Butterfly Garden was one of my favorite reads of last year, and while this one does not live to the beauty of the previous book, it is still a stellar read.

3.5 Stars

I don't know if I anticipated way too much from this book or if it just didn't live up to the first.
Don't get me wrong, I still enjoyed it, but I wasn't as captivated as I was while reading The Butterfly Garden.
This book focuses on new characters and a new killer. The main character is Priya and I liked her a lot. She had lots of strength, but also lots of vulnerabilities. She got a lot of strength from her mother, who was quite a force to be reckoned with. I loved the way she protected Priya, but still let her stand on her own 2 feet as well. They had such a unique relationship. There were a lot of special people in Priya's life that you could totally picture being friends with in real life.
The killer is unknown, but you get glimpses into his mind and how he selects his victims. And boy is he crazy as hell. I guessed who he was pretty early on, so that killed some of the excitement of the chase for me. But the way things unfolded was still good to read. Although I guessed who he was, he relation to certain aspects of the case was interesting.
You get to follow what's going on with the trial and aftermath of the girls escaping the Garden and get much better acquainted with the agents and get a little of their backstories (which seem really interesting).
Overall, good read. Got a bit bored at times while reading inner thoughts. But a satisfactory ending to this chapter of the story. Lots of hope for Priya and the Butterflies.
(Btw, still cringe when I see butterflies since the 1st book)

This is the second in The Collector Trilogy (the first being [book:The Butterfly Garden|29981261], which I loved). This is a spin-off of that, rather than a sequel. Some of the same characters return - the FBI agents, a couple of the Butterflies - but the storyline is about a different serial killer and the main character is the sister of one of his victims. If the haunting, creepy atmosphere of The Butterfly Garden was the reason you liked it, you should probably go into this one forewarned that it's different. Not worse, in my opinion - not at all worse, and in some ways even better - but definitely different.

The characters are strong and beautifully written. Hutchison really understands her characters and manages to portray them with accuracy and sensitivity without ever wavering into sentimentality. The primary character, Priya, is believable, strong yet vulnerable, and her character development is clear and realistic. Her mother is wonderfully fierce and loving, and the relationship between them is written with respect and complexities that few fictional parent-teen relationships achieve. The FBI agents are individuals, not just part of a crowd; each has specific strengths and quirks and ways of handling things. The relationships between the agents, between the agents and the victims and victims' families, and then later between the victims themselves - all are written with depth, honesty, humanity and affection.

The plot is strong and the resolution satisfying. The novel addresses a number of complex themes (friendship, love, justice, vigilanteism and more) but always in a show-don't-tell manner. My only criticism is that the killer's identity is too clear too early - there just isn't enough story around him to justify his presence in the book unless he's either the killer or the saviour.

The writing is just plain excellent: strong and consistent, with lots of fabulous lines - I made a lot of highlights on my kindle! Hutchison has a real talent for getting a message across in a few words, whether it's an observation of human behaviour or driving home an emotion. No purple prose here.

Overall a great read and highly recommended.

"Guilt doesn't have to make sense; it just is."

When I saw that The Butterfly Garden had a sequel I nearly screamed. Unfortunately The Roses of May is another story that features the same defectives and a few cameos from some of the girls from the Garden.

This one although it had a powerful crime backdrop the story didn't hold me like the previous one did. It had multiple POVs which I normally like but from one POV to the other there was no indication of who was talking and it was a bit odd trying to figure out whose mind I was in. The only POV that was easy to tell was the killer's.

Priya's sister is one of the victims of a serial killer that has been killing girls for years and leaving them covered in flowers. I liked how Priya was linked to the story but without giving too much away her and her mom's involvement was just stupid and utterly abnormal. Priya and her mom had a unigue relationship, almost like a Lorelai/Rory type of relationship which didn't quit fit into the book. But I will give kudos to the author for writing a book with diversity and getting it right.

