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A review by leandrathetbrzero
The Peculiar Garden of Harriet Hunt by Chelsea Iversen
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
~THE MARKETING OF THIS BOOK~
I need to preface this 1-star review by emphasizing that this book is extremely mismarketed "for fans of The Magician's Daughter and Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries." While I haven't read the former, I have read Emily Wilde, and The Peculiar Garden of Harriet Hunt could not be more different. Iverson's novel follows a naive young woman who has experienced decades of trauma, initially by the hands of her father and then by the hands of her husband. Throughout the book she has vague magical abilities with nature that are never explained nor really explored by our main character, making this historical magical realism, not fantasy. With that said, my reasons for giving this book the lowest rating possible has nothing to do with the mismarketing of this title.
~MY GENERAL CRITICISMS~
Below, you will find a list of content warnings. Each one was either superfluous and added nothing to the plot except length OR the author included so many examples and callbacks to the trauma that it lost all meaning. The excessive repetition extends to overdone themes and overused word choice. Moreover, none of the characters were consistent in personality or demeanor, and none of these characters know the meaning of active listening. Numerous times, it seemed characters were having completely different conversations with each other. I kid you not when I say that at one point, Harriet confides to two other characters that her husband locked her in the basement for days (all while she has hair missing from her head from when he dragged his wife by her hair), and the response she gets is this question: "Did he hurt you?"
Harriet doesn't bat an eye at this oddly timed question, and that is because she is just as clueless and passive regarding the events around her. Take for example her choice to marry Christian (after speaking to him twice, and he did all the talking). She thinks by marrying him, she will be safe from an inspector's investigation of her missing father, and then her magical ability will be safely hidden. Then, once they are married, she realizes that her husband will move in with her (something she literally NEVER considered), thus increasing the chances HE will detect her magical abilities...I cannot make this up. Many times, it is clear the author also forgot story threads she created: the mysterious Nigel Davies and the promised weekly letters from Eunice, to name two.
~THE USE OF SEXUAL ASSAULT AS A PLOT DEVICE~
The inappropriate and insensitive way sexual assault is used as a plot device is baffling, and the bafflement is heightened when one woman's idea of comforting another after attempted SA is to give her the day off and then write a letter to a relative stranger suggesting he come visit because the SA victim has so many suitors.
In conclusion, the number of loose ends and surface-level scenes leaves me quite surprised that this story didn't go through a few more rounds of editing and beta readers before it was published for public consumption. These criticisms are just the tip of the iceberg, and I am so disappointed to see a fascinating premise be executed with this result. I will not be recommending this book.
CW: two attempts of sexual assault, verbal and physical abuse within a domestic partnership, child abuse, threatened institutionalization
Actual Rating: 1.0 stars
Pub Date: 03 December 2024
Reading Format: ebook
Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an E-ARC copy in exchange for this honest review!
I need to preface this 1-star review by emphasizing that this book is extremely mismarketed "for fans of The Magician's Daughter and Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries." While I haven't read the former, I have read Emily Wilde, and The Peculiar Garden of Harriet Hunt could not be more different. Iverson's novel follows a naive young woman who has experienced decades of trauma, initially by the hands of her father and then by the hands of her husband. Throughout the book she has vague magical abilities with nature that are never explained nor really explored by our main character, making this historical magical realism, not fantasy. With that said, my reasons for giving this book the lowest rating possible has nothing to do with the mismarketing of this title.
~MY GENERAL CRITICISMS~
Below, you will find a list of content warnings. Each one was either superfluous and added nothing to the plot except length OR the author included so many examples and callbacks to the trauma that it lost all meaning. The excessive repetition extends to overdone themes and overused word choice. Moreover, none of the characters were consistent in personality or demeanor, and none of these characters know the meaning of active listening. Numerous times, it seemed characters were having completely different conversations with each other. I kid you not when I say that at one point, Harriet confides to two other characters that her husband locked her in the basement for days (all while she has hair missing from her head from when he dragged his wife by her hair), and the response she gets is this question: "Did he hurt you?"
Harriet doesn't bat an eye at this oddly timed question, and that is because she is just as clueless and passive regarding the events around her. Take for example her choice to marry Christian (after speaking to him twice, and he did all the talking). She thinks by marrying him, she will be safe from an inspector's investigation of her missing father, and then her magical ability will be safely hidden. Then, once they are married, she realizes that her husband will move in with her (something she literally NEVER considered), thus increasing the chances HE will detect her magical abilities...I cannot make this up. Many times, it is clear the author also forgot story threads she created: the mysterious Nigel Davies and the promised weekly letters from Eunice, to name two.
~THE USE OF SEXUAL ASSAULT AS A PLOT DEVICE~
The inappropriate and insensitive way sexual assault is used as a plot device is baffling, and the bafflement is heightened when one woman's idea of comforting another after attempted SA is to give her the day off and then write a letter to a relative stranger suggesting he come visit because the SA victim has so many suitors.
In conclusion, the number of loose ends and surface-level scenes leaves me quite surprised that this story didn't go through a few more rounds of editing and beta readers before it was published for public consumption. These criticisms are just the tip of the iceberg, and I am so disappointed to see a fascinating premise be executed with this result. I will not be recommending this book.
CW: two attempts of sexual assault, verbal and physical abuse within a domestic partnership, child abuse, threatened institutionalization
Actual Rating: 1.0 stars
Pub Date: 03 December 2024
Reading Format: ebook
Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an E-ARC copy in exchange for this honest review!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence