I wanted to love this. A sci-fi book about Stasia, an alien in disguise sent years ahead of an alien invasion of Earth, who has always known she replaced a living child, but has grown up raised by humans, with human relationships.
It started very promisingly, introducing us to Stasia and the people around her, and it ended well. I also enjoyed the chapters with the quotes from War of the Worlds and in-book characters.
Sadly I felt like it didn't really know what to do with the main chunk of the book, and found myself getting bored at times. It was 500 pages but felt more like 700, and I didn't think it needed to even be so long in the first place.
Some interesting ideas, it just didn't grab me in the way I wanted it to.

The first part of the book is everything I would have wanted from a good read. The second part was to slow and not engaging enough to keep my interest up.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eArc in exchange for my honest opinions.

I was intrigued by the first half of Overgrowth—the buildup of the alien invasion was gripping, and I found myself genuinely invested, wondering how it would all unfold. The story is immersive, I liked the characters, and the tension was well-paced at the start. However, the second half of the book really dragged for me. I struggled to stay engaged as the plot seemed to lose momentum, and I found myself just going through the motions to finish. That said, I think hardcore sci-fi and alien invasion fans who appreciate detailed storytelling might find more to love here than I did.

It's been a while since I read a book with alien invasion and never one where the alien is the main character. Genuinely I have so much to think and I kept wondering what would I do if I was in that position. I could relate with the BFF about feeling like an alien because you immigrated to another country and you will always be an other in their eyes, sad but oh well.

Yeah anyway, love the plot, could put the book down but I was thinking about it when I was not reading it. Characters were relatable and loveable.

I would definitely recommend this to anyone who like alien invasion books. I already recommended this book to a friend as I need someone to talk to lol

I really loved reading this book. When I’d go to put it down for a while to do some writing or something else with my day, I’d still be thinking about the plot and how our main character was going to react to the next thing that happened to her. That is what marks a great book from a good one, in my opinion, and I’d probably raise this rating to a 4.5 stars if the opinion was available on Netgalley and Goodreads.
The premise? Awesome. The execution? Matches the hype that the premise suggests will be delivered. I liked learning new things as our main character learnt them, it made me feel super connected to her as she’s going through all these changes: physical, emotional, mental, otherworldly, and it helped that she was just written super well and wasn’t annoying (to put it bluntly.)
Our side characters, while not as compelling as the woman whose head we inhabit, also felt real with different personalities and ways of going about the new world they found themselves fighting in.
The ambiance was super good and the prose very well written, I really felt like I was going to these green forests and being immersed in this strange, alien culture.
My issue with government and authority really came out in full force during this book, haha, and made me realise I might be one of those humans siding with the aliens…

Overgrowth is the most recent horror novel written by Mira Grant (Seanan Mcguire's pen name for this genre), published by Daphne Press. A romp, fun, but also thought-provoking sci-fi horror, a character driven story set against the backdrop of an alien invasion, using the horror genre to explore themes such as the othering of minorities with the pretext of the common well-being.

Stasia Miller walked off into the woods one day when she was three years old and had an encounter with an interesting plant; after coming back from that encounter, she's been telling everyone that she's an alien, vanguard to the invention that will happen, even if not many people believe her. Thirty-two years later, Anastasia is an adult and has a boyfriend; however, an alien message has been received and people start to suddenly notice what Stasia was saying, as the threat of an alien invasion only brings more uncertainty as the days pass.

With this backdrop, we have an interesting proposal that looks at humanity, found family and choices; the signal acts as the spark for the story. Despite having that compulsion to say she's an alien for years, Stasia can't be sure how the encounter with her alien family will go, but when she's persecuted by her own government, stripped of the rights she should have (due to her alien origin), it will be proved that she can only trust in those friends that are her found family. Grant puts a great care on creating a cast that stays with you in the middle of the chaos of the story, even if the villains are a little plain/stereotypical (especially the agent).
Pun not intended, but also the growth of Stasia as character is another of the highlights of the book, especially after her encounter with her real family.

