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Overgrowth
Day of the Triffids meets Little Shop of Horrors in this smart, charming, harrowing alien invasion story about being human, by a Hugo-award winning author.
Since she was three years old, Anastasia Miller has been telling anyone who would listen that she's an alien disguised as a human being, and that the armada that left her on Earth is coming for her. Since she was three years old, no one has believed her.
Now, with an alien signal from the stars being broadcast around the world, humanity is finally starting to realize that it's already been warned, and it may be too late. The invasion is coming, Stasia's biological family is on the way to bring her home, and very few family reunions are willing to cross the gulf of space for just one misplaced child.
What happens when you know what's coming, and just refuse to listen?
Since she was three years old, Anastasia Miller has been telling anyone who would listen that she's an alien disguised as a human being, and that the armada that left her on Earth is coming for her. Since she was three years old, no one has believed her.
Now, with an alien signal from the stars being broadcast around the world, humanity is finally starting to realize that it's already been warned, and it may be too late. The invasion is coming, Stasia's biological family is on the way to bring her home, and very few family reunions are willing to cross the gulf of space for just one misplaced child.
What happens when you know what's coming, and just refuse to listen?
496 pages, Hardcover
First published May 6, 2025
369 people are currently reading
21514 people want to read
About the author
Mira Grant
48 books6,167 followersMira also writes as Seanan McGuire.
Born and raised in Northern California, Mira Grant has made a lifelong study of horror movies, horrible viruses, and the inevitable threat of the living dead. In college, she was voted Most Likely to Summon Something Horrible in the Cornfield, and was a founding member of the Horror Movie Sleep-Away Survival Camp, where her record for time survived in the Swamp Cannibals scenario remains unchallenged.
Mira lives in a crumbling farmhouse with an assortment of cats, horror movies, comics, and books about horrible diseases. When not writing, she splits her time between travel, auditing college virology courses, and watching more horror movies than is strictly good for you. Favorite vacation spots include Seattle, London, and a large haunted corn maze just outside of Huntsville, Alabama.
Mira sleeps with a machete under her bed, and highly suggests that you do the same.
Born and raised in Northern California, Mira Grant has made a lifelong study of horror movies, horrible viruses, and the inevitable threat of the living dead. In college, she was voted Most Likely to Summon Something Horrible in the Cornfield, and was a founding member of the Horror Movie Sleep-Away Survival Camp, where her record for time survived in the Swamp Cannibals scenario remains unchallenged.
Mira lives in a crumbling farmhouse with an assortment of cats, horror movies, comics, and books about horrible diseases. When not writing, she splits her time between travel, auditing college virology courses, and watching more horror movies than is strictly good for you. Favorite vacation spots include Seattle, London, and a large haunted corn maze just outside of Huntsville, Alabama.
Mira sleeps with a machete under her bed, and highly suggests that you do the same.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,161 reviews
April 27, 2025
Very long review incoming, but I feel like I owe a lot of explanation for such a low rating. For those who don't want to read the whole thing: TLDR on why the publishers messed up at the top, and my ultimate reasons for 1-starring it under The Ugly-section. Thanks!
Before we talk about anything regarding the book itself, I want to address the major factor that contributed to my disappointment: the marketing. Whoever approved the tagline “Annihilation meets The Day of the Triffids in this full-on body horror/alien invasion apocalypse”, or recommended McGuire to publish this under her horror-pseudonym Mira Grant, created some expectations that this book simply isn’t going to meet. So if you take anything from this review, let it be a little expectation-management:
1. This is not “Annihilation meets Day of the Triffids”. It’s closer to “Little Shop of Horrors/Rocky Horror Show meets Independence Day”
2. It’s also not “full-on body-horror”, and a far cry from her previous books published under the Mira Grant-lable. It’s more so a mix of light horror, YA-feeling-action-adventure, and a hint of cozy sci-fi. More on that in the Bad-section.
3. The main cast feel a lot like teenagers, so I feel this might’ve worked better (reworked) as a YA-novel, than marketed towards adults.
With that being said, let’s get into the review-proper, as I have a lot of thoughts.
The Good
Our story opens with 3-year-old Anastacia Miller, curiously exploring the woods just out of sight from her parents. She comes across a strange looking alien flower, and is brutally devoured by it. (Leave it to Grant to open a story, right?!)
Shortly later, Anastacia walks out of the woods and into the arms of her mother. Except, this is not the original Anastacia, but an alien copy. It’s this “Stacia” we follow into adulthood; a plant-alien in the body of a woman, living among the humans. Stacia never makes a secret of her alien-nature, introducing herself as such and warning humanity about the impending invasion that her species have planned. People just laugh and dismiss it as a quirky joke. Until the invasion begins… Now Stacia must reckon with the dilemma of where her alliances truly lie, and who she ultimately choses to be “her people”.
The story explores themes of found-family, crafting your own identity, and finding your place when you ultimately feel like a misfit most of the time. On the surface I love this idea, and at times the coziness of the friendships and relationships really steal the show. For the majority of the time though, the good was overshadowed by some glaring problems.
The Bad
As I read more of McGuires books, I’m learning that I enjoy her concepts a lot more than the way she executes them. In the case of Overgrowth, my major problem was with how unbalanced it feels in both tone and pacing.
As mentioned, the book opens with a fairly harrowing scene of child-death, before eventually frolicking off into a quirky/cozy Little-Shop-of-Horrors-style found-family story, with some absurdist jokes and pop-culture references. It’s such a tonal mismatch to the opening, as well as some of the themes it covers, that it gave me whiplash.
Then there’s the pacing, which is absolutely glacial at first, before rushing the ending. The actual alien invasion happens around the 65%-mark of the book, and the build-up is a repetition of the same events over and over again. A little before that 65%-mark, one of the characters utters this brilliantly ironic quote that I highlighted: “This is a lot of prologue. I’d like the text please.”
I genuinely don’t know if this was intentional, but she just voiced my exact thoughts on the book at that moment.
I can easily put up with a slower story, if the characters and/or world are enough to carry it though. No such luck here. Our main cast is supposed to be in their early 30’s, but read like teenagers. Our protagonist’s boyfriend and best friend also felt far too much like “stereotypical-perfect-friend” inserts, rather than actual characters, for me to truly care about them. There’s even more to be said about Graham, but that brings us into the Ugly section…
The Ugly
McGuires books have always been heavy on their messaging about diversity and society’s treatment of minorities. It’s because I support those messages, that I’m extra critical on the way they are portrayed, and I feel like McGuires strikes a rare miss here. I’ve struggled with her lack of subtlety before, but Overgrowth takes the cake and beats you over the head with it for good measure.
The key to messaging in fiction, is to weave your point organically into the story, and to trust it to click with your reader. Not to interrupt the story, just so you can get on a soapbox and tell the reader what you want them to take away.
Overgrowth is guilty of the latter. It wears its themes on its sleeve: the aliens as a metaphor for the “othering” of minorities, underlined for emphasis by the parallels being drawn to Stacia’s trans-boyfriend Graham. It was all laid on só thickly that it takes you straight out of the story. A perfect example happens in a scene near the ending. Slight spoilers:
Worse than the lack of subtlety is the actual alien-metaphor itself, which has quite a few sharp edges when you think of it. Using friendly-plant-aliens as a metaphor for the societal mistreatment of minorities can absolutely work. Even a darker ending where the aliens turn murderous to take revenge on humanity for their mistreatment can work. Here however, the aliens are clearly established as a threat to humanity from the start; they are predators at heart with the ultimate goal of conquering. The book literally opens with the slaughter of a 3-year-old kid by one of them! Maybe I’m being too sensitive, but bringing actual child-predators anywhere close to a message about trans-folks seems wildly unproductive to me… I genuinely believe McGuire’s heart is in the right place here, but this metaphor can be misconstrued so easily that I don’t want to touch it with a ten-foot pole…
Thanks to Daphne Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Before we talk about anything regarding the book itself, I want to address the major factor that contributed to my disappointment: the marketing. Whoever approved the tagline “Annihilation meets The Day of the Triffids in this full-on body horror/alien invasion apocalypse”, or recommended McGuire to publish this under her horror-pseudonym Mira Grant, created some expectations that this book simply isn’t going to meet. So if you take anything from this review, let it be a little expectation-management:
1. This is not “Annihilation meets Day of the Triffids”. It’s closer to “Little Shop of Horrors/Rocky Horror Show meets Independence Day”
2. It’s also not “full-on body-horror”, and a far cry from her previous books published under the Mira Grant-lable. It’s more so a mix of light horror, YA-feeling-action-adventure, and a hint of cozy sci-fi. More on that in the Bad-section.
3. The main cast feel a lot like teenagers, so I feel this might’ve worked better (reworked) as a YA-novel, than marketed towards adults.
With that being said, let’s get into the review-proper, as I have a lot of thoughts.
The Good
Our story opens with 3-year-old Anastacia Miller, curiously exploring the woods just out of sight from her parents. She comes across a strange looking alien flower, and is brutally devoured by it. (Leave it to Grant to open a story, right?!)
Shortly later, Anastacia walks out of the woods and into the arms of her mother. Except, this is not the original Anastacia, but an alien copy. It’s this “Stacia” we follow into adulthood; a plant-alien in the body of a woman, living among the humans. Stacia never makes a secret of her alien-nature, introducing herself as such and warning humanity about the impending invasion that her species have planned. People just laugh and dismiss it as a quirky joke. Until the invasion begins… Now Stacia must reckon with the dilemma of where her alliances truly lie, and who she ultimately choses to be “her people”.
The story explores themes of found-family, crafting your own identity, and finding your place when you ultimately feel like a misfit most of the time. On the surface I love this idea, and at times the coziness of the friendships and relationships really steal the show. For the majority of the time though, the good was overshadowed by some glaring problems.
