A review by prosepander
A Botanical Daughter by Noah Medlock

adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A Botanical Daughter by Noah Medlock is a verdant story about love, obsession, and what you’re willing to do with either. After getting his hands on a mysterious and unstudied species of mycelium, botanist Gregor Sandys decides to test the limits of the mycelium’s abilities and answer the question: What is consciousness? 

There’s a lot to love about this novel. I personally love the themes of found family for queer people. Gregor and his taxidermist partner, Simon are the best kind of gay dads for their gay daughters CHLOE (the titular Botanical Daughter) and Jennifer. Though chaotic and fraught with murder, watching the relationship blossom (ha) amongst this group of people was a treat to read. 

However, despite my love for queer relationships, there are a few issues I had while reading. Without going into spoilers, it felt as though the resolution of side plots were thrown to the wayside in an effort to focus more on the conclusion of the main plot. Additionally, I wasn’t incredibly satisfied with the way Gregor and Simon’s character arcs ended. Yes, they are different people by the novel’s end, but I’m not exactly sure I liked the people they became by the end. 

Overall, I loved the way Medlock described his world and his characters. I would recommend to anyone that loves a creature feature, queer found families, and has particular love for Frankenstein’s Monster.