Overgrowth is definitely not afraid of going for creepy and eerie moments, gifting us some moments that are nightmare worthy; the alien invasion also gives us an insight into how quickly a society can devolve into fascism in the name of protecting its citizens. While the alien invasion is not a new trope, I liked how Grant approached to it, giving it a fresh touch.
In terms of pacing, I really enjoyed the beginning and the ending, but it is true that it can slog a bit in the middle section, especially as we are introduced to Stasia's adult life; but overall, it is still enjoyable, as all those details drop in that section will eventually make sense.

Overgrowth is an interesting sci-fi horror novel, perfect if you are looking for a book that could be described as Little Shop of Horrors meets Independence Day, thought-provoking but with a fair dose of action. If you liked her previous horror novels (honestly, I still love Feed), I totally recommend you to give this one a try!

Invasion of the Body Snatchers meets The Little Shop of Horrors and War of The Worlds.

After a shocking beginning we get a tediously long build-up that could have been so much more interesting. By the time the invasion finally happened, I had pretty much lost interest. But I was too curious about the aliens to abandon the book.

I think Grant missed a great opportunity to give the main character depth and make her truly riveting. A little more reflection and self-awareness would’ve been nice for Stacia. She came across as a little too willfully stupid.

I have to confess though that parts of the invasion towards the end were fun, all things considered. Yes, horrible alien invasion with horrible consequences, but still. I just wish there had been more of that. Fascinating aliens and exasperating humans that mostly had themselves to blame. I did like the plot, I just wasn’t a huge fan of the execution.

The audiobook production was well done. I had requested this from NetGalley, but had forgotten all about it. By the time I got the NetGalley I had almost finished the audio. It was nice to look at the way the print version dealt with the speech of the aliens. There’s also a section about the author in the book that was missing in the audio. It mentioned biomedical science fiction. I’m not sure this book qualifies, but probably yes. Is that an established subgenre? Then I have to look for more of it.

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher or author through NetGalley. All opinions are my own and I was not required to give a positive review.

Even though sci fi is not my cup of tea I had very much enjoyed this book. It has kept me hooked through all the science with strong characters and interesting plot.
The characters are lively and funny. Even though the story is set in not a far future it has somehow managed to make me feel nastolgic about the past as well.
This story had me question each turn of the pages as well as one minute I didn't know If I was siding with the main character or the side characters haha.

4 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Daphne Press for the ARC

Overgrowth is a creepy, thought-provoking story about an alien invasion of Earth. Mira Grant has crafted a unique story, written from the POV of one of the invading alien scouts.

Anastasia Miller starts life as a 3-year-old human child who loves the forest behind her home. One day, she wanders off into the woods and is lured into the vines of a beautiful flower. The flower in question is not a benign Earth flower, but an alien seed. 3 days later, little Anastasia wanders out of the woods, an exact copy of the human child, but this version insists that she is the vanguard of an alien plant invasion. This compulsion to tell people she is an alien continues out of childhood, right up to when the story really starts with 35-year-old Anastasia working a dead-end customer service job.

The start of the story is horrific, Mira brilliantly creates a growing sense of dread as we follow the toddler into the forest. She draws you in with the writing style and plot. But despite the brilliant start, the next part drags. It takes a long time for us to get to the alien invasion, which is only really covered in the last quarter of the book.

If you’re looking for an action-packed alien invasion horror book, this probably isn’t for you. What this book really is a dive into what it means to be human, the importance of family, identity, the othering of people, and the impact of humans on the environment.

I loved the diverse cast of characters that Mira created, all different and important in their own way, each has their own tale of ostracisation, their own motives and their own thoughts on what it means to be human and what family is.

The writing is brilliant, the aliens Mira created are fascinating, and there is a fair amount of body horror. Sadly, some of the introspective narrative does get a bit repetitive, and I personally wanted more horror and more of the invasion.

Existential horror, alien plant people, and queer themes, all wrapped up in a creepy, weird, gory tale about what it means to be human. Overgrowth had so many things I love to read about and was a book I really enjoyed!

