The descriptive writing is rich and begs the reader to engage all the senses, especially when the house itself is detailed and the basic premise of three sisters enclosed in a magical home that cares for their every need is unique. However, the story does meander at a slow and steady pace, revealing intriguing little bits here and there and while adults are often happy to amble through a good book, most 9-13 year olds are not. Libraries that serve that age range who need mysterious and well-written titles for those who want to slow down, think and wonder as they read through their books, this one fits the bill and without any profanity or sexual content.

Unfortunately, this book was a bit of a let down for me. At times, it was beautifully atmospheric and moody, drawing me into the story. It is vivid and descriptive, with poetic imagery that is haunting. None moreso than of the description of Straygarden Place and how the grass outside grew taller than the house itself. Deadly grass that has trapped the girls inside. It was sad and melancholic, but I felt this even when it tried to be hopeful. Three young girls trapped for years inside a house with no escape. And even when there is a way out of the house and the story has its happy ending (this is middle grade genre, after all) I still felt sadness that it occurred at all.

One of my main issues is that I didn't understand how this world came to be. Or perhaps it wasn't one I could make sense of. A puzzle where the pieces don't fit. And why weren't the adults trying harder? They were completely invisible until the end. When reading middle grade, it is expected for readers to push logical type of questions aside, but I felt as if I was being asked to go farther than I was comfortable with.

Another issue I faced early on is that I wasn't sure who the audience for it was. The book is written at a middle grade level, but I found myself wondering at multiple times if that age group would truly be able to grasp the depth of the story being presented or be interested in its unique storytelling format. It is slower paced with less action/adventure than your typical middle grade book.

And while the story is about sisters, I never felt connected to them, nor did I feel any real connection between the sisters either. But maybe that last one was the point - I don't know. I felt confusion on multiple aspects of the book, so it's probably just me.

Rating: 2.5

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the reader's copy.

Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this book in return for an honest review. I love a good middle grade book. The sisterly bond and magic in this book was great.

When I started this story, I did not think I would enjoy it much. I thought that it was written for a younger audience, and I might not appreciate it as such. By the time I finished it, I realised that I liked it because it was aimed at a younger audience and had a combination of things that made the story quite entertaining.
We have a creepy house that cares for the three girls within its walls while the girls wait for their parents to return. In the meantime, one of the sisters ends up doing the one thing they were told to never do. This leads her into a situation that her two sisters do not know the solution to. It also forces them to think about their condition and how and why things must be the way they are.
There is magic, and a very oppressive environment for the most part. The revelation and the final solutions are where I felt it became childish- in the sense children would appreciate it. It brings some factors together to wrap it up neater than I thought it would be. It is a quick read. There are magic and fantasy and family all interdependent, and I am pretty sure that my eight-year-old niece might actually enjoy it.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

I like the concept of this, but I felt absolutely no connection to the characters and I do not feel like the world-building was good enough. We are introduced to a lot of elements at the beginning, without really any explanation of how it works, why it works like that and how it affects the three sisters. I also did not feel like the bond between the three sisters were very believable after spending years alone together in the house.

I was hoping this would be a bit more of a traditional ghost story, but it went a bit out there for me.

Three sisters with absurd names are abandoned by their parents with no explanation for nearly a decade to live alone in a mysterious magical mansion with their three dream puppies...

There's too much fantasy in this middle grade novel, with little to no explanation. Silver talking grass? A magical house that grants wishes? Little dogs that climb into your brain and control your dreams? Who was Tutto again? I forgot this "character" as soon as it was introduced. All of this was in the 50 first pages with no introduction to the magic, why it exists, how it exists, etc. I don't see most middle grade readers being interested in this as it's just too jumbled and confusing a plot to follow. DNF'ed.

I cannot believe that this is only Hayley Chewins’ second novel. Forgive me for the cliché, but The Sisters of Straygarden Place is a book like no other, equal parts fantasy and exploration of family.

