I ended up DNFing this book. It was difficult to get into and I got bored very quickly. The premise was very interesting though.

Death Has Never Smelled So Rosy

Death, the Gardener is a witty, whimsical, and weirdly heartwarming tale where flowers snip your fate, Death is a snazzy plant dad, and one ghost girl gets a second shot—scissors in hand.

DNF at 20% I just am not getting on with there being so many questions around the story-like who is Cloth really? Why has she ended up on this quest from Mot? When he was talking to Memory is he dying?! But he’s death?! I’m very confused and the longer the book has gone on with giving me more questions than answers I’m getting frustrated rather than intrigued.

Death, the Gardener is a captivating and imaginative fantasy novel that reimagines the concept of death in a unique and thought-provoking way. The story follows Cloth, a young woman who awakens in Mot’s garden with no memory of how she arrived. Mot, who is revealed to be Death himself, explains that she is the first-ever ghost—someone whose life has ended but whose soul remains. To help her pass on, Mot enlists Cloth to hunt down and eliminate three immortals who have stolen roses from his garden, each granting them eternal life.

The novel’s strength lies in its rich world-building and the depth of its characters. Dodaro crafts a universe where death is personified as a gardener, tending to a garden of souls, each represented by a rose. This metaphorical approach adds layers of meaning to the narrative, exploring themes of life, death, and the consequences of immortality.

Cloth is a compelling protagonist—resilient, resourceful, and morally complex. Her journey is not just physical but also emotional and philosophical, as she grapples with her identity, the nature of death, and the ethical implications of her mission. The supporting characters, including Mot and the immortals, are equally well-developed, each adding depth and nuance to the story.

The writing is vivid and poetic, with descriptive passages that immerse the reader in the fantastical settings. Dodaro’s prose is both lyrical and accessible, balancing philosophical musings with engaging action sequences.

However, some readers may find certain aspects of the novel challenging. The pacing can be uneven at times, with introspective moments that slow the narrative. Additionally, the dialogue occasionally incorporates modern vernacular, which may feel out of place given the timeless setting.

Despite these minor issues, Death, the Gardener is a standout debut that offers a fresh perspective on familiar themes. It’s a novel that invites readers to reflect on the nature of existence, the inevitability of death, and the choices that define us.

It just wasn't for me. I had a hard time with the voice and the style of writing. I think it's a really clever idea, and had it been executed differently, I'm sure my interest would have been held.

This story begins as an allegorical after-life journey, that reminded me of classic morality tales like The Pilgrim’s Progress, but then develops into a combination of star-crossed love story, Stardust-esque fantasy adventure and philosophical treatise on life, death and morality.

I was utterly entranced until the big climactic scene, then slightly disappointed, as the ending I had thought we were building to didn’t materialise. While the actual ending here is touching and reasonable, it didn’t involve any consequences for a certain entity who deserved them, so I felt like they learnt nothing from events and were free to continue being awful for the rest of eternity! (Booooo!)

Still, I loved the other characters – Cloth, San, Mot, Oz, Chitra Icarus… even Balthazar! – and the story gave me lots to think about, as well as plenty of entertainment, so I would definitely read more from this author in future. And Grendal was so ridiculously, deliciously, irredeemably evil, which made an ironic foil to Eternity’s spoilt, tantrumming toddler attitude. It’s rare to find such clearcut ‘baddies’ in modern fiction and I quite enjoyed loathing them without any complicating sympathies!

Beautifully written, this slowly unfolding modern myth would be ideal for YA readers upward looking for a thought-provoking but still easy-to-read story.

A truly unique take on death. A touching story with great world building and well thought out characters development.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book in return for a fair and honest review

A really fabulous palette cleanser between heavier and lengthier books!
I would say this is definitely young adult, the tone and language seemed to be geared towards younger readers. However the plot was brilliantly inventive and an interesting take on death as the MC.

I loved the plot of this book. It was very unique and intriguing. The only thing that bothered me was the writing style, it made it really hard for me to read.

