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tamara_joy's review
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Sexual content and Classism
Minor: Ableism, Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Murder
obfuscatress's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Quite frankly, I would have rated this booked even less favourably had I not enjoyed the first half of it. The second half was simply confusing, the themes lost in a contradictory narrative. Was the author trying to make a point about women lacking agency, being unfairly deemed insane and imprisoned for not conforming to social standards of the times, and being dismissed as artists and intellectuals without good reason? It certainly seemed that way for the first half or two thirds of the novel, but by the end, that was not what was being conveyed anymore. Nor was it a testament to how psychosis can be a deeply terrifying experience to go through if you're the only person that doesn't recognise you've lost touch with reality, which would also have been a compelling narrative. Instead, the characterisation and motives became inconsistent, betrayals were sudden due to poor foreshadowing, and even the plot itself became difficult to follow.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Misogyny, Suicide, and Forced institutionalization
Minor: Child death, Violence, and Murder
cin19's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, and Medical trauma
Minor: Blood and Injury/Injury detail
rhi_'s review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Minor: Death, Eating disorder, Self harm, Suicide, Medical content, Murder, and Gaslighting
maaikereadsbooks_'s review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
2.0
Many thanks to HQ and Noel O’Reilly for the advanced copy of The Darlings of the Asylum via NetGalley, in return for my honest and unbiased review. Quick note: I don’t recap plots in my reviews, as it’s easy enough to read the book’s synopsis and blurbs, I purely focus on my feelings & opinions of how the books makes me feel.
This book reminded me why I normally don’t read books with female protagonists written by male authors. There are so many wonderful female authors out there that need our support and they write amazing, strong, wonderful female protagonists. And then there’s this.
Disclaimer: I have experience with hospital care for mental illness in the 21st century. Whilst we’ve moved on from some practices from the 19th century, you’d be surprised how some attitudes haven’t changed.
Having done a brief dive into the author’s background, it’s clear they have no history in mental health. And that is clear in the writing of this book. The symptoms given to the protagonist, Violet, describe some strange hodgepodge of Bipolar, Dissociative Identity Disorder (a highly controversial diagnosis, one which the majority of the psychological profession does not believe actually exists) and very little of the actual, historical “hysteria” that many women were thrown into asylums for. It’s like the author set out to make a point of how women were unfairly treated but then set off on his own random tangent and, in doing so, completely disrespected the plight of the hundreds of thousands of women who died in these asylums under the guise of “hysteria”.
Overall, I found the book poorly researched and unrealistic. Of course the book is a work of fiction, but one expects any piece of historical fiction to be accurate and true to the time. This was not, and it disrespected the women who were victims of the asylums and the ‘doctors’. The addition of DID and poorly researched mental illnesses was atrocious. Do your research before tackling these huge subjects.
Moods: dark, emotional, mysterious, tense
Pace: medium
Character development: medium
Plot or character driven: plot
Diversity: low
Spice: 0/5
Trigger warnings: Mental Illness, Misogyny, Physical or mental abuse
Rating 2/5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Mental illness
Moderate: Misogyny and Physical abuse