The Bad
As I read more of McGuires books, I’m learning that I enjoy her concepts a lot more than the way she executes them. In the case of Overgrowth, my major problem was with how unbalanced it feels in both tone and pacing.
As mentioned, the book opens with a fairly harrowing scene of child-death, before eventually frolicking off into a quirky/cozy Little-Shop-of-Horrors-style found-family story, with some absurdist jokes and pop-culture references. It’s such a tonal mismatch to the opening, as well as some of the themes it covers, that it gave me whiplash.
Then there’s the pacing, which is absolutely glacial at first, before rushing the ending. The actual alien invasion happens around the 65%-mark of the book, and the build-up is a repetition of the same events over and over again. A little before that 65%-mark, one of the characters utters this brilliantly ironic quote that I highlighted: “This is a lot of prologue. I’d like the text please.”
I genuinely don’t know if this was intentional, but she just voiced my exact thoughts on the book at that moment.
I can easily put up with a slower story, if the characters and/or world are enough to carry it though. No such luck here. Our main cast is supposed to be in their early 30’s, but read like teenagers. Our protagonist’s boyfriend and best friend also felt far too much like “stereotypical-perfect-friend” inserts, rather than actual characters, for me to truly care about them. There’s even more to be said about Graham, but that brings us into the Ugly section…
The Ugly
McGuires books have always been heavy on their messaging about diversity and society’s treatment of minorities. It’s because I support those messages, that I’m extra critical on the way they are portrayed, and I feel like McGuires strikes a rare miss here. I’ve struggled with her lack of subtlety before, but Overgrowth takes the cake and beats you over the head with it for good measure.
The key to messaging in fiction, is to weave your point organically into the story, and to trust it to click with your reader. Not to interrupt the story, just so you can get on a soapbox and tell the reader what you want them to take away.
Overgrowth is guilty of the latter. It wears its themes on its sleeve: the aliens as a metaphor for the “othering” of minorities, underlined for emphasis by the parallels being drawn to Stacia’s trans-boyfriend Graham. It was all laid on só thickly that it takes you straight out of the story. A perfect example happens in a scene near the ending. Slight spoilers:
Worse than the lack of subtlety is the actual alien-metaphor itself, which has quite a few sharp edges when you think of it. Using friendly-plant-aliens as a metaphor for the societal mistreatment of minorities can absolutely work. Even a darker ending where the aliens turn murderous to take revenge on humanity for their mistreatment can work. Here however, the aliens are clearly established as a threat to humanity from the start; they are predators at heart with the ultimate goal of conquering. The book literally opens with the slaughter of a 3-year-old kid by one of them! Maybe I’m being too sensitive, but bringing actual child-predators anywhere close to a message about trans-folks seems wildly unproductive to me… I genuinely believe McGuire’s heart is in the right place here, but this metaphor can be misconstrued so easily that I don’t want to touch it with a ten-foot pole…
Thanks to Daphne Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
April 27, 2025
Creepy and thought provoking, Overgrowth is an unsettling tale about an alien invasion told from the alien's POV. Anastasia (Stasia) Miller walked off into the woods one day when she was three years old and was enchanted by an interesting flower/plant. She reaches out and touches the plant and, oops...... When she came back from that fateful meeting, she has been telling everyone that will listen that she is an alien. An alien that traveled through space and sprouted on earth. She has always been honest about what she is, but not many believe her.
This book is told through Anastasia/Stasia’s POV, and her tale begins when she is small and then jumps to when she is an adult and has a boyfriend. An alien message has been received and now people are beginning to take notice of what Anastasia/Stasia has been saying. Her real family is coming to get her. The days are counting down and things are beginning to get interesting.
This is an interesting book that looks at humanity, family, and choices. What happens when an alternative life form is raised and surrounded by humans. Does humanity prevail? What happens when the truth is far-fetched and hard to believe? What happens when contact is made? What happens when something new wants to take over?
As I mentioned this book is creepy and has an eerie vibe. I enjoyed the beginning of this book the most but also enjoyed the take on found family, finding those with whom you can relate, what are you willing to do for those you love, colonization, and speaking your truth. The descriptions are vivid, and this book does contain body horror. I can easily see this being made into a movie. The take on invasion, hiding in plain sight, the drama, the dread, the aspect of invasion, and danger. This was a nice mingling of science fiction and horror.
Mira Grant writes original books which are thought provoking and creepy. While this was not my favorite book by Grant, I did find it to be enjoyable, thought provoking, and eerie. I loved the unease which flows throughout this book. I also enjoyed some Stasia's thoughts on looking human but not being human. The I-look-and-talk like you but I am not one of you feel was very nicely done.
Other reviewers have mentioned the pacing, and I must agree with them. This book did lag for me in places and found myself wishing things would hurry up. But the book does get there in the end.
*I listened to the audiobook and though the narrator did a great job of bringing this book to life. If you are interested in this book, I suggest giving the audiobook a go as it was very well done.
Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com 📖
This book is told through Anastasia/Stasia’s POV, and her tale begins when she is small and then jumps to when she is an adult and has a boyfriend. An alien message has been received and now people are beginning to take notice of what Anastasia/Stasia has been saying. Her real family is coming to get her. The days are counting down and things are beginning to get interesting.
This is an interesting book that looks at humanity, family, and choices. What happens when an alternative life form is raised and surrounded by humans. Does humanity prevail? What happens when the truth is far-fetched and hard to believe? What happens when contact is made? What happens when something new wants to take over?
As I mentioned this book is creepy and has an eerie vibe. I enjoyed the beginning of this book the most but also enjoyed the take on found family, finding those with whom you can relate, what are you willing to do for those you love, colonization, and speaking your truth. The descriptions are vivid, and this book does contain body horror. I can easily see this being made into a movie. The take on invasion, hiding in plain sight, the drama, the dread, the aspect of invasion, and danger. This was a nice mingling of science fiction and horror.
Mira Grant writes original books which are thought provoking and creepy. While this was not my favorite book by Grant, I did find it to be enjoyable, thought provoking, and eerie. I loved the unease which flows throughout this book. I also enjoyed some Stasia's thoughts on looking human but not being human. The I-look-and-talk like you but I am not one of you feel was very nicely done.
Other reviewers have mentioned the pacing, and I must agree with them. This book did lag for me in places and found myself wishing things would hurry up. But the book does get there in the end.
*I listened to the audiobook and though the narrator did a great job of bringing this book to life. If you are interested in this book, I suggest giving the audiobook a go as it was very well done.
Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com 📖
June 4, 2025
For a book about an alien invasion, there’s not a lot of aliens invading.
And then turns out it’s the most casual alien invasion ever lol
Bummer to because that prologue was eerily creepy but it did not in fact set the stage.
Subscribe to my YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/@hollyheartsbooks...
And then turns out it’s the most casual alien invasion ever lol
Bummer to because that prologue was eerily creepy but it did not in fact set the stage.
Subscribe to my YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/@hollyheartsbooks...
August 29, 2025
My name is Anastasia Miller and I am the vanguard of an alien invasion.
Anastasia wandered off into the woods at age 3 and disappeared. She found a mysterious plant in the woods and touched it. A few days later she emerges from the woods and she is not the same and never will be again. At that moment, Anastasia was no longer Anastasia, she was an alien. Forever after, she nearly always introduces herself as an alien. And, as it turns out, that invasion does occur, 30 years later. She IS an alien, and human life on earth, is over. Does any shred of humanity survive? You'll have to read this to find out!
I loved the first half or even 60 percent of this audiobook. After that, everything tilted in a direction I outright disliked. Aside from being rather silly-I mean any child or young adult telling everyone they are an alien and the vanguard of a forthcoming invasion is going to attract attention, amiright? Not the good kind of attention, either. It's the kind that will have you facing 4 rubber walls in a room with no windows. While Anastasia does see numerous therapists throughout her childhood, no one ever really does anything about it.
In spite of that kind of silliness, I did like Anastasia at first. I liked her quirky roommates, some of whom actually believed her, and I loved her boyfriend Graham. The character dynamics and interactions were engaging and I was settling in for a rollicking alien invasion story where the quirky main character somehow conquers all. But that is not what I got. I don't even know what I got to be honest with you.
In the last half or maybe even last third, things just went off the rails. We were following Stasia and her friends while just outside of view the world was ending. What? Everything became convoluted and strange and sometimes I wasn't even sure what was going on. I feel like the story didn't know where it wanted to go or where to place its focus. These were like...plant people, but not. Sometimes they had abilities that seemed ridiculous for plants...I don't know, somewhere along the way the narrative lost me. The characters began to irritate me and the whole thing lost any sense of believability that it had, if it ever had any at all. (Again, kind of silly.)
I was so psyched when I started this audio, and I can't remember a time when my feelings on a book changed so much between the start and the finish. There were some admirable things here, the interactions between the roommates and friends, and the social commentary that went along with that. But whatever other message was trying to be sent just didn't hit the target, at least not for this reader.
The narrator, Caitlin Kelly was incredible. If she wasn't I might have abandoned this story shortly after the halfway point. She kept me listening even while my interest was waning. (Her performance gets all 5 stars.)
Overall, being that I liked the first half and mostly hated the last half, I settled on a 3 star rating. As always, your mileage may vary and probably will. I'm not sorry I read it, but I'm glad it's over.
*ARC from audio publisher
Anastasia wandered off into the woods at age 3 and disappeared. She found a mysterious plant in the woods and touched it. A few days later she emerges from the woods and she is not the same and never will be again. At that moment, Anastasia was no longer Anastasia, she was an alien. Forever after, she nearly always introduces herself as an alien. And, as it turns out, that invasion does occur, 30 years later. She IS an alien, and human life on earth, is over. Does any shred of humanity survive? You'll have to read this to find out!
