A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons was one of the highlights to an otherwise slow and somewhat mediocre reading month.

I have received this book in exchange of an honest review, thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity.

I have my own blog now (https://daysinotherworlds.com/), so please do give it a visit if you're interested in my other reviews :)

Release date: 7th of June 2022.

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I believe that I came into this one expecting a different type of mystery, not necessarily a cozy one. Given that I've been searching for more of those to add between bigger reads, I'll be lying if I said that it didn't feel like a nice added bonus. However, I'll also say that it's a little bit different in comparison to the other cozy mysteries, since it takes a more hands on approach.

The author wastes no time in setting up the rest of the plot line in the first few chapters of the book, where the supposed poisoning attempt takes place. Through that I got the first glimpses at the suspects, the possible allies, learned a bit about the possible motivations for murder and of course, got to meet Saffron Everleigh. From my novice eyes of reading this sub-genre it's more of a character driven affair until a certain point in the narrative, but this time, Kate Khavari mixed it up for me.

Saffron is a scientist at heart and seeing her teacher get taken away because of something she knows he didn't do, spurs her into action. From trying to figure out who's responsible, to recklessly trying to figure out the poison used and all the way to putting herself in dangerous situations. There wasn't a single moment where she wasn't trying to do something and through that, she made me do something I haven't done in a very long time, which was literally facepalm at certain points.

Don't let that imply that she wasn't enjoyable to read about, au contraire, I loved her.

Being in a very patriarchal society, dealing with some awful people and trying to rise despite all of this in a field that isn't "meant for her" is fantastic. I loved the Memoirs of Lady Trent because of this, so Saffron Everleigh immediately got my attention, before I got the chance to take a look at her mettle. Alongside her brilliant side, she's impulsive and reckless which gave an amusing take on some of the situations she put herself in.

She's not the only point of view though, as I also get the chance to see the world through Alexander's eyes. He's a more typical type of character in comparison to Saffron for me when it comes to settings like these, so while I wasn't as excited about his views, I did enjoy the partnership he had with Saffron. The different field he studies, and the discussions they had were pretty fun to witness. That being said, I didn't care much for the romance and hoped it would stay platonic, which I know was a losing fight from the very start.

It thankfully didn't take over either of their minds and they still remain useful as individuals, which is an A-okay for me. The author managed to find a good middle ground of it being obvious, while also being confined to moments where it can be added, which is again, a blessing for someone like me who hates romance in their books.

The way both of them approached solving this case, is the more hands on approach I was talking about earlier. They're not waiting for the authorities and taking it into their hands. While also giving me, the reader, enough interaction with different characters to try and solve it on my own. Which I enjoyed a lot.

The mystery in itself might not be difficult, but it's filled with many red herrings that makes it tricky to land on the main culprit until a certain point in the narrative. Add to that, the brilliant way this was written with the character interactions and the adventures taken to solve it, and it left me with a smile on my face by the end of it.

I was saddened when it was over. Until I read "A Saffron Everleigh Mystery" on top of that beautiful cover (tipping my hat to the artist), which makes me super excited moving forward. I honestly hope that it's the first of many books to come, because I definitely didn't have enough of Saffron just yet!

After reading all the great reviews and being compared to Anna Lee Huber and Deanna Raybourn, both authors that I like, I wish I could say I liked this much more than I actually did.

We’re introduced to Saffron in this book, a newly minted research assistant at the College of London in 1923. One a professor’s wife dies suspiciously, Saffron’s mentor, Dr. Maxwell, is accused of the crime. She wants to clear his name, and she’s able to use her (because she’s a woman) often overlooked intelligence.

Unfortunately, I just couldn’t warm up to Saffron. I honestly thought she was a little insufferable. I never really got a true sense of any of the other characters personalities to know whether I like the or not. As far as a mystery, that wasn’t bad, there were some red herrings and mild surprise at the reveal. However, I was a bit jarred by all the modern dialogue. I understand that authors tend to modernize some conversations but there were sayings that we quote out of place for the 1920s. All in all, the whole story just wasn’t a good read to me.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I don't often read murder mysteries, but this one was positively delightful. The balance between the mystery, the day-to-day workings of academia and Saffron and Mr Ashton's budding friendship made this a very entertaining, and engaging read.

The plot reads as medium paced, and had the reader trying to solve the puzzle alongside the characters. I thought I'd figured it out early on, but was positively surprised to find out I was wrong. Despite being somewhat reckless and aloof at times, Saffron makes for a likeable main character, and Ashton's POV adds depth and insight to the story. I would love to read more of their adventures.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC copy, I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, murder mysteries or a bit of botanical knowledge in their reading.

This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review

Before I could finish reading this book, it was archived. It hurt alot Because I enjoyed the first few chapters that introduced the main characters and the scene that would prompt the plot of the book.

I hope to get a chance to finish reading this ana amazing thriller and mystery book.

Saffron Everleigh is a scholar and a scientist and I enjoyed her adventures very much. She is a woman making her way through the unwelcoming world of the scholars in the 1920's of England. While working hard with her late father's colleagues, Saffron strives to be a great botanist just like he was.

