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Reviews tagging 'Panic attacks/disorders'

The Butterfly Garden by Dot Hutchison

76 reviews

maybesky's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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thelittlebookishnerd's review

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challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

5.0

This is a twisted read with a lot of trigger warnings, but I couldn't put it down. The style took a while to get used to. Most of part one felt choppy and was a bit confusing because Maya's POV kept switching between the recent past and when she was a child. But the book really picked up after part one and it was a lot easier to follow.

I felt invested in the story throughout. The Gardener was truly monstrous, but there were still glimpses of him where you could almost forget that he was twisted.

I will be continuing the series, but I definitely need a little break before I start the next book.

Trigger warnings: abduction, assault, rape, pedophilia
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meaghanelizabook's review

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dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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jjenkins's review

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challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.5

This is a very dark thriller told from an FBI investigator’s perspective and a victims perspective as they investigate a horrible tragedy involving the kidnapping, abuse, and murder of girls. The writing was stunning and the story unfolded in a very unique way
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approx37bugz's review

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dark emotional sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

Ending of the book felt very rushed. I personally did not like some of the ways the author decided to take the ending of the novel. This book has very dark content TW include: violence against women, harsh language, drug use, sexual assault.
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larny10's review against another edition

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challenging dark sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

5.0

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eepi's review

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dark mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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valentinaambrosius's review

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dark emotional sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I’m sorry but I have to deduct a full point for the ridiculously abrupt ending and the nothing plot twist. As in there was no twist and the book just ended while I waited for a thing to happen. 
 
 Now, after having read a few other reviews I’ve got very little to add in the shape of substance. So I’ll just reiterate. 
Yes, it does require a certain amount of suspension of disbelieve that this large group of girls didn’t think to band together—considering they’re already quite close; and seem able to stay somewhat out of view of prying ears and eyes—to take down The Gardener. 
That being said I understand—well I think I can emphasize with the amount of courage it would take to do so. I’ve never been brutally violated like they have; but at least a few of them seem to be strong enough, brave enough and convincing enough to get the other butterflies to join them. 
Furthermore I loved hating Maya, her wit, her sarcasm and how mature she was while staying a believable 18 year old woman/girl. (at 18 I’d still say child; but that is a personal choice) 
I have to admit that The Gardener was rather tame. He did what he did to the girls, yes, but considering this trilogy is called The Collector; I couldn’t help but think of the book The Collector. I forgot his name, but The Gardener reminded me of him or more precisely what he could’ve been. The collector is from the perspective of the Collector. Still I believe this collector could’ve been more like that one; creepier, more unhinged. His behaviour seemed perfectly normal except for the killing and violating etc. his reactions to requests and to the things the girls wanted and how they rebelled seemed perfectly well adjusted. 
This kind of thing could be true for actual men like this… I just doubt it? 
 
Avery would’ve been a nice collector, a more believable/interesting Gardener in my opinion. Though that might’ve pushed into cliché territory. 
 
Desmond was equally a bit to forthcoming and painfully naïve. Maya’s refusal to spill also seemed only there for drama’s sake. A girl this cynical suddenly thinking she can love a man into letting her out and letting him discover for himself when he proves from the get-go to have no interest in exploring?
 
So, yes, 4 stars. It was beautifully written. The story structure was an amazing and well used tool id like to see and read more of. I just might pick up the next one. 
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sarahald's review

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challenging dark sad tense

5.0

I really wasn’t sure going in about this book—I wasn’t sure if I would be able to handle how disturbing it was, especially after having had such a strong reaction to PRETTY GIRLS—but wow, it ended up being fantastic. Inara was an amazing character and I loved how the whole time, you were wondering just how reliable she was. 
 
I don’t always enjoy when books move between the past and the present but it was done so well in THE BUTTERFLY GARDEN. The way the story moved between the interview in the present and Inara’s account of the story in the past was seamless and kept me on the edge of my seat. And I appreciated how the author didn’t just spend the whole story building only to leave all the action at the end. Unlike so many thrillers I’ve read lately, the pacing was fantastic and the ending didn’t feel rushed and actually gave a sense of closure. 
 
This book is not for everyone and there are lots of trigger warnings. I appreciated, however, that the author never made it feel exploitative, and that the story was ultimately more about the characters themselves than the truly awful things that were done to them (or, in the case of the perpetrators, the awful things they did). 
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canascorner's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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