I loved the first half or even 60 percent of this audiobook. After that, everything tilted in a direction I outright disliked. Aside from being rather silly-I mean any child or young adult telling everyone they are an alien and the vanguard of a forthcoming invasion is going to attract attention, amiright? Not the good kind of attention, either. It's the kind that will have you facing 4 rubber walls in a room with no windows. While Anastasia does see numerous therapists throughout her childhood, no one ever really does anything about it.
In spite of that kind of silliness, I did like Anastasia at first. I liked her quirky roommates, some of whom actually believed her, and I loved her boyfriend Graham. The character dynamics and interactions were engaging and I was settling in for a rollicking alien invasion story where the quirky main character somehow conquers all. But that is not what I got. I don't even know what I got to be honest with you.
In the last half or maybe even last third, things just went off the rails. We were following Stasia and her friends while just outside of view the world was ending. What? Everything became convoluted and strange and sometimes I wasn't even sure what was going on. I feel like the story didn't know where it wanted to go or where to place its focus. These were like...plant people, but not. Sometimes they had abilities that seemed ridiculous for plants...I don't know, somewhere along the way the narrative lost me. The characters began to irritate me and the whole thing lost any sense of believability that it had, if it ever had any at all. (Again, kind of silly.)
I was so psyched when I started this audio, and I can't remember a time when my feelings on a book changed so much between the start and the finish. There were some admirable things here, the interactions between the roommates and friends, and the social commentary that went along with that. But whatever other message was trying to be sent just didn't hit the target, at least not for this reader.
The narrator, Caitlin Kelly was incredible. If she wasn't I might have abandoned this story shortly after the halfway point. She kept me listening even while my interest was waning. (Her performance gets all 5 stars.)
Overall, being that I liked the first half and mostly hated the last half, I settled on a 3 star rating. As always, your mileage may vary and probably will. I'm not sorry I read it, but I'm glad it's over.
*ARC from audio publisher
March 8, 2025
A five stars science fiction recommendation which gives Rocky Horror Show vibes.
Stasia has been telling everyone since she was three years old that she is an alien disguised as a human being, abducted as a girl and replaced by a sprouting seed. Now the armada that left her as part of the vanguard on Earth is coming for her.
“The aliens came and took your real baby. They left me. I’m sorry.”
It’s now 2031 and Stasia is 35 years old, violently anti-social, and she lives with two people who tolerate her weirdness - both nerds and outcasts themselves.
This was such a deep character study whilst also being fast-paced and thrilling. Counting down from 25 days pre-invasion we follow a delightful cast of chaotic characters as they try and work out what is going on and what they want to do.
“I call you crazy because you think you’re allowed to eat my cinnamon toast,” said Mandy easily. “You’re not crazy. Your people will be here any day, and they’re going to eat us all. I only ask that you let me watch when they chow down on Roxanna.”
Human-devoring plant aliens, human friends and lovers, crazy and paranoid self-proclaimed saboteurs, sketchy government organisations.
What Grant gets down to - it all comes down to drawing sides. This is human nature. But how do we decide what family means?
Family is where you keep the pieces of yourself that need to be shared with someone else if they’re going to have meaning, the memories that must be seen from three or four different angles at the same time before they find their context.
Grant manages to pack so much in this standalone book. Identity, neurodivergence, choice, agency, transgender politics, birthright citizenship and rights, propaganda, language, found family and family, acceptance, fear mongering….
As you can tell, I cannot sing its praises enough.
The pacing does get a bit uneven for me towards the end, but this was pulled off great for such an ambitious standalone.
Arc gifted by Daphne Press.
Bookstagram
Stasia has been telling everyone since she was three years old that she is an alien disguised as a human being, abducted as a girl and replaced by a sprouting seed. Now the armada that left her as part of the vanguard on Earth is coming for her.
“The aliens came and took your real baby. They left me. I’m sorry.”
It’s now 2031 and Stasia is 35 years old, violently anti-social, and she lives with two people who tolerate her weirdness - both nerds and outcasts themselves.
This was such a deep character study whilst also being fast-paced and thrilling. Counting down from 25 days pre-invasion we follow a delightful cast of chaotic characters as they try and work out what is going on and what they want to do.
“I call you crazy because you think you’re allowed to eat my cinnamon toast,” said Mandy easily. “You’re not crazy. Your people will be here any day, and they’re going to eat us all. I only ask that you let me watch when they chow down on Roxanna.”
Human-devoring plant aliens, human friends and lovers, crazy and paranoid self-proclaimed saboteurs, sketchy government organisations.
What Grant gets down to - it all comes down to drawing sides. This is human nature. But how do we decide what family means?
Family is where you keep the pieces of yourself that need to be shared with someone else if they’re going to have meaning, the memories that must be seen from three or four different angles at the same time before they find their context.
Grant manages to pack so much in this standalone book. Identity, neurodivergence, choice, agency, transgender politics, birthright citizenship and rights, propaganda, language, found family and family, acceptance, fear mongering….
As you can tell, I cannot sing its praises enough.
The pacing does get a bit uneven for me towards the end, but this was pulled off great for such an ambitious standalone.
Arc gifted by Daphne Press.
Bookstagram
May 31, 2025
2.5 Stars
As someone who loved Into the Drowning Deep, Overgrowth was easily one of my most anticipated releases for the year. I love science fiction and horror and so I am always on the hunt for books that successfully mash these genres together.
Unfortunately this one did not work well for me. The entire premise and plot felt unbelievable, breaking my suspension of disbelief.
This one just felt silly. I also struggled with the age classification. This is technically classified as adult horror but everything about the characters and plot fit perfectly within the tropes of YA horror. I would have preferred a more mature version of this story.
I did appreciate the author using the aliens as a way to discuss human issues. However, despite agreeing with the author's point, I found this heavy handed.
I would recommend this one as I don't feel it's representative of this author's talent. I wanted this one to be a new favourite and was disappointed when it didn't work.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
As someone who loved Into the Drowning Deep, Overgrowth was easily one of my most anticipated releases for the year. I love science fiction and horror and so I am always on the hunt for books that successfully mash these genres together.
Unfortunately this one did not work well for me. The entire premise and plot felt unbelievable, breaking my suspension of disbelief.
This one just felt silly. I also struggled with the age classification. This is technically classified as adult horror but everything about the characters and plot fit perfectly within the tropes of YA horror. I would have preferred a more mature version of this story.
I did appreciate the author using the aliens as a way to discuss human issues. However, despite agreeing with the author's point, I found this heavy handed.
I would recommend this one as I don't feel it's representative of this author's talent. I wanted this one to be a new favourite and was disappointed when it didn't work.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
May 5, 2025
I set out to read a fun sci-fi horror. I got something much more complex, and I’m still bewildered by the tears this book teased out of me.
The story is set in the near future, the year 2031. Anastasia, since the age of three, has known she is extraterrestrial in nature and never tried to hide the truth, not even when she’s 35 years old. She’s always introduced herself as the vanguard of an invasion by alien plant people - making her a bit of a weirdo, as you can imagine. What it truly means, though, she will yet come to understand. In any case, humanity has been warned, over and over again. They dismissed it.
Maybe they shouldn’t have.
Holy shit but Overgrowth was such a mentally and morally challenging read! Making me question both sides of the situation, unable to come to a conclusion that would at least settle my mind. At times, I had to stop reading and just stare at the wall for a bit, to process and digest. The rising tension was very subtle, almost lulling me into a sense of “is something really about to happen?” despite me knowing that ooh yes, yes it is.
Mira Grant took her time with the pacing. It’s a slow, mostly character-driven story that is spiraling into something unknown yet inevitable - you know the invasion of Earth is coming, yet you have no clear idea of what shape it will take.
I honestly expected to be more creeped out, as one usually does picking up a book labeled as a horror, but I ended up being more...uncomfortably fascinated. If I had to sum up Overgrowth, it would probably be something like a situational/eldritch horror, existential psychological dread, and thought-provoking sci-fi (and sci-fi isn’t even my preferred genre!). Oh, and with a bizarre alien twist on nature vs nurture and cultural appropriation.
And throughout all this, there is an interesting cast of characters besides Anastasia. Some of them I adored - Graham, a trans man and Stasia’s boyfriend (I have such a soft spot for him!), Mandy, Toni (she was particularly delightful, an unhinged, traumatized scientist who was so often the unconventional voice of reason). Others I simply tolerated. And not every one of them is human 👀
The relationship between Anastasia and Graham brought me to tears at times, it’s been a while since I rooted this much for a couple in a book where romance isn’t even the sub-genre. Unconditional love that transcends absolutely everything is all I have to say ❤️
All that said, I would’ve appreciated a bit more action that would speed the plot up instead of the frequent introspection that got slightly repetitive at times. If you pick Overgrowth up expecting a fast-paced story filled with constant tension, you could get a little bored.
Big thank you to Netgalley and Daphne Press for allowing me to read and review Overgrowth as an e-ARC! This book is set to be published on May 6, 2025! ❤️
The story is set in the near future, the year 2031. Anastasia, since the age of three, has known she is extraterrestrial in nature and never tried to hide the truth, not even when she’s 35 years old. She’s always introduced herself as the vanguard of an invasion by alien plant people - making her a bit of a weirdo, as you can imagine. What it truly means, though, she will yet come to understand. In any case, humanity has been warned, over and over again. They dismissed it.
Maybe they shouldn’t have.
Holy shit but Overgrowth was such a mentally and morally challenging read! Making me question both sides of the situation, unable to come to a conclusion that would at least settle my mind. At times, I had to stop reading and just stare at the wall for a bit, to process and digest. The rising tension was very subtle, almost lulling me into a sense of “is something really about to happen?” despite me knowing that ooh yes, yes it is.
Mira Grant took her time with the pacing. It’s a slow, mostly character-driven story that is spiraling into something unknown yet inevitable - you know the invasion of Earth is coming, yet you have no clear idea of what shape it will take.