I think the premise was so unique and there were so many creative and interesting ideas the author explored that gave me a lot to think about. I loved the found family aspect of this book and thought the entire cast of characters was fleshed out so well. Stasia's internal conflict and confused loyalties between her species and the humans she loved was so well-written and created such a great opportunity for social commentary and thought-provoking storytelling. It had a really creepy, but also quite camp aesthetic, and the tone was in just the right place between poignant and bizarre to make me absolutely love it. The characters, themes, writing, tone, and originality were all incredible, but aside from all of that, Overgrowth also just excelled at being a super fun, suspenseful alien invasion story!

However, like a few other people whose reviews I've seen, I did have an issue with the pacing. Sometimes this book would be hurtling forward, speeding through lots of action and revealing the answers to mysteries quicker than I can turn the page. But then this would be followed by a lot of sitting around, reflecting, and asking questions. The slow paced parts in particular were just a little difficult to get through at times and I wish the pacing had been smoothed out a little more.

Still, overall I really loved this and would absolutely recommend it to anyone who enjoys horror, sci-fi, or has ever felt like they don't belong. Even though this book isn't EXPLICITLY about being queer (although there is trans rep from one of the main characters that I thought was really great!) I do especially think that this book will resonate with queer readers who I think will relate strongly to the themes of alienation and identity like I did.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing me with this eARC in return for my honest review.

Oh this book was absolutely amazing I loved every minute of it. It is the perfect ecological sci-fi horror. I really liked the main character and her development throughout (from human being who tells everyone she is plant alien to actually being a plant alien). I also enjoyed how Mira Grant explored the complexities and importance of her relationships (both romantic and platonic) and how they evolved with the progression of the invasion and development of her species. I also thought the way that humanity was portrayed and the varied reactions presented were very interesting too. Looking at the flexibility applied to morality when humanity are trying to ensure the continuation of the human race.

I feel like I could ramble on for ages about the beautiful (and grotesque) imagery (especially of the natural world and botanical elements), the well developed and exciting plot and perfectly timed humour that runs throughout the novel. But in order to avoid any spoilers I am going to leave it there and simply suggest that everyone goes out and buys this book immediately.

It is interesting how new books echo each other. Overgrowth is the second book I've read this month where the female protagonists is certain she is an alien brought up as a human. Unlike Beautyland however, where the alienness may be a metaphor, delusion or true, there is no doubt here. Anastasia Miller is very open that as a child the original Anastasia Miller was abducted by an alien plant, which then grew the version narrating the book in a pod. If you ask her, she will openly tell you that, exasperating her teachers to a minor degree, and delighting the few friends she has. The problem is her alien plant overlords has seeded Earth with their duplicating pod plants, and thirty years later or so are now coming to pick up their progeny, and destroy Earth.

Overgrowth is a fascinating look at an alien invasion from the perspective of an unwitting advance guard. Much of the first third has to deal with this dual personality that Stasia has, on one side she is a customer service operative for a big Sillicon Valley tech company, living with her friends and with a scientist boyfriend away doing research. On the other side she starts having odd dreams, and when a signal is picked up from space, she knows exactly what it means. We get to discover her birthright with her, and her latter poisiton as a fugitive, scientific subject, and slowly turning alien. And in the last third of the book we get to watch the invasion in full, how Stasia feels about people getting wiped out and nature vs nurture plays out.

Grant has put in a lot of work here, her alien world-building is terrific, and whilst some of the chase sequences in the middle section seem a little scrappy, they certainly convince from people trying to work on the fly, not least when they realise their friend - who is slowly turning into a carniverous plant - was always telling the truth. I did feel that some of that midsection was a little long, the book could do with being a little tighter in places, not least because while a lot happens in it, it still feels like it is padded. That is a minor quibble though, it was a thoroughly original take on the alien invasion and one that makes sense, while Grant quote The War Of the Worlds and the Fermi Paradox with a comfort that knows she has thought about how this all fits together. Never trust someone with Audrey 2 pajamas.

Thank you to NetGalley and Daphne Press for a copy of this ARC. All thoughts are my own.

Anastasia Miller spends her days working in a call centre and being with her small circle of friends. Since she was 3 she has told everyone she meets that she is part of the vanguard for an alien invasion. The day has arrived and the invasion is about to begin.

