I am a HUGE fan of Alex Marwood's previous books and was thrilled to learn she has a new book being published this month and delighted to get an early copy via Netgalley of THE POISON GARDEN.

THE POISON GARDEN is a real departure from the authors previous books focusing more on the characters and digging deeply into cults, brainwashing and the followers apocalyptic beliefs. 

Told through the viewpoint of several main characters, the story begins in Wales when two police officers are called to a scene to discover hundreds of dead bodies.  This begins the multiple narrators; Sarah, a divorced school administrator who has moved back into her deceased parents house and learns that her sister is one of the dead; Romy, a young girl who is one of the few survivors of cult and Somer, Romy's mother and Sarah's sister who was one of the followers of the cult.

This is a much slower pace than her previous books, but it still kept me hooked and gripped throughout.  The details surrounding the cult and the brainwashing of the followers and the enigmatic leader Lucien Blake made the story plausible and realistic.  There were moments and scenes which were so disturbing and uncomfortable that I had to stop and gather my thoughts before continuing on.  

An interesting and thought-provoking story.

I couldn't put this book down. The complex and at times rather bleak world of this doomsday cult unfolds carefully within the book. I found the cult itself, as well as the various characters within it very interesting to read about. However, I felt a little bit disappointed by the ending. Almost deflated because it all felt very hopeless and dark. I only realised towards the end that there is not a single likeable character within this book. I also found the different narrative voices (one is in 1st person, one is in 3rd) a bit tricky to read, though I realise this was intentional to make the distinction between narrators more clear. The cover is gorgeous and instantly captured my attention.

I’ve really enjoyed Alex Marwood’s previous novels like The Darkest Secret so was really excited to read this especially learning that it’s about cults, a topic that intrigues me.
The book opens with a scene in Wales where two officers have been called down by a farmer because of a strange, putrid smell coming from his neighbours: a private and secluded farm. The officers break through and find a river of dead bodies...
The story then breaks into 3 narrative strands:
* Sarah is a 31-year old divorcee who had moved back to her parent’s house in Finborough after their death three years ago and works as a school administrator. When news about this cult breaks in the media she’s contacted by social services. Her older sister, Michelle (later renamed Somer) who was thrown out of the house by their strict Christian parents after discovering she was pregnant as a teenager was a member of the cult and has two adolescent children. As next of kin Sarah faces the dilemma of being their guardian.
* Present day Romy. Romy is twenty-years old and one of the surviving few members of the cult. She’s also Somer’s daughter. We see her try to assimilate to this new world while keeping her pregnancy a secret and going through with a surreptitious task.
* Past day Romy and Somer. Here we learn more about the cult and how it worked.
My favourite parts of the story was the present day arc. I loved seeing how the characters struggled with cognitive dissonance, how Sarah dealt with her guilt over how her sister was treated and how she tries to put aside the feeling of ‘otherness’ when she meets her niece and nephew in attempt to understand what they’ve been through. I also found Romy to be an engaging and intriguing character, and kept wondering what she was up to. My least favourite parts was cult sections. I think for me personally I’ve just read so many psychological suspense novels that look at cults and have done it better. I wanted more of an explanation on how the cult started, how was it being financed, and what are their underlying beliefs. I understood that they were a survivalist cult obsessed with the inevitable apocalypse. For me there just wasn’t any emotional or psychological involvement, and I found Lucien’s and Uri’s characterisation really wooden and one-dimension. Also plot-wise I found this section predictable.
On the whole this was an immersive read on how survivors from cult struggle to assimilate and a character driven book. However this isn’t your usual mystery/thriller which makes this book for me hard to define. This is a pacy, Psychological drama with suspense elements. 3.5/5

I came across Alex Marwood by chance a couple of years ago & have enjoyed every one of her books, this being no exception. It feels like a bit of a departure from her previous books, it’s not your standard thriller by any means, & I enjoyed it all the more for being unique in that regard. I didn’t see what was going to happen at all, & it developed through the book into something completely different from what I thought it would be. I’ll definitely be recommending this one to customers,

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I read ‘The Wicked Girls’ when it was first published, and since then I’ve eagerly awaited each and every one of Marwood’s novels. They’ve all captivated me.