I honestly expected to be more creeped out, as one usually does picking up a book labeled as a horror, but I ended up being more...uncomfortably fascinated. If I had to sum up Overgrowth, it would probably be something like a situational/eldritch horror, existential psychological dread, and thought-provoking sci-fi (and sci-fi isn’t even my preferred genre!). Oh, and with a bizarre alien twist on nature vs nurture and cultural appropriation.
And throughout all this, there is an interesting cast of characters besides Anastasia. Some of them I adored - Graham, a trans man and Stasia’s boyfriend (I have such a soft spot for him!), Mandy, Toni (she was particularly delightful, an unhinged, traumatized scientist who was so often the unconventional voice of reason). Others I simply tolerated. And not every one of them is human 👀
The relationship between Anastasia and Graham brought me to tears at times, it’s been a while since I rooted this much for a couple in a book where romance isn’t even the sub-genre. Unconditional love that transcends absolutely everything is all I have to say ❤️
All that said, I would’ve appreciated a bit more action that would speed the plot up instead of the frequent introspection that got slightly repetitive at times. If you pick Overgrowth up expecting a fast-paced story filled with constant tension, you could get a little bored.
Big thank you to Netgalley and Daphne Press for allowing me to read and review Overgrowth as an e-ARC! This book is set to be published on May 6, 2025! ❤️
February 14, 2025
2/13/25: Very difficult getting my thoughts together on this. Review to come.
~~~~~~
12/17/24: I got approved for an eARC, LET’S GOOOO
~~~~~
I see new Mira Grant (aka Seanan McGuire), I slam that TBR button. I don't make the rules, I just follow them.
~~~~~~
12/17/24: I got approved for an eARC, LET’S GOOOO
~~~~~
I see new Mira Grant (aka Seanan McGuire), I slam that TBR button. I don't make the rules, I just follow them.
July 27, 2025
I promised myself no corny plant jokes… But the last fourth of this book is very suspenseful and will have you shaking like a leaf - Ha Ha! 3 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️ as some parts were a little too long and repetitive.
August 27, 2025
**3.5-stars**
When she was just 3-years old, Anastasia Miller, wandered into the woods to locate a beautifully-smelling flowering plant. It was then that she disappeared.
A massive missing person search ensued, only to have Anastasia come back home, visibly unharmed days later. It was at that point that her story truly began.
She'd been abducted by aliens. Her purpose now was to prepare, or warn, the humans about the coming invasion.
She told everybody she could, her whole life, even into adulthood. People came to assume it was a quirky character trait stemming from the trauma she must have suffered during the period of time she went missing, but no one seems to really believe she's an alien.
When an alien signal broadcast around the world starts to get picked up, it's validity undeniable, it seems maybe people should have taken Anastasia's warnings seriously.
The invasion is coming. Stasia's bio-family is finally on their way and their intent could put all of humanity at risk. They were warned. It's too bad they didn't listen.
This novel had such a great start. The first 25%, I was so intrigued. The audiobook narration was fabulous, and perfect for Anastasia's perspective.
The pace was very solid in the first half. I enjoyed the side characters a lot. Stasia's boyfriend, Graham, and her roommates, they all played huge roles in this story, and I liked the found family feel of their group.
The tone reminded me quite a bit of the Alchemical Journeys series by Seanan McGuire. In fact, I had to remind myself a couple of times that this wasn't just another installment to that series; even the cuckoos were mentioned.
Unfortunately, this started to lose me in the second-half. The intrigue completely flew out of the stratosphere for me when the aliens flew in. There was just something about the way that was done and presented, the direction it ultimately went, that didn't work for me.
I was hoping for a vastly different outcome regarding the conclusion, however, there's no denying the quality of Grant's writing and character development.
She's a master of intentional writing. There are no wasted words and everything has meaning and depth. It's not just entertainment. There's a lot more going on within her stories, which I do appreciate so much.
So, while this one was a bit of a mixed bag for me, I'm still a huge fan of Mira Grant and will continue to pick up anything she writes in the future.
Thank you to the publisher, Tor Nightfire and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and a review.
If you're looking for a Alien Invasion story, this is def worth checking out. I know many Readers are going to love this!
When she was just 3-years old, Anastasia Miller, wandered into the woods to locate a beautifully-smelling flowering plant. It was then that she disappeared.
A massive missing person search ensued, only to have Anastasia come back home, visibly unharmed days later. It was at that point that her story truly began.
She'd been abducted by aliens. Her purpose now was to prepare, or warn, the humans about the coming invasion.
She told everybody she could, her whole life, even into adulthood. People came to assume it was a quirky character trait stemming from the trauma she must have suffered during the period of time she went missing, but no one seems to really believe she's an alien.
When an alien signal broadcast around the world starts to get picked up, it's validity undeniable, it seems maybe people should have taken Anastasia's warnings seriously.
The invasion is coming. Stasia's bio-family is finally on their way and their intent could put all of humanity at risk. They were warned. It's too bad they didn't listen.
This novel had such a great start. The first 25%, I was so intrigued. The audiobook narration was fabulous, and perfect for Anastasia's perspective.
The pace was very solid in the first half. I enjoyed the side characters a lot. Stasia's boyfriend, Graham, and her roommates, they all played huge roles in this story, and I liked the found family feel of their group.
The tone reminded me quite a bit of the Alchemical Journeys series by Seanan McGuire. In fact, I had to remind myself a couple of times that this wasn't just another installment to that series; even the cuckoos were mentioned.
Unfortunately, this started to lose me in the second-half. The intrigue completely flew out of the stratosphere for me when the aliens flew in. There was just something about the way that was done and presented, the direction it ultimately went, that didn't work for me.
I was hoping for a vastly different outcome regarding the conclusion, however, there's no denying the quality of Grant's writing and character development.
She's a master of intentional writing. There are no wasted words and everything has meaning and depth. It's not just entertainment. There's a lot more going on within her stories, which I do appreciate so much.
So, while this one was a bit of a mixed bag for me, I'm still a huge fan of Mira Grant and will continue to pick up anything she writes in the future.
Thank you to the publisher, Tor Nightfire and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and a review.
If you're looking for a Alien Invasion story, this is def worth checking out. I know many Readers are going to love this!
June 28, 2025
With the traumatic childhood I had, it’s not surprising if I say I never felt like I belonged. So when I was 9 and one of my brothers was 4, I made up this story that I was, in fact, an alien forgotten on a mission. This brother, with his kind heart, couldn’t comprehend why I’d be abandoned. So I switched my story and said our vessel had exploded and I couldn’t find the rest of my crew.
This went on for YEARS. It even went as far as when we were walking around - in the park or whatever - and he’d find random pieces or tools, he’d bring them to me so I could fix up my vessel.
I got this story tattooed on my left arm a few years ago because it really helped me back then, and it is a part of who I am.
Needless to say that when I read that synopsis… I immediately wanted this book. I’m ready for this cozy sci-fi 🥰 (I cannot find my Owlcrate edition on GR)
——• review
2.25✨ …. What in the world did I just read.
*ALSO TW : child death on page*
The first 40% of this book was absolutely amazing and then it just kept going down to the point I stopped enjoying it completely. 2.25✨ for a 469 pages book is extremely disappointing. Especially for a synopsis that was so interesting.
The writing made it hard for me to take a lot of things seriously but it worked for a good chunk of the book. There were some messages here and there that at first, I thought were accurate. But when they’re repeated constantly they get very redundant and that’s where I snap out of it. I don’t like novels who rely heavily on repeating things over and over again. I got it the first time, thanks. The weight of the messages is lost at some point.
I had a feeling this book was inspired a little by the pandemic of Covid-19. And then it was mentioned very later in the book. There’s definitely some social aspects and consequences that are extremely similar or the same.
There’s a few instances where the characters were like : oh I get it!
And then they’d explain what they understood like it was some genius thought and I was like?? Ok? I was just so underwhelmed after the 40% mark.
The actual alien invasion was just…? There’s NO WAY this reaction would’ve come naturally to someone. They were all acting like it was obvious and they were nice in all of this but I absolutely beg to differ. And yes we get it, humans are terrible bla-bla-bla.
Like I said, this book relies HEAVILY on hidden or obvious messages. I really didn’t like the ending - it actually left a very sour taste in my mouth.
And where is the cat??? Why wasn’t he included in the end?? He’s CONSTANTLY mentioned and then just dropped at the ending? Will I be left worrying over him for eternity? Unacceptable. The author even mentions this in her note : « Terrible things happen. You still need to feed the cat on time. » How can you say this and then not update us on the cat? I’m just ??????????
Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this.
This went on for YEARS. It even went as far as when we were walking around - in the park or whatever - and he’d find random pieces or tools, he’d bring them to me so I could fix up my vessel.
I got this story tattooed on my left arm a few years ago because it really helped me back then, and it is a part of who I am.
Needless to say that when I read that synopsis… I immediately wanted this book. I’m ready for this cozy sci-fi 🥰 (I cannot find my Owlcrate edition on GR)
——• review
2.25✨ …. What in the world did I just read.
*ALSO TW : child death on page*
The first 40% of this book was absolutely amazing and then it just kept going down to the point I stopped enjoying it completely. 2.25✨ for a 469 pages book is extremely disappointing. Especially for a synopsis that was so interesting.
The writing made it hard for me to take a lot of things seriously but it worked for a good chunk of the book. There were some messages here and there that at first, I thought were accurate. But when they’re repeated constantly they get very redundant and that’s where I snap out of it. I don’t like novels who rely heavily on repeating things over and over again. I got it the first time, thanks. The weight of the messages is lost at some point.
I had a feeling this book was inspired a little by the pandemic of Covid-19. And then it was mentioned very later in the book. There’s definitely some social aspects and consequences that are extremely similar or the same.
There’s a few instances where the characters were like : oh I get it!
And then they’d explain what they understood like it was some genius thought and I was like?? Ok? I was just so underwhelmed after the 40% mark.
