Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - The Butterfly Garden

"The carousel’s over now,” he tells her quietly. “This time your family is waiting for you." I don't normally put quotes in my review but damn this on was good.

This book had me super hooked from the first page. I loved how the book switched from the interview to Maya's time in the garden. The detectives did get on my nerves when they would interrupt her.

Maya's character is so great to me. She has been through so much in her life, but every time she has been able to become a better person because of it. Her personality is one I really enjoy from a character. In a dark book like this it's good to have a funny character with a little humor. Her life was horrible, but hopefully her life gets better after this book.

I kinda feel bad for The Gardener. Yes, he did horrible things that are not justifiable, but I feel like he really did feel like he was giving the butterflies a good life. I HATE AVERY WITH EVERY BONE IN MY BODY. He was such a horrible man. He got what he deserved in the end.

I thought the ending was a little weird. I thought that the "plot twist" was really dumb. I am curious about what the other books could be about.

Content Warnings

katies_chapters's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense fast-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? N/A

5.0

Content Warnings

thebiblioboo's review against another edition

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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? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

hforsythe26's review against another edition

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dark sad fast-paced

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

4.5

This was a Wild! Ride! The entire story takes place over the course of just a few days as FBI "Special Agent in Charge Victor Hanoverian" interviews one of the survivors of a kidnapping situation. Inara/Maya tells her story, slowly peeling back the layers and revealing the absolute horror endured by The Gardener's "Butterflies" - young women kidnapped and forced to live in his indoor garden to be used and abused by him and others. There is some sick stuff in this book but it doesn't feel gratuitous, it feels raw and real and painful. But it's not all pain and horror, we also get to see the women's quiet strength that knows no bound. Forced into an unimaginable situation beyond their control, they are forced to choose each other as their support system and family, forming bonds that cannot be broken not matter how intense the pressure. I flew (no pun intended) through The Butterfly Garden and it's a top rate thriller but be warned, there are some very dark situations throughout.

Content Warnings

superstitiou_sreader's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Content Warnings

spooky_haley's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional tense fast-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

This was a book I struggled to fully digest, but absolutely loved. Dot did a wonderful job describing the Garden and the Butterflies in such a beautiful way that I had to constantly remind myself that this was a terrible place where terrible things happen. Definitely my favorite book of 2023 so far!

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