Fourteen-year-old Willow and her younger sisters Mayhap and Pavonne have been living in a magical mansion that provides their every need — except one: escape. Outside, long, silvery grass threatens them. Their parents warned them before they left to never go outside. But one day, 12-year-old Mayhap spots Willow out in that very grass. Soon thereafter, Willow becomes increasingly silvery and ill, and Mayhap sets out to save them all.

There are many twists and turns, suspense and surprises, but to give anything else away would ruin this wonderful (and slightly spooky) middle-grade book. If anything, adults will love this book even more than the tweens who are its intended audience.

Omg, this book just blew me away with its creativity, and unique storytelling. I loved everything about it!

Firstly, I will not term this as middle grade, because it is creepy, atmospheric, gothic, and a story that anyone can enjoy. The author did an amazing job in the plot. It is unlike anything I have read before, and I honestly did not know how it would turn out. The story is a bit bumpy in the beginning, where you have talking grass and a house that changes your clothes and tends to your every wish. But, once you get used to the characters and the situation, this story gets so good and exciting!

Moreover, I loved all the characters. Mayhap is wonderful in the lead as she tries to find out what happened to Winnow. In fact, all the Ballastain sisters are unique, strange and delightfully creepy in their own manner. I also loved Tutto as the librarian hippo. It was so bizarre to visualize such a character, yet it fit so well with the storyline. Also, the author did a wonderful job with the villain Mysteriessa. She is so complex that at times you don’t even know if she is good or bad. At the same time, there are few questions raised as to who Mysteriessa is, and what happened to Mayhap’s first droomhunds. However, the author beautifully answers all the questions with various twists and turns.

Hence, the story is just full of imagination, thrills and chills and easily one you would not forget. Overall, I loved reading “The Sisters of Straygarden Place” and eager to read the author’s previous novels.

I thought this was very atmospheric. It was also very slow. I didn't really care about the characters. It didn't hold my interest, and with it being so short, I should have been able to finish it quickly. But, since it was so slow, I just kept putting it aside. This just wasn't for me.

I was not prepared for the weirdness of this plot. It's so outside of thew world as we know it but not really fantasy. THere's no proper magic. WE have a menacing presence. And a sort of magic as the house takes care of these girls. But the bigger question, that of what makes a person real, defining the creation apart from the creator, while interesting to contemplate arrives rather late in the book. It's difficult to engage with these ideas or these characters in any meaningful way.

Thank you Netgalley and Candlewick Press for giving me digital arc of this book in an exchange of an honest review.

Keywords: middle grade, fantasy, myster, horror

REVIEW
The Sisters of Straygarden Place is a children book about little girls who lived in mysterious enchanted house. This is a story about love, family, and secrets. It's a cute read with engaging story that I'm sure younger audience would love. The suspenseful atmosphere and everything else will keep you from putting the book down.

Unfortunately the narratives didn't vibes with me. I feel like I can't connect with the characters even until the end of the book. Perhaps it is just not my cup of tea.

Hayley Chewins is back! Her 2018 novel, The Turnaway Girls, was one of the best books I'd read that year, so I was excited to read her newest, The Sisters of Straygarden Place. The Ballastian Sisters - Winnow, Mayhap, and Pavonine - have lived in the house by themselves after their parents left seven years before, only a note telling them to "sleep darkly" left behind. The house takes care of their basic needs - food, clothing, shelter - but they cannot leave the house, lest the tall silver grass take them. Winnow grows tired of waiting and ventures outside, leaving 12-year-old Mayhap to take care of their youngest sister, Pavonine, and figure out how to heal 14-year-old Winnow. As Mayhap discovers more about the house and the history of the magic within it, the mystery deepens. Readers will love this gorgeous, dark fantasy written with prose that's almost lyrical, magical. Hayley Chewins writes like Neil Gaiman, where the words just caress you, wrap themselves around you, and when you're fully under their spell, tell you stories that will leave you wondering. In a world where dogs crawl into your mind to help you sleep and the grass tempts you to come outside so it can take you away, The Sisters of Straygarden Place is truly magical reading.

