jrod4322 's review for:

A Botanical Daughter by Noah Medlock
4.0
dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated
A truly unexpected story in every way! The premise grabbed me immediately, and certainly didn't disappoint, Simon and Gregor were not your typical couple, and the little family they built was anything but normal. The little nods to actual Victorian sensibilities around queerness and oddities were nice inclusions, but I appreciated how Medlock wove these into the story without making it all about homophobia and intolerance. All of Medlock's descriptions of Gregor's greenhouse and Simon's taxidermy works were so lush and wonderful, and getting to see them through their housekeeper Jenny's eyes was great framing for exploring their home. The tensions that arise from Gregor's determination to create a living scaffold for his new mycelium were so well paced and the story wasn't afraid to look the darkness caused straight in the eye. Seeing Gregor become consumed by obsession with his own genius and ability to control his surroundings as the others work to see the 'daughter' as her own being and help her grow was an exercise in patience as I got more and more frustrated with him.
Simon and Gregor flip-flopping in their feelings song Chloe was pretty frustrating, but i understood where it came from in a character building way. It honestly didnt bother me how vicious Gregor became about using Chloe to get rid of his (everyone's really) enemies, it added to the situational horror for me.
A very impressive debut novel, I cannot wait to see what Noah Medlock creates next.
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