Garden of Shadows, by V.C. Andrews

Garden of Shadows (Dollanganger #5), by V.C. Andrews

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Classics, Mystery/Murder/Thriller, Romance

Rating: 4/5 stars

Publication: November 16, 2010, by Simon Pulse

Format: ebook




Goodreads Summary: Before terror flowered in the attic there was a young girl. An innocent, hopeful girl...

When young Olivia arrives at Foxworth Hall, she thinks her marriage to handsome Malcolm will bring the joy she has longed for. But in the gloomy mansion filled with festering desires and forbidden passions, a stain of jealous obsession begins to spread--an evil that will threaten her children, two charming boys and one very special, beautiful girl. For within the halls of this cursed house a shocking secret lives. A secret that will taint the Foxworth family for generations to come...

Review:

  Note: If you hated Olivia, Corrine's mother and Cathy's grandmother as much as I did in the first and previous novels of the series, then maybe this prequel will give you a little more insight on her aspect and will help you change your mind on this poor woman who went through so much hatred and unfairness in her life. 

   I was ready to hate this book; I never liked Olivia and you think I want to read her POV when she was a "bratty young lady?" No thanks. But having this be the last of V.C. Andrews's highly acclaimed and raved Dollanganger series, I just had to end it off with this prequel. But I never expected to like this, especially after watching the 'Flowers in the Attic' new film. *shivers*

   But all in all, everyone has a reason for everything; that also includes their actions and behaviour. Olivia did have a reason for everything, even if Corrine surprisingly wasn't even her daughter by blood. 

    This is about the main "beginning" of Olivia's life. She gets married to Malcolm, who she fears isn't even in love and her and just is using her for fortune and good "Foxworth pure blood." She has three children-- two boys and a young girl. There's a curse and there's a secret behind everything, even behind the home that everyone's known forever. 

     This book taught me so much about the Foxworth family, even more than what I knew before from the previous books. Olivia has her reasons. And I kind of support her for everything she did and felt. Olivia didn't really do anything in the books, except some kind of cruel things to Corrine's kids. It was all of CORRINE'S FAULT FOR EVERYTHING. That stupid brat was spoiled and everything happened because of her "too perfect brain and pettiness." It's just so CRAZY.

      So by the end of the book, I felt a lot of sympathy for Olivia. She was a great MC and it changed the way I felt for her before. V.C. Andrews made a great decision to show the thoughts and past life of Olivia and the past truth of the Foxworths.

       This book was very moving. It was fast-paced and not really boring, despite the confusion of who was who in the beginning to late middle. I forgot a lot of the characters and as usual, V.C. Andrews didn't seem the type to create some light for us and make us understand what was going on. But other than that, this book was great and the perfect ending and beginning to everything, in a way.

         Let's give a round of applause to V.C. Andrews (RIP) for creating an amazing series. What an enjoyable ride.