The Night Gardener

Irish orphans Molly and Kip take positions as servants in a crumbling English manor haunted by a sinister tree and the Night Gardener who tends it, trading wishes for something precious in return. A gothic horror novel with rich atmosphere and genuine dread.

Content Ratings

No Romance

There is no romantic content; Molly and Kip's relationship is based on sibling survival.

Intense Themes

Molly and Kip are orphans fleeing Ireland and the Great Famine; they are vulnerable and desperate; the manor's inhabitants are slowly dying from the tree's influence; themes of grief, desperation, the cost of wishes, and the danger of false hope are emotionally intense and genuinely dark.

Moderate Violence

The Night Gardener is a genuinely frightening figure who takes life force from the family; characters are drained and endangered; the tree's influence causes decay and death; violence is atmospheric and supernatural rather than graphic.