The actual alien invasion was just…? There’s NO WAY this reaction would’ve come naturally to someone. They were all acting like it was obvious and they were nice in all of this but I absolutely beg to differ. And yes we get it, humans are terrible bla-bla-bla.
Like I said, this book relies HEAVILY on hidden or obvious messages. I really didn’t like the ending - it actually left a very sour taste in my mouth.
And where is the cat??? Why wasn’t he included in the end?? He’s CONSTANTLY mentioned and then just dropped at the ending? Will I be left worrying over him for eternity? Unacceptable. The author even mentions this in her note : « Terrible things happen. You still need to feed the cat on time. » How can you say this and then not update us on the cat? I’m just ??????????
Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this.
June 24, 2025
I finally finished this and it was not an alien invasion story for me,despite the fact that I am all for plants overtaking the world. The story SLOWLY counted down the time to the actual invasion and took 2/3 of the book to get there and then the main characters left earth where the invasion was taking place.
There were some fun sections where aspects of the plants were described/came from and where they took on slight body horror elements but not like the book described. Overall I found the story extremely dull and it was VERY light horror, which I think the marketing misrepresented.
This was my first book by Grant so I would like to read something else written by her. Think I went it with the belief it was going to be something else.
There were some fun sections where aspects of the plants were described/came from and where they took on slight body horror elements but not like the book described. Overall I found the story extremely dull and it was VERY light horror, which I think the marketing misrepresented.
This was my first book by Grant so I would like to read something else written by her. Think I went it with the belief it was going to be something else.
Read
May 5, 2025Mira Grant's latest novel Overgrowth is being compared to Annihilation and Day of the Triffids. Ever since she was three, Anastasia Miller has told anyone who would listen that she is an alien from another planet, and no one ever believed her. But now that there is an alien signal being broadcast around the world, Anastasia knows her family is finally coming to get her and bring her home. If only the world had listened to her, they might have heeded her warnings.
—Emily Martin, New Horror Books to Keep You Up At Night
—Emily Martin, New Horror Books to Keep You Up At Night
June 12, 2025
i actually really enjoyed this! i did the audiobook, and it wasn’t what i thought it would be, but i cant even be made about it. anything alien invasion with some horror elements is well worth the read. i liked the characters a lot, although the pacing was a bit slow at times. but overall it was a good read for me :)
July 8, 2025
oh boy am I conflicted...on one hand I enjoyed this for the most part on the other I feel bamboozled.
this is under horror/sci fi with the synopsis stating " Day of the Triffids meets Invasion of the Body Snatchers in this full-on body horror/alien invasion apocalypse. " yet there's barely any body horror or horror elements at all within this book.
there's definitely things I liked about it. the first half I was hooked! I loved Anastasia as our mc, I loved her relationship with graham & the found family vibes it was giving. Toni's sassy ass really made me laugh. The writing was easy for me to get into & the concept of the aliens was something I really enjoyed.
with social commentary on immigration, identity, queerness, questioning what's right & wrong, this had a lot to say. I can see why some readers might not connect with this aspect but it was something I actually enjoyed as well.
my main issues with this was the pacing & the overall execution of the actual alien invasion. I was expecting like full on Battle Los Angeles vibes & what I got was not that. the tension & the build up was soooo good & then the invasion comes & it was a total let down. waaaaay too much dialogue & explaining things that literally don't matter. a big chuck of the time during the invasion is spent explaining & questioning the history of the aliens & such. girl, I am not here for that. I'm here for the action. this could have amped up the action, cut back like 80 pages of dialogue & really hit the mark. this was definitely more character driven & building up to an invasion & not about an actual alien invasion, if that makes sense???
did I hate it? not at all. I would still recommend this but only to people who are looking for a lengthy character driven sci fi novel not to someone looking for action because it's not going to be found here.
this is under horror/sci fi with the synopsis stating " Day of the Triffids meets Invasion of the Body Snatchers in this full-on body horror/alien invasion apocalypse. " yet there's barely any body horror or horror elements at all within this book.
there's definitely things I liked about it. the first half I was hooked! I loved Anastasia as our mc, I loved her relationship with graham & the found family vibes it was giving. Toni's sassy ass really made me laugh. The writing was easy for me to get into & the concept of the aliens was something I really enjoyed.
with social commentary on immigration, identity, queerness, questioning what's right & wrong, this had a lot to say. I can see why some readers might not connect with this aspect but it was something I actually enjoyed as well.
my main issues with this was the pacing & the overall execution of the actual alien invasion. I was expecting like full on Battle Los Angeles vibes & what I got was not that. the tension & the build up was soooo good & then the invasion comes & it was a total let down. waaaaay too much dialogue & explaining things that literally don't matter. a big chuck of the time during the invasion is spent explaining & questioning the history of the aliens & such. girl, I am not here for that. I'm here for the action. this could have amped up the action, cut back like 80 pages of dialogue & really hit the mark. this was definitely more character driven & building up to an invasion & not about an actual alien invasion, if that makes sense???
did I hate it? not at all. I would still recommend this but only to people who are looking for a lengthy character driven sci fi novel not to someone looking for action because it's not going to be found here.
July 1, 2025
Overgrowth is clever and thought provoking. I am still trying to figure out how I feel about the ending (and I think that's exactly what Seanan McGuire/Mira Grant wants readers to grapple with). I read this very quickly as it is extremely compelling. I will probably return to try to tease out a more thorough review, but like I often feel about so much of her award winning work, I need some time to reflect and for the seeds to germinate. (Terrible pun I know but I couldn't help writing it).
March 20, 2025
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.
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.
Want to read
October 22, 2024finally a new mira grant! i could cry
May 6, 2025
Heartfelt, exciting, wonderfully complicated characters in gnarly, life/world-altering situations, this novel has everything I love in Mira Grant’s writing. I really find myself drawn to her characters, who are always diverse and so well-defined that I recognize them, I see myself and people I know in them. There is nothing perfunctory or convenient about them, and that really fuels this story. The story premise is simple, but she adds layers and folds and surprises enough to always keep you turning the page, to keep you guessing and involved. Nothing feels expected. The world-building, in this regard, is lush and engaging. Without spoiling anything I will say there is some alien world-building that is inventive and immersive and really fun, but aside from that the social and emotional worlds that are built, before we visit those alien landscapes, are just as complex and juicy and really create a strong sense of space.
The writing is really delightful, with convincing dialogue and a strong interiority that is emotional and descriptive without ever feeling purple. The prologue is a storytelling narrator, talking to the audience, and that really draws you in, makes you complicit in the story. But then it shifts to an intimate first-person for the rest of the story which works really well, staying with one character’s perspective but still feeling wide-ranging and curious. I will say that some of the plotting was a little bit slow. Not slow, in actuality, but slow in comparison to some of the high-energy action that Grant has in other novels. The thing is, I really appreciate all of the parts of this novel, I think the way they develop and build on each other are perfectly done, so I don’t know what I would suggest to speed things up; it isn’t like I could suggest any particular section to be trimmed or excised. And that pace really did give us more time with our main character, time to fill out her emotional world, and I felt that was worthwhile. It also made the contrast with some of the action scenes in the final act’s resolutions all the more stark, an inevitable abruptness, which I liked. Once the story began it was clear this wasn’t going to be super frenetic, and so if you settle into that pace then the story takes you exactly where you need to go. It is important to say that even at this pace I never wanted to put the book down, and I was fighting for one more page every time I had to. Her writing is consistently gripping and serves the story and characters well.
Grant doesn’t shy away—in this fantastical sci-fi invasion horror story that features a few totally wild and unexpected sequences near the end—from asking important questions. A big part of this story is about what it means to know yourself, to understand who and how you are in the world. The story has a lot of opportunities for genuine introspection, an assessment not just of how I am who I am but also a recognition of who and what is of value to me, and for why. As in much of Grant’s stories the role of friendship, and the complicated roses and thorns it involves, is vital to the story. Like any good invasion story, it also asks questions about how well you truly know your neighbors, what different shapes emotional and physical colonization can take, and what sacrifices you’re willing to make for those you care about. The story builds an emotional depth with characters you care about and then exploits that by using it force you to ask questions about yourself and your ways of being in the world. It is an inventive and immersive story grounded in character and was an absolute blast of joy to read.
I want to thank the author, the publisher Tor Nightfire, and NetGalley, who provided a complimentary eARC for review. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The writing is really delightful, with convincing dialogue and a strong interiority that is emotional and descriptive without ever feeling purple. The prologue is a storytelling narrator, talking to the audience, and that really draws you in, makes you complicit in the story. But then it shifts to an intimate first-person for the rest of the story which works really well, staying with one character’s perspective but still feeling wide-ranging and curious. I will say that some of the plotting was a little bit slow. Not slow, in actuality, but slow in comparison to some of the high-energy action that Grant has in other novels. The thing is, I really appreciate all of the parts of this novel, I think the way they develop and build on each other are perfectly done, so I don’t know what I would suggest to speed things up; it isn’t like I could suggest any particular section to be trimmed or excised. And that pace really did give us more time with our main character, time to fill out her emotional world, and I felt that was worthwhile. It also made the contrast with some of the action scenes in the final act’s resolutions all the more stark, an inevitable abruptness, which I liked. Once the story began it was clear this wasn’t going to be super frenetic, and so if you settle into that pace then the story takes you exactly where you need to go. It is important to say that even at this pace I never wanted to put the book down, and I was fighting for one more page every time I had to. Her writing is consistently gripping and serves the story and characters well.
