In the Garden of Monsters

By: Crystal King

Narrated by: Carlotta Brentan

A Goodreads Most Anticipated Historical Fiction Book of Fall 2024

“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

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…

Good but unnecessary

What had potential for a good story was filled with a lot of confusing drama. The narrator for Dali was bad every time she did an impression I cringed a bit at the accent she gave him. I visited the garden about six months ago and felt like I was right back there King is very good at descriptions. I leave the book still confused not really understanding the characters and felt like everyone including Dali had some instability that wasn’t exactly executed.

Amazing story, well voiced

This book was absolutely amazing. I was sucked in from the beginning, and it was completely unpredictable. Their narrator is marvelous.

Truly a Fresh Framing for a Classic Myth

Certainly a fresh take on the ancient myth. A unique way to reframe a magnificent character like Persephone. I really liked it and couldn’t put it down. The story was a spooky slow-burn like Mexican Gothic. The inclusion of historical Dali & Gala and the garden of Sacro Bosco was fun and intriguing. The Italian setting was vivid and well-crafted. Lots of beloved mythological allusions. Would recommend!