hoosgracie's review against another edition
3.0
This was an OK psychological thriller. It was a bit slow to get going but had an interesting premise.
sabwashere's review against another edition
3.0
Found it hard to understand some motivations (esp with )
Spoiler
Aunt Sarah at the endkbranfield's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars.
The Poison Garden by Alex Marwood is a darkly mesmerizing and suspenseful mystery about the survivors of The Ark, an apocalypse cult.
Following the suicide deaths of the other cult members, twenty-three year old Romy and her half-siblings Eden and Ilo are taken from North Wales back to England. Romy is now living on her own following stints in hospital and a halfway house while Eden and Ilo are placed with their deceased mother's sister, Sarah Byrne. Eden and Ilo are not having an easy time assimilating to life outside their isolated compound, so Aunt Sarah turns to Romy to try to better understand them. Romy appears content with their new life, but does she know more about what happened to the members of The Ark than she is revealing?
Sarah and her much older sister, Alison aka Somer, grew up in an extremely religious household. After falling pregnant with Romy, Alison is forced to leave the family home. After giving birth to Romy, she joins The Ark where the charismatic leader, Lucien Blake, eventually selects her to impregnate with his child. Somer fall from favor a few years after giving birth to Eden when she becomes pregnant with Ilo. Hoping Lucien will forgive, Somer remains with The Ark and suffers degradation as she is assigned to the worst of tasks around the commune.
Despite Somer's disfavor, Romy remains an integral part of the cult. Although disappointed by her assignment, she applies herself with fervor to her tasks. She is quite watchful of others and makes several highly intelligent observations that provide her with an edge as Lucien's eldest son, Uri, insinuates himself within the commune. Taking Ilo under her wing, Romy prepares herself and her half-brother for the devastation Lucien predicts is coming.
Interspersed with events in the present are chapters that detail life within the walls of the commune for several years leading up the recent deaths of the cult members. While idyllic at the start, an insidious and pervasive attempt to wrest control from Lucien slowly creeps within the walls of the commune. Members disappear without explanation and outside recruitment gradually ceases. Lucien remains a revered leader but Romy eventually begins to realize all is not as it appears. The events leading up to the members' deaths are revealed in horrifying detail and in the present, the truth about Romy soon becomes shockingly clear.
The Poison Garden is an engrossing mystery that is quite riveting. The revelations of life behind the walls of the commune are difficult to read yet quite informative. Following the suicides, Romy, Eden and Ilo are thrust into a world they cannot understand. Sarah is ill-equipped to help her nieces and nephews leave the teachings of Lucien behind. Painting a vividly terrifying portrait of cult life, Alex Marwood brings this chilling novel to a stunning, twist-filled conclusion that will leave readers hoping for a sequel. A brilliant mystery that I highly recommend.
The Poison Garden by Alex Marwood is a darkly mesmerizing and suspenseful mystery about the survivors of The Ark, an apocalypse cult.
Following the suicide deaths of the other cult members, twenty-three year old Romy and her half-siblings Eden and Ilo are taken from North Wales back to England. Romy is now living on her own following stints in hospital and a halfway house while Eden and Ilo are placed with their deceased mother's sister, Sarah Byrne. Eden and Ilo are not having an easy time assimilating to life outside their isolated compound, so Aunt Sarah turns to Romy to try to better understand them. Romy appears content with their new life, but does she know more about what happened to the members of The Ark than she is revealing?
Sarah and her much older sister, Alison aka Somer, grew up in an extremely religious household. After falling pregnant with Romy, Alison is forced to leave the family home. After giving birth to Romy, she joins The Ark where the charismatic leader, Lucien Blake, eventually selects her to impregnate with his child. Somer fall from favor a few years after giving birth to Eden when she becomes pregnant with Ilo. Hoping Lucien will forgive, Somer remains with The Ark and suffers degradation as she is assigned to the worst of tasks around the commune.
Despite Somer's disfavor, Romy remains an integral part of the cult. Although disappointed by her assignment, she applies herself with fervor to her tasks. She is quite watchful of others and makes several highly intelligent observations that provide her with an edge as Lucien's eldest son, Uri, insinuates himself within the commune. Taking Ilo under her wing, Romy prepares herself and her half-brother for the devastation Lucien predicts is coming.
