Free Netgalley book for review, thank you publisher!

Overall I really liked the sisters, but I found this book fairly repetitive; it might have done better for me as a novella rather than a whole story. I'm not sure how I feel about the ending but also not convinced it could have gone much differently, but I almost wanted more from it? Also if you're not a fan of a wishy washy magic system this book won't be for you. It's definitely 'feelings' based. In that way it feels like something Diana Wynne Jones would have written for her adult audience (especially the evil old lady, lol) , with a side order of T. Kingfisher's darker stuff.

I feel like if you like serial killer slasher stories this won't be violent enough for you, and it might also be too mild for the horror fans. In that regard, since I don't follow either genre typically, being squeamish, I didn't have a problem with it.

It sounds like I'm disparaging this a lot and I don't mean to, it was an entertaining enough escape for a reader with a bit of a reader's block.

I wanted this to be a lot darker than it was. Aunt Clara almost felt like a bad movie villain in my opinion. I liked the sisters and learning about their powers. The middle did drag a bit for me and kept losing my attention. There was also obvious things that were just skipped over that kind of blew my mind when they weren't seen.

I overall liked the story. The first half of the book wasn't really my cup of tea but I did like the sisters enough to see where it goes. The second half was a lot more fun. Nothing really crazy goes on and you know what that's ok. I wish the magic was better explained since that was the most interesting part of the story to me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Ray for a digital advanced readers copy, At the Bottom of the Garden will be published on January 28, 2025.

I was so excited for this book, but this really fell flat for me. It felt kind of cheap with the way the Clara was written and the reiteration of her obsession with diamonds. It gave Cruella De Vil vibes... I also feel like this was a bit longer than necessary? The concept is great, but I think there are pieces that could have been better. I greatly appreciate the opportunity to read this!

I really liked this story. I have to admit that I did read some of the reviews before reading it, which I don’t normally do with ARCs. First off, I can see why some reviewers said that Clara was kind of like a caricature of an evil villain. Kind of a cross between Count Olaf and Cruella DeVille (the original, not the remake). But I started getting some Secret Garden vibes, which then made me look at Clara more as the evil governess of an orphanage. Which, I suppose, she kind of is. It made me think the author wrote her that way on purpose, because none of the other characters seemed like caricatures to me. And yes, she was obnoxious. I knew exactly what would happen to her, and I couldn’t wait to see it happen. I really liked the direction the story turned to for the girls. I didn’t exactly expect that part of it, but it fit really well. Even though I knew what was going to happen to Clara, I wouldn’t exactly call it predictable. It was just written in the way I would write it. If you like books with ghosts, evil governesses, and witchy stuff, I definitely recommend reading this book!

Huge thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for sending me this ARC for review! All of my reviews are given honestly!

I was captivated by the description when I had initially learnt of this book, but this is not what you would expect. Not in a bad way. I was taken on such an aesthetic journey that I wasn't expecting to be in this story at all.

the idea was very good, but was emperiled by the characters essentially being cardboard cutouts. Clara kept making me think of Count Olaf, and the kids were just as generic. Honestly read a little MG. very good idea and good end, though. 3 stars. tysm for hte arc.

I listened to this as I drove up to the Catskills for the vibes and this was just much too slow and repetitive. It took ages for anything of note to happen and despite the slow pacing, there would be entire chunks of time that went by that are never discussed which made the story feel disjointed. The constantly shifting POV chapters also felt like it cut the momentum and pacing as you finally start to settle in with one character to then shift to a completely different view and setting and internal monologue.

Overall, the vibes just were there, the suspense and mystery felt too drawn out and I couldn’t enjoy this.

When Lily and Violet’s parents die, they go to live with their mysterious and diamond obsessed Aunt Clara. The girls are special and soon the estate is filled with ghosts.

I loved the story of two sisters going to live with their mysterious aunt. It had a fairy tale feel to it, which quickly became a ghastly tale. The two sisters really make the story, as they are both very unique but rely upon each other. Aunt Clara’s secrets are left to be exposed, and though the reader has an idea from the beginning what they are, it doesn’t affect the enjoyment of the story.

“Next to diamonds, I am fairly certain that a woman’s best friend is a well-honed ax.”

At the Bottom of the Garden comes out 1/28.

We have a spooky read hitting shelves and hitting a lot of readers high ratings, including mine! It’s a gothic novel about an evil woman who is a murderer and she becomes the guardian of two very unusual girls and at first she doesn’t want to take them in but things change as some discoveries happen. One of the little girls can even see ghosts so that was an interesting element. I’ve mentioned this many times but I love horror novels that focus on some creepy house or manor, castle whatever it is. I love it. This is set in the 1970s, has some dark humor mixed in. I mean we are following a not so good natured main character so I that was a unique POV.

It’s giving the wicked step sister 😂the author did a good job. The cover really caught my attention. I’m looking forward to seeing reviews on this after pub date.

