The Garden that Hutchison creates is twisted and dark, and at the same time, enchanting and elegant. At first, I thought the structure of the story was a little too simplistic, flipping back and forth between Maya's narrative and the view of the head FBI agent over the span of a couple of days. However, once you get a feel for Maya and some of her background, the story just flows, and I actually found myself enjoying the back-and-forth perspective, reminding you of the underlying conversation and mimicking the difficulty of the agents in getting a straightforward answer out of Maya. 
 For all its gruesome hopelessness, the Garden that Maya describes is uniquely alluring, a fairy-tale hidden sanctuary. I threw myself into her terrifying world - her detailed account of day-to-day events allowing me to envision her beautiful prison, her complicated and unbalanced captors, and her fellow Butterflies. I couldn't put it down; I had to know the end of Maya's story. 
 Maya's past is tragic and awful, and perhaps because of this, the camaraderie between the Butterflies shines in the grim darkness of the Garden. Hutchison crafts her Butterflies and their friendship so carefully, you can't help feeling something positive - is it hope? - in such a dismal place. You get to know their personalities and how they interact, how they process and deal with their unfathomably unjust situation, and how they somehow manage to build a support system in the confines of the Garden. 
 The main reason I didn't give The Butterfly Garden a five-star rating is because of the character of Maya. While I love her stubbornness and wit, I actually felt she was a little too perfect. Clearly, she doesn't have the perfect life, however, the bad experiences that make up her past are all the fault of someone else, leaving her more unfortunate than culpable. It seems Maya always knows what to say and do, even when faced with hot-headed FBI agents. A traumatized eighteen-year-old girl keeping her wits about her in order to successfully tell off a senator seems unrealistic and a little exaggerated. I feel a little sick for saying this, but it would have added to her character to hear of a flaw or a mistake, or even a fear. 
 All in all, an engaging read with vivid details and a unique plot that somehow avoids reading too sensational. 
 I was lucky enough to receive a copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.