I love a a modernized retelling/exploration of folktales and themes. This story examines Death in a new way and for a debut, I think it was successful! The themes explored and plot points woven in felt well thought out and purposeful, not just "oh I want to include this particular scene, let me force it in just because" which I appreciate with a fantasy novel. So often, scenes feel written for the sole purpose of including a particular trope and I didnt get that feeling with this story. Cant wait to see what the author writes next!

Death, the Gardener has an aesthetic and it is sticking to it - and that is, I think, the best part about this book. This book knows its tropes and aesthetics and it sticks to them well, while also providing an interesting story. Occasionally the metaphors and turns of phrase the author experiments with don't quite hit the mark, and come off as strange, and at times characters - especially villains - end up spouting dialogue that sounds like it was ripped from a children's cartoon. But the world created in this book, with its blend of fantasy and sci-fi elements, is really interesting, and the author has built the characters, especially the leads, with complexity, and I liked seeing how their struggles with mental health were portrayed. The prose also manages to describe the various different settings in a way that leaves you with a very clear image in mind, but without being long-winded or boring. Overall this book had a few ups and downs, but was a worthwhile and fun read.

A well written, multilayered, complex mix of fantasy and speculative fiction. The author is an excellent storyteller and this is an excellent book
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I thought this was a quirky title to a book. Yet I never quite imagined how unique it truly was. The Grim Reaper or Death being a gardener makes sense in ways I'd not thought of before. The author did a fabulous job of writing Death's characteristics and character. I may reread this book at some point in the future. I can honestly say I enjoyed the book. Until next time Happy Reading!

Such an interesting concept on the role of death and life. Love the interactions with Time and Memory to show how all aspects of the world are created. Would absolutely love a sequel of further adventures.

I think this was more of a 3.75 for me but I rounded it up to a 4. I liked the worldbuilding and the traveling between planets and worlds. The characters were fun and the whole plot was interesting. I liked discovering the world through Cloth's eyes at first, it felt like I was her, waking up in a strange place and trying to understand how it all worked. Death/Mot was an interesting character, not really what you'd expect of him. There are 2 things I disliked: the first one being too much description. That's really a matter of personal taste, I think this could've been a little shorter because it was too descriptive for me, but some people like it this way. The second one is the vocabulary choice. We're talking about centuries old characters that say "ghosting" and "weirdo" even though they've been living alone on a very small planet for ages. If you like lots of description, then this might be for you !

⭐️ ⭐️ . 75

This was an interesting premise. I really enjoyed Death as a main character; his personality was interesting and the key plot of the story was compelling.

However, this is a book that should be directed towards younger readers. Originally, the description and the title caught my attention! It seemed super intriguing. The writing style was unique, it is not something I am used to; consequently, I had a bit of difficulty getting into this book. I found that the style of prose is very distracting, and certain scenes did not make complete sense to me.

Nevertheless, the idea and plot behind this book was fantastic, it is what I would describe a YA fantasy with sprinkles of romance, mystery, and adventure.

This was heavy on the fantasy aspect, and was a really interesting premise. I really enjoyed Death as the main character. I liked his ‘personality’ and I enjoyed the language and the interaction with Cloth. I also enjoyed the writing. The world building is intense and will absolutely appeal to those who enjoy a high fantasy world.

I loved the description of the book and the story was definitely interesting, but I did struggle with the writing style as others have also mentioned.

I also felt that this book should be directed at younger readers.

I loved the the premise of this , as I am really drawn to books with Death as the main character, but sadly I found this to be slow, too much telling when the author needed to show, the grammar needs more editing work, as it can so easily change the meaning, sadly not for me

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Death, the Gardener did not work for me. The prose style was distracting, confusing, and overly ornate. I didn’t understand why the woman would be named Cloth, of all things. The point of view also seemed to meander within scenes which led to further confusion. The plot, however, was inventive and I think the writer will grow into his skill in time. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an advance reading copy.