While at a dinner party with an elite crowd of professors, university staff, and wealthy donars, Saffran is witness to an upsetting attempted murder. By poison. And there are so many suspects.

In a show of loyalty and academic interest Saffron and her cohorts (enter the dashing and intelligent Alexander Ashton) delve into the various quarrels, drama and not so secret dalliance amongst the party guests, in order to assist the police in an arrest. They need to clear the name of Saffron's mentor Dr Maxwell and discover who would want a woman dead.

I enjoyed the glamor of the time period, and the descriptions of the greenhouse, and the various floors it contained. This is the start of a charming series that I will enjoy following when I need a pick-me-up type of read.

Firstly, what a beautiful cover!! This historical mystery with a side of romance was so much fun to read. It is set in 1920s London and follows Saffron, the only female botanist in the uni, who professor is accused of poisoning his wife. Together with Alexander, Saffron must find out the truth. I loved Saffron's character holding her own in such a male dominated world!! Can't wait to see what Khavari does next and hopefully some sort of sequel?!!

What a great, fun book. Saffron is a female in a world that does not value them and is very keen to be noticed. She is at a work party when suddenly someone keels over having been poisoned. Saffron eagerly begins investigating in order to clear her mentor and is helped along by Alexander Ashton who she becomes increasingly fond of. It’s a crazy whodunnit complete with experiments with poisons and a great reveal. I hope this is the first of a whole series. Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC.

Talk about a beautiful blend of academia and mystery! I started this book and I didn't know if it was going to be for me, but it definitely was. I didn't know that I would get so invested in botany and this mystery that Everleigh and Ashton got involved in. It went super fast-paced which sucked me in quickly. I really enjoyed the characters as well as the plot line. It was so well thought out by the author and I am so happy to have read it!

4/5 stars! Totally recommend for that dark academia and research type of mess!

**Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily!

I was seeing this book ALL over Bookstagram, so when I was it was avaible for request on NetGalley, I jumped on it.
I AM SO GLAD I DID. This book is completely worth the hype and love it was getting on Bookstagram and the love its now getting on Book Tok. I get it! I completely get it.

Khavari has created some of the best characters I have ever read. I loved Saffron Everliegh. It little does take me a little longer than usual to get into books that are set in the far past, but this one was an exception I breezed right through it and Loved every single minute of it. Saffron finds herself in the middle of a classic who dun it and it is a great ride!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc! I can't wait for the sequel!

First, what has to be mentioned is this beautiful cover. I rarely want to read a book just because of the cover, but this one was too gorgeous to pass up.

It’s the 1920s and Saffron Everleigh’s family has expectations for her as an upper class and titled young lady. Like her black sheep of a father, she wants none of it, and would rather follow in his footsteps to study botany.

As one of the only women not behind a secretary’s desk at London University, Saffron deals with more than a few judging men, but Everleigh with her professor Dr. Maxwell’s support thrives. When he is accused of poisoning a guest at a fundraising party, Everleigh can’t help but get involved to figure out who is framing her mentor.

A natural born sleuth, Everleigh uses her knowledge of botany and her feminine wiles to her advantage to figure out who the culprit is. With the help of colleague Alexander Ashton, one of the only men she works with that respects Everleigh’s contributions, they get to work figuring out who is guilty.

I felt like I was immersed in a game of Clue while reading this clever book. The secondary characters were well written additions to Everleigh’s mystery. A Botanist’s Guide to Parties and Potions was charming and I could easily see it being made into a fun period movie (think Enola Holmes).

Thank you NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books, and of course Kate Khavari for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own. A Botanists Guide to Parties and Potions comes out on June 7, 2022 just in time to be added to your summer reading list!

Instagram.com/passionforprose

A Bontanst’s Guide to Parties and Poisons introduces Saffron Eversleigh, who could develop into a sleuth along the lines of Molly Malone. Saffron is a woman botanist in academia in the years after the first world war. Her intelligence is often overlooked, and she has to deal with sexual-harassment from powerful department heads. While the mystery here does not revolve around murder, there is a sinister poisoning. Saffron takes it into her own hands to investigate, with the help of a dishy biologist, Alexander Ashton. Much like Molly Malone, Saffron makes some foolish and dangerous decisions in pursuit of her investigation., though of course it all comes out in the wash. While this title did not grab me, I do look forward to seeing how this character develops and how Kate Khaveri matures as a writer.

My goodness! This book surpassed all of my expectations. I can't wait for everyone else to read this.

I started this book with a lot of enthusiasm and expectations. London, 1923, at university, a female protagonist, lots of plants and poisons, lots of social intrigue to unravel and, of course, a seemingly innocent victim who falls down in the middle of a party... Now that I have read the whole book I can confirm that I am still as enthusiastic as ever.

First, some more about the writing style. Kate Khavari succeeds very well in conveying the atmosphere of that period through her writing style. As a reader, you get an impression of how things were back then, how people in social circles treated each other. The somewhat stiff style of writing does not hinder at all and is just a pleasant bonus because it seems to fit the era so well. The cover design is also very appealing and fits well with the intriguing story. The chapters are mainly written from Saffron's perspective, but the alternation that occurs occasionally with Alexander's POV is fun to read.

