Overgrowth by Mira Grant is a scifi horror novel that follows Anastasia Miller, a woman who has nonchalantly told everyone she knows that she is an alien and knows this because of something that happened when she was three years old. Most people in her life humor her but think nothing of it until one day, a mysterious message from outer space makes Anastasia’s closest friends think maybe she has been telling the truth after all.

I really enjoyed this book. Mira Grant (a pen name for Seanan McGuire) has been a long time favorite author of mine so this book was highly anticipated for me. I can say that I’ve never read a book like this and the point of view Grant decided to tell the story from adds an interesting element. There is also a trans character in the book and the discussions that are had around that were very relevant to the world today.
There is a lot of body horror in this book so if that bothers you, I would say to approach this book with caution.

There were a few chunks in the middle of the book that meandered a bit. I think it was purposeful to show the length of time between more high action scenes but it did bog down the pace quite a bit.

Other than that, I really enjoyed this story. I think people who like the blend of sci fi and horror will really enjoy this one as well as people that enjoy stories about self discovery. There are also quite a few humorous bits in this book to help break up the tension.

I really enjoyed this and can’t wait to read what this author writes next!

NEW REVIEW ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“OVERGROWTH” by Mira Grant

🌱🪴🌱🪴🌱🪴🌱🪴🌱

At three years old Anastasia Miller goes into the woods and when she returns home, she believes that she is an alien from a plant species that is coming to invade planet earth. This is the story of how Anastasia’s life unfolds through her own perspective and the eyes of her friends. Is Anastasia crazy? Is she telling the trust? Is this something that developed in response to the trauma that she experienced when she was lost in the woods?

I really enjoyed this book. More science fiction and coming of age than it is horror, the plot was still terrifying in more than one way. Grant has a way of asking tough questions related to self and politics while managing not to lose the reader in a lecture. Anastasia and her friends have to face some really adult questions like “who am I?” “Am I crazy?” “Do my differences matter?” “What does it mean to love someone and support them unconditionally”.

The characters that Grant dreamed up are really unique and interesting. There is just the right mix of thoughtfulness, anger, humor, insanity, and trust. The whole time I felt like I could relate to each of them as they try to decide if Stasia is telling the truth, and if she is, is the world one that is worth saving? I also really enjoyed how though provoking some part were; I found myself wondering what parts of my humanity would I be willing to give up in order to save the ones that I love? What pieces of humanity would I defend and which would I be glad to be rid of?

The story itself was slow in some parts and quick in others. It was not a popcorn read. I would recommend this to readers who enjoy contemporary fictions, science fiction, and political dystopian fantasy.

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Thank you to @TorForge for allowing me to read this book early in exchange for my honest review. #torforge #torinfluencer #tor #overgrowth #miragrant #horror #sciencefiction #dystopian #creaturefeature #thriller #read #bookstagrammer #bookstagram #tbr #readmorebooks #arcreview #bookreview #bookish

In Overgrowth by Mira Grant (aka Seanan McGuire), my latest review book from Net Galley, Anastasia Miller has been telling everyone since she was three years old that she’s an alien from another planet. No one believes her. Everyone humors her. They should have listened. They had been warned. Anastasia is an alien and now her family is coming from Outerspace to invade the Earth. Sometimes, you should listen when someone says they’re an alien…

Okay, thats as much as I’m going to tell you about the story. I don’t want spoil it at all. I do want to say that the book is told from Anastasia’s point of view, the first person *I*, and its a very unique and interesting perspective for this story to be told in. Anastasia is a great character. Her supporting cast is pretty great too. The story takes a lot of turns that I did not expect at all. This book is so well written.

The descriptions in the book are really well done and the dialogue is pretty good too. Overgrowth will keep you on the edge of seat. Right from the start of the book, we get a fantastic opening line. This is a great hook that just keep me reading and wanting to know what the heck was going to happen. Bring your popcorn. Overgrowth would make a jaw dropping theatrical movie. If you like War of the Worlds and other alien invasion movies and books, you have to read Overgrowth. Oh my.

I’ve read many good books this year so far and this definitely be up there among the best. Mira Grant, aka Seanan McGuire, is just a really wonderful writer. You rock Seanan!

I’ll be thinking about this book for awhile. whew.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for providing an early digital copy of this book for review. Overgrowth releases on May 6th, 2025. Don’t miss it!

This book was just fine to me. There was nothing "bad" about it, it just seemed really long for no reason. I did like the ending which helped with my overall enjoyment, but unfortunately, this won't be a story that stays in my head for very long.