Grant doesn’t shy away—in this fantastical sci-fi invasion horror story that features a few totally wild and unexpected sequences near the end—from asking important questions. A big part of this story is about what it means to know yourself, to understand who and how you are in the world. The story has a lot of opportunities for genuine introspection, an assessment not just of how I am who I am but also a recognition of who and what is of value to me, and for why. As in much of Grant’s stories the role of friendship, and the complicated roses and thorns it involves, is vital to the story. Like any good invasion story, it also asks questions about how well you truly know your neighbors, what different shapes emotional and physical colonization can take, and what sacrifices you’re willing to make for those you care about. The story builds an emotional depth with characters you care about and then exploits that by using it force you to ask questions about yourself and your ways of being in the world. It is an inventive and immersive story grounded in character and was an absolute blast of joy to read.
I want to thank the author, the publisher Tor Nightfire, and NetGalley, who provided a complimentary eARC for review. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
March 31, 2025
Review in the April issue of Library Journal
Three Words That Describe This Book: existential terror, alien invasion, single point of view
Draft Review: Three year-old Stasia wandered into the forest, was eaten by an alien plant that digested her and remade itself in her image, sending her back home, only to tell everyone that an alien stole the real Stasia and one day they will come back for her. 30 years later, Stasia is still compelled to tell all she meets about her true nature. She has very few trusted friends as a result. However, as readers know, her prophesied invasion is only 25 days away. Told entirely through Stasia’s eyes, Grant plays with the entire concept of the “unreliable narrator.” No one has ever believed Stasia and yet, she was actually the most reliable narrator. Like the very best Science Fiction, this story is more about the world we live in now than the near future in which it is set. And, like the very best Horror, it is bleak and unflinching, discomfitingly forcing readers to contemplate their own lives, choices, and place in the universe. But Grant also is able to infuse her version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers with heart, found family, and hope, even as” the harvest” comes and there is nothing anyone can do to stop it.
Verdict: Grant, already a proven library winner presents another engaging, existentially terrifying, and thought-provoking SF tinged Horror novel. An easy hand-sell for fans of Jeff VanderMeer in general, and Wendig’s Wanderers, in particular.
Entire book is framed as a story being told to someone. Us? Sure but at the end you find out who and it makes for good closure on what could have been an open ended story.
We begin with the "Seed" the prologue to set the stage back when Stasia was 3 and an alien plant ate her and returned one of its own in her place.
But the bulk of the book takes place from 25 days before the invasion thru to its end and into the future.
Like the very best Science Fiction it has more to say about the world we live in now than it does about the future in which it is set (2031). And like the very best Horror, it is bleak and unflinching, making readers contemplate their lives, choices, and place in the universe. This is pure existential terror.
Stasia is the sole narrator here which I think makes the book better. Seeing the story through her eyes as an alien who has lived among humans who dismiss her as weird, was fascinating. It is also an obvious play on the idea of the "unreliable narrator," since she ends up being THE MOST reliable narrator-- and yet, that surprises everyone, even her friends.
Grant presents another entertaining and thought provoking novel. SF frame but definitely Horror tone. This one will be popular and for good reason. Just don't expect her to hold ANYTHING back.
Reminiscent of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" -- characters even mention that work-- 100% for fans of Wanderers by Chuck Wendig and Jeff VanderMeer.
Three Words That Describe This Book: existential terror, alien invasion, single point of view
Draft Review: Three year-old Stasia wandered into the forest, was eaten by an alien plant that digested her and remade itself in her image, sending her back home, only to tell everyone that an alien stole the real Stasia and one day they will come back for her. 30 years later, Stasia is still compelled to tell all she meets about her true nature. She has very few trusted friends as a result. However, as readers know, her prophesied invasion is only 25 days away. Told entirely through Stasia’s eyes, Grant plays with the entire concept of the “unreliable narrator.” No one has ever believed Stasia and yet, she was actually the most reliable narrator. Like the very best Science Fiction, this story is more about the world we live in now than the near future in which it is set. And, like the very best Horror, it is bleak and unflinching, discomfitingly forcing readers to contemplate their own lives, choices, and place in the universe. But Grant also is able to infuse her version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers with heart, found family, and hope, even as” the harvest” comes and there is nothing anyone can do to stop it.
Verdict: Grant, already a proven library winner presents another engaging, existentially terrifying, and thought-provoking SF tinged Horror novel. An easy hand-sell for fans of Jeff VanderMeer in general, and Wendig’s Wanderers, in particular.
Entire book is framed as a story being told to someone. Us? Sure but at the end you find out who and it makes for good closure on what could have been an open ended story.
We begin with the "Seed" the prologue to set the stage back when Stasia was 3 and an alien plant ate her and returned one of its own in her place.
But the bulk of the book takes place from 25 days before the invasion thru to its end and into the future.
Like the very best Science Fiction it has more to say about the world we live in now than it does about the future in which it is set (2031). And like the very best Horror, it is bleak and unflinching, making readers contemplate their lives, choices, and place in the universe. This is pure existential terror.
Stasia is the sole narrator here which I think makes the book better. Seeing the story through her eyes as an alien who has lived among humans who dismiss her as weird, was fascinating. It is also an obvious play on the idea of the "unreliable narrator," since she ends up being THE MOST reliable narrator-- and yet, that surprises everyone, even her friends.
Grant presents another entertaining and thought provoking novel. SF frame but definitely Horror tone. This one will be popular and for good reason. Just don't expect her to hold ANYTHING back.
Reminiscent of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" -- characters even mention that work-- 100% for fans of Wanderers by Chuck Wendig and Jeff VanderMeer.
May 14, 2025
I have very mixed feelings about this one. I’ve read a lot of Mira Grant/Seanan McGuire so I know her books can be a bit uneven in execution, although the ideas are always consistently interesting and inventive. So, in a way, Overgrowth is as expected: great ideas, uneven execution.
I’ve always found Grant’s books to be densely chatty, the question being how relevant the chattiness is to the story and whether or not it starts to become a bit tiresome. In this case, the chattiness started to feel a bit like talking points filling about identity and otherness being used in place of something more distinctly personal to the characters as people and at times came off as a bit distantly plot relevant.
The whole idea of the invasion and the race of sentient, space faring plant life was absolutely brilliant. For my taste there was a little too much repetitive musing and banter and not quite enough digging into the meat of the story (pun intended 😂🌱🩸).
Overall, not my favourite of Grant’s but interesting enough that I’m glad I read it. Not one of hers I would ever reread though.
I’ve always found Grant’s books to be densely chatty, the question being how relevant the chattiness is to the story and whether or not it starts to become a bit tiresome. In this case, the chattiness started to feel a bit like talking points filling about identity and otherness being used in place of something more distinctly personal to the characters as people and at times came off as a bit distantly plot relevant.
The whole idea of the invasion and the race of sentient, space faring plant life was absolutely brilliant. For my taste there was a little too much repetitive musing and banter and not quite enough digging into the meat of the story (pun intended 😂🌱🩸).
Overall, not my favourite of Grant’s but interesting enough that I’m glad I read it. Not one of hers I would ever reread though.
May 18, 2025
i don’t like alien invasion stories but i read this because im a fan of seanan mcguire and that might be my fault because i just don’t enjoy mira grant books as much and decided to give this a try anyway.
June 14, 2025
Four words: Vampire Plants From Space.
Anastasia went into the woods when she was three and when she returned, a change had happened. She tells everyone she meets that she's an alien disguised as a human and that her people will be coming to get her. Most people laugh. Some get angry. But none of them take her seriously. When a message arrives from outer space, Stasia knows that her time is getting shorter.
Each chapter begins with a quote from H.G. Wells' The War of the Worlds. Wells envisioned intelligent cephalopods and Grant gives us sentient plants. There are lots of references to Little Shop of Horrors too. It's been a long time since I read The Day of the Triffids, but its influence here is unmistakable.
I was particularly fond of Stasia's relationship with Graham, a trans man and herpetologist. Stasia has loved him from before his transition. As she says at one point, he always believed she was an alien and she always believed he was a man. Their love gets pushed, pulled, bruised, and otherwise tested when the space armada arrives. Stasia is torn—can she have her genetic space relatives and maintain her love for Graham and the handful of friends that have stuck by her over the years?
I’m not usually a horror reader, so I don't know how to discuss those aspects of the book. Gradually transforming into something not human would definitely horrify me, especially if the people around me began to smell delicious. Then there is the predictable human response and the destruction that feature in most apocalyptic fiction. That would also be horrifying to endure.
I had lots of thoughts about our home-grown colonization and genocides, as well as humanity's xenophobic tendencies. This book can be merely an alien invasion or it can be a metaphor for our bigger human problems. Either way, it was a gripping and entertaining read.
Anastasia went into the woods when she was three and when she returned, a change had happened. She tells everyone she meets that she's an alien disguised as a human and that her people will be coming to get her. Most people laugh. Some get angry. But none of them take her seriously. When a message arrives from outer space, Stasia knows that her time is getting shorter.
Each chapter begins with a quote from H.G. Wells' The War of the Worlds. Wells envisioned intelligent cephalopods and Grant gives us sentient plants. There are lots of references to Little Shop of Horrors too. It's been a long time since I read The Day of the Triffids, but its influence here is unmistakable.
I was particularly fond of Stasia's relationship with Graham, a trans man and herpetologist. Stasia has loved him from before his transition. As she says at one point, he always believed she was an alien and she always believed he was a man. Their love gets pushed, pulled, bruised, and otherwise tested when the space armada arrives. Stasia is torn—can she have her genetic space relatives and maintain her love for Graham and the handful of friends that have stuck by her over the years?
I’m not usually a horror reader, so I don't know how to discuss those aspects of the book. Gradually transforming into something not human would definitely horrify me, especially if the people around me began to smell delicious. Then there is the predictable human response and the destruction that feature in most apocalyptic fiction. That would also be horrifying to endure.
I had lots of thoughts about our home-grown colonization and genocides, as well as humanity's xenophobic tendencies. This book can be merely an alien invasion or it can be a metaphor for our bigger human problems. Either way, it was a gripping and entertaining read.
June 3, 2025
A huge thank you Daphne Press and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. 💖
What if you knew you were an alien and no one believed you?