When I saw this on Netgalley, I had to apply for it. But I was a bit concerned...all of the reviews were so low! I wasn’t sure how to feel when I was given a copy.

For me, this was the perfect book. Intricate and captivating, there are no huge twists and turns, rather it reads as an experience rather than a thriller. It’s slow paced and opens like a flower - I could not put it down.

Very, very highly recommended. Do not go into it expecting the same thriller type of read.

I've previously read The Killer Next Door by Alex Marwood and really enjoyed that book. I was therefore very eager to read this new book.
It is a bleak story of brainwashing by an apocalyptic cult, the impact on the lives of the children and there adjustment post-cult. At times the writing seemed a bit contrived. I found the pace very slow going and which made me less interested. There are leaps backwards and forwards in the time frame and at times it was quite confusing. The chatacters, even allowing for their background, lack any warmth and it is difficult to feel an emotional bond with them.
On the whole I was rather disappointed in the book which seemed to show great promise at the very start.

Thank you to Little Brown Group, Alex Marwood and Net Galley for my ARC.
Thoroughly shocking and actually believable. because it could and does happen. This exploration of a cult and the brainwashing of its followers is harrowing. When the survivors made it into the 'real' world it's tempting to believe they have a chance of redemption but the children raised within its confines are nurtured to believe that the rules they follow are the only correct ones. I wasn't expecting the killing spree, and I found it quite shocking, but I understood the part it played within the story. Another fine piece of writing by Alex Marwood.

I have previously read 'The Darkest Secret' by Alex Marwood and enjoyed it a lot but for some reason I just couldn't connect with this book. I love the writing style but this particular book didn't do it for me.
In this story Romy escapes the cult she was raised in and the only world she has ever known. But when she enters 'normal' life it does not hold the excitement you would expect. Now twenty-two, she has recently escaped the toxic confines of the cult she was raised in. Romy is young, pregnant and completely alone. In a world that is completely new to her, she needs to learn there are some people you can trust and others to fear.
I don't doubt that this book will bring a lot of entertainment to the majority of its readers but sadly not for me this time. Enjoyed the writing and will read others by this author so don't be put off by me it is only my opinion.
I would like to thank both Net Galley & Little, Brown Book Group UK for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review

This was a very ambitious project with a highly intricate concept drafted by an excellent writer, but I don’t feel like it came together 100%. I would rather read a tight, well paced commonplace thriller than a story stronger in concept than execution, but I give it 3.5 for trying.

Reading the first page I thought this was going to be a police/crime thriller - I couldn’t have been more wrong! I love that it’s set it in North Wales and I recognise all the place names. Highly recommend.

Alex Marwood takes the reader into the toxic, tragic and unwaveringly bleak territory of the dangerous world of cults and communes as she immerses the reader into the horrors of their ways of living. A multilayered narrative provides us with insights and observations of life before, during and the repercussions that follow in the aftermath of the cult with its different timelines and characters. A young vulnerable and pregnant Romy has been shaped by the cult, and has to negotiate life after the cult, isolated and alone, with trust issues, facing an unfamiliar world and with questions about her family, only to find the past is not that easy to leave behind.

It is truly terrifying how so many will blindingly follow a charismatic leader, irrespective of how insane they may be, although the brainwashing does explain a lot. This is a hugely unsettling, shocking and uncomfortable read, one which quite frankly I could not wait to shake it off, but this is a story that managed to get to me. I did not find myself emotionally investing in any of the characters, but here's the thing, it is frighteningly scary just how realistic it felt, mirroring and grounded in real life cults and their twisted dynamics. It proves to be thought provoking and eye opening about a world I have no experience of, and no desire for any, it outlines with skill just how difficult cults are to walk away from. This is a relentlessly haunting and monstrous read, one that gave me the shudders, and in my view, not for the faint hearted. Many thanks to Little, Brown for an ARC.