What an amazing book! Somehow, it had never occurred to me that the supposed alien invader would be the point-of-view character and that I would feel such sympathy for them!

Recommended for those who enjoyed Mira Grant’s Into the Drowning Deep and, in a completely different way, Max Brook’s Devolution.

I read Overgrowth on vacation and made sure to update my entire family every day about it. After the vacation, I asked them which one they'd be most interested - of my vacation reads - and Overgrowth was the winner. Why you may ask? Well for me, one of the things I loved the most was how much it made me think. There's no surprised that Mira Grant or Seanan McGuire is responsible for many worlds that have made me think. And Overgrowth is no different except with this science fiction twist. It's about hope, compassion, and becoming.

Anastasia Miller has never been shy about telling people who she really is: an alien plant who took over the body of a little girl when she was lost in the woods. Most write it off as a coping mechanism to respond to the trauma of being kidnapped for three days as a child, or just accept it as a weird quirk, but things change when a signal is received from space: the vanguard is on its way, and they do not come in peace. Once the invasion truly begins, Anastasia will have to decide which side to take.

The premise of this was so strong, and the opening chapter is chilling, but this one didn't entirely work for me. It was good, but it dragged out way too much in the middle. I don't mind the introspection, in fact I love a character-based story over an action-y one, but it was very repetitive. I don't need to hear how much of a misanthrope Anastasia is over and over again, and the constant discussion of how much she loves Graham (who is very loveable, don't get me wrong) felt very tell-not-show about their relationship. Also, and this is a minor nitpick, but Stasia and her friends are all supposed to be in their mid-30s, but all read very "just out of undergrad 20somethings" to me. This is coming from a 36-year-old who definitely still acts like a child, so take it with a grain of salt.

Overall, a strong premise and a shaky execution that could do with some editing. Grant/McGuire is still super-talented and cool, this one just didn't quite hit the mark for me. 3.5 Little Shop references out of 5, rounded down.

Thank you to Tor Nightfire for sending me an ARC of Overgrowth by Mira Grant to read and honestly review!

I'm a huge fan of Seanan McGuire's Mira Grant works, but unfortunately this one just didn't land as well for me. One of my favorite aspects of past Grant works has been the science threaded throughout. Into the Drowning Deep wasn't just about killer mermaids, but also the evolutionary and biological mysteries that underlay the terrifying mythical creatures. Feed was a unique look at the zombie genre through the eyes of bloggers that discussed how diseases interact with the human body. Despite Overgrowth arguably being more sci-fi and less horror than most of Grant's other work, I found the interesting scientific elements lacking.

I really liked the opening few chapters and found the premise super interesting. Alien scouts sent ahead of an invasion to scout and check if the planet is hospitable, raised among humans and compelled to tell those around them of their interstellar nature. The discussion of human culture and how they would respond both before and after the invasion was really unique and I liked how the themes of belonging and family were handled.

The characters were really enjoyable for the most part and I loved how diverse Grant/McGuire made the cast. One of the primary characters is trans and Grant/McGuire used the alien invasion backdrop to contrast and discuss the feeling of not belonging in your own skin and family. I think some of the plot and drama were a bit too oriented around the central romance for me, but the ending really brought it full circle in a way that I did find incredibly satisfying.

Grant/McGuire's writing and concepts continue to be some of my favorite, and I look forward to more from her, even if this one didn't hit as hard for me.

Overgrowth follows Anatasia Miller, an alien disguised as a human being. When she was three years old, she went into the woods and came back as an alien. She’s known for years her people will come to Earth to get her, and now an alien signal is being broadcasted to the world. With the invasion officially coming, Stasia and her friends work to prepare as the government scrambles for knowledge and control.

I love Mira Grant’s books, especially Into the Drowning Deep, but something about this didn’t work for me. I’m devasted because I really wanted to love this one—it sounded amazing. But I didn’t enjoy the execution as much as I’d hoped. I wanted more of the invasion and more horror. The start of this book was awesome and horrifying and I wanted more of that. 60% of this book is pre-invasion and while there were some interesting scenes, I still felt the pacing was too slow and I wasn’t loving the writing style. That being said, I enjoyed the body horror elements and mostly enjoyed the ending.

Stasia is an interesting main character. It was fascinating to see her battle herself with choosing a side. I enjoyed her relationship with Graham and her friends and the struggles they went through. And the arguments over humanity and the best course of action.