Then about the content. The story gets off to a good start with the dinner party. Soon the mystery is introduced when Mrs. Henry collapses. As a reader you join Saffron in the search for the truth, which keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole time. The nice thing is that as a reader you get more information little by little, but you only get that information when Saffron (or Alexander) gets it too. The main characters are also very perceptive, which means that you are drawn into the intrigues and plots together with them every time. Unlike some other books, the reader is not miles ahead of the characters, seeing plot twists coming from afar before they even realise it. Because the plot is so well worked out, it remains extra exciting. In addition, the story is given time to develop; it is not rushed at all. The scientific context in which the story takes place is also well developed, it all comes across as very real, including everything about Solandra xolotum. The description of the campus gives you the feeling of walking around there yourself.

As a reader from Flanders, Belgium, the story also comes very close when reference is made to places where certain characters were stationed during the war, such as Ypres. I had to take a deep breath and swallow here. Even though I have been there many times, for example during history lessons about WWI and II, I got goose bumps when reading those passages. The consequences that such events have for the characters, how they have to learn to cope with what they have gone through, ... All that is dealt with in a very serene way.

If you like detective stories that keep you in suspense all the time, with pleasant and less pleasant characters, if you are a fan of a strong but very human female main character, a well (let's say great) worked out plot with scientific and botanical elements, topped off with a very realistic feeling, I would definitely recommend A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons.

I am leaving this review voluntarily, based upon an advance review copy I received for free through Netgalley. Nevertheless this hasn’t influenced my review of this book, my opinion is and remains 100% my own.

I really liked this one. The setting, the plot everything was really interesting to read. I really liked the badass female lead and how amazing she was with the male lead and their chemistry was just phenomenal.
It’s a fun and addicting read filled with mystery and thrill.

In 1923 London, Saffron Everleigh is a botany research assistant with aspirations to one day do her own research as well as teach, following in the footsteps of her father. Her mentor at university, Dr. Maxwell is arrested after a poisoning incident at a party leaves Mrs. Henry, the wife of another professor, in a coma. Saffron then takes it upon herself to prove his innocence.

While this personal mission involves a crazy and not at all well-thought about self-poisoning attempt on Saffron’s part, it gets her vital information about the poison suspected to have been used at the party. Unexpectedly, she also gets a little help from someone she met at said party which speeds things up a bit; a certain Mr. Alexander Ashton. Together, they snoop around/investigate this mystery to try and make sense of all the motives and opportunities of the people who attended that ill-fated party. They finally do succeed in solving the mystery and also uncover a few more secrets along the way.

The story is tightly knit with clearly defined characters. It is particularly interesting to have this array of characters with varying behaviour and intentions to eliminate suspicions one at a time and then finally arrive at the culprit.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from @netgalley and I cannot thank the publisher and the author enough for this approval. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons didn't really work for me, and I didn't finish it. The concept was great, but I found the characters fairly unlikable (Saffron has a "not like other women" energy in an insufferable way) and the writing a bit awkward.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for a digital ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review. This was a fun read! A delightful, solid and bold foray into hopefully what will become a burgeoning series. Saffron is a woman after my own heart, full of vigor, determination, impatience, curiosity and the constant need for answers. She's witty, intelligent, unafraid of following her gut, and determined to forge her own path on her own terms. Between her and Ashton, I greatly enjoyed the expanding story, plot twists and suspense. This was a great work, I hope to see much more of Saffron in the near future.

I am always hesitant when writers get compared to other writers, but here the comparisons are well deserved because I absolutely loved this book. Set in 1920ies London at the University of London, Saffron Everleigh is a biology researcher. Not an easy job for a woman, pitched against men who either think you don’t deserve to be there or who think you have to prove yourself with more than your work… When Saffron attends a dinner party attended by her colleagues, the wife of an expedition sponsor is poisoned. Saffron begins to investigate when her mentor is accused of the murder. This was such an utter delight!

A nice cozy without graphic bloodshed. I didn't learn a whole lot about poisoning (not that I have any special interest in poison) and didn't learn much about parties, for that matter, but I've certainly seen professors gossiping and figuratively backstabbing each other. Some slapping and punching and poisoning but no blood splattering, no foul language, with some romantic longings but nothing beyond a chaste kiss.
I'd also consider this a sweet romance in addition to being a cozy mystery.

But please, for the love of authorship, can everybody stop having their characters roll their eyes, bite their lips, clench their fists, and smirk? A Botanist's Guide was an eyeball rolling smirkathon. My problem with it is that every book I read seems to be s smirkfest with a sideshow of eyeball rolling. They all start to sound alike. Are editors requesting smirking? Do how-to-write books say all characters must roll their eyes? Do MFA programs demand lip-biting? My smirk-o-meter is burned out and I've used superglue on my own eyes to make sure I never roll them.

Other than these habits, it's a pleasant read.

I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery! Saffron was such a strong, smart, heroine. I couldn't wait to see how this story was going to end. I can't wait to read more from this author!