abdallahelfar's review against another edition
3.0
It has potential but really does nothing interesting with the characters. One of those 'and then' type books.
decafplease's review against another edition
1.0
The idea was novel. I could read an entire series about plant humanoids. The problem was the execution. The end felt more like a massive info-dump than a moment of true epiphany. The characters were poorly drawn out. Most of them were tools and they sounded like one. The romance part really couldn't get any worse. If you like the girl just cos she's cute and vulnerable and make you look good like a hero, then admit it! She had zero personality (which was justified), amnesia and was prone to sudden attacks of panic and helplessness, and you fell for her? That doesn't make sense. And clearly the boy wasn't really that smart. If he were he would've listened. Anyway, the more I think about this book the angrier I get.
bak8382's review against another edition
3.0
All his life Mason has wondered about his Dad, a man he's only seen reading a book on a video. He's also never understood why his mother hates a local corporation that practically supports the town. After discovering a secret of his mother he goes to confront her at the nursing home where she works. There he wakes up a seemly comatose teenage girl, and helps her escape. He discovers that she's part of an experiment, and vows to do what it takes to keep her from the Gardener, who's running it. Everything leading up to this point of the story is no longer relevant, and the focus is moved to their frantic escape. The reader knows the answers to many of Mason's questions long before he figures things out, several moments feel contrived, and the epilogue is unrealistic.
jmckendry's review against another edition
3.0
3.7/5
Okay I REALLY enjoyed this book. I decided on a 3.7/5 because I think 3 stars by itself is too low of a rating, but it just wasn't quite 4 stars for me either.
This book was about a boy named Mason who lives in a small town where a very sketchy science lab employs a lot of people. His mom works at a nursing home, but when Mason goes to visit her he notices that she's caring for people who are teens instead of elderly people. Even stranger, when he plays a recording of his long lost father, one of the teen girls wakes up at the sound of his voice. Mason helps the girl escape the nursing home and tries to help her as best he can, and it turns out that she had been turned into an autotroph- a being that does not need any food, only sunlight.
Not only was the premise of this story very interesting to me, it also highlighted the problems that humanity is causing to our climate. The whole reason the sketchy lab was creating autotrophs was so that humanity could survive the future, where the climate crisis would get so bad that food could no longer grow. I loved the idea, and the story was fast paced and fun to read.
Okay I REALLY enjoyed this book. I decided on a 3.7/5 because I think 3 stars by itself is too low of a rating, but it just wasn't quite 4 stars for me either.
This book was about a boy named Mason who lives in a small town where a very sketchy science lab employs a lot of people. His mom works at a nursing home, but when Mason goes to visit her he notices that she's caring for people who are teens instead of elderly people. Even stranger, when he plays a recording of his long lost father, one of the teen girls wakes up at the sound of his voice. Mason helps the girl escape the nursing home and tries to help her as best he can, and it turns out that she had been turned into an autotroph- a being that does not need any food, only sunlight.
Not only was the premise of this story very interesting to me, it also highlighted the problems that humanity is causing to our climate. The whole reason the sketchy lab was creating autotrophs was so that humanity could survive the future, where the climate crisis would get so bad that food could no longer grow. I loved the idea, and the story was fast paced and fun to read.
evie_0108's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
- gave me stranger things vibes
- cute young adult book
- short read
- fast paced
- cute young adult book
- short read
- fast paced
cameron_book's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
lydiaewinters's review against another edition
5.0
S.A. Bodeen is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. Even when I thought I had figured some things out (which I had) there was still so much more I had not.
Some books leave more questions than there are answers, And The Gardener is one of them. But nearly every one of those remaining questions really just boils down to: When can I read more?
Some books leave more questions than there are answers, And The Gardener is one of them. But nearly every one of those remaining questions really just boils down to: When can I read more?
thegreatpike27's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
1.5
The pacing was weird, the story was predictable and the ending wasn't great.
cheeriope's review against another edition
3.0
I definitely found this read enjoyable, but it's got some issues.
1) The writing is very bland.
2)The author doesn't seem to know how to write a teenage boy.
3)a lot of it makes absolutely no sense.
And yet still I read through it rather quickly because I wanted to know what happened next!
1) The writing is very bland.
2)The author doesn't seem to know how to write a teenage boy.
3)a lot of it makes absolutely no sense.
And yet still I read through it rather quickly because I wanted to know what happened next!