The Butterfly Garden Book Review

Trigger Warning: Rape

The Blurb

"Near an isolated mansion lies a beautiful garden.

In this garden grow luscious flowers, shady trees…and a collection of precious “butterflies”—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, 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..."

My Thoughts

This is a very difficult book to read, with the subject matter at hand. Difficult does not mean bad though! It's a beautifully written and heart-breaking story with important messages in it as well.

A summary in my own words: A man has a garden, where he brings young (around 16-17) beautiful females that he has kidnapped, tattoos butterflies on their backs, rapes them and takes care of them until they turn 21, if they last that long.

This is an interesting book to say the least. The Gardener...is very messed up, obviously. It was thought-provoking and captivating to read about how he truly thought and felt. The story isn't from his POV but you do get a strong sense of why he does the things that he does.

I loved the Main Character Maya, she's a tough cookie and I felt so much for her throughout the book, even when I was wondering if I should as this is a mystery.

I don't want to say too much and spoil things, but I will say this book talks about heavy themes like rape culture and trauma and has very important messages in it. It is a difficult book to read though, or at least it was for me, but I am still so very glad I read it! I got it from netgalley at a request, I had no idea what I was getting myself into other than it sounded interesting, and I am very grateful to netgalley for providing me with a copy. This book is a new favorite of mine, and if you can stomach it I do recommend it! 5 out of 5 stars