What do readers think of In the Garden of Monsters by Crystal King? Write your own review.

Having previously read Circe by Madeline Miller, which was a thrilling retelling of Greek mythology, I chose to review In the Garden of Monsters. Unfortunately, the comparisons stop at the reference to Greek mythology. I found Ms. King's writing to be quite repetitive in her descriptions of how the characters felt, behaved, and thought. The endless descriptions of food, drink, table settings and the servers became mildly nauseating especially when the menu included frogs, larks, and boars. The main character, Julia, was vexing and childish. The addition of Salvador Dali and his wife, Gala, enriched and confounded the plot. Many of the conversations and events including them did not seem plausible, especially for 1948. Given that the story is a surreal fantasy, why include actual people? Yet, I must admit that I wanted to know how the novel ended and how Julia would ever figure out what was really happening to her. If you are a lover of mythology, then you might enjoy this book.

I don't think I should be reviewing this book. It is totally out of my reading genre. If you love or even just like Greek/Roman mythology this is the book you want to read.

Imagine Salvador Dali in Italy's Garden of Monsters to re-create the story of Persephone and Hades in his artwork. The result is a tale of myth, mystery, magic , even a bit eerie and romantic.

In the Garden of Monsters by Crystal King was listed as historical fiction so I chose to review it. In the author's own notes, she refers to it as a Gothic novel and an ode to food, combining her fascination with Dali's art and personality, Greek and Roman mythology, and the culinary arts. Perhaps just too many ingredients for this tale which reads like a silly romance and is 50% fantasy.

It's 1945 and the lead female character is offered a thousand bucks to be muse to Dali for about a week, which in 2024 dollars is about $13,000 - a lot of cash to a want-to-be artist. She's whiny, inexperienced and insecure which made her a perfect doormat for the rest of the characters, and difficult for the reader to bond with. Her main enemy in the story are pomegranate seeds! She fears and evades them ad nauseum.

Some scenes describing menus items and costumes were imaginative and interesting and, at least in my opinion, a much-appreciated break to the convoluted "plot."