I missed that haunting feeling of a mystery, not being able to put the book down and wanting to get to the end, it took me days to finish it and that's not a good sign. The tiny glimpses of the killer's mind and the cameos of the Butterflies were not enough to make this intriguing. It felt more like Priya's book about her dead sister and her family with occasional hints of crime and mystery.

Very good story.....Would recommend. Looking forward to reading more by this author.

I think this book would have been slightly better had it just focused on the fbi agents and a new case. I was expecting it to further the butterfly story but for me it just didn't work. Nowhere near as haunting as the last book but worth a read all the same.

I was rather disappointed with The Roses of May possibly because I had enjoyed The Butterfly Garden so much. For me it didn't gel. There was none of the creepiness of the Garden and read just as a standard crime novel. And to be honest Pritya's mother irritated me. I did enjoy the cameo appearances of the Garden characters but that is all.

However thank you for the opportunity to read it.

I know my hopes were a little high because I enjoyed The Butterfly Garden -- and it can be dangerous to get your hopes up for a follow up book. On it's own this book is probably not bad and I do think some will enjoy it, but it's not what I was looking for. It definitely didn't have the same feel or pull as the first book did. Honestly, I was bored and couldn't get into it. I tried to power through but my list of "to read" books is too long so I decided not to finish it.

So I didn't like the first book of the series at all but yet for the sake of completing the series, I went for it and I can report that this book begins with great promise, the writing crisp and imaginative. For awhile, I could scarcely put it down. Unfortunately, the plot disintegrates about two-thirds of the way through the book.

The synopsis that I am sure you've already read is in a nutshell about about Priya, a sixteen year old girl who lost her sister to a vicious serial killer who likes to put flowers on his victims. Priya and her mother move every few months hoping for a new beginning away from the tragedies in their past. They seem to be doing well in a small Colorado town but then flowers begin to appear at their doorstep. Does Priya have a secret admirer or has her sister's killer chosen a new victim?

The FBI team from the previous book Victor and Brandon have taken Priya under their wing so while they are still dealing with the aftermath of the Butterfly Garden investigation they are keeping an eye on Priya, especially when bouquets of flowers start turning up on her doorstep.

For any story the important thing is to keep me engaged, turn the page; and this book did that. I turn every page and some backwards. All the time telling myself to ignore the illogical and suspend a lot of disbelief.

Here's the thing: It's all about what you're looking for out of it. If you're someone who doesn't like watching criminal minds because it's too much, this isn't the book for you. If you can ignore the flaws, it's better than a cookie cutter crime novel.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for an advance copy of The Roses of May, the second novel in The Collectors Trilogy.

5 years ago 17 year old Priya Srevasti's sister, Chavi, was killed by a serial killer who has killed a young woman every year in the spring for the past 16 years. The FBI team of Vic, Brandon and Mercedes have taken Priya under their wing so while they are still dealing with the aftermath of the Butterfly Garden investigation they are keeping an eye on Priya, especially when bouquets of flowers start turning up on her doorstep.

Wow! What a read. I really enjoyed The Butterfly Garden and have been looking forward to reading The Roses of May. It doesn't disappoint although I'm having difficulty reviewing it.

Firstly I will say that I love Ms Hutchison's writing style. It is easy to read and draws you in to the narrative. I just couldn't put the book down. Superficially the plot isn't complicated, mad killer may be stalking a teenager with a view to killing her, but the nuance is in the characterisation, both their history and their reactions.

The novel is mostly about Priya so her narrative is in the first person. When we meet her she is a lonely figure, grieving for her sister and constantly moving for her mother's job, so friendless but as the novel develops the layers to her strong personality are revealed and it makes for fascinating reading. She has a strong bond with her mother (I loved her personality) and a lot of support from the FBI team, especially Brandon who has become part of the family. The FBI team are decent people with a great dynamic and it is interesting to see their frustration at not catching this killer and their fear for Priya. The third person narrative with its detachment seems to ramp up the tension. Interspersed between this are the usual chapters in italics giving you a first person narrative of the killer's thoughts as he remembers each of his murders. Interesting for the murders but a bit repetitive on the motive.