I can never resist the opportunity to read something that Mira Grant writes, and this book has only strengthened that impression. The novel starts with a shock and from then on there is a growing sense of tension as the inevitable approaches. There are moments of visceral body horror reminiscent of The Ruins, as well as tender moments and strong relationships. It is not for the faint-hearted, but some things you can't look away from. Like all the best speculative fiction it does raise questions of what it means to be human, and to examines the choices we all make.

If you like a little horror along with your sci fi, then I would recommend this without hesitation. The second I finished this I was already excited for whatever Mira Grant might write next.

The premise of Overgrowth by Mira Grant really had me so intrigued and when I received the arc I was delighted.

I made it to 65% and had to finally give up, which is a shame because the first few chapters were so good!

When Anastasia is 3 years old she goes into the forest alone and encounters a strange plant, and from that day on Anastasia is replaced by an alien plant species, being sent as a vanguard to assimilate into humanity.

30 years later, the invasion is finally on its way and Anastasia is grappling with the realisation that the human life she has lead is about to come to an end. And whilst she was most definitely an outcast, she has also managed to make friends who unfortunately will most likely die once the invasion begins.

Which side does she want to be on? Her alien plant species or on the side of humanity?

After those amazing first chapters, almost 60% of the book is pre-invasion analysis of Anastasia and her friends’ thoughts about said invasion with not much action to move the plot along.

So unfortunately, I lost interest. I needed more horror, more action, more plants, more carnage!

Mira Grant is obviously a very talented writer, but this book needed a big edit.

Thanks to Daphne Press and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review

Was so excited for this, was not disappointed. Really enjoyed it, love the writing style. Love that there's trans representation. Got to page 100 and I am getting a physical copy as I struggle to read on screens and couldn't download it to my kobo.

There are so many things I enjoyed about this. Possibly the most exciting was realizing that the closer I got to the end, the less likely it seemed the two species could find peace. Really, when you think about the way the story unfolded, was there ever a chance we'd root for the humans?

Big fan of the way Graham's trans experience dovetailed with Stasia's alien experience, how much he trusted her even when she didn't trust herself, and the way she kept her friends close. It detailed such a specific aspect of the human social bond. We'd rather save the few people we care about than a huge number of strangers. And that final reveal? When the aliens tell her how this all could have been avoided? That gut punched me. It's so simple, and it's absolutely something no one ever would've considered doing.

If you love classic sci-fi, plant monsters, and NASA lowkey being the villain, you need to pick this book up.

Stasia isn't human. She's told everyone at every possible opportunity to since she was very little.

Grant's writing is a triumph. I haven't read any of her other books, but will definitely be picking them up after this one. Overgrowth is a poignant book about what it is and feels like to be human. It is very complicated and also quite gruesome at times, and the starting event is written in such a way that it sets the undertones of the book instantly. Stasia is such a lovable and caring character, it's hard not to root for her.

If you enjoy biological/body horror and alien invasions, then this is definitely the book for you. It captured my attention the entire way through, and the ending was not one I saw coming.

Well this author certainly knows how to write an original and somewhat creepy story. We know that Stasia isn't human, she realises that she isn't human and she tells everyone that she meets but still everything comes crashing down when her 'family ' return for her. Stasia finds herself on the run looking for answers and yet finding out that those who love her will also have to make life changing decisions.
I think essentially this is about what it is to feel human and finding humanity is not always what you might expect. For this reader when the aliens arrive it lost my attention a smidge although my favourite was without a doubt blink and you miss it a dragon ! Perhaps I enjoyed the human interactions more as I wasn't comfortable with my planets sentient lifeforms being consumed but I cannot fault that these characters make choices for themselves which felt both shocking and ultimately right for them. A perfect read if you just want to escape reality whilst looking up at the stars because there really are a lot of them !
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested and my thoughts are I believe fair

First off...DISCLAIMER: I requested this title on NetGalley. Thanks to Daphne Press for providing an ecopy. This didn't influence my review in any way.