Interspersed with events in the present are chapters that detail life within the walls of the commune for several years leading up the recent deaths of the cult members. While idyllic at the start, an insidious and pervasive attempt to wrest control from Lucien slowly creeps within the walls of the commune. Members disappear without explanation and outside recruitment gradually ceases. Lucien remains a revered leader but Romy eventually begins to realize all is not as it appears. The events leading up to the members' deaths are revealed in horrifying detail and in the present, the truth about Romy soon becomes shockingly clear.
The Poison Garden is an engrossing mystery that is quite riveting. The revelations of life behind the walls of the commune are difficult to read yet quite informative. Following the suicides, Romy, Eden and Ilo are thrust into a world they cannot understand. Sarah is ill-equipped to help her nieces and nephews leave the teachings of Lucien behind. Painting a vividly terrifying portrait of cult life, Alex Marwood brings this chilling novel to a stunning, twist-filled conclusion that will leave readers hoping for a sequel. A brilliant mystery that I highly recommend.
kendyllgull's review against another edition
5.0
I was lucky enough to receive an advanced copy from the publishers when I won the GoodReads giveaway. I wasn't able to get around to it right away and only read it after its release, which I'm sure defeats the purpose of getting an ARC. But when I started reading it, it was all I could think about. I wanted work to be over with quickly so that I could run home and open up this book. This book is a joyride into cults, brainwashing, and murder. I highly recommend this book.
lediamond4's review against another edition
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
A bleak, slow-paced story about an apocalypse cult. It had its fair share of gore with a touch of horror, and the whole thing was pretty disturbing. If that’s your thing, then I think this would be a good book for you. For me, it’s hit or miss, and I’m leaning towards more of a miss for this one.
I enjoyed Alex Marwood’s writing throughout and it was a fairly easy read so that bumps up the writing a bit. But everything else just fell kinda flat for me. I didn’t feel attached to ANY of the characters, the timeline was difficult to keep track of to the point of it just being an annoyance, and all in all it was unpleasant.
Mixed feelings on this one.
I enjoyed Alex Marwood’s writing throughout and it was a fairly easy read so that bumps up the writing a bit. But everything else just fell kinda flat for me. I didn’t feel attached to ANY of the characters, the timeline was difficult to keep track of to the point of it just being an annoyance, and all in all it was unpleasant.
Mixed feelings on this one.
maggied1985's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
jadesreads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.5
rachelbernholtz's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.75
An interesting look at life in and after a cult. Takes a weird turn towards the end.
rachaeldulaney20's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
2.75
2.75 stars.
I don’t know the beginning I felt like the transition between the past and present was unnecessary. There were a lot of characters with similar names and it’s hard to keep track of at times. Additionally you didn’t really get to know any of the characters that well either. I felt the story to be predictable. I feel like the story also contradicts with itself in the beginning and then towards the middle to the end based on what’s happened in the past and the character traits (if I remember correctly to be honest I just wasn’t is engaged as I would’ve liked to be). The vocabulary in this book too I don’t know I just feel like the choices for vocabulary were odd maybe it was just me maybe my mind wasn’t paying enough attention to what I was reading but I definitely feel like the author could’ve done a better job writing the book and made it more accessible and enjoyable how they use different words in more descriptive language.
I don’t know the beginning I felt like the transition between the past and present was unnecessary. There were a lot of characters with similar names and it’s hard to keep track of at times. Additionally you didn’t really get to know any of the characters that well either. I felt the story to be predictable. I feel like the story also contradicts with itself in the beginning and then towards the middle to the end based on what’s happened in the past and the character traits (if I remember correctly to be honest I just wasn’t is engaged as I would’ve liked to be). The vocabulary in this book too I don’t know I just feel like the choices for vocabulary were odd maybe it was just me maybe my mind wasn’t paying enough attention to what I was reading but I definitely feel like the author could’ve done a better job writing the book and made it more accessible and enjoyable how they use different words in more descriptive language.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape