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uhmmmmm's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
leisurelyreading's review against another edition
3.0
It’s hard not to compare this to [b:The Butterfly Garden|29981261|The Butterfly Garden (The Collector, #1)|Dot Hutchison|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1461392121l/29981261._SX50_.jpg|47426931], it is the first book in the series after all, but this is a very different type of story. It took me a while to adjust my expectations and understand what this story was going to be. In the first book we are thrown into a horrifying experience with Inara. We know the villian, we also know that she comes out alive along with some of the girls. In this book, we’re not really sure how Priya connects to this serial killer in present time besides her sister’s death years ago. The danger is much more indirect. Again, Hutchison writes really great relationships between characters. That is definitely her strongest asset. I’m not sure how much I would have liked this story if not for the relationships between Priya and her mother, and Eddison and her. I liked this book, but didn’t love it. It felt much more like a typical mystery procedural, which is totally fine, but not my preferred type of book.
m_inkdrinkerr's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I really enjoyed this one! While it's considered book two in a series, I would say it's more like interconnected stand alones. I like how there's a crossover of characters, but it doesn't go on and on about stuff from the first book. Priya is great, I loved her attitude and her mom's! 😂 It doesn't seem like the story drags on forever either, it all progresses really nicely.
lifeaccordingtosteph's review against another edition
3.0
I really liked The Butterfly, as much as you can like a book that is creepy as fuck. This one was a lot different. I didn't mind it, but since it's #2, I thought it would be more of a continuation of #1 and it really wasn't. I liked the fierce females in this book and the FBI agents as family. Free e-copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
ohsunnyaa's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
What I really liked about The Butterfly Garden was the focus on the girls; the fbi agents were just listeners to Anara's story.
Roses of May has an equally interesting concept (each victim being found with their own type of flower), but is less focused on the experiences of the victims themselves. Instead, we follow the sister of one of the victims - Priya. And that unfortunately makes the book less thrilling, because a big part of the book are descriptions of Priya's daily life. The killer's case is just the background for a big portion of the story. I'm also not the biggest fan of cop/agent thrillers and here the fbi agents are one of the main characters.
Despite that I still enjoyed Roses of May. Priya was a likable character, I like how her grief was portrayed and how she was coping with it.
I'm also happy we got updates on the girls from the previous book!
Roses of May has an equally interesting concept (each victim being found with their own type of flower), but is less focused on the experiences of the victims themselves. Instead, we follow the sister of one of the victims - Priya. And that unfortunately makes the book less thrilling, because a big part of the book are descriptions of Priya's daily life. The killer's case is just the background for a big portion of the story. I'm also not the biggest fan of cop/agent thrillers and here the fbi agents are one of the main characters.
Despite that I still enjoyed Roses of May. Priya was a likable character, I like how her grief was portrayed and how she was coping with it.
I'm also happy we got updates on the girls from the previous book!
mz_moxie_mae's review against another edition
5.0
Just as good if not better than the butterfly garden!
cjwilkinson's review against another edition
4.0
Book #2 in "The Collector Series" is just as crazy engrossing as the first one, "The Butterfly Garden".
It's amazing how much a person can really take, when push comes to shove, and how understandably dangerous someone can become when backed into a corner.
I am not going to give much specifics here but Priya is one courageous gal, and Edison is just a teddy bear for sure.
These stories aren't really gory or anything this far, but they are creepy and can absolutely trigger anyone who's had experiences of an assault nature. So it's not something to read if you don't want to be creeped out by that.
Other than that, I absolutely am enthralled by the imaginative story lines and interesting characters.
We'll see who and what comes up, next.
- CJ
It's amazing how much a person can really take, when push comes to shove, and how understandably dangerous someone can become when backed into a corner.
I am not going to give much specifics here but Priya is one courageous gal, and Edison is just a teddy bear for sure.
These stories aren't really gory or anything this far, but they are creepy and can absolutely trigger anyone who's had experiences of an assault nature. So it's not something to read if you don't want to be creeped out by that.
Other than that, I absolutely am enthralled by the imaginative story lines and interesting characters.
We'll see who and what comes up, next.
- CJ
miss_spell's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
littlemissinkdrinker's review against another edition
5.0
Although I didn't find this *AS* gripping as The Butterfly Garden, it was still good. The Sravastis are a delightful pair of women and I love the dynamic between them and the FBI gang. Don't want to give too much away so I'll leave it as that. Overall, a great, solid read and definitely worth the time.