Monday 23 September 2024

Book Review: In the Garden of Monsters by Crystal King (Historical Fantasy)

In the Garden of Monsters
Crystal King
MIRA
24 September 2024
336
eBook - PDF
Historical Fantasy
ARC via NetGalley

A woman with no past. A man who seems to know her. And a monstrous garden that could be the border between their worlds…Italy, 1948 Julia Lombardi is a mystery even to herself. The beautiful model can’t remember where she’s from, where she’s been or how she came to live in Rome. When she receives an offer to accompany celebrated eccentric artist Salvador Dalí to the Sacro Bosco—Italy’s Garden of Monsters—as his muse, she’s strangely compelled to accept. It could be a chance to unlock the truth about her past… Shrouded in shadow, the garden full of giant statues that sometimes seem alive is far from welcoming. Still, from the moment of their arrival at the palazzo, Julia is inexplicably drawn to their darkly enigmatic host, Ignazio. He’s alluring yet terrifying—and he seems to know her. Posing for Dalí as the goddess Persephone, Julia finds the work to be perplexing, particularly as Dalí descends deeper into his fanaticism. To him, she is Persephone, and he insists she must eat pomegranate seeds to rejoin her king. Between Dalí’s fevered persistence, Ignazio’s uncanny familiarity and the agonizing whispered warnings that echo through the garden, Julia is soon on the verge of unraveling. And she begins to wonder if she’s truly the mythical queen of the Underworld… 


In the Garden of Monsters had a fascinating premise. There are many books based on ancient myths these days, but this one was certainly unique in its approach. The descriptive passages were atmospheric and much was made of the food that was served throughout the story. The inclusion of real figures gave the book a distinctive flavour; although, I sometimes wondered if they took over events a little too much. The story made some fairly drastic revisions to the original myth. That didn't worry me; however, I would have liked a little more romance between the Persephone and Hades characters. There was attraction, but I felt the pull between them was too weak to drive the story the way it needed too, and that may be because Dalí ended up taking over the narrative more than he should have. Nonetheless, for fans of myth retold, this book offers a very original take that is worth checking out. I am giving it four stars.

I received this book as a free eBook ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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