Overall, I think a lot of people will love this one, but it just tragically wasn’t for me.

Thank you to TOR and Netgalley for the arc!

Mira Grant is one of my favorite authors, so I knew I would like Overgrowth. This was such an interesting, fascinating, and fun alien invasion story. One of the reasons I love this author is because of the representation that she includes in her novels. I specifically appreciated how most of the characters were neurodivergent since I am too. It was great following the characters and their decisions. The feeling of belonging is a central theme, and the found family aspects of this were really beautiful. I was rooting for Anastasia, and potentially the aliens (?), the entire time.
Also, the comparison to Invasion of the Body Snatchers was spot on.

Oh my gosh...fantastic! There were moments of humor, science fiction, light horror, and even love!
Sometimes the introspection dragged on a bit too much for me, but overall it was an incredibly good time! :)

The way I eeeeeked when I was approved for an arc was real. I was so excited for this book and man did it start out with a bang. My only complaint was the pacing, it slowed way down after the halfway point. But overall it’s a great read, I need to read more books from this author for sure.

Thank you to Net Galley and Tor Nightfire for the ARC. This sounded like such an exciting concept, it reminded me of a sci fi movie where plants are the enemy and also the body horror sci-fi changeling part sounded so good. Alas, the book started off slow, with a boring account of day to day office life. I mean I liked the prologue but after that things went downhill. I expected something full of intrigue, body horror, and a bit more fast paced. I did not really like the writing style, it was so dry and dragged. How can something that sounds so exciting be so boring?

This is an excellent twist on the alien invasion trope and one of the best first person pov's I've read in a horror novel.

Thank you for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

I wanted more horror and less of Stasia spinning her wheels. 36% in and the invasion still hadn’t happened yet and the only horror we got was one (1) human-eating plant and some discolored skin. The lead up time is just too long, and Stasia feels a little too “normal if antisocial millennial” to be a compelling alien character.

I liked Graham and his relationship with Stasia, but the first third of the book lacks both a driving force and compelling writing. I felt like I was still waiting for the book to start even though I’d sunk more than 100 pages.

Anastasia Miller is an alien. Her people are on their way to Earth even now, to invade and conquer. This is no secret though; in fact, it’s the first thing she tells anyone she meets, like it’s a compulsion. Hi, I’m an alien, my people are coming to take over the planet. Nice to meet you.

No one believes her until they begin picking up the signals from the arriving armada.

I love Mira Grant and I love sci-fi/horror. Body horror! Man eating plants! Give it here!

And to Overgrowth’s credit, the first few chapters are enthralling. Talk about getting hooked immediately, it was wonderful and tragic and terrible and I was onboard. But the rest of the book never quite lived up to the opening. I think it’s mostly the characters and their actions/reactions. In a way it felt like a YA book, even though it’s definitely not meant to; our main character is a 35 year old introvert. I liked the individual characters well enough, but they often responded to situations in a way that had me scratching my head. If you have a plan to infiltrate and betray an alien cohort to save humanity, and they’ve already shown they have no compunctions about murdering people, would YOU tell them the details right to their face? I mean sure, you get some cute and snappy dialogue, but… why wouldn’t they just go “Cool, thanks for letting me know you’re a threat” and immediately eliminate you?

Those details kept pulling me out of the story. Combined with a pace that started snappy and then slowed way down, it didn’t quite gel for me.

Aside from that, it’s still a story about found family, outcasts finding their place, identity, colonization, and a whole host of interesting themes that may draw you in. If you like things like Little Shop of Horrors and Invasion of the Body Snatchers, it’s worth taking a look to see what you think. And while a YA feel may be a turn off for me, it might be EXACTLY the thing for you.

Overgrowth is coming out on May 6, so be on the lookout. Thank you NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for the opportunity to read this ARC! All opinions are my own.

‘I am the vanguard of an invading species of alien plant people.’

Overgrowth is the story of what happens when your friend, who’s a bit strange and has been insisting on being an alien plant instead of a human since childhood - has been telling the truth this entire time.

Something I found fascinating was the fact that - until the actual invasion began - we can read Stasia as simply an autistic who has latched onto not being human to understand her life. I found myself relating to her and her struggles with not fitting in - being bullied her entire life leaving her anti-social with only a small group of friends who accept her as she is. In many ways, this novel almost works as a commentary on what it means to be human when you don’t understand, or are liked by, your peers.

