Reviews tagging 'Gore'

The Butterfly Garden by Dot Hutchison

20 reviews

phoricho's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

sarahcrowell's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Gore, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

evevallarta's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

4.75

Wow.
Esta demasiado intenso, es una historia muy fuerte, aunque el final cierra bien, hay una luz al final del tunel.
Esta narrado de manera muy unica e incluso al final sorprende un pequeño twist. 
Definitivamente recomiendo checar los trigger warnings ⚠️ porque son a lo larggo de toooodo el libro.
Se gana sus 5 estrellas porque no le encontré ni un error, me engancho desde el principio 
AUNQUE, no es de mis favoritos.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

prachidayal's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

2.5

• Medium read (6 hours)
• I don't know what to say because I can't figure out what Hutchison's goal was in writing this book. It's so graphic and reads as trauma porn. While it is written well, the shocking descriptions are what carry the book, not the writing. It feels like a YA novel with a desperate attempt to tell a dark story. There are a lot of plot holes (further diminishing the book's structure) with an anticlimactic ending. Why could the 20-something girls not overpower the old man? Why did Sirvat do what she did? Why did Elenor never look up and see Maya, and how was the Gardener willing to take that risk?
  Also, why are we expected to sympathize with Sophia? She stood by while the Gardner kidnapped girls for a decade because she thought she would lose her child to a man who would be in prison (or on death row).
  Lastly, Maya's age on her license was 19 and she was there for 3.5 years which just doesn't add up. I also worry that while some of the book's audience is deeply repulsed by the plot, there might be an audience filled with creeps that enjoy this book for all the wrong reasons. The characters were poorly developed because they just had one dimension (Bliss is the exception.) Maya is supposed to be smart and nonchalant, Avery is just aggressive, and Desmond was written like someone we are supposed to root for despite being so complacent. Also, I get the plan to seduce him into helping them escape, but it seemed like Maya actually likes him, and the other butterflies saw it too. How were they not furious with her? Also, how was Desmond okay with having sex with the same person as his dad and brother? The dialogue also felt forced. One of the major mysteries throughout the book is supposed to be that Maya is hiding something, and the conclusion to that fell flat. Also, she was extremely open to telling her story, so I don't know why the officers were being so pushy. Finally, not only did the book read like it was written by a man, but it also read like a book authored by someone who has a fetish for people of color. It was nauseating to read sentences like "her orange wings contrasted her ebony skin," "her caramel skin," or my favorite, "she was an exquisite creature of Japanese descent."
• I liked Bliss, and the writing (excluding the dialogue) was pretty good.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Abandonment

ajenn80's review against another edition

dark emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, and Violence

livgrayson_'s review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

cait's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

jjenkins's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

eepi's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Vomit, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Alcoholism

Be careful with this book.

beauty_andbooks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

While this had a creep essence to it, the story more relied on the story of friendship and community among the “butterflies” in the garden. I wanted more creepy than the friendship factor. I think most people who aren’t used to true crime thrillers will think this is a fine book but the synopsis sort of tricked me into thinking it would be a terrifying read. 

Another thing to keep in mind is there are no chapters. So keeping track of the story can be tough sometimes. It goes between past and present with a border symbol that breaks them apart. It’s an interesting format. This books is also part of a 4 book series but all the books in the series involve totally different crime stories with just the same detectives. So for me personally, I will not be investing my time in reading the others.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, and Murder