Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

The Butterfly Garden by Dot Hutchison

228 reviews

mjolnirmay's review against another edition

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

2.5

Too much unnecessarily erotic rape. 
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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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ren_paige's review against another edition

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3.5

I’ve thought a lot about this book once I finished it. I really struggled to decide two important questions did i like the book and was the book good? Usually the former is how I would rate a book but sometimes there is a book that I like but is bad. I have struggled to decide if this is one. There are certainly many issues with this book
most notably the almost romanticisation of rape.
But that element is, in my opinion, something that has come across via interpretation rather than actual intent of the author. This is not a defence for or against but rather an overall acknowledgement. I have seen criticisms of the protagonist’s demeanour which I would heartily disagree with. The protagonist was the highlight of this book and showed a compelling and different process of grief.
I would say though the plot twist at the end was not only unnecessary but substantially reduced the quality of both the ending and the entire story in retrospect. I would argue that the criticisms that there was a lack of any attempt to leave the situation imposed on the girls have merit but not to the extent of it negatively impacting the story. I believe the world created was one intended to be thorough enough that escape was not meant to be possible in any way and the story was not about escape but about survival. In some ways the book was extremely ignorant, the idea that an aggressive detective notorious for not being composed with victims would be allowed to interview and accuse a victim, one of which they do not know her age and has a high chance of being a minor and has suffered extremely traumatic events, was so entirely ridiculous that it took me out of the world completely.
The idea of the story itself was interesting and for the most part well written. I still cannot decide if it was a good book. But to some extent, I did like it.
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gogotheque's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-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

4.75

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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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slkobza's review against another edition

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

4.0

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leahx's review against another edition

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

5.0

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michelles_book_nook's review

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

5.0

⚠️ CW: kidnapping, paedophilia, sexual assault, rape, childhood trauma, murder and suicide ⚠️ If you like darkly challenging and emotional  thrillers that really get under your skin then this one is for you! Near an isolated mansion lies a beautiful garden. In this garden grow luscious flowers, shady trees and a collection of precious 'butterflies' who are young women who have been kidnapped and intricately tattooed to resemble their namesakes. Overseeing it all is the Gardener, a brutal, twisted man obsessed with capturing and preserving his lovely specimens. When the garden is discovered and a survivor is brought in for questioning, FBI agents Victor Hanoverian and Brandon Eddison are tasked with piecing together one of the most stomach-churning cases of their careers. But the girl, known only as Maya, proves to be a puzzle herself. As her story twists and turns, slowly shedding light on life in the Butterfly Garden, Maya reveals old grudges, new saviors, and horrific tales of a man who’d go to any length to hold beauty captive. But the more she shares, the more the agents have to wonder what she’s still hiding. Wow this book had me absolutely hooked. It was such an emotionally and mentally challenging read but it also had an extra element of creepiness because it all felt so real. Dot Hutchinson writes in such a haunting but beautiful way that really brings the story to life and truly makes you feel so many of the emotions of the victims throughout. Overall, I highly recommend this book, but please take into account the CW's as it is quite graphic and disturbing.
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aparker89's review

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dark emotional tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This book kicks off with a bang and doesn't stop! It's a super fast paced read that holds a lot in its few pages! You are immediately thrown into the middle of a horrific story and you just have to find out what happens! The final twist at the end is a little too thrown together and honestly I would have left it out, but I'm not the author. This is a great book to jump into and just enjoy! 
Note this book is a horror/thriller and while the author does "protect" us from some of it early on that shielding does disappear as the story progresses. 
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wildeone's review

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challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

4.0

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