Reviews with content warning for Trafficking - The Butterfly Garden

I am one for darker tones and more serious stories. That is the thing that made me pick up this book. The way it the story is structured around an FBI interview made it enjoyable as well. But the reason I cannot give it five stars is for two things. One, the fact that girls were the ones being kidnapped. I understand the shock value of it and that yeah, it happens but the author did not have to have it be that a majority of the “butterflies” were minors. That being the author’s choice concerns me a lot. The other issue I have is the ending. The twist did not feel necessary and it did not add much to the story. Compared to the rest of the book it felt subpar.

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dlatorre's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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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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hmbooks's review

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dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

4.25

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clougreen's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

I would give this a 3.5 but not a 4. I went into the book completely blind because I honestly forgot to read the description before I added it on my kindle. I really appreciated the dual timeline and perspectives to really help develop the story as well as the characters you met in the Garden. I think ultimately the story was a tad darker than I was initially anticipated and for that reason I probably won't read the rest of the series. Overall, the writing style was easy to read and the pace moved steadily to keep me invested.

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