Scan barcode
kbandana's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
maddelleine's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
jesssantdos's review against another edition
3.75
Very fun! Not remarkable, but definitely a solid read.
readingwithkirstyn's review against another edition
3.0
I really enjoyed A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons! I love all aspects of nature and enjoy learning about poisonous plants and such, so this was a fun read for me. The setting was a lot of fun but the mystery didn't excite me the way that I thought it would. That being said I really loved the relationships between the main characters and found myself really excited to keep learning about that aspect of the story. If you're a plant person, this is definitely for you.
agrippinaes's review against another edition
4.0
Saffron is the assistant to Professor Maxwell, and a keen botanist following in the footsteps of her father, a successful academic. Maxwell and the rest of the department are busy preparing for an expedition to Brazil with Saffron’s assistance, and during this she is invited to a party with other members of the department. There she meets Alexander, who as well as being a fellow academic, is a young, handsome man. Unfortunately the party comes to an abrupt end following the sudden collapse of the host’s wife after a toast - and the next day, rumours are swirling that the host’s wife was actually poisoned. Suspicion immediately falls on Saffron’s mentor Maxwell, and she sets out with Alexander’s assistance to clear his name.
This was an interesting book. There’s a fairly solid mystery at the heart of this book, with twists and turns and some decent, interesting ideas. I will say that I found the romantic subplot slightly more interesting - it was very sweet at points and I thought Alexander and Saffron had a nice, easy chemistry. I found myself wishing they were back on-page together when I was reading parts where they were separated, as I really enjoyed their dynamic.
However, I felt the characterisation had been a little stronger. Alexander worked better for me as a character: he felt more fleshed-out and well-rounded, and I think he benefited from being given a proper backstory. In contrast Saffron felt a little bland at points. Aside from her academic ambitions and references to her father, I didn’t finish the book feeling like I got a good sense of who she was as a character. I just found her a little bit vague. I also thought the writing was a little clipped at points in a way that was distracting, although overall I thought the writing was very strong.
It is a decent book, though. It had all the familiar hallmarks of this kind of mystery and if you like historical mysteries with a side of romance, this could work very well for you. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a free copy of this book.
Content Notes:
Warnings:
Other:.
This was an interesting book. There’s a fairly solid mystery at the heart of this book, with twists and turns and some decent, interesting ideas. I will say that I found the romantic subplot slightly more interesting - it was very sweet at points and I thought Alexander and Saffron had a nice, easy chemistry. I found myself wishing they were back on-page together when I was reading parts where they were separated, as I really enjoyed their dynamic.
However, I felt the characterisation had been a little stronger. Alexander worked better for me as a character: he felt more fleshed-out and well-rounded, and I think he benefited from being given a proper backstory. In contrast Saffron felt a little bland at points. Aside from her academic ambitions and references to her father, I didn’t finish the book feeling like I got a good sense of who she was as a character. I just found her a little bit vague. I also thought the writing was a little clipped at points in a way that was distracting, although overall I thought the writing was very strong.
It is a decent book, though. It had all the familiar hallmarks of this kind of mystery and if you like historical mysteries with a side of romance, this could work very well for you. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a free copy of this book.
Content Notes:
Warnings:
Spoiler
Attempted murder, poison, vomiting, sexual harassment (off-page), threat of sexual violence / threat of rape, attempted rape (on-page), violence, blackmail, PTSD, descriptions of war and wartime injuries.Other:
Spoiler
Infidelity / cheating.trying_ceratops's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I enjoyed this book, it’s always fun to read a mystery involving poison. The main character is rambunctious and gets herself into a lot of trouble. The little bit of romance is nice and believable. The reason for not giving this a full 5 is that I’m left not feeling very attached to the main character nor if her story continues.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Murder, and Gaslighting
Minor: Infidelity, Sexism, Sexual assault, Cultural appropriation, Colonisation, and Classism
lportilla's review against another edition
mysterious
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
antlerqueen's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
sarahetc's review against another edition
2.0
This was very annoying, but I thought the mystery might be interesting. This was also pretty mysterious, in a way I thought might make the characters relevant. But I got 100 pages in and I decided the world didn't need anymore Georgette Heyer, except murder mysteries, except also with a strange post-feminist Isn't She Ahead of Her Time lens. And also I didn't want to spend 200 more pages with a heroine, who is a biologist, named Saffron Everleigh. Two puns in the first third and I'm out!