Reviews

Book Review…In the Shadow Garden by Liz Parker

This was a great book full of mystery, magic and a little bit of romance! In this story we follow two families. The Haywood family is known for their garden which is used for healing and the Bonner family is known for their bourbon which can take away a memory. Every year the town holds a festival where the town offers up one memory but twenty years ago, the town gave up more than one memory; they forgot an entire summer. One person died. One person disappeared. The two families fighting and no one knows why. Finding out what happened is the mystery we follow.

The story is told from multiple points of view and some flashbacks. It moves well between them and it really gives you the whole picture but there were a lot of names to keep track of so the family tree was great to have. The mystery has a lot of layers but the way the author drew it out till the very end giving the reader just enough to make us want to keep reading was nicely done! I really enjoyed the characters. They were witty, fun and easy to like! It's a heartfelt and unique story that will be perfect for a fall read!

imogen76's review against another edition

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dark emotional inspiring mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.25

amandadelbrocco's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

3.5

I liked the magical vibe of this book. It reminded me a bit of The Ex Hex mixed with Practical Magic with a little more mystery.

Content Warnings

danniphantomreads's review against another edition

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4.0

I love fantasy magic witch books and multi-POV chapters, however I did struggle to connect as much as I would’ve liked with the characters but I really loved the magic and the mystery and everything else, it’s a great read. Its everything I could want in a mystery witch book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

sunflowersyd's review

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

**THIS REVIEW IS BASED ON THE AUDIOBOOK**

I loved this one! What a cozy magical realism story! The chapters do flip back and forth between different characters which can be hard to keep up with. Luckily, each character had a different narrator! It also switches between 1st & 3rd person as well.
Overall, such a good cozy read with a bit of mystery. 🥰✨️

gkelch's review against another edition

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3.0

This book has such a beautiful cover and is about magic, tea, and whiskey, so I knew I had to give it a try. It's a fun, lighter read and an interesting story of two feuding families. I had a hard time with the pacing and getting into the book, but fans of the Practical Magic series may want to give it a try!

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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