Of course, this novel is also about invasive meat-eating alien plants here to ‘harvest’ the people of Earth. We can’t forget that part.

Told as a countdown to the actual invasion from our main ‘non-human’ character Stasia’s point of view, we learn how she came to be - and how the invasion actually occurred. The invasion has already happened, we’re just learning about it after the dust has settled on the battlefield.

‘This is a story. It can’t hurt you anymore.’

The start of this novel is so shocking and visceral that when we fast-forward 30 years and begin to slowly meander throughout Stasia’s life - we can’t help but wait for the other shoe to drop the entire time. Kept in a kind of limbo - similar to our main character who knows she’s an alien plant here to invade Earth, but has no proof of such a claim - we can only watch in anticipated horror as the foretold invasion date slowly creeps closer.

With Stasia finally evolving into her botanical roots, she has to decide whether to fight for humanity - who has rejected her her entire life, or her biological family who she has never before met. Are the bonds, friendships, and relationships she’s forged enough to make her forget 30+ years of hardship? Are these bonds strong enough to last even while she begins losing her humanity entirely?

Humanity has been warned for over 30 years about this upcoming invasion - and yet no one is prepared for when it finally arrives. Even Stasia’s friends and boyfriend, who claimed to believe her, are left wrong-footed when their reality suddenly changes to reflect what she’s been saying will happen this entire time. With the timeline of life on Earth slowly ticking down, relationships are put to the test and sides are chosen.

To prevent the invasion, humanity had to do only one single thing - believe her when she warned them about it. They made their choice by making a mockery of her. And now, Stasia has to make hers.

‘Are we isolated because something - some great, predatory force - is using the space around us as a hunting ground, picking off our neighbors before they have the chance to find us?’

A huge thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Tor Nightfire for providing this e-ARC.

I’m super excited to share my thoughts on this book! Huge thanks to the publisher for letting me read and review it! I've been eagerly anticipating this release! As someone who loves both aliens and horror, I couldn't wait to dive in.

From the start, I was definitely caught off guard by some unexpected twists and turns. It took a bit to get used to the pacing, and I found myself with lots of questions as I read. But let me tell you, the themes it explores are thought-provoking, tackling issues like genocide and cultural conflicts that resonate on many levels.

And can we talk about the ending? I love that it doesn’t wrap up with a tidy happy ending....it's more like a blend of Little Shop of Horrors and Invasion of the Body Snatchers. If you're a fan of either, you absolutely need to check this out!

I plan to buy this book when it releases because it’s such a captivating read. That said, I think it could be a bit stronger with some context or trigger warnings at the beginning. A little heads-up might be helpful for anyone who might be sensitive to some topics discussed. Overall, definitely recommend it! 📚👽✨

When she was three years old, Anastasia Miller wandered into the forest and was missing for three days. She returned from the forest, but she was no longer Stasia Miller. She had been consumed by an alien invader from a planet far across the vast expanse of space who had seeded the universe with their pods and they are coming to consume the human race. Stasia always told everyone who she was, it was a mandate imprinted on her new DNA, but no one believed her, until the day Earth received a signal that the aliens were coming. Now, NASA is on the hunt for all the pod people. They capture Stasia, but her loyal friends rescue her and she is sent from Earth to parley with the aliens. It does not go well. Always remember, if someone tells you the aliens are coming, you might want to believe them.
Also, I was today years old when I discovered Mira Grant is Seanan McGuire, another favorite author.

Amazing!

Aliens are here. They live among us and more are coming. Seedling pods come down all over the earth and started to body snatch. They lived in those bodies blending in. Thirty years later more aliens are coming. An invasion is coming. Our MC Anastasia has become so human that she feels she must protect the humans she loves from her fellow alien beings.

Throughout this book the narrator is telling someone the story in past tense. We do eventually find out who which I do appreciate. It’s an interesting format that I did enjoy. This story is all about transition and metamorphosis. From a seed pod to a human/alien transformation as well as the MC alien Anastasia’s boy friend who is a literally transitioning from female to male. As well as humanities transition from not believing in aliens to realizing they are not alone. I really enjoyed this concept and comparison.

This book is well written and has everything a good horror/ Sci-fi book should. A strong plot, in-depth character development and most importantly the ability to believe this could actually happen. There is even humor. This is my first Mira Grant book. I was drawn to the premise of the story, (I have an unhealthy love of plant/ botanical horror,) and I was not disappointed.

There are triggers: Trans/Transphobia, child death and horror gore of course.