A young woman with untamed magical powers struggles against domestic abuse and the constraints of Victorian society in The Peculiar Garden of Harriet Hunt, an atmospheric gothic fantasy novel by Chelsea Iversen (The Witches at the End of the World).
Harriet Hunt's father, Clement, vanished six months ago. He was abusive and deeply in debt, so his probable flight from the country would not be much cause for concern for Harriet, were it not for its monetary ramifications and the fact that the police are starting to question his absence. Harriet rarely ventures farther from her house than the garden, where the plants are livelier than most, sometimes in dangerous ways. As she searches for proof of where her father went so she can deflect suspicion from herself, Harriet meets and quickly marries the charming Christian Comstock, who makes her feel accepted in society. But their relationship takes a turn for the darker starting with their wedding breakfast, which Christian demands they hold in Harriet's garden--after Harriet prunes it, of course.
Iversen weaves a vibrant tale of a woman isolated by society, set apart by natural peculiarity--with anxiety exacerbated by years of abuse--and then further punished for the crime of being odd. Readers will squirm with Harriet under the stifling gaze of her community's judgment and cheer her on as she finds surprising allies and begins to learn to wield her power. Fans of The Fairy Bargains of Prospect Hill by Rowenna Miller or The Witches of New York by Ami McKay should snatch this up. --Kristen Allen-Vogel, information services librarian at Dayton Metro Library