Reviews with content warning for Emotional abuse - The Butterfly Garden

Holy fucking shit. this is one of the best books i think ive ever read. it was beyond dark and beyond twisted, but was written, so incredibly well. I have read a fair amount of thrillers and psychological thrillers, but this one easily takes its place at the top of my list. The characters were written so well and the plot developed so seamlessly in a way that I don’t feel like I’ve read for a long time. Way that the author switched back and forth between past and present, but the story itself kept flowing, was so cool and so captivating I literally could not put this book down. When I wasn’t reading this book, I was thinking about this book. I could hardly focus on anything else unless I was sitting down and reading it.

One thing I found that added to how deranged this book is, is how the author made you almost like the gardener and Desmond. she wrote them in such a delicate way, and gave them such gentle personalities that you almost started to feel safe when they came into the room. but then she would add a comment about who these people really are and it would remind you that they are monsters, and that you should not like them. It’s almost like she was giving the Stockholm syndrome. And I find that incredibly cool. I don’t think it was a particularly difficult thing for the author to do but I thought it was a really interesting addition to the experience of the book.

I will recommend this book until the day I die, but only to specific people. I do not think of this book is for everyone because of how dark and twisted it is, but the writing the characters, the plot, the ending are just so incredible.

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kris10bova's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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illybelliot's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

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phoricho's review

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? N/A
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I initially rated this book 4 stars, but after a couple of months of it living rent-free in my mind, I decided to change that to a 5 star. My original rating was more due to the fact that this book left me not knowing how to feel. It was so different from anything I've ever read, both in content and layout.

Content-wise, it's a very dark book, and the characters go through numerous traumas. It's not for everyone. Check the trigger warnings.

Layout-wise, there are no chapters. That's unique, but it works with the story. There are two parts, and the POVs are broken up by section breaks.

Yes, it's a horrifying story, but I thought it was beautifully told, and the characters felt so real. I'm excited to read the rest of the series.

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hmkreads's review

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dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

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valeriarag's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Very interesting book, I can say I haven't read anything like this in a while although the end wasn't as good as I hoped.

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