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Book Summary and Reviews of In the Garden of Monsters by Crystal King

In the Garden of Monsters by Crystal King

In the Garden of Monsters

A Novel

by Crystal King

  • Critics' Consensus (6):
  • Readers' Rating (21):
  • Published:
  • Sep 2024, 336 pages
  • Rate this book

About this book

Book Summary

A woman with no past. A man who seems to know her. And a monstrous garden that could be the border between their worlds…

Italy, 1948

Julia Lombardi is a mystery even to herself. The beautiful model can't remember where she's from, where she's been or how she came to live in Rome. When she receives an offer to accompany celebrated eccentric artist Salvador Dalí to the Sacro Bosco—Italy's Garden of Monsters—as his muse, she's strangely compelled to accept. It could be a chance to unlock the truth about her past…

Shrouded in shadow, the garden full of giant statues that sometimes seem alive is far from welcoming. Still, from the moment of their arrival at the palazzo, Julia is inexplicably drawn to their darkly enigmatic host, Ignazio. He's alluring yet terrifying—and he seems to know her.

Posing for Dalí as the goddess Persephone, Julia finds the work to be perplexing, particularly as Dalí descends deeper into his fanaticism. To him, she is Persephone, and he insists she must eat pomegranate seeds to rejoin her king.

Between Dalí's fevered persistence, Ignazio's uncanny familiarity and the agonizing whispered warnings that echo through the garden, Julia is soon on the verge of unraveling. And she begins to wonder if she's truly the mythical queen of the Underworld…

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"King makes the familiar tale feel fresh with her unusual and enthralling setting, which eerily blurs the real and the surreal. This is an exciting reinterpretation." —Publishers Weekly

"An atmospheric, slow-burning gothic story that will appeal to patient readers who enjoy strong settings and the surreal." —Library Journal

"A sinister romance and hypnotic Gothic fairytale—surreal and luscious with a fascinating twist on the story of Hades and Persephone." —Jennifer Saint, bestselling author of Ariadne

"In the Garden of Monsters is a gorgeous and atmospheric dreamscape of a novel, one that drew me in and took me places both surreal and earthly. Crystal King is a magician, and this novel a delicious spell." —Danielle Trussoni, New York Times bestselling author of Angelology and The Puzzle Master

"In the Garden of Monsters is a glorious work of Gothic fiction, set in Italy's real and strange Sacro Bosco. Underpinned by Crystal King's signature passion for food writing and impeccable research, this novel will pull you in and not let go, just as the titular garden does to the characters. I devoured it as swifty as a handful of pomegranate seeds." —Alyssa Palombo, author of The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel and The Borgia Confessions

This information about In the Garden of Monsters was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

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Author Information

Crystal King Author Biography

Photo: Wayne Earl Chinnock

Crystal King is the author of The Chef's Secret and Feast of Sorrow, which was long-listed for the Center for Fiction's First Novel Prize and was a Must Read for the MassBook Awards. She is an author, culinary enthusiast, and marketing expert, and has taught at multiple universities including Harvard Extension and Boston University. She resides in Boston. You can find her at crystalking.com.

Author Interview
Link to Crystal King's Website

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