Well that was definitely a roller coaster of a book. The beginning was intriguing even if Clara was a very cardboard cut out villian.
The middle lost me…..the characters behavior just became repetitive and boring: The end was something that I felt like I just had to finish but it just didn’t bring me joy. Perhaps I should have just marked this one as a DNF but I kept slogging through.

The story begins with Clara Woods getting a call letting her know that her estranged brother and his wife died on an ill-fated anniversary trip, leaving behind 2 daughters that she is now the guardians of. Lily & Violet have no other living relatives, so she is their only option. Clara reluctantly agrees, but make no mistake.... she has no plans to be a loving mother to them. However, she is interested in their parents' estate, and the money she could get from taking the girls in. Greed is the only language Clara knows. When the girls arrive at Clara's home, nine year-old Violet begins seeing ghosts around the property. There is an elderly lady in the dining room, a very angry man in the flower bed at the bottom of the garden, and there is a young woman with a head wound on a stained mattress in the basement.... the basement they were forbidden to enter. The thing is, Clara Woods is a killer, and these are her victims. They are angry, and they want justice. They will not move on until they get it, and they need Lily & Violet to help them.

This book was a little bit of a slow burn, but it was still really good. Aunt Clara was a horrible person and definitely someone you would love to hate, but Lily & Violet were delightful and my heart went out to them. I enjoyed seeing the ghosts torment Clara relentlessly. If you enjoy a good ghost story, then you should definitely check this out.

Camilla Bruce’s At the Bottom of the Garden is a dark, atmospheric thriller that weaves together secrets, ghosts, and a slowly unraveling mystery. The story follows Violet and Lily, two recently orphaned sisters who are sent to live with their enigmatic aunt Clara at her secluded home, Crescent Hill. However, Clara harbors a sinister secret, and as the ghosts of Crescent Hill reveal, she is not the warm, welcoming guardian they had hoped for—she is a murderer, and now Violet and Lily must fight for their lives.


At the heart of the book lies a compelling premise: the girls’ discovery of their aunt’s dark past and their desperate struggle for survival. The setting of Crescent Hill is richly atmospheric, with the house itself playing a pivotal role in the narrative. The ghosts who haunt the house add an eerie element that helps to build suspense and tension.

That being said, the book’s pacing is a major issue. The middle portion of the novel drags considerably, with long stretches where the tension and plot development feel stagnant. While the idea behind the story is intriguing, the execution often falters, and the slow buildup may test readers’ patience. Furthermore, Clara’s portrayal as an over-the-top villain at times feels a bit too exaggerated, detracting from the otherwise chilling atmosphere

Ultimately, At the Bottom of the Garden has a lot of potential, with its eerie setting and its basic premise of hidden family secrets and supernatural intrigue. However, the slow pacing and occasionally cartoonish villain weaken its impact. While it may appeal to readers who enjoy gothic horror with a strong dose of mystery, others might find the pacing and character development a bit lacking.

Thank you to NetGalley, Del Rey, and Random House Publishing for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a dark fairytale-like story about two orphaned girls who end up living with their aunt (imagine “wicked stepmother”) and discover they have supernatural abilities. The aunt is as evil as they come and so incredibly greedy. I absolutely loved the two girls! Definite ghost, magic, and witchy vibes with this one!! 🙌

I did feel the pacing slowed down at times and the inactions of a minor character had me scratching my head a bit, but all in all I really enjoyed this one! 👏

Thank you to NetGalley, Del Rey, and Camilla Bruce for the opportunity to read the eARC in exchange for my honest review! ❤️

A scheming money-hungry woman, gets more than she bargained for when she sets her sights on her orphaned nieces inheritance in this fun story. I thought this book was original and witty, though at times the pacing seemed to be a bit off. Looking forward to exploring this author’s backlist. Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read and review this book!

As the author states in her Acknowledgments, “To me, At the Bottom of the Garden is, at least in part, a book about death—or about coming to terms with death.” Certainly death has a large place in this novel which feels somewhat like a modern take on a fairy tale, with orphaned girls, aged 14 and 9, taken in, begrudgingly, by an aunt they have never met after their parents die while on a mountain climbing trip. Lily and Violet move from the place and life they have loved to a very small town and an old house that will feel like a trap.

Since their parents’ deaths, both girls have developed new “abilities” that move the story into the paranormal realm that I enjoy. Rather than say too much, I will say that this complicates their existence with Aunt Clara in multiple ways. Clara as written does become almost too waspish and witchy but I really enjoyed the characters of the girls, their new abilities - with all the mixed results. I enjoyed this and found it perfect escapist reading but with a few messages hidden within.

Thank you to Del Ray and NetGalley for an eARC of this book. This review is my own.

A weird gothic that fits beautifully into the 1970s setting, complete with self-taught witches and an over the top villain in the style of Cruella deVille. Fun and reminiscent of the one-off gothic episodes on 70s television – or diving into an episode of The Night Gallery.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC copy of this book for review.

When Violet and Lily's parents die while climbing K2, they are placed with their Aunt Clara - a cruel, selfish woman who only wants their money. The sisters soon learn of their unique abilities that ultimately lead to Violet bringing back the ghosts of three people killed by Clara. Those ghosts torment Clara who, in turn, continues her torment of the girls. Bouncing between their three viewpoints, you follow their new lives living with ghosts and each other.

I enjoyed the first 30-40 percent of this book, and the last 10-15 percent. Those portions were mysterious and had a gothic feel to them. The introduction of the abilities held by the girls was interesting and I enjoyed learning about what they could do with them. The ability to "see colors" and, in turn, know a person's intent behind their words or actions was very interesting, yet I wish it was more explored.

The middle section, unfortunately, dragged. It was often repetitive and led to me skimming more than reading. I did not enjoy reading Clara's point of view during the majority of the book - she was boring and vain with little personality. Lily was also a drag at times - the mean older sister who didn't believe the younger sister. I ultimately liked her character, but feel like she could have been more developed.

Violet was my favorite character - the brave, daring younger sister who just wanted to help the dead. Though she seemed more immature at times than a normal 9 year old, she truly carried this book.

Overall, this was a good read filled with adventure. I would recommend it, though with caution to push through the middle.

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.