At age three, Stasia was taken by an alien plant. Three days later, she came back... different. She’s spent her life claiming the invasion is coming. Everyone laughed. Until the invasion actually came.
Overgrowth is a sci-fi novel about identity, love, and the end of the world. All told through the eyes of the alien warning us all. It's witty, weirdly emotional, and full of creeping dread (but not in the way you'd expect).
When I first finished the book, I rated it 3 stars. I’d expected more horror, and it really doesn’t kick in until the final third. The book also has a strong YA feel, even though the characters are in their thirties.
But after sitting with it for a while, I’ve bumped my rating up to 4 stars as it's still a truly enjoyable read with a weirdly lovable alien as the main character.
My only real caveat is the marketing. It’s pitched as body horror, and I think it doesn’t deliver on that promise. If it were sold as YA sci-fi with a weird twist, it would’ve hit the mark a lot better!
Still, I think fans of quirky, character-driven sci-fi (especially told from the perspective of an alien) will find a lot to love here.
What if you knew you were an alien and no one believed you?
At age three, Stasia was taken by an alien plant. Three days later, she came back... different. She’s spent her life claiming the invasion is coming. Everyone laughed. Until the invasion actually came.
Overgrowth is a sci-fi novel about identity, love, and the end of the world. All told through the eyes of the alien warning us all. It's witty, weirdly emotional, and full of creeping dread (but not in the way you'd expect).
When I first finished the book, I rated it 3 stars. I’d expected more horror, and it really doesn’t kick in until the final third. The book also has a strong YA feel, even though the characters are in their thirties.
But after sitting with it for a while, I’ve bumped my rating up to 4 stars as it's still a truly enjoyable read with a weirdly lovable alien as the main character.
My only real caveat is the marketing. It’s pitched as body horror, and I think it doesn’t deliver on that promise. If it were sold as YA sci-fi with a weird twist, it would’ve hit the mark a lot better!
Still, I think fans of quirky, character-driven sci-fi (especially told from the perspective of an alien) will find a lot to love here.
May 7, 2025
1.5/5 stars – A Promising Premise Buried Beneath Preachy YA Tropes
Overgrowth by Mira Grant opens like a horror-thriller knockout—gruesome, unnerving, and full of potential. The brutal child death scene in the intro made it clear: this wasn’t pulling punches. But just as quickly as the tension builds, the book does a genre bait-and-switch. What begins as science fiction horror nose-dives into a preachy, painfully shallow YA story about how being different is okay and humans should be nicer.
Let me be clear—it’s not the message I take issue with. It’s the execution. Important themes deserve better than being wrapped in cardboard characters and a tone so soft it undercuts any emotional weight. The horror vanishes by chapter three, never to return, and the story meanders through painfully predictable YA beats.
Worse, the book constantly repeats its message—“Oh god, I’m so different, I’m an alien, nobody believes me”—as if the author is afraid the reader will forget the point. There’s no trust in your intelligence, no faith in your ability to draw meaning on your own. It’s almost insulting.
It’s the kind of book that seems to dare you to criticize it by hiding behind its messaging. But even strong social commentary can’t save weak storytelling. Overgrowth could have been a sharp, terrifying parable. Instead, it felt like a rough draft that forgot what genre it was writing in.
Overgrowth by Mira Grant opens like a horror-thriller knockout—gruesome, unnerving, and full of potential. The brutal child death scene in the intro made it clear: this wasn’t pulling punches. But just as quickly as the tension builds, the book does a genre bait-and-switch. What begins as science fiction horror nose-dives into a preachy, painfully shallow YA story about how being different is okay and humans should be nicer.
Let me be clear—it’s not the message I take issue with. It’s the execution. Important themes deserve better than being wrapped in cardboard characters and a tone so soft it undercuts any emotional weight. The horror vanishes by chapter three, never to return, and the story meanders through painfully predictable YA beats.
Worse, the book constantly repeats its message—“Oh god, I’m so different, I’m an alien, nobody believes me”—as if the author is afraid the reader will forget the point. There’s no trust in your intelligence, no faith in your ability to draw meaning on your own. It’s almost insulting.
It’s the kind of book that seems to dare you to criticize it by hiding behind its messaging. But even strong social commentary can’t save weak storytelling. Overgrowth could have been a sharp, terrifying parable. Instead, it felt like a rough draft that forgot what genre it was writing in.
April 28, 2025
I read an ARC courtesy of NetGalley.
Seanan McGuire/Mira Grant is a hit-and-miss author for me, and this one is a miss. I'm really sorry about that, because I absolutely loved the premise, and Grant has this very breezy, compulsively readable style. I even like where the story ends up, which I think may not be everyone's cup of tea. But I just found the characterisation and ethics utterly unintelligible.
The characters don't make sense to me. They are always reacting to the exact thing that's happening to them, with very little overall motivation or, I don't know, system of values. If this was a system of values that differed from mine, I could disagree with it. If it was the system of values of an alien, I could find it interesting. But it honestly feels like everyone is paper-thin and just doing whatever gives us a chance for a quippy dialogue.
This follows very closely the beats and characters of Parasite, which was my other least favorite Grant (for somewhat similar reasons).
(I also found the parallels about transness and immigrants to be extremely obvious and not very well thought-through.)
Seanan McGuire/Mira Grant is a hit-and-miss author for me, and this one is a miss. I'm really sorry about that, because I absolutely loved the premise, and Grant has this very breezy, compulsively readable style. I even like where the story ends up, which I think may not be everyone's cup of tea. But I just found the characterisation and ethics utterly unintelligible.
The characters don't make sense to me. They are always reacting to the exact thing that's happening to them, with very little overall motivation or, I don't know, system of values. If this was a system of values that differed from mine, I could disagree with it. If it was the system of values of an alien, I could find it interesting. But it honestly feels like everyone is paper-thin and just doing whatever gives us a chance for a quippy dialogue.
This follows very closely the beats and characters of Parasite, which was my other least favorite Grant (for somewhat similar reasons).
(I also found the parallels about transness and immigrants to be extremely obvious and not very well thought-through.)
May 5, 2025
The world is a beautiful garden.
------------------------
“Overgrowth” is something that I would call contemporary science-fiction. It takes place in the world we know. However, in the past this world has been visited by an alien species. They planted their seeds and waited for them to grow.
When she was three years old, Anastasia in some mysterious circumstances was replaced with an alien. She kept saying she’s not a human, she kept convincing people she is an alien, but no one listens. Is she the only one? Will aliens come with a visit?
Mira Grant creates a novel full of existential questions. How do we treat people that are different from what we would call “normal”? How hard is it to believe in what other people are saying? How would people react if they knew the truth all along but hadn’t accepted it? Reading “Overgrowth” has led me to many different thoughts about humans and their behaviour towards difference.
Besides that it’s a rather fast paced novel about first contact and probable course of space invasion. That part was a great entertainment, almost like a good sci-fi movie with lots of amazing action scenes.
Overall I did enjoy “Overgrowth”. It gave me exactly what I’m seeking for in science fiction - great amusement and a space for my own reflection.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book and provide a review.
------------------------
“Overgrowth” is something that I would call contemporary science-fiction. It takes place in the world we know. However, in the past this world has been visited by an alien species. They planted their seeds and waited for them to grow.
When she was three years old, Anastasia in some mysterious circumstances was replaced with an alien. She kept saying she’s not a human, she kept convincing people she is an alien, but no one listens. Is she the only one? Will aliens come with a visit?
Mira Grant creates a novel full of existential questions. How do we treat people that are different from what we would call “normal”? How hard is it to believe in what other people are saying? How would people react if they knew the truth all along but hadn’t accepted it? Reading “Overgrowth” has led me to many different thoughts about humans and their behaviour towards difference.
Besides that it’s a rather fast paced novel about first contact and probable course of space invasion. That part was a great entertainment, almost like a good sci-fi movie with lots of amazing action scenes.
Overall I did enjoy “Overgrowth”. It gave me exactly what I’m seeking for in science fiction - great amusement and a space for my own reflection.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book and provide a review.
June 12, 2025
This is a hard book to rate. When it works, it really works - the visceral creepiness of the aliens, the slow detachment of the main character from humanity that leaves you wondering if there was ever anything human about her in the first place...
Unfortunately, it doesn't always work. The pacing is all over the place, and there were some aspects of the plot that came off as unbelievable - for instance, since the flowers consume and replicate children and the process takes a few days, it must be that several thousands children all over the world all went missing in the same few months/years and came back claiming to be alien invaders and not only this didn't make national news, Stasia wasn't even aware of it? I don't buy it. Another aspect was the condition to keep the aliens from attacking earth - are you telling me no one triggered it, not even by accident? Also seems implausible.
Overall, I did enjoy it and recommend it if you're looking for a unique take on alien invasions that manages to deliver some truly poignant moments and some truly creepy ones, but it could have been a favorite, and sadly it wasn't.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Unfortunately, it doesn't always work. The pacing is all over the place, and there were some aspects of the plot that came off as unbelievable - for instance, since the flowers consume and replicate children and the process takes a few days, it must be that several thousands children all over the world all went missing in the same few months/years and came back claiming to be alien invaders and not only this didn't make national news, Stasia wasn't even aware of it? I don't buy it. Another aspect was the condition to keep the aliens from attacking earth - are you telling me no one triggered it, not even by accident? Also seems implausible.
Overall, I did enjoy it and recommend it if you're looking for a unique take on alien invasions that manages to deliver some truly poignant moments and some truly creepy ones, but it could have been a favorite, and sadly it wasn't.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
May 10, 2025
3.5 rounded up
This book was too long, and I didn't set my expectations well going in. I was hoping for an off the rails scientific horror, but this was much more sci fi than I was expecting with some horror elements. It has a lot of really deep conversations that were well done and I loved the alien elements, I just wanted something different from the book overall.
