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Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

The Butterfly Garden by Dot Hutchison

56 reviews

elkiebear's review

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-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

3.25


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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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sydbingus's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad medium-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

4.0

I think the “twist” at the end was a little unnecessary and ruined it a little for me, but still a very enjoyable read! 

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lina_vc_'s review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5


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cait's review against another edition

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

5.0


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juliaaa02's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-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? It's complicated

4.5


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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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babydog420's review

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dark mysterious tense medium-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? It's complicated

3.5


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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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milliehardy's review

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

4.25


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