I am delighted to be closing the #BlogTour for KA Hitchin’s latest book The Gardener’s Daughter which was published on 15th March.
About the book: Motherless nineteen-year-old Ava has always believed brilliant botanist Theo Gage to be her father. But when a chance discovery reveals she is not his daughter, her world falls apart. Determined to discover her true identity, Ava impetuously runs away and enlists the help of inexperienced private detective, Zavier Marshall. Pursued by shadowy figures, she takes on a new name and follows in her dead mother’s footsteps to work at the mysterious Fun World Holiday Camp. Penniless and cut off from everything she’s ever known, and trapped in a deadly game of cat and mouse with a ruthless criminal gang, will Ava survive in a world where she’s more valuable dead than alive? Will she discover the shocking truth behind her mother’s death? And will she find her real father before it’s too late?
About the Author: K A Hitchins studied English, Religious Studies and Philosophy at Lancaster University and later obtained a Masters in Postmodern Literatures in English from Birkbeck College, London University. Her debut novel, The Girl at the End of the Road, was published by Instant Apostle in March 2016, followed by The Key of All Unknown in October 2016. Both books were short-listed for Woman Alive magazine’s Readers’ Choice Award 2017, with The Key of All Unknown reaching the final three. She is married with two children.
My Review: This is the second book I’ve read by K A Hichins so I knew I would be guaranteed a well written and enjoyable read based on The Key of All Unknown.
The Gardener’s Daughter is very different from her other book, more of a Young Adult/Coming of Age story than the thriller I was expecting, however this book still has credible characters and an interesting plot.
Ava-Claire is a typical teenager who thinks the world revolves around her, lives a privileged life with her father and works in his large and impressive garden centre in the belief she is entitled to take over the business one day.
A series of events leads Ava to find out her father is not her biological father and her mother’s death was not as straightforward as she was led to believe, so she runs away determined to find out the truth.
An enjoyable story with some interesting characters, an insight into the world of botany and holiday parks and an overall message of love, family and belonging.
