This was fun! The gardener in me loved learning about the botanical curses and poisons A through Z. Each plant was accompanied by a description and at least on historical tale, from all over the world. Very neat! People really used to use poisons a lot… and I realized that I would never survive as a forager.

My thanks to Tantor Audio for an unabridged audiobook via NetGalley of ‘Botanical Curses and Poisons: The Shadow-Lives of Plants’ by Fez Inkwright in exchange for an honest review. It was narrated by Leslie Howard.

Before listening to this audiobook I had no idea how many plants were toxic or poisonous. Fez Inkwright presents this engrossing subject in the form of an A-Z listing; exploring the history and folklore of a wide variety of plants.

Overall, I found this a very informative guide to a fascinating subject. I felt that the narrator delivered the material well. Given the subject matter, it is a work where I would like to have the print edition available alongside the audiobook for reference purposes, especially if it includes illustrations.

I'm not a plant aficionado. Hell, I can't keep a cactus alive. This book isn't here to shame; it's here to inspire. Okay, that may not be the healthiest thing...probably shouldn't take too much advice from this particular text. Inkwright has crafted a book that educates and entertain it's reader. There's an intriguing relationship between how writers have discussed these botanicals, how they've been used to kill (intentional and accidental), and what makes them spectacular.
My current WIP features a carnivorous plant that I invented. When I got to the carnivorous plant section, I learned that it would likely be a part of the sundew family and not entirely impractical in it's invention. This is what I mean by inspiration. There's a never-ending supply of fun ways to kill characters. Perfect for any mischievous writer. The reason tomatoes are included in this tome is worth the retail price.
I was provided an audiobook copy of this book by the publisher on NetGalley for an honest review. I will be purchasing a physical copy for reference and mark-up!

Botanical Curses and Poisons: The Shadow Lives of Plants was a wonderful blend of folklore, facts and coziness. I grew up surrounded by the stories that plants tell us. Almost every single person in my immediate family is a keen gardener and instilled that love within me at a very young age. I finally got my own garden for the first time this year so my obsession only continues to grow and this book was such a wonderful way to finish of my first full year of tending my garden throughout all seasons. That is not to say that I'm intending to grow poisonous plants, but it's always good to know what to avoid.

The folklore elements in this book really brought it alive, beyond what I had anticipated and I really liked that it didn't just focus on the "celebrity" plants (as I described them to my mum when I told her I was reading this.) There was a lot focus on the folklore surrounding herbs, which I had no idea about and I found these parts really interesting and educational.

The thing I enjoyed most about this book is that it wasn't just a dull list, there was a lot of personality and passion injected into each alphabetical entry and I can imagine that the accompanying images in the physical book really help to bring it alive even more. I am going to purchase the physical copy of this book for that reason alone.

The audiobook was fine, however I found the mispronunciation of certain British and European words/places a bit distracting. I can't speak to the pronunciation of the non-western influences though. That aside, I thought the narrator did a good job of keeping the right engaging and lighthearted tone throughout. I think perhaps that the full experience of this book is lost a little through listening to the audiobook rather than reading it because you don't get to see the illustrations. It would be good if there was an accompanying PDF that allowed for further immersion.

This was such a delight to listen to. It was very informative, but in a way that was never dry, and it was so interesting and fun to get to learn about the history and mythology and such behind so many different plants.

I really enjoyed the narrator's energy, as well.

Format: audiobook
Author: Fez Inkwright ~ Title: Botanical Curses and Poisons ~ Narrator: Leslie Howard
Content: 4.5 stars ~ Narration: 5 stars

Botanical Curses and Poisons is a very interesting audiobook that provides us with a lot of ancient folk stories about plants. Besides that, we learn about name origins and their poisonous effects or connections with death. In this book, you will find a lot of common and uncommon plants. Some of them were frequently used by healers and witches. A few of those plants are harmless, but they were, at least at one point, connected to stories of death.

The audiobook also contains a lot of poems and quotes from famous works. The cover is amazing. I saw some sample pages from the physical book. It contains a lot of beautiful illustrations. So this would be a good choice too. But one great advantage of an audiobook is definitely its narrator - Leslie Howard. I love her voice, that is so very pleasing and soothing. Listening to anything she reads is like a song for the ears.

I would recommend this book or audiobook to all interested in the folklore and science facts about plants.

Thanks to Tantor Audio for the ARC and the opportunity to listen to this! All opinions are my own.

