pick3.75⭐
The story alternates between the evil Aunt Clara's perspective, whom you'll love to hate, and her newly orphaned nieces, who move in with her. While the nieces' viewpoints gave the story a YA feel, they're what kept me engaged and made the story worthwhile. Unfortunately, the pacing dragged at times, and I found myself wishing it would move along more quickly.
🎙️The narration was fantastically performed.
I‘m 100 pages into AT THE BOTTOM OF THE GARDEN, and I dunno if I‘ll finish it or drift away. Clara‘s an all-too ordinary sort of villain, and it bugs me that Bruce, a Norwegian writer, uses such generic names for characters and places alike. Maybe she wants to make a point about the universality of horror, but to me it reads more like she‘s catered to those American readers who can‘t “relate” to anything set outside their own country. Ugh.
so-soI liked the premise of this book and the ghosty vibes. I enjoyed my time and thought it was interesting, but it fell flat for me in the middle. It got boring and very repetitive. I just wanted something else to happen. I felt like the ending was a little rushed for how long the middle was. It's still enjoyable but a slow burn, I wanted more from this book. 3.5/5
pickThis was bonkers in the best possible way! I love having a nasty character to hate and you‘ll get that in this book. There are ghosts and revenge and all sorts of goodies here. Not overly spooky and more funny scary, I‘d definitely recommend! 🌟🌟🌟🌟
pickGreat audiobook. It was classified as horror, but it is more a thriller with a lot of fantastic elements. The aunt in the story is truly evil, but the two little girls who are the protagonists are very creepy in the best way
pick3.5 stars. This book started out great. I enjoyed the voices of the three main characters. The chapters alternated POV of the 2 girls and their aunt. Their aunt was a particularly nasty woman, almost cartoon like in her thoughts and actions. There was a definite paranormal edge to this book. I thought the 2nd half lost some steam. The ghostly hauntings became very repetitive, and the ending seemed like the easiest solution to the problem.
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At The Bottom of the Garden-
Camilla Bruce
Book Review- https://www.boleybooks.com//at-the-bottom-of-the-garden/
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I was expecting Victorian (probably a combination of gothic and the title reminded me of the Cottingley Fairies) but it‘s set in the 1970s. Also, there‘s more going on than just ghosts. So far its unexpectedly fun, reminiscent of the one-off gothic episodes on 70s television - or maybe The Night Gallery.
pick
I love a good gothic, dark ghost story like this. Camilla Bruce uses alternating points of view between Clara, Violet, and Lily, which allows the reader to get inside the heads of each character. This weaves together witchcraft, folklore, and ghost stories, to create almost a fairytale-like story. The pacing allows the story to build, the girls to understand their powers, and the reader to see Clara for precisely who she is.
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At the Bottom of the Garden | 
