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A review by sweekune
A Botanical Daughter by Noah Medlock
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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
3.75
⭐ 3.75/5 ⭐
Queer and delightfully horrifying. A botanist and taxidermist in Victorian Britain start and experiment with an intelligent fungus, using a corpse as the substrate. What blooms is a botanical monstrosity, causing problems for these men and the local populace.
- The settings were vivid, dynamic and enhanced the story. I particularly enjoyed how the greenhouse (the main setting for the story) was described. In the same vein the botanical, anatomical and mycorrhizal knowledge and it's applications were really thorough and you can tell that the author did an excellent job researching the novel and making the scientific elements plausible.
- The characters were a mixed bag. I enjoyed them for the most part and that their queer identities were well portrayed. However, especially with Gregor and Simon (the main protagonists), they seemed to have wild swing in their moods, motivations and beliefs, to the point where it often didn't make logical sense. Sometimes it appeared they arbitrarily swapped viewpoints. Maybe this was an attempt by the author to portray some sort of mental goings on or to create conflict but it didn't work well.
- The ending wasn't what I expected but I enjoyed it. The book is described at queer Frankenstein and I can see some comparison. However, the book takes a much different direction from Shelley's work after the initial "raising an intelligent being from a corpse" element.
More creepy than gory and excellent application of science. I would recommend more for those who enjoy atmospheric books, focus on scientific possibilities and found family.
Queer and delightfully horrifying. A botanist and taxidermist in Victorian Britain start and experiment with an intelligent fungus, using a corpse as the substrate. What blooms is a botanical monstrosity, causing problems for these men and the local populace.
- The settings were vivid, dynamic and enhanced the story. I particularly enjoyed how the greenhouse (the main setting for the story) was described. In the same vein the botanical, anatomical and mycorrhizal knowledge and it's applications were really thorough and you can tell that the author did an excellent job researching the novel and making the scientific elements plausible.
- The characters were a mixed bag. I enjoyed them for the most part and that their queer identities were well portrayed. However, especially with Gregor and Simon (the main protagonists), they seemed to have wild swing in their moods, motivations and beliefs, to the point where it often didn't make logical sense. Sometimes it appeared they arbitrarily swapped viewpoints. Maybe this was an attempt by the author to portray some sort of mental goings on or to create conflict but it didn't work well.
- The ending wasn't what I expected but I enjoyed it. The book is described at queer Frankenstein and I can see some comparison. However, the book takes a much different direction from Shelley's work after the initial "raising an intelligent being from a corpse" element.
More creepy than gory and excellent application of science. I would recommend more for those who enjoy atmospheric books, focus on scientific possibilities and found family.