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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
dark
funny
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
adventurous
dark
informative
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
I listened to the audiobook and the narrator wasn't my favorite, well specifically how they narrated Greg wasn't my favorite.
This book makes me think of a hybrid of The Last of Us zombies if they were made by Dr Frankenstein and for some reason reminds me of Bbc Sherlock (I genuinely don't know why I can't shake the Sherlock thing as it shouldn't remind me of it). It wasn't what I expected. Not bad, but also not the worst. I also thought it would be more? Especially with out it ended, it just felt like it fizzled off and didn't feel satisfying.
This book makes me think of a hybrid of The Last of Us zombies if they were made by Dr Frankenstein and for some reason reminds me of Bbc Sherlock (I genuinely don't know why I can't shake the Sherlock thing as it shouldn't remind me of it). It wasn't what I expected. Not bad, but also not the worst. I also thought it would be more? Especially with out it ended, it just felt like it fizzled off and didn't feel satisfying.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Homophobia, Sexism, Sexual content, Blood, Murder
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-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
Frankenstein-like botanical experiment. Definitely an overreaching protagonist but Simon and Jenny are really lovable characters !
My only concern is with the ending :
I didn't really liked the way the men « won » and the girls were left being once again prisoners of a glasshouse and used to showcase botanical achievements.
My only concern is with the ending :
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Lesbophobia, Alcohol
Minor: Homophobia
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
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
The book is great for the first and second parts of it, with its strong sense of characters development and scientific detail work shining, but as it progresses, it becomes pretty clear that several loose ends will not be tied up by the time the pages run out. Characters arcs have little to no payoff, the stakes lamely decreased as it went on and it becomes really unclear what the book was trying to say all along because of various writing choices. The ending left me disappointed and it sours the experience of the entire book. Most of the praise this book gets is total BS because it seems like people didn't pay that much attention to what happened and how ridiculous it is and/or only care that the main characters are gay and that's it. If you're looking for a good novel about queerness, found family, gray morality, skip this one.
Modern ideas set in and using the language of Victorian and Gothic novels is having a moment, and I am here for all of it. A Botanical Daughter isn’t perfect; I am often confused between which is which with Simon and Gregor, except when Gregor is being cruel, as they and the other characters are primarily not fully fleshed out or consistent. There are some laugh out loud moments, especially when Gregor or Simon waxes melodramatically, there is some thoroughly described body horror and some sexy moments, not always in separate scenes, if you’re into that. The science of it is convincing enough for me as a layperson who had a touch time with the botany course I took in college, and the language of the novel is engaging enough to make me want to reread it in written version (v audiobook: note - the narration was excellent.)
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Frankenstein + Our Hideous Progeny + What Moves the Dead + ????
I really had to white knuckle it to hang onto my suspension of disbelief at times but I think I did it.
Early on it was a bit predictable - I was saying “Please don’t do what I know you’re about to do no no no no no” - but I think the latter 2/3 were less transparent.
I think it was a really cool concept and an enjoyable read. I think the audiobook narrator did a great job with the voices.
The narrator POV was weird but good? It was all written in the third person, but FELT like it moved between all the characters’ first person POVs.
I was not expecting alesbian plant monster sex scene 😳
I hatedGregor more and more as the book went on and I hate that in the end Chloe still loved him .
Edited to add: I loved that the characters were neurodivergent as well as queer (for example, I thinkSimon is autistic and Gregor has ADHD ).
I really had to white knuckle it to hang onto my suspension of disbelief at times but I think I did it.
Early on it was a bit predictable - I was saying “Please don’t do what I know you’re about to do no no no no no” - but I think the latter 2/3 were less transparent.
I think it was a really cool concept and an enjoyable read. I think the audiobook narrator did a great job with the voices.
The narrator POV was weird but good? It was all written in the third person, but FELT like it moved between all the characters’ first person POVs.
I was not expecting a
I hated
Edited to add: I loved that the characters were neurodivergent as well as queer (for example, I think
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Murder
Moderate: Homophobia, Suicide, Medical content, Grief, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Infidelity, Fire/Fire injury
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Sexual content, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Homophobia, Lesbophobia
Minor: Grief, Fire/Fire injury