This was a good story, dark and kind of sad.
I liked the different POV's, but I didn't really connect deeply with any of the characters.
I liked the way the author chose to end the story.

Not by design, but I picked this book up (digitally from Netgalley) just after reading Ruth Ware’s The Turn of the Key, which contains a poison garden. It gave me pause. I usually like a bit of a palate cleanser between books, especially if I start one immediately after I put another one down. (I also still crack a book open, pick it up and put it down, even if it’s just 1s and 0s.) But I decided to embrace the coincidence and “dive on in” (still an apt image whether digital or analog).

The similarities between the two books ended there (aside from the fact that this is my first foray into this author’s work, as well as into Ware’s).

Romy is a great character from the outset, and Sarah…less so. (In fact, I just typed Susan, Sheila, then Sarah, if that demonstrates how remarkable she is.) However, the dynamic between the characters plays out in an astonishing way by the conclusion. I’m not typically intrigued by “inside the cult” exposes, but Marwood builds the story by skipping back and forth in the timeline – Sarah/Before the End/Among the Dead.

Don’t let the headings fool you. This is not just another post-apocalyptic tale. There are no zombies. Or, rather, they (we) are all already zombies in Romy’s universe. The “brains” we search for are our own – whether we belong to a doomsday cult or work in a high school (and, yes, there are plenty of overlaps between those two). I’ll stop there for now, but if you want a spoiler-ridden analytical conversation – find me at the library.

A lot of promise here but the title and one scene gives away a major plot point (not as <i>We Have Always Lived in the Castle</i> as I'd hoped, though). It was a little surprising that in this day and age the whole "being acclimated to the real world" thing was done so poorly by the child services people and by the people working with Romy. Sarah is given no information about their beliefs and practices, nothing about how to help them integrate into school. Granted, her story isn't the happiest either given her parents' religious bent. Still, had that part been better covered it would have bumped this up to a four or five star. As it is, the ending feels like a cop out.

eARC provided by publisher.

Multi-pov novel told in past and present, gets me every time! Good, quick read following an English family divided by religion/beliefs ranging from extreme evangelicals waiting for the world to end to a Welsh cult waiting for the world to end. Loved the subtle comparison between the "dead" and the Ark residents while following along with the characters throughout the transition between these different worlds.

A peek behind the scenes of a covert cult that is led by a charismatic leader and doomed for failure. Romy has been raised inside the Ark, which consists of followers who are preparing for the apocalypse. A twist of fate spares her from being one of the many who perish by mass poisoning, and she is thrust into a world she knows nothing about and has been taught to fear. An epic story that is reminiscent of the Jim Jones tragedy.

Th Poison Garden is a gripping read about faith and how it can both empower and manipulate. Featuring a charismatic Jim Jones type leader, the story centers on one woman and the leaps she will go for her beliefs.

I enjoyed this book....I love Alex Marwood’s books, and am a sucker for anything involving cults. So this book was a slam dunk.
When Romy escapes the cult she was raised in, we expect her to become enthralled with the new world she was kept from her whole live. But she surprises us, and you are left wondering how someone makes the choices they do. Is it ingrained in them, or free will? While I wished the book evolved a bit more at the end, that may be because I can’t wrap my head around certain lifestyles. An engrossing story

This book is electrifying ! I was glued to it from the first page. Its a close look into the mind and lifestyle of a cult. How would you react to the real world if you were raised in such an environment? Are you happy to be free like all the people around you expect you to be? These are the questions Romy is faced with as she tries to acclimate to the huge new world around her. Filled with murder an intrigue this book will keep you up long after you have finished it. Written by a master at her craft The Poison Garden does not disappoint!!

After the mass murder of cult members the Ark, Romy, and her younger siblings Ilo and Eden have survived. Sarah, their aunt, is shocked to learn that her sister joined a cult and that she is now responsible for minor's Ilo and Eden. Romy, pregnant and separated from her siblings, begins searching for them, and other survivors of the Ark. her siblings. The cult believed in preparing for an apocalypse. Their entire life revolved around being prepared and grooming the "One" a cult member who would rise up and save them.

I thought this book had some interesting characters and an interesting story line. However, there were a lot of things left unexplained about the cult and it's various factions. I found this to be a bit frustrating. It seems as if the author set up the story for a sequel - I'm not sure whether or not to pick it up. Overall 3 out of 5 stars.

A dark, compelling take on what it takes to survive and how far the mind can bend before it breaks. Interesting, gritty, and addicting. A great addition to the library collections.

So, whatever your preconceived notions of this book might be, check them at the door and prepare to be blown away. Romy is the only survivor of the Ark, a doomsday cult that has just committed mass suicide a la Jamestown. While Romy tries to prepare for the birth of her child, she also looks to find the family she still has. What follows is totally unexpected and should garner Marwood a massive following of fans and maybe even an award or two