This book was too long, and I didn't set my expectations well going in. I was hoping for an off the rails scientific horror, but this was much more sci fi than I was expecting with some horror elements. It has a lot of really deep conversations that were well done and I loved the alien elements, I just wanted something different from the book overall.
May 13, 2025
This review originally appeared on FanFiAddict.
When Anastasia Miller was three years old, she wandered alone into the woods. There, she encountered a strange plant, and what returned home to the Miller house days later was no longer Anastasia Miller. For the next thirty-some years, Stasia has been eager to inform everybody she met that she is, in fact, the vanguard of an alien race intent on invading Earth. For thirty-some years, she has been met with scorn and ridicule. And then, an astronomer captures an alien signal from outer space — and it’s getting closer.
When Tor announced their publication of Mira Grant’s publication of Overgrowth as part of their Nightfire line back in October 2024, I was immediately excited. An end of the world, alien invasion book featuring a plant-based species, and promising full-on body horror apocalypse, from the author of the Newsflesh series, Rolling in the Deep, and Into the Drowning Deep — how could I not be?
Unfortunately, that enthusiasm was short-lived. I found Overgrowth overly long, overly tepid, and overly dull, and unable to satisfyingly deliver on any of its biggest promises.
By the time we become properly acquainted with Stasia — we’re made aware of her alien status right from the beginning during the abduction and murder of three-year-old Anastasia in the book’s opening moments — she’s a 35-year-old neurotic whose compulsions to inform literally everybody she encounters that she’s an alien plant person has made it difficult for her to blend in. Her coworkers routinely taunt and bully her. Her boyfriend and roommates put up with her weirdness because they ultimately consider her harmless.
Of course, there are reasons for Stasia’s compulsion to let everybody know she’s not human and that an alien armada is on their way, but Grant takes far too long getting to the core of these explanations. In the meantime, it feels like a lot of forced silliness, as if we’ve been plunked into an episode of The New Girl by way of Invasion of the Body Snatchers. And, of course, the grand reveal behind these compulsions proves equally hokey. I couldn’t help but wonder, repeatedly, how this ostensibly crazy lady with zero ability to adapt to social cues had managed to get so far in life without being institutionalized multiple times. Personally, I’d give a pretty wide berth to anybody insisting they were an alien plant from outer space and that doomsday is coming, but maybe that’s just me (Granted, I’d be wrong about it in the context of Grant’s narrative, but at least it’d be more realistic).
Stasia’s much ballyhooed invasion, and ostensibly the book’s raison d’être, doesn’t even occur until two-thirds of the way through and then proceeds largely off-page while Stasia and her Scooby gang are off doing other, far less interesting things. Yes, yes, yes, we could do much hand-waving about how, technically, the invasion started decades ago with Stasia’s emergence as a pod person and the shower of alien seed pods that found their way to Earth, but I’m talking about the good stuff. Alien ships and technology, the wholesale slaughter of innocents, the Big Budget Hollywood sequences of large-scale disaster and entire cities being wiped off the map, the mobilization of resistance forces — you know, some real big Independence Day kind of shit. I wanted to see the apocalypse part of Grant’s apocalyptic plant-based alien invasion scenario and intense sequences of body horror that would make my skin crawl. Instead, all I got was a big ol’ nothingburger. The apocalypse is virtually swept under the rug and the body horror is so lame it’s essentially little more than skin flaking off after a bad sunburn.
To her credit, Grant’s focus on characters allows Overgrowth to function on an allegorical level, and it does succeed there, to a certain extent, even as it fails to satisfy on any level as a horrifying apocalypse. Between Stasia and her friends, Grant provides plenty of representation for diverse, neurodivergent, gay, and trans segments of society that are oftentimes missing in Big Publishing’s mainstream horror efforts. Much of Stasia’s forays into American society parallels coming out of the closet and having to face discrimination, derision, and persecution. That Overgrowth functions as well as it does allegorically, when viewed solely through the microcosm of Stasia’s experiences, feels welcomingly rebellious given the current strife these groups are facing under Republican-led administrations at the state and federal level. With Republican’s anti-gay and anti-trans legislative crackdowns, not to mention Trump’s broad array of casually and daily delivered human rights and legal abuses, including abductions and human trafficking via rogue government agencies, we desperately need art that loudly clashes with these attacks on civil and human rights. However, Grant pushes the allegory to a breaking point when we’re forced to realize that these downtrodden segments of society are essentially being represented in Overgrowth by child murdering aliens with serious Master Race vibes who travel the stars committing genocide, one whole planet at a time, insisting on universal conformity and group think. Stasia’s experiences and beliefs work well enough, to an extent, but the allegory, and one’s sympathies, falls apart the further one reaches in exploring the context Grant presents. At times, Overgrowth feels somewhat prescient, while at others it, sadly, reads like a relic despite its 2031 setting. Take for example, one character naively opining that a particular government agency can’t just disappear people forever without a second thought because “They like to have cause.” I couldn’t help having a cynical laugh at that one.
Ultimately, Overgrowth overpromises and under-delivers in every aspect. To borrow from the book’s tag line, you were warned. You were warned, indeed.
When Anastasia Miller was three years old, she wandered alone into the woods. There, she encountered a strange plant, and what returned home to the Miller house days later was no longer Anastasia Miller. For the next thirty-some years, Stasia has been eager to inform everybody she met that she is, in fact, the vanguard of an alien race intent on invading Earth. For thirty-some years, she has been met with scorn and ridicule. And then, an astronomer captures an alien signal from outer space — and it’s getting closer.
When Tor announced their publication of Mira Grant’s publication of Overgrowth as part of their Nightfire line back in October 2024, I was immediately excited. An end of the world, alien invasion book featuring a plant-based species, and promising full-on body horror apocalypse, from the author of the Newsflesh series, Rolling in the Deep, and Into the Drowning Deep — how could I not be?
Unfortunately, that enthusiasm was short-lived. I found Overgrowth overly long, overly tepid, and overly dull, and unable to satisfyingly deliver on any of its biggest promises.
By the time we become properly acquainted with Stasia — we’re made aware of her alien status right from the beginning during the abduction and murder of three-year-old Anastasia in the book’s opening moments — she’s a 35-year-old neurotic whose compulsions to inform literally everybody she encounters that she’s an alien plant person has made it difficult for her to blend in. Her coworkers routinely taunt and bully her. Her boyfriend and roommates put up with her weirdness because they ultimately consider her harmless.
Of course, there are reasons for Stasia’s compulsion to let everybody know she’s not human and that an alien armada is on their way, but Grant takes far too long getting to the core of these explanations. In the meantime, it feels like a lot of forced silliness, as if we’ve been plunked into an episode of The New Girl by way of Invasion of the Body Snatchers. And, of course, the grand reveal behind these compulsions proves equally hokey. I couldn’t help but wonder, repeatedly, how this ostensibly crazy lady with zero ability to adapt to social cues had managed to get so far in life without being institutionalized multiple times. Personally, I’d give a pretty wide berth to anybody insisting they were an alien plant from outer space and that doomsday is coming, but maybe that’s just me (Granted, I’d be wrong about it in the context of Grant’s narrative, but at least it’d be more realistic).
Stasia’s much ballyhooed invasion, and ostensibly the book’s raison d’être, doesn’t even occur until two-thirds of the way through and then proceeds largely off-page while Stasia and her Scooby gang are off doing other, far less interesting things. Yes, yes, yes, we could do much hand-waving about how, technically, the invasion started decades ago with Stasia’s emergence as a pod person and the shower of alien seed pods that found their way to Earth, but I’m talking about the good stuff. Alien ships and technology, the wholesale slaughter of innocents, the Big Budget Hollywood sequences of large-scale disaster and entire cities being wiped off the map, the mobilization of resistance forces — you know, some real big Independence Day kind of shit. I wanted to see the apocalypse part of Grant’s apocalyptic plant-based alien invasion scenario and intense sequences of body horror that would make my skin crawl. Instead, all I got was a big ol’ nothingburger. The apocalypse is virtually swept under the rug and the body horror is so lame it’s essentially little more than skin flaking off after a bad sunburn.
To her credit, Grant’s focus on characters allows Overgrowth to function on an allegorical level, and it does succeed there, to a certain extent, even as it fails to satisfy on any level as a horrifying apocalypse. Between Stasia and her friends, Grant provides plenty of representation for diverse, neurodivergent, gay, and trans segments of society that are oftentimes missing in Big Publishing’s mainstream horror efforts. Much of Stasia’s forays into American society parallels coming out of the closet and having to face discrimination, derision, and persecution. That Overgrowth functions as well as it does allegorically, when viewed solely through the microcosm of Stasia’s experiences, feels welcomingly rebellious given the current strife these groups are facing under Republican-led administrations at the state and federal level. With Republican’s anti-gay and anti-trans legislative crackdowns, not to mention Trump’s broad array of casually and daily delivered human rights and legal abuses, including abductions and human trafficking via rogue government agencies, we desperately need art that loudly clashes with these attacks on civil and human rights. However, Grant pushes the allegory to a breaking point when we’re forced to realize that these downtrodden segments of society are essentially being represented in Overgrowth by child murdering aliens with serious Master Race vibes who travel the stars committing genocide, one whole planet at a time, insisting on universal conformity and group think. Stasia’s experiences and beliefs work well enough, to an extent, but the allegory, and one’s sympathies, falls apart the further one reaches in exploring the context Grant presents. At times, Overgrowth feels somewhat prescient, while at others it, sadly, reads like a relic despite its 2031 setting. Take for example, one character naively opining that a particular government agency can’t just disappear people forever without a second thought because “They like to have cause.” I couldn’t help having a cynical laugh at that one.
Ultimately, Overgrowth overpromises and under-delivers in every aspect. To borrow from the book’s tag line, you were warned. You were warned, indeed.
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