A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons

I'll level with you. I'm not quite at the end of the book, but almost there. I'm absolutely loving the characters and the story. If you're a fan of Deanna Raybourn's Veronica Speedwell series, then this is a series that you might enjoy. Like Veronica, Saffron is an academic trying to make it in a man's world, in what was still a heavily patriarchal society. Unlike Veronica's chutzpah and brash eccentricity, Saffron is an altogether milder character filled with self-doubt and probably what we would today call imposter syndrome. Her ‘partner in crime', so to speak, is a young biologist trying to come to terms with his experiences in the Great War, and has a certain degree of shell shock. I can relate to Saffron in a way that I can't quite do with Veronica - I love the verve and humour of Raybourn's characters, but I can identify with Saffron's personality and doubts. Hers is a quiet bravery, and deep commitment to justice, even at her own expense.

So, that probably has you asking, “why aren't you giving it the full five stars?” And if I was judging on plot and characters alone, I most probably would. Also, the writing style and faithfulness to the period is wonderful. But the proofreading and editing leaves a lot to be desired - mostly the proofreading. I don't like it when I am reading a book on Kindle and having to report content errors the whole time, because it feels like I'm doing the job for free. There should have been someone in the road to publication who was paid to take care of these issues. So, that is what has made me leave a review before completing the book. I hope that book 3 is well under way, and that this well-intentioned critique will be noted and addressed so that the next installment will have all the polish it needs to be extraordinary.

ETA: finished the book, and I stand by my overall opinion. Great book; I'm downloading book 2 and know I'll be following this series avidly from now on. So, Ms Khavari, here's to many more.