The Garden

Into Shadow collection

By: Tomi Champion-Adeyemi

Narrated by: Keylor Leigh

Length: 45 mins

Publisher's summary

In this dreamlike short story told in alternating prose and verse, number one New York Times bestselling author Tomi Champion-Adeyemi weaves a tale of a young woman’s journey to find her mother and uncover her secrets.

Fifteen years ago, Lęina’s mother, Yuliana, went searching for a mythical place called the Garden and never returned. Determined to learn the truth about what happened, Lęina travels to Brazil to search for the hidden realm, with Yuliana’s journal and a local tour guide leading the way. But Lęina soon begins to wonder if she’s looking for answers—or if what she truly wants to find is herself.

Tomi Champion-Adeyemi’s The Garden is part of Into Shadow, an enthralling collection of dark fantasy stories about the lure of forbidden knowledge. Read or listen to each in a single sitting.

©2022 Tomi Champion-Adeyemi (P)2022 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Could’ve Wasted 25 Minutes Scrolling the Internet

I didn’t go into this thinking it would be 5 stars or even 4, but whew boy I did not expect it to be a 2 star and I’m being generous at that. At the end I was left with a what the heck did I just read. I wasn’t a particular fan of the narrator. The pausing during the poetry readings was a bit excessive and took me even further out of the story. And, if I’m being honest I didn’t care what happened to Leina after she got to the garden; especially when she asked the guide which parent does he hate. It’s seems to me that Leina has some unresolved mommy issues and mommy trauma. Maybe this story had good bones, but it was definitely too short to make any sense out of why Leina went to the garden.

Not much here

I can’t really tell you what this was about or what I got from it.

Narrator

Just nothing really of substance. Was looking for more in the story. Maybe I didn’t get the story in itself. The way the sentence structure was made had the narrator sound choppy.

#abrknpoet reviewed The Garden

The Garden is a short story by Tomi Champion-Adeyemi, part of the Into Shadow collection. It tells the story of Lęina, a young woman who goes to Brazil to look for her mother, Yuliana, who disappeared fifteen years ago while searching for a mythical place called the Garden. The story is told in alternating prose and verse, creating a dreamlike and poetic atmosphere. Champion-Adeyemi explores themes of identity, family, and belonging in this captivating tale that blends fantasy and reality. The Garden is a beautiful and moving story that will appeal to fans of Champion-Adeyemi’s Children of Blood and Bone series and anyone who enjoys magical realism.


4.1 Brkn stars

@stuartbrknjohns Twitter/Goodreads 

repetitive and unfinished

The use of repetition in this story was horrible and the long pauses in the narration didn’t help. The overall plot felt like a half baked idea. The conclusion left me confused and wanting more. The dialogue felt distracting to the story at times.

Interesting listen

This book kept popping up on my timeline, and since it was only 45 pages to read or 45 minutes to listen on audible, I decided to take a quick read.

When I listened to the story, I was not drawn to the narrator, but I enjoyed the poetic flow of the writing. As I read the novel, it made more sense why the narrator read as she did.

The Garden unfolds as a poignant tale. Leina, still grappling with the emotional scars of her mother's abandonment in her childhood, stumbles upon her mother's journal. This discovery sets her on a path to retrace her mother's steps, a journey that becomes as much about self-discovery as it is about understanding her mother.

The Garden is in Brazil, but it will take her a few days to get there. Leina hires a guide, Angelo. As he takes her part of the way, they converse. Leina, who is usually quiet, finds it easy to converse with him and discuss things she only keeps in mind. Their different perspectives lead to views she may not have considered.

Although the story is interesting and a novella, I would still like to know so much more about Leina and the garden. I hope there is an in depth story soon.

Confused

Now sure what I just listened to, if I’m being honest. The staccato prose and way of speaking threw me off too.

Not much of a story there

Left me wondering what I had just heard and the reader would pause in strange places of inflection without inflection. Just mono the whole time.

Meh

I cannot figure out what the story is about and I’ve been listening for more than 30 minutes. Sorry.

Mediocre

It was hard to stay focused on the story. I found the long pause every time "the garden" was said irritating