Reviews with content warning for Body horror - The Sanatorium

Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse

30 reviews

stephtoriz's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

I was so confused by the ending or the epilogue </ spoiler > I thought they saw that Laure was the one who pushed her into the plunge pool which still doesn’t make sense if she was in hiding .. so this man that’s stalking her ? He did it ? Idk

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magical_mads's review against another edition

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dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.5

The characters were very unlikable and frustrating. There were at least four or five plot twists within the last 100 pages. The motivations behind the murders made no sense. And then there was a feminist twist thrown in at the very end so that the author could make some social commentary or some thing, which was handled very poorly (in my opinion). I’m so disappointed because this kind of premise/commentary is 100% sent the thing that I normally go for. But this book is a no for me.

Also, I hated how in the topic of rape was treated in this book. It felt like it was shoved in as a last minute plot twist. It should never be treated like that.

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zosiablue's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

With a juicy name like Sanatorium and a spooky cover of a haunted-looking sanatorium and a plot that takes place in an old sanatorium, I wanted the main deal to be about a creepy old sanatorium! I felt tricked that it was a normal murder mystery loosely attached to the sanatorium but only loosely and not until the last 20% of the story. It was fine but I guess I wanted...less conventional murder and more tuberculosis??

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jamiejanae_6's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-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

2.0

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books4em's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I look forward to reading the next Detective Elin Warner novel by Sarah Pearse! The Sanatorium was a very good psychological thriller. I enjoyed the quick pacing and appreciated the short chapters (388 pages and 92 chapters) - made it easy to get through. I also enjoyed that we had the classic psychological thriller multi-plot style and liked how we had character and relationship development along one storyline and then we had another storyline following these exceedingly gruesome murders. Pearse also did a nice job of incorporating the setting into the story as if it was a character itself - it definitely added to the eeriness of the murders and story overall. I do have some questions at the end though with some of the connections. And the ending lends the reader to believe Elin isn't going back to the police force, but then Pearse's next book's blurb is about Detective Elin Warner being on a case so I'm not sure what happens there. Also the epilogue...need answers! Overall very good!

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madlain's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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notsoquietgrrl's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I suspected, going into this book, that the setting of a sanatorium and the related subject matter might be poorly handled, and sadly that suspicion turned out to be correct.

It’s definitely an intriguing setting, and as we learn more about the gruesome past of the sanatorium, and the egomaniacal hotelier’s determination to obscure it, I really hoped the conclusion, and the string of murders, would lead to something a bit more complex and interesting.

Instead, the explanation relies on one of the worst tropes in thrillers,

Spoiler

the rape victim/mentally ill person turned murderer. In this case, we have both. The most ridiculous part? Despite the fact that both murderers claim that they are acting in the name of women victims, all but one of the murder victims in this book is a woman. Make it make sense! The author seems to want to examine the theme of control over women’s bodies, but decides to also have three women be graphically and brutally murdered (by other women!). The Scooby Doo style confession at the end topped it all off. Also, nail polish?!

Some positive points to end on. The writing style felt tight until the last 15%, and I actually didn’t guess exactly what was going on until the end, so it kept me entertained at least.

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