PLANTED

In the vein of classics like Little Shop of Horrors, Invasion of the Body Snatchers and The Day of the Triffids, but with a huge twist (the point of view here is the alien's), Mira Grant's return to full-length fiction is a first-contact-meets-coming-of-age story packed with thought-provoking questions and social/cultural commentary. Set in a very near future (2031) over the span of a month, it chronicles the days preceding a plantlike alien armada's invasion of our planet, and the invasion itself, through the eyes of a hybrid character - alien in nature, human in appearance and by nurture - who both knows (and states) she's an alien and at times doubts she's deeply deluded...but mostly, simply, KNOWS. Then again, she has a lot of questions about herself and her origins, especially because more than thirty years have passed since when she allegedly fell on Earth and claimed the body of three-years-old Anastasia, and her people - who equipped her with a compulsion to announce their invasion plans - are taking their sweet time coming back for her.

BOUQUET

One of Mira Grant/Seanan McGuire's strengths is the ability to create fleshed out, complex characters who often straddle the line between "human" and "monster" in different ways (just think of her InCryptid series), yet are surprisingly easy to empathise with. Stasia is no exception, and being in her head while she tries to reconcile her Earthly upbringing with her burgeoning alien nature (no pun intended) both entertains and elicit questions about what it means to be human, or simply, to belong - especially if, as it's the case here, you don't like the human race much as a whole, but love some of its specimens a great deal. On the other hand, Stasia's dilemma is also that of her friends', every one of which used to have a different stance on her alleged alien nature, and now must not only put their beliefs in perspective, but also decide if they want to be allies and risk their very life to have Stasia's back. I loved the nuanced, complicated found family of lovers, friends and accidental associates at the core of the story (also, this wouldn't be a Grant book without a mad scientist of sorts whom you can root for and be annoyed at and find funny in equal measure 😂), and the discourse about identity and the different shades in which otherness may come (I can't speak for a group I'm not a part of, but personally, I found the trans-man rep to be handled with utmost care and empathy).

THORNS

Besides being a story about humanity and lack thereof, nature and nurture, and the fine line between the two pairs, Overgrowth can (I'll go as far as to say "ought to") be read as an allegory of colonialism and its acting under the pretense of having a higher moral ground than the people (here, planet) it decides to subjugate. And granted, Grant's near future is anything but a utopia - among other things, she touches upon climate change and the proverbial under-the-rug approach to such issue (does it sound familiar?). Only, if we draw a parallel between the alien invasion and your average human ones, we run into a problem...despite the rationale behind the first (which follows an articulate, yet somehow simplistic pattern you'll have to read the book to discover), in reality no one "asks" or deserves to be invaded. So you have to take the parallel between the alien armada and a military force taking over a real country with a grain of salt.
Apart from this potentially problematic point, I do have a couple of quibbles about the plot - for instance, a certain twist hinges on the government's not knowing who Stasia's friends are (not very likely), and we're left with questions about some of her family members (cat included), especially one who only gets mentioned for a specific purpose and is never heard of again. Anyhow, nothing that managed to impact my enjoyment of the story on a significant level. Imaginative worldbuilding/aliens, mad biology you can absolutely buy into (I'm in awe), well-rounded and mostly lovable characters, striking sociopolitical commentary and a bold epilogue that you probably won't see coming: welcome back, Mira Grant - it was worth the wait.

heartfelt, terrifying, exciting, full of complicated characters and eerie as hell. i was not expecting a book about body snatching plant aliens to leave me in tears, but here we are. anastasia miller was 3 years old when she found a beautiful plant in a forest and vanished for 3 days. the girl who came back was not the same. 30 odd years later, after telling people her whole life she was an alien and they were coming to invade, she finally got the proof she’d been telling the truth the whole time. from the very first line of this book, i was intrigued. this sci fi horror kept me hooked throughout, even with its lengthy chapters. the counting down to the inevitable invasion day had me in suspense, and i loved getting to know these characters who all meant something in some way to stasia knowing how high the stakes were about to get! she had her ride of dies, and i was all in with them. i loved the way this started and ended, the real reason she was telling this story - she doesn flit between thoughts and what she’s talking about a lot but that is pretty similar to how my brain works so i found it didn’t bother me in any way. i had not anticipated how this would all play out, but i had a blast finding out. kept me intrigued and guessing until the very end. not exactly a horror reader usually, it this has made me interested to check out more of mira grant’s work!
thank you NetGalley and publishings for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review!