This is a well paced novel with something new in every chapter. It handles grief and victimhood in a sympathetic, practical not maudlin manner and has some interesting things to say about the way victims are treated in the press - everyone thinks they know your story.

The Roses of May is an excellent read which I have no hesitation in recommending.

This was an interesting combination of the aftermath of one thriller and the ongoing attempts to catch another killer. The dual plot allowed for complimentary themes of both revenge and forgiveness, grief and fear. The author was realistic about the ways people attempt, succeed, and fail to deal with tragedy in their lives; even when the plot seemed far-fetched the main characters still felt real.

Although "The Roses of May" is the second book in the Collector Trilogy which began in "The Butterfly Garden" it is not a direct sequel. We do get glimpses of the original "butterflies" but the focus of this book is on Priya Sravasti, a sixteen year old girl who lost her sister to a vicious serial killer who likes to put flowers on his victims. Priya and her formidable mother, Deshani, move every few months hoping for a new beginning away from the tragedies in their past. They seem to be doing well in a small Colorado town but then flowers begin to appear at their doorstep. Does Priya have a secret admirer or has her sister's killer chosen a new victim?
I enjoyed this book just as much as I liked "The Butterfly Garden". Dot Hutchinson upped the creepy factor by allowing us to "see" through the killers eyes how he viewed and justified each of his victims. The FBI agents from "The Butterfly Garden" are back with more developed backgrounds and a family-like connection to Priya and her mother. Although this book was not as disturbing to read as its predecessor, it was compelling and haunting, and left me eager for the final book of the trilogy.

When I saw this as a "read now" on Netgalley, I was SO EXCITED. I even texted my friend who had also read (and loved) the Butterfly Garden. I think it's worth warning any reader that this is NOT the Butterfly Garden. To me it felt like a very different book, and I had to embrace a totally new set of characters. Yes, there were cameos from the first book but I would not at all classify this as a sequel. It's hard not to compare this to the first book, so embrace the differences as much as you can.

What I liked about this one: Similar to the first book, it kept me interested and motivated to keep turning those pages. I LOVED the complexity of the characters and how Priya and her mother really explored themes of right versus wrong, good versus evil, justice versus vigilantism... and maybe discovered that a lot of these aren't dichotomies and instead are shades of gray, not black and white. The characters were very nuanced and vibrant, and I adored that.

What I didn't like: the premise and plot felt more "standard" to the thriller genre than the Butterfly Garden. It was missing some of that magic and for me that made the first book a five star. That being said, I would definitely still recommend this one.

I absolutely love this series. I was so excited to read the second book in The Collector Trilogy that I was telling my students when I got the book. Many of them read The Butterfly Garden on my recommendation and so are excited for the release of the new book.

I wasn't sure what to expect for a second book in this series, and this story line is definitely not it. However, I loved this book as much as the first. The characters were so alive, and I was happy to see the "Butterflies" make an appearance in this book and to learn more about the FBI agents involved in the case. This book kept me hooked. I would not have put it down if I didn't have to. I am dreading the year wait for book 3.

Reviewed on Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1898431876

It was a awesome book. I would recommend it anyone who likes the show criminal minds. It's best to read butterfly garden first because that novel is connected..

In this follow-up to the Butterfly Garden, are still helping the women who survived their ordeal readjust to normal life, but they are also preparing for another body to be found as soon as the ground thaws. Priya’s sister was taken by a man who slit her throat and left the young woman’s body in a church, she and her mother are still trying to get over the terrible loss, moving every few months, hoping for a new start. But it’s not to be, because the killer that took Priya’s sister has decided he wants her to be his next victim. The FBI need her to help catch the madman and put him away, but first they must convince her to help them instead of running again. I really liked the first book in this series and I’m pleased to see that Hutchinson has brought back the tension and excitement along with new characters and an intricate storyline