The Sisters of Straygarden Place – Hayley Chewins

First of all, I want to thank Goodreads for allowing me the opportunity to enter a giveaway for this book! This book had me hooked from the description on the back cover, and I was immediately brought into a fantasy world full of little girls and puppy dogs that help you dream. I think it’s safe to say I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

Plot

The Ballastian sisters live in a magical house surrounded by tall silver grass. Seven years ago, their parents left them, leaving behind a warning to never leave the house or go into the grass. Ever since then, the house has taken care of the three sisters by clothing them, feeding them, and entertaining them. 

One day, the eldest sister, Winnow, does the forbidden and goes out into the grass. Mayhap, our main character races outside to save her sister, only to be terrified and scared back into the house by the tall grass calling her a “little liar”. Later that night, Winnow returns home and behaves unusually, only for Mayhap to be awoken in the middle of the night with her oldest sister’s eyes filled with silver, screaming and sobbing for help. 

Mayhap and Pavonine – her youngest sister – are tasked with saving Winnows’ life from whatever is causing her deep pain. Along the way, they uncover deep secrets about the house’s history, including the magic that holds it together. 

I have to say that this plotline was incredibly interesting. There are little dogs that crawl into the girls’ minds to help them sleep, there is talking grass, the mystery of why their parents left, and a magical house that fills the girls’ every request. 

Characters

Mayhap is our main character and obviously, she was the most interesting of them all. Mayhap takes us on a journey from finding her sister outside to discovering that she isn’t who she believed she was. She was such an interesting character and it was clear that she only wanted what was best for the sisters that she adored so much. Along with that, you could see the protective side of her come out sometimes which was fun to see. 

Pavonine was kind of my favorite. She was just so adorably portrayed. As the youngest sister, she seemed very mature for her age and her only thought was saving Winnow and them being happy together again, despite her parents leaving her at such a young age. 

Winnow was also such an intriguing character. Her curiosity to go outside pretty much started the insane events that went down in basically two days, and while I felt I didn’t get a ton of material from her character, she still portrayed a genuinely good person. 

Setting

The setting was definitely my favorite part of the entire book. Straygarden place was haunted but so magical at the same time. I felt as if I could see everything happening and it was just so clear in my mind. The tall grass was incredibly interesting, as well as the house being magical and providing the girls with their every need. 

Writing

Hayley Chewins wrote this beautifully. I feel like I could understand and see everything going on in my head. I have to say that the writing was a little too slow for me. I mean sometimes I was able to understand faster than the words were written, however, overall, the writing was great and I loved that I could see everything going on. 

In Conclusion… 

This was an interesting, haunting, and beautiful book. It kept me engaged the entire time. I also loved that it was short enough to keep me interested, and if you’re looking for something to meet your Goodreads goal, then here you go!

Rating: 4/5⭐