#AttheBottomoftheGarden is a new gothic horror by Camilla Bruce. Atmospheric throughout, many thrills abound. When two young girls are left orphaned, they inherit some of their family's gifts. One girl can help the living, while the other can help the dead. Their Aunt Clara acts as their guardian, but she doesn't have their best interests in mind. There are many secrets she wants to stay buried. 4.5 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest book review. This is the perfect book to read for spooky season. A horrible accident happened and it took the lives of Lily and Violet's parents. Unfortunately their Aunt has decided to take them in. Aunt Clara has other motives (money) as why she is taking the girls. Clara is not a nice person and has a lot of ghosts living in her closet. What Clara doesn't know is the girls are able to see what her ghosts are (because of their special ability) and this can be detrimental to what Clara has planned and she cannot have the girls ruin what she is after.

I have been seeing this book everywhere and was very happy to be approved. This book is familiar in the setting but has a unique twist that holds attention. Loved it and I have already been recommending.

At The Bottom Of The Garden by Camilla Bruce, this book is like a fairytale sorta. There’s the villain aunt Claire, who gets custody of the two girls after their parents go missing while climbing a mountain. At first, she doesn’t want to take them, but then, when she thinks of all their two inherit, she changes her mind. She takes the kids from a loving nanny to her coal and personal home in the country. Lily‘s 14 and Violet is nine. Lily has the ability to tell others emotions and violet sees ghost and she also has other skills in the paranormal. it will be her other abilities that mix things up at the old lonely cottage. Her aunt claimed she inherited from an elderly sick lady who she says she took care of and the old lady is one of the ghost, as well as an angry man at the bottom of the garden. Aunt Clara thinks she has everything under control until Violet figures out how to release the ghost from their present state. Then the book really takes off with lol moments. I do want to say I wish Violet would’ve had more interaction with the bird Elka because that was a nice touch. I was looking so forward to this book and finally I can honestly say it didn’t disappoint. I don’t want to say much about the ending and the other ghost and all that happens just know if you love fairytale type stories with great villains you will love this book. Oh, I forgot to mention, her aunts maid in the homes longtime caretaker who also may or may not have ulterior motive for staying there. #NetGalley,#RandomHouse #CamillaBruce, #AtTheBottomOfTheGarden,

Set in the 1970s, conniving Clara thinks that opportunity is knocking when she becomes the guardian of her orphaned nieces. What she hasn’t planned on is that sisters Lily (14) and Violet (10) have some secrets of their own that make getting her hands on their money a bit more challenging than what she expected.

I like dark humor, so I found the chapters from Clara’s POV amusing. I loved the chapters from Lily and Violet’s POVs. I thought the sisters were really interesting, and I would enjoy reading a sequel about them.

"A murderess becomes the guardian of two very unusual girls in this mesmerizing Gothic novel from acclaimed author Camilla Bruce.

Clara Woods is a killer - and perfectly fine with it, too. So what if she takes a couple of lives to make her own a little bit better? At the bottom of her garden is a flower bed, long overgrown, where her late husband rests in peace - or so she's always thought.

Then the girls arrive.

Lily and Violet are her nieces, recently orphaned after their affluent parents died on an ill-fated anniversary trip. In accordance with their parents' will, the sisters are to go to their closest relative - who happens to be Clara. Despite having no interest in children, Clara agrees to take them, hoping to get her hands on some of the girls' assets - not only to bolster her dwindling fortune but also to establish what she hopes will be her legacy: a line of diamond jewelry.

There's only one problem. Violet can see the dead man at the bottom of the garden. She can see all of Clara's ghosts...and call them back into existence. Soon Clara is plagued by her victims and at war with the gifted girls in her care. Lily and Violet have become a liability - and they know far more than they should."

A very interesting Henry James vibe!

A selfish woman discovers a way to get the money she needs to launch her business by taking in her two nieces when their parents die. She soon finds that the children have some special gifts and the ghosts of the people she’s murdered start to haunt her. I relived the perspective of the children and their powers, but the aunt is so unapologetically evil that she’s a bit cliche. Rated as 3 stars, it’s probably more like 3.5 and would have been higher if it had just stayed with the childrens’ perspective.

Note: ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Ray for the opportunity to read and review At the Bottom of the Garden by Camilla Bruce. All opinions are my own.

Clara is the aunt to Lily and Violet. The girl's parents die in an accident and have to go and live with Clara. Did we mention Clara is the night the nicest and actually has murdered in the past to make her life easier and richer. Lily and Violet are rich and that is the only reason Clara has taken them on. The girls are bright and have supernatural powers unbeknownst to their aunt. Violet can communicate with the dead that are still around in Aunt Clara's house. Soon Clara is under siege by these ghosts and the girls themselves.

Camilla Bruce is a new author to me, and I asked to review this book because the premise really sounded intriguing. Unfortunately, I found this read to be a bit lackluster. The POVs are Clara, Violet, and Lily. The story reads young, while I initially thought it would be scarier, etc. This may be on me with misreading the synopsis. Some parts felt slow and a bit boring for me. I'm sure there is an audience for this one, but it isn't me. If you would like to give this one a try it will be available on January 28th. Happy Reading!!

I liked the gothic atmosphere and the synopsis of the story had me hooked. Unfortunately, the characters just weren't it for me. They are flat and uninteresting.