I'm not quite sure why, but it took me months to finish this book. I kept setting it aside, reading other things, and then eventually picking it back up again.

I've read far worse books that I’ve managed to get through, but there was something about this one that just didn’t captivate me.

Let’s start with the positives. I love the premise of the book. I appreciated that it’s set in the future, but not so far ahead that it feels unrealistic. The concept of communication links between the trees was also fascinating—especially since it’s not just fiction. We know that trees use networks of fungi to communicate, so this was an intriguing aspect.

However, I struggled to connect with any of the characters. Syrah, the protagonist, was particularly frustrating. She came across as incredibly self-centred, and some of her decisions felt so irrational that I found it hard to root for her throughout the story.

The brother-sister relationship didn’t resonate with me either. I didn’t feel any strong emotions towards them, nor did I care enough to take sides.

On the upside, I did like the uncle—he was a redeeming feature in the book.

Overall, I’m glad I finally finished it because there were definitely good moments scattered throughout. I just wish I had felt more positively towards the main characters.