Reviews

Evil Roots: Killer Tales of the Botanical Gothic by Daisy Butcher

esotericorder's review

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4.0

Excellent anthology easily among the best I read this year!

cathiestrover's review

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2.0

Interesting concept but I struggled with some of the stories

jorloucooper's review

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dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? N/A
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.75

Oh this was so very good, I just wish some of them were longer! 

hwillustrator's review

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4.0

Really enjoyed this collection of short stories. I was familiar with some of the authors but not others and was surprised at the variety of tales included. Some very feminist, some genuinely unsettling, and all very readable. There are also beautiful illustrations peppered throughout and of course the cover itself is wonderfully appropriate for the themes and styles. Highly recommend to anyone interested in eco-horror, botany or the gothic.

shannon_b's review

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3.0

3.5⭐️
This was a great collection of short stories but a bit different to some of the others in the series.
I love the theme of botanical horror and Daisy Butcher did a good job of assembling an interesting collection. There were a few more American authors than I expected, largely because it's a British Library collection and because other books in this collection tend heavily towards British authors.
My one real quibble with this book is the introductions before each story. Having an introduction to each author and each work is a nice touch, and a good way to separate each story, but in this collection I found the intros gave too much away. It was really frustrating to read the introduction and end up unsurprised by the story, especially with horror stories that rely on the reveal.
Overall a solid collection, but I'd recommend reading the introductions after the stories instead of as introductions.

rebekah_l's review

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dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

katiemcdo's review

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dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

3.75

mispaintedlady's review

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challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This is a great collection of gothic literature focusing on creepy plants. The collection is fairly diverse in terms of authors. 

luxuryofsorrow's review

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

rubyhosh's review

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mysterious tense medium-paced

3.25