Amber Logan

A moody book about loss, loneliness, and losing loved ones. This book is reminisce of a gothic, but set in a Japanese ryokan with a lead who varies between relatable and annoying.

I wanted to love this book, and did enjoy large parts of it, however Mari varied between being a character who was relatable if a bit childish and straight up acting inappropriately for her setting and age causing massive secondhand embarrassment. About halfway through the book, I decide to image Mari as about 12 years younger around 25/26 instead of 37/38 and al of a sudden it became much more understandable for her to be acting like a child.

Now for what held me through to the end of this book. The descriptions of the gardens and inn were amazing, and the side cast was well fleshed out and interesting. I enjoyed the meld of gothic ideas and storytelling with the setting and culture of Japan. If you want an atmospheric read this is one I can recommend highly for that alone.

I would recommend this book to those who like the following:
- Atmospheric reads
- Gothics
- Japanese setting
- The exploration of mourning
- The exploration of death and loss
- Gardens or photography
- Mystery’s

I would however warn off anyone who has a hard time reading about the loss of loved ones and of children, death, and those who can easily find main POV characters annoying.

I received and ARC of this book at no cost/for free, I am leaving this review voluntarily and all thoughts and opinions are wholly my own and unbiased.… (mehr)

The Secret Garden of Yanagi Inn is such a unique kind of ghost story that takes place in Japan. The opening scene, with Mari in her mother’s hospital room, really hit home for me. It uprooted memories of my own mother’s hospital room years ago…

A title with the words Secret Garden pulls me in every time. Even when it’s in a genre I don’t usually read. Though I rarely read paranormal fiction, I enjoy taking new adventures in my fiction reading, and this one was fun to read. When I learned it was a ghost story and included a mysterious abandoned garden, I certainly wasn’t expecting a touching, tranquil, well composed tale of healing and redemption.

I love a story that teaches me something new. This story provides rich descriptions of Japan—the country, cuisine, and culture. I enjoyed visiting Yanagi Inn and following along with Mari during her exploration.

This is a lovely re-telling of The Secret Garden. I recommend it to all readers, especially those who enjoy ghost mysteries.

Disclosure: #CoverLoverBookReview received a complimentary copy of this book.… (mehr)