It was so sad, when she would feel guilty about neglecting Constance's grave in favour of her duties at the house, in favour of Chloe. Not knowing that Chloe is Constance! But the way things ended, I think she knew, after those last moments. Or maybe that's just wishful thinking, idk. It did feel like Gregor and Simon got away with a lot of stuff, which feels frustrating. They tricked Jenny, they killed both Constance's father (I mean, technically Chloe killed him, and he was horrible, so that was fine) and Jenny's father (who definitely didn't deserve it imo). Gregor let Chloe kill his ex, Julian. I kept expecting one of these things to come round and bite them in the ass, but nope. I don't know if I love that, but I guess I didn't hate it. I would have also expected to hate the fact that Jenny died in the end, as I usually hate all tragic endings for queer people (especially queer women)... but that's the thing. It didn't feel tragic? It almost felt triumphant. That sex scene was one of the strangest but loveliest things I've ever imagined, and yeah... it's fitting that it would end with Jenny subsumed. It's weirdly and grossly romantic, to imagine them melded into one plant organism, together forever.
The writing style is a little whimsical and quirky, which I did like. Again, because this deals with nature and plant horror, I was so easily pleased. The author used a lot of lush descriptions, and combined with the witticisms and humour, it just worked well. I listened to the audiobook as read by Keval Shah, which wasn't my favourite. I liked his general speaking voice and the way he performed the prose, but his Gregor voice was kind of grating to me. Very deep and fake sounding and kind of obnoxious. Which fits with Gregor as a character, lol, but it wasn't pleasant to listen to. There were also some instances where the pacing and pronunciation felt off. It made it a little difficult to listen, at first. but I pushed through it, and I'm so glad I did.
I'm not sure who I'd recommend this too. The romance appealed to me, but it wasn't the main part of it. The horror appealed to me, but it's definitely not horror in a traditional sense. But for me, everything worked so well in the end, and I'm very happy that I gave this a shot. Kudos, will def. read from the author again.
Content warnings:
Something deep inside them both erupted, and all they could see was beauty, and each other, and iridescent algal green.