jwscoastal's review against another edition
1.0
Part 1
Was written so well! I couldn't put the book down, even with flaws.
Part 2
A total drag to read through, like stomping through a swamp with concrete boots on
Part 3
The ending was dreadful and cliché.
I felt the incest lesbian scenes felt tedious and did nothing to explore relationships beyond leaving this book to feel like the authors personal set up for a 'hot' lesbian incest plot.
Was written so well! I couldn't put the book down, even with flaws.
Part 2
A total drag to read through, like stomping through a swamp with concrete boots on
Part 3
The ending was dreadful and cliché.
I felt the incest lesbian scenes felt tedious and did nothing to explore relationships beyond leaving this book to feel like the authors personal set up for a 'hot' lesbian incest plot.
katie_baker's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
crimsonpermanentassurance's review against another edition
4.0
Madhouses, tyrannical fathers, forbidden romances, family secrets, medical experiments, and soap opera-level revelations . . . Delightfully Gothic!
gen_wolfhailstorm's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Listened via Audible
The Details:
Narrated by Rosalyn Randor
Unabridged
I was pretty intrigued by the narrative when it became apparent that our main character may not be entirely reliable. I do tend to enjoy storylines that blur the lines of reality, without making a mockery of mental illness.
However, I felt this story lost its way for me about 25% in. I felt like the dense storytelling was too much for me, particularly as an audiobook (maybe I'd have had better chance as a physical read?), and also still generally intrigued, I'm certain a lot of the tiny, important details were lost on me.
At this point I was contemplating dnfing this piece, but I'm glad that I did carry on, overall.
I did get more invested when our main characters history began to emerge, but then quickly turned off when what could have been a beautiful sisterly bond with a newfound cousin, turned incestuous (I just read another book which had [not-blood] cousins point towards romance and I really started worrying I was attracting that theme to me!).
I did throughly enjoy the dark and gothic tones of this and it perfectly captured the time period beautifully.
The scene with the aunt in the storm made me quite emotional, so I know the writing was beautiful and well done, but I think it was just too dense and intricate for what I was after in an audiobook right now.
If I was much of a re-reader, I certainly wouldn't rule out picking this back up in a different format.
For now, I'm satisfied to just leave this experience as it is.
The Details:
Narrated by Rosalyn Randor
Unabridged
I was pretty intrigued by the narrative when it became apparent that our main character may not be entirely reliable. I do tend to enjoy storylines that blur the lines of reality, without making a mockery of mental illness.
However, I felt this story lost its way for me about 25% in. I felt like the dense storytelling was too much for me, particularly as an audiobook (maybe I'd have had better chance as a physical read?), and also still generally intrigued, I'm certain a lot of the tiny, important details were lost on me.
At this point I was contemplating dnfing this piece, but I'm glad that I did carry on, overall.
I did get more invested when our main characters history began to emerge, but then quickly turned off when what could have been a beautiful sisterly bond with a newfound cousin, turned incestuous (I just read another book which had [not-blood] cousins point towards romance and I really started worrying I was attracting that theme to me!).
I did throughly enjoy the dark and gothic tones of this and it perfectly captured the time period beautifully.
The scene with the aunt in the storm made me quite emotional, so I know the writing was beautiful and well done, but I think it was just too dense and intricate for what I was after in an audiobook right now.
If I was much of a re-reader, I certainly wouldn't rule out picking this back up in a different format.
For now, I'm satisfied to just leave this experience as it is.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest, Death, and Gaslighting
zosiablue's review against another edition
4.0
This was an inscrutable book that was a combo of VC Andrews, Fingersmith, Call Me By Your Name, Shutter Island, the lengths I will go to avoid winter, that YouTube channel of fainting goats, and maybe Nazi medical experiments? I don’t know, man, but I had a great time reading it, even when it made no sense.
uktwinmom's review against another edition
4.0
started slowly, took a while to get going but was eventually quite exciting.
kimgabriel's review against another edition
3.0
This was a "good enough" read but not terribly exciting. A titch too gothic for me although to be fair it is marketed as such and my fault for thinking I would tolerate that.
tridagirl's review against another edition
3.0
Without giving it away, I felt the ending was a bit strange
littlegreycells's review against another edition
4.0
The premise for this new gothic thriller by John Harwood is all too familiar. Girl wakes ups in Asylum, girl is sure she is sane but everyone doubts her, girl finds herself in the middle of a sinister plot where everything and everyone is not to be trusted. Despite treading familiar ground and a few “unexpected” twists that the reader comes to expect, the novel is an enjoyable and well-written one of its genre.
Harwood’s writing, which wonderfully echoes the time period in which The Asylum is set, easily immersed me in the dark atmosphere of the novel. I read this in one sitting and cannot recall a time when stilted writing pulled me out of the narrative.
In comparison to Harwood’s other novel that I have read, The Séance, this one is an improvement in pacing, plotting, and character development. The Séance pulled the reader out of the Heroine’s narrative just as one was beginning to really identify with the character and plunged into a tedious backstory before getting back into the midst of the present day drama, and then proceeded to an anticlimactic showdown. While the narrative of The Asylum follows the same structure, the flashback portion succeeds in building tension in the story without slowing it down. Far from detaching the reader from the Heroine, she is made even more sympathetic and relevant to the story.
The supporting characters were also better rendered. Some were of the same mold as in the Séance (i.e. the indifferent/useless relative, the ambiguously charming but sinister male figure, and the nice but rather weak suitor of the Heroine). However, in The Asylum the two “villains” are figures of tragedy and human folly rather than one-dimensional baddies. Frederic Mourdant also surprised me as more than a generic love interest.
Overall, I am very glad to have been able to escape into this novel for a couple of hours. Definitely recommended for those who are fans of the gothic genre.
Harwood’s writing, which wonderfully echoes the time period in which The Asylum is set, easily immersed me in the dark atmosphere of the novel. I read this in one sitting and cannot recall a time when stilted writing pulled me out of the narrative.
In comparison to Harwood’s other novel that I have read, The Séance, this one is an improvement in pacing, plotting, and character development. The Séance pulled the reader out of the Heroine’s narrative just as one was beginning to really identify with the character and plunged into a tedious backstory before getting back into the midst of the present day drama, and then proceeded to an anticlimactic showdown. While the narrative of The Asylum follows the same structure, the flashback portion succeeds in building tension in the story without slowing it down. Far from detaching the reader from the Heroine, she is made even more sympathetic and relevant to the story.
The supporting characters were also better rendered. Some were of the same mold as in the Séance (i.e. the indifferent/useless relative, the ambiguously charming but sinister male figure, and the nice but rather weak suitor of the Heroine). However, in The Asylum the two “villains” are figures of tragedy and human folly rather than one-dimensional baddies. Frederic Mourdant also surprised me as more than a generic love interest.
Overall, I am very glad to have been able to escape into this novel for a couple of hours. Definitely recommended for those who are fans of the gothic genre.