The Stormborne Vine: The story of a lady botanist, a powerful storm, dragons, and a man-eating ivy

I am very proud of the fact that I come from a long line of tenacious, strong-willed, and outspoken women. I was therefore immediately drawn to The Stormborne Vine. The story’s main character, even though society thoroughly disapproves of her behavior, has the courage to be all of these things and I love her for it.

“Nothing worthwhile was ever easily won, you Fern Oakby would never be content with luxury and laziness.”

As the niece of an earl, and a member of the landed gentry in Regency England, Fern Oakby grew up with certain expectations of what her future would look like. She would have a season in London (sponsored by her father’s brother who is an earl), an eligible young man would ask for her hand, she would get married, and she would then live the life of a gently bred lady. This would mean that she would spend her days “in a gilded cage” in which her purpose would be to “be decorative, do needlework, and produce heirs.” It is interesting that Fern thinks that she could pull off being a highborn debutant, bride, and wife, because there is nothing about Fern that is in the least bit traditional or conventional. 

   Fern grew up on her father’s estate in the country where she climbed trees, rode horses bareback, and learned and read whatever caught her fancy. Fern’s father was a skilled and knowledgeable botanist, and his daughter spent much of her youth following him about the estate, learning all about the exotic, rare, and fascinating plants that he collected and propagated. In time, as her knowledge and expertise grew, she became his apprentice. Often dressed in trousers, Fern worked with the plants herself, which meant that she frequently came home at the end of day filthy, and with cuts and scrapes on her calloused hands. Needless to say, this kind of behavior is not what one expects from the niece of an earl.

   It should therefore surprise no one that Fern’s sojourn in London was an unmitigated disaster. After her first and only season, she left the city in disgrace and returned to her country home to lick her wounds and put as much distance as she could between herself and the dreadful people who now gossiped about and shunned her. Staunchly, Fern picked up the pieces of her life and set about creating a profession for herself. 

   Now Fern is an expert botanist who provides exotic and rare plants, and plant parts, to collectors, alchemists, and other interested parties. She also provides a consultancy service for people who have puzzling horticultural problems.

   It is in this capacity that she is summoned to the estate of Lord Warrington. When she arrives at the estate, which is a few hours ride away from her home, Lord Warrington explains that he needs her to find out why the plants around one of his decorative fountains keep dying. Fern determines that the job is going to require a time-consuming, careful excavation and examination of the area. As the day is waning and since a storm is brewing, Lord Warrington invites Fern to spend the night. In the morning she can begin her work and hopefully conclude it in a few hours. 

   That night Lord Warrington’s fine establishment is lashed by a ferocious storm. The noise of the storm is so loud that Fern cannot sleep and goes to his lordship’s library to find something to read. There Fern meets Mrs Millicent Carlisle, Lord Warrington’s widowed sister, who, terrified by the storm, is hiding among the books. Millie shows Fern a small origami dragon that she has made; a delightful little creation that charms Fern. Lonely Millie likes to pen Gothic novels about maidens who need to be rescued from dastardly men who have imprisoned them, and she used one of the pages of her latest story to create the dragon.

   In the morning, the gardeners find out that the formally beautiful, but very common, Boston Ivy has

turned into a monstrous plant that no one can identify. When Fern first sees the transformed ivy, it reminds her of the carnivorous plants that she has seen in some of her books at home. When they examine the plant, Fern and a gardener discover that the boot of the head gardener is lying near it. Then they find one of his gloves. When Fern examines the ivy further she discovers that the remains of the head gardener lie inside the plant. Though Lord Warrington insists that plants don’t eat people, clearly this one has does just that.

   Lord Warrington decides that the only thing to do is to destroy the plant as soon as possible and his gardeners are in the process of hacking away at the monster when his sister Millie comes outside screaming, demanding that the ivy be left alone. It turns out that whenever the gardeners attack the plant, something very precious to her is harmed.

   When she woke up that morning Mille discovered that the origami dragon that she made the night before is now an animate, sentient creature. Every time the gardeners attack the man-eating plant the little origami dragon, whom Mille has named Squib, is injured. It is clear that somehow the little dragon and the ferocious plant, both of which came to into being during the storm, are somehow connected.

   Lord Warrington is all for tearing down the monster plant, not caring at all that his sister has developed a very deep affection for her little paper creation. However Fern, feeling sorry for both Millie and Squib, manages to persuade the bellicose peer to give her five days in which to find out how to safely sever the connection between the plant and the dragon. After all, “Every life has value” and who Lord Warrington the right to decide that Squib is not worth saving.

While they are examining the deadly plant, Fern hears noises coming from the fountain, and when she investigates she finds out that there is a dragon hatchling trapped underneath the fountain. With the help of the gardeners, she is able to rescue the poor creature, which has clearly been there for some time, as it is emaciated and very sick. Fern is grateful that she has solved the original conundrum that Lord Warrington gave her, but solving the new problem of the paper dragon and the dangerous ivy is going to be a lot more complicated.

   Fern takes the ailing hatchling home to be cared for, and then sets about trying to understand why the origami dragon and the carnivorous plant were created. She visits three local wise women in the village, friends of hers who are very knowledgeable about magic. In addition, for a price, she consults with an antisocial and grumpy alchemist who lives on a nearby estate. Both the three women and the alchemist, in their own different ways, determined that the storm served as a catalyst that brought about the linked transformation of both the paper dragon and former Boston Ivy. The three sisters advise Fern that the solution to the problem lies in the heart of the person who brought the transformation about. Though Fern appreciates the advice she is given, she has no idea how it is going to help her to solve the challenge that she has been tasked to solve.  

   What I loved about this story was that it not only entertained me with its very unique tale, but it also explores several themes that interest me. Fern refuses to accept the role that women of her class are forced to play, even though this means that she is a social pariah. She fights against the idea that women in her class are nothing more than hysterical, empty headed creatures whose opinions count for nothing.

   Another theme that is examined is the idea that flora and fauna are linked. In the past naturalists did not appreciate how closely intertwined plant and animal species are in ecosystems. We now know that the loss of a plant species in an area can cause an animal, or several animals, to become rare or even extinct. I have always been fascinated by the way in which plants and animals are interconnected and co-evolve, and it is interesting to see how this idea starts to take root in the minds of Fern and her colleagues.

  Fern and some of the other characters in the story bring up another theme that threads its way throughout the narrative. Why is it that magic, once so commonplace in their world, is disappearing? Industrialization and science seems to be ‘forcing’ magic out, or perhaps it is making magic irrelevant. One of Fern’s uncles insists that this process is a natural progression, that magic has had its time and now alchemy, science and new ways of thinking will take its place. However, Fern questions this; why can’t science and magic coexist?

   Though a discussion about magic might seem irrelevant to us, the ideas presented are relevant in our world. We are encouraged to consider what we too have lost, and are still losing, as technology becomes more ingrained in our lives. In Fern’s world, possibly because of industrialization and ‘progress,’ dragons and other magical creatures are disappearing. What are we losing as we become more wedded to our tech, and less connected to the rhythm and power of Nature?

The Stormborne Vine by Tilly Wallace can be purchased at your local book store, or online at Bookshop.org, Amazon, and other online retailers. Bookshop.org works to connect readers with independent booksellers all over the world. Every purchase on the site financially supports independent bookstores. The platform gives independent bookstores tools to compete online, and financial support to help them maintain their presence in local communities.

Art by John White

Origami by Brandon Wong