CoCo

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this incredible masterpiece by Hubert Twiddle. The story was engaging, and the author's exploration of creation and divinity was thought-provoking and insightful.
The author's imagination is truly remarkable, and it's very clear that a tremendous amount of creativity and thought went into crafting this unique story. One of the book's greatest strengths is its ability to captivate the attention of its reader. I found myself drawn back to the book again and again, driven by an insatiable curiosity about what happens next. The author's skillful storytelling made it impossible for me to put the book down for long. I really appreciate the way the story flowed smoothly from one chapter to the next.
However, I did find that the author's descriptions of characters and settings sometimes failed at painting vivid mental pictures. There were a few moments where I struggled to visualize the scenes or characters, which occasionally pulled me out of the narrative. For example, during Lucifer's transformation into a male, it was challenging to conjure a clear image of what he transformed into.
Also, the introduction of the children floating in the sea (page 60) was intriguing, but unfortunately, this plot thread remained underdeveloped and unexplored, leaving me curious about their fate and the relevance of the scene to the overall narrative.
Despite these criticisms, the book's strengths outweighs its weaknesses, and I appreciate the author's unique perspective and storytelling style.
Overall, I would highly recommend 'In Heaven's Garden' to readers who enjoy mythology and fantasy. The author's imagination and creativity make this book a truly unforgettable read.

Immaculata Ngozi / Goodreads

First of all, this book reminds me about my fantasy image of "Heaven". The description of the beautiful garden is the most prominent thing about Heaven itself. The first 30 pages are a warm and entertaining introduction, I almost forgot about the conflict that was coming.

I was amazed by the change in Lucifer when all the problems started to climb to the top. Quite epic but I was a bit confused when Jiva changed too, I thought I missed Jiva's moment.

The unusual thing that made me jump a little in surprise when enjoying the dialogue presented—it turns out the author tried to invite all Gods from various beliefs in this universe. Reminds me of the moment "Avengers assemble". For this one, I feel the narrative is not so solid and not perfectly formed so I still don't feel their attachment to preserving the universe. However, I enjoyed the humorous scene between Zeus and Krishna who innocently asked for a jug of butter.

I can understand that In Heaven's Garden is an interesting fantasy read with a well-written narrative and quite exciting conflicts. It's just that the ending is a bit ticklish because it's hanging, but this is one of the interesting things about this book!

Six Moon / Goodreads

A heaven without conflict could be a dull place indeed, and you just might find yourself feeling a bit empathetic for old Lucifer as you work your way through the first pages of this grab-bag fantasy as Twiddle struggles at first to build a world where nothing ever could be so exciting. The fun really does get rolling though once the doldrums days of perfect eternal bliss get the better of Lucifer and she decides the only escape is to turn heaven on its heels. Into all the fun and celestial escapades Twiddle does manage to weave some intriguing philosophical and spiritual questions, with dashes of social commentary. Speculative fiction at a cosmic level, this was a truly fun read.

Gary Walker / Amazon

In Heaven’s Garden by Hubert Twiddle is a crazy, thought-provoking ride through the heavens, hells, and everything in between. It’s got God, Lucifer, and a bunch of gods being way more interesting than you’d expect. The whole good vs. evil thing gets flipped on its head, and you end up questioning a lot about life, death, power, and all the messy stuff in between.

JIde Ewuola / Goodreads

Love this fantastical story of the world’s first lovers… it takes you through a realm of creation, adventure and loss. You grow attached to the captivating medley of characters and they leave you wanting to know where they go and what they do next. If you love magical romps with otherworldly themes you’ll really enjoy this ride!

Sam / Amazon

Love this fantastical story of the world’s first lovers… it takes you through a realm of creation, adventure and loss. You grow attached to the captivating medley of characters and they leave you wanting to know where they go and what they do next. If you love magical romps with otherworldly themes you’ll really enjoy this ride!

They say love conquers all. But the love that they once shared couldn’t conquer Lucifer’s need for independence from her other half, Jiva, which grew from harmless to evil with the abundant passage of time.

In Heaven’s Garden is a reimagined account of the beginning of the world garbed in fantasy and mythology. It is presented as the first-ever love story: a romance between two gods, Jiva and Lucifer. Along the plot, we see the creation of everything: from figs and honey, to the stars and the moon—a two-in-one gift from Jiva to Lucifer, to music and politics, to other gods, and so on. We see as Jiva creates with Lucifer’s help, we see Lucifer crave for something...more, and we see that craving turn into a twisted desire to conquer everything good.

When I started In Heaven’s Garden, I quickly saw similarities between it and the Creation story. But as I read on, I realised that this is a well-fleshed out reimagination such that while it draws some insipiration from Biblical accounts and concepts, it also draws from other theologies and has a concrete mind of its own.

Things I particularly enjoyed:
- The detailed explanations of how different things were created.
- The genderswapping: I love how there was good reason for it and it wasn’t just written to be quirky. And I love the deliberation such that to create a balance, Jiva was genderswapped as well.
- The Isha/Gaia and Neshama/Abdiel side plot.

Things I didn’t quite enjoy:
- The dialogue: It occasionally felt a bit out of sync.
- The many side plots: I couldn’t keep up. I also noticed Gabriel’s side plot that commenced at the beginning was never completed.

Overall, I’m so grateful to Mr Hubert Twiddle for the chance to review his book. I enjoyed the read.

Marvinci Bobbylex-Oduali / Goodreads

I honestly really enjoyed this little read!🔥

The mix of multiple theologies and scientific principles was really intriguing and original, Twiddle does a great job in this story making you think about both sides of the coin we call life. I especially loved the portrayal of Lucifers Fall to be more a rebirth and that Hell was a Stimulant to their fall from heaven vs Hell being the aftermath and Lucifers last remaining domain🤌🏼

Loved all the gender swapping because why should gods limit themselves to one being if they don't have to? 🌈

All in all a short enjoyable and thought provoking read that's easy to understand and breeze through ✨

Also read this at the same time Abracadabra by Lady Gaga came out and I feel like that song belongs in this books soundtrack 🔥

WhoaJack / Goodreads

Written for trippers by a tripper. Unique story. I really enjoyed the psychedelic adaptation of the religious stuff. Worth the price and worth the time.

Jonathan Mastrapa / Amazon