Unfortunatly this didn't work for me on audio. The narration was fine, it just isn't a book i could follow on audio. Maybe I'll try it in a different format someday.

Are you after a non fiction book that's not dry and can weave the tales of Socrates, the Salem witch trials, and the 2018 Russian spy poisoning through a book of cool poisonous plants? Than this is the book for you!
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Who knew that a book/almanac on poisons plants would bring me this much enjoyment? Seriously the way the author lures you in with mythology from all around the world is its own kind of witchcraft.

I've learnt about Mother in-law's tongue and how it was used to punish Carribbean slaves to how to the folklore of the Yew tree keeping the souls of the deceased from returning and peering upon the world.

The narrator was also fantastic and had a lovely cadence no matter what speed I played this on.

What a fun and informative book! I will definitely check out more from this author.

Thank you NetGalley and Tantor for an AudioARC. All opinions are my own.

4 stars

"𝐁𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐜 𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐟𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐜 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐕𝐢𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬, 𝐝𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬."

4 stars

This is a fun, fast, A to Z book about various poisonous plants. The writing is good, and it keeps you readings. For me, I would have liked it if it committed itself to either nonfiction or fiction. It had to many assumptions about certain things, and too much lore and stories, along with not citing anything, for it to be a nonfiction. It was a little more matter-of-fact to be fiction. I think it would have been more successful to lean fully one way or the other. Sometimes it was a little repetitive as groups of poisonous plants weren't grouped together. I really liked some of the thoughts behind how it could have been poisonous food that started some witch trials, and the role of woman and poison in general.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Audiobook received for free through NetGalley

I listened to the audio version of this so I’m not sure if there are photos, drawings, etc included or how it looks. That said I enjoyed listening to the book and picture it as a large reference book with images to go along with it for better identification. As that hasn’t been verified I’ll stop that for now.

All said the audio version of this book sounded pleasing and I listened to it over three days while sewing. The plants are listed alphabetically and the only complaint I have is wishing there was a longer pause between plants. Otherwise I love the ordering and learned so much. So pleased I came across this book and can see looking for the physical copy for a reference when curious.

This book is about plants, but you don’t need to be a botanist to enjoy it. There is art, history, mythology, literature, and all kinds of fascinating details about their effects on people. As any reader of Agatha Christie knows, poison is in the dose and now, thanks to this book, I know this was originally said by Paracelsus, so I can sound smarter. The content is organized alphabetically, and each entry has the obvious scientific information, but then adds a series of little-known facts about each substance’s use, from Snow White’s apple to a possible explanation to Van Gogh’s unusual paintings. Leslie Howard makes her audiobook narration sound like a fairy tale, her voice is warm and upbeat, so I found myself smiling even when I was listening to the horrific effects of cyanide poisoning. This is a great read, even for those of us with black thumbs.
I chose to listen to this audiobook and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/#Tantor Audio!

A thoroughly enjoyable and informative read about the plants we share our planet with. And the plants we cheerfully insert into our gardens without realizing their toxic properties

Those looking for an informative audiobook will find this volume fascinating. Fex Inkwright lyrically weaves poetry, linguistics, history, mythology, and superstition together with the science behind some of the world's most poisonous plants and fungi. A highly recommended read/listen to anyone interested in botany, gardening, and mythology. With the audiobook clocking in at around 7 hours, it can be completed in as soon as 1-2 days.

Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley and Tantor Audio in exchange for an honest review.

BOTANICAL CURSES AND POISONS may be nonfiction, but it doesn't read like one. Organized alphabetically, Inkwright takes readers through poisonous plants around the world from A-Z providing both the history and mythology behind them. Interwoven into many of these plants are also literary references that may be familiar to readers.

Overall this was a fascinating and entertaining read and Leslie Howard does a really good job with the audiobook performance.

This book is enchanting. The narrator voice is so soothing, but the book itself is disturbing and amazing. The entonation made it intriguing, perfect for every situation. The combination between scientific facts, folklor, historical facts and literary fragments just made it more interesting. It’s a very complete compilation with fascinating information about the origins of each plant and legends. I liked the fact that the author decided to add fungi to this book. I’ll definitly buy this book.

Received a free copy of the audiobook from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

An interesting, unique look at the history, mythology and etymology of plants.

As someone with very little knowledge of the subject matter, I found this book very accessible.

The mispronunciation of certain Irish names and phrases did bother me, and I suspect, there were other mispronunciations from other cultures.