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Reviews tagging 'Grief'

The Butterfly Garden by Dot Hutchison

44 reviews

annalisa4's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

Fudge, this book was hard to read but so darkly enchanting I couldn’t stop.
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elizabethr00's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad 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? Yes

5.0

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anissawren's review against another edition

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

3.0

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vigilantiwitch's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense 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? Yes

4.0

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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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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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sarahcrowell's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

Check trigger warnings before reading. Dark concept but a great book overall.
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_terah_hansen_'s review against another edition

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

5.0

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drs645's review against another edition

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

4.0

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lydiavsbooks's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

A very dark book but also an incredibly gripping one. As horrible as it is its also a really interesting and creative concept that was carried out brilliantly. The 'world building' of the garden was perfectly done and it just felt so real.

 I loved our main character and hearing her narration, flipping back and forth between being in the interview room and being in the garden. The gardener was such an interesting and complex villain to follow and try to understand. Although obviously an extreme example there was some great commentary on violence against women, power, and responsibility when it comes to intervening. 

There was one point I thought it was going in a direction I really didn't like (trying to be vague to avoid spoikers) but it got explained and thankfully didn't go there. Although the reveal at the end I'm not sure how I feel about, it felt a little too coincidental and there was no real need other than for the sake of having another secret to reveal. But I also wasn't mad at it.

Overall just a really brilliant book with a really good balance between the very dark content and the almost hopeful sense of family and connection found even in the worst scenarios. Definitely recommend but definitely check content warnings.

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