I’ve enjoyed other books by Alex Marwood and this sounded like a rather different story about cults, communes and their disastrous influences. I’m sorry to say that it sounds a little better than it is. The narratives flits back and forth and I occasionally had to go back to find out what was going on. It was a little confusing.

The setting was entirely plausible but I found it difficult to empathise with the characters and although I could understand Romy’s difficulties, I wasn’t sympathetic. Given her situation, I thought I should have felt more warmly towards her and that troubled me. The story is bleak; it’s interesting to gain some insight into how these micro societies function and the extent to which weakness is exploited. I stuck with it, but it’s certainly my least favourite Marwood book.

My thanks to the publisher for a review copy via Netgalley.

I've enjoyed Alex Marwood's previous novels but I found this one frustrating and thought the ending was unsatisfactory. It seemed to have so much potential at the beginning but I thought the way it jumped back and forward was confusing. I read on because I thought things would start to come together but I was left with my questions unanswered and the realisation that there wasn't a single likeable character in the whole book. A big disappointment.

A very hard book to read and review given the horrific circumstances the characters go through. The idea of cults and communes are well explored and we go to some dark places in this novel. It's an interesting look at not just the idea of a cult, but the experience of it, the before and after, not to mention the during. It's scary to think how relevant this novel is in today's world. Brainwashing and mental torture are everywhere here and it's a scary topic for a novel of any kind.
Alex has written about some tough topics before and I watched Written in Blood where the murder of little Jamie Bulger made her want to explore the idea of a child killing another. There are plenty of real life cases which have inspired this novel sadly too and it makes for a gripping if not sad read.

A dark, compelling tale that had me gripped from the opening chapter. Although it's hard to warm to the characters, they are so well drawn and their experiences so vivid, that the reader feels empathy even when they are at their most ethically questionable.

Intelligent, intriguing and thought-provoking, it's the perfect page turner - worth making room for in your suitcase this summer!

** spoiler alert ** Always interested to read a book that has cults in... the dynamics,the charismatic leader,the mostly foolish faithful followers.
This one was very enjoyable.... a few survivors make it out from a mass suicide attempt in a cult of a few hundred people (I don't know actual numbers).
Then.. they have to adjust,and compromise and get on with life... and the three we see struggle,are all children of the cult who've never lived in outside world.
Through flashbacks we see how roles inside the cult change over time and how everyone fitted in..
Some genuine moments of "oh that's good " rather than surprise,as it was all just so perfect for where the book was going.

A tightly plotted, pacy and original story that had me gripped from the first page. The different timelines and different voices made me desperate to read on, and I was especially fascinated by the Before the End chapters. I have heard / read a lot about well-known cult tragedies, but still found some of what happened at Plas Golau really shocking. Excellent ending, too. A great, compelling and brilliantly written book.

The Poison Garden is a real departure for Alex Marwood – I started reading expecting a crime thriller but it quickly turned into something else entirely and it was a fabulous surprise. Strange, other-worldly and shocking, I loved this book and didn’t want the story-telling to end.

Perhaps there will be a sequel (which would be cool) perhaps not, because the ending was so skilful and satisfying in itself. I am full of fresh admiration for Ms Marwood, hence the five star rating.

Many thanks to the Little Brown Book Group, to Netgalley, and to Alex Marwood for allowing me to read and review this terrific book.

Not for me i'm afraid. I found it very slow and writing style just wasn't for me. I have read Alex Marwood and enjoyed previous books but i found this one was just not for me.

As soon as I read the overview of this book and it mentions a cult that was me hooked !! I have always had a big fascination for reading about cults and this book was brilliant, told in two timelines and from different points of view it draws you in with its descriptions of life in the cult and to life after and the horrific consequences of being brainwashed by fear. In a lot of ways this is a sad read but at the same time very compelling and difficult to say more as I think this is a book that should just be read without knowing too much.
It’s wonderfully written with a well crafted storyline and the characters very believable and a 4 star read for me and also well recommended, my thanks to Alex Marwood for a superb story.
My thanks also to NetGalley and Little,Brown book group UK for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.