Mayhap is the middle child in a set of 3 sisters. She lives with her older sister, Winnow, and her younger sister, Pavonine in a magical house that sees to their every need after the girls' parents left them 7 years ago. Before their departure, her parents warned the girls to stay in the house and never let the grass outside of it touch them. One day, Winnow goes missing. When she returns, she is not the same and Mayhap sets out to find out what the grass has done to her in hopes of curing her of the mysterious illness now plaguing her. Mayhap discovers that the house is not only magical but also full of terrible secrets.

I had high hopes for this book, but I just didn't enjoy it. The character's names (including their dogs) were odd in a way that constantly disrupted the flow of the story. Even though it's a pretty short book, it was a slog for me to get through. #TheSistersofStraygardenPlace #NetGalley

- Did not work for me at all 😑
- Haphazard worldbuilding that has no purpose or backstory or context (probably my main gripe, as someone who loves fantasy)
- Felt like there was no point to the story – no point ‘in’ for the reader, nothing to connect with or relate to
- One dimensional characters whose sisterly love is supposed to define them, I guess, but I didn’t feel it
- Sounds more suspenseful than it actually is
- The ending definitely threw me for a loop – is it setting up a sequel?
- Well, maybe I completely missed the mark. Let me know if you read this so we can compare notes…

The Ballastian sisters live in Straygarden Place, a magical mansion that takes care of their every need and is surrounded by mysterious silver grass. Their parents leave one day leaving behind these instructions:

Do not leave the house.
Do not go into the grass.
Wait for us.
Sleep darkly.

But that was years ago. Looking for answers, the eldest sister Winnow leaves the house and goes walking into the grass. She returns but she's not quite the same. What did she see out there? What did the grass do to her? Read The Sisters of Straygarden Place to find out.

The plot of this book was pretty original. It was creepy and mysterious. But somehow I didn't enjoy it as much as I wished I did.

The descriptive parts of the book was 90% similes and metaphors and it just got a bit too much for me. The names of the characters really bothered me as well. I love a good invented name but the names in this book were just ridiculous.

My favourite part was probably the reveal of the big twist and the rising conflict. I didn't see the twist coming and the conflict was high stakes. I was really invested in it and I couldn't guess how it was going to be resolved. But basically what it came down to was all these horrible things have been done but then suddenly everything is forgiven. And that is the gist of the resolution. It was quite disappointing.

Overall this was a short middlegrade creepy read with an interesting premise.

This book was out there, even for me! I'm usually good with the weird and creepy. Maybe it was just my mood.

It was a good story. I liked the premise of a magic house taking care of three sisters after they are abandoned by their parents. The silver grass is what threw me. Not all of my questions about it were answered. I can't really say much more than that about it without giving things away. There are lots of twists and turns!

I do like how it ends. With a story that has some major spookiness going on, the ending we got was much needed. All in all, it was a good story about a family's love for one another, loneliness, inclusivity, and it's wrapped up in mystery and magic..

I gave this book 3 stars. I'm sure it's someone's jam. It just wasn't mine. I would, however, recommend it to fans of middle-grade fantasy that is on the weirder side.

An atmospheric and eerie story that I liked.
Even if it's a bit slow at times I appreciated the character development and the relationship amongst the sisters.
I think it can be appreciated by children and adults.
It's recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

The day their parents disappeared the 3 girls received a note saying not to leave or open the doors. And they hadn't until Mayhap spotted her sister out in the silver grass. Now everything has gone wrong - her sister Winnow is sick, the droomhounds are acting weird, and Mayhap has a funny feeling about everything especially as she starts to learn the secrets of Straygarden Place.

This was quite unique which I like - a bit creepy but not too much.

My review is going to sound a bit negative but don't let it stir you away from this book! I really do think that majority of people are going to enjoy it more than I. I think I wanted to love this book more than I actually did. I know that my young self would be very unsatisfied with this story. I was expecting it to be very atmospheric but it didn't quite reach it's potential. Some of the reasonings for certain plot points didn't add up and I wanted the magic to be explained more. I couldn't help but think that the author was trying a little too hard with the "poetic" writing. It didn't feel natural. This book just kinda fell in the middle of the road.