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nbonz4's review against another edition
3.0
This book was a twisty one. In the beginning I felt drawn in and connected to the main character and her story. However, as it developed it took a turn that left me behind. I was invested and curious enough that I needed to know how the story concluded, but was left with a satisfied feeling of completion rather than that disappointment the time in the story, with those characters was over.
tobyyy's review against another edition
5.0
Thanks to Thomas & Mercer, via NetGalley, for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Those of you who have been friends with me for awhile know that I love to dissect books about mental illness, especially when the author has done a terrible job at the research involved in the book (for examples, see this review of The Asylum Prophecies or this review of Switching Time).
There was none of that nonsense in A Cure for Madness.
(Can I tell you how much I adore authors who present a realistic picture of mental illness??)
Anyway. I think what really caught me up in A Cure for Madness was not so much the fact that there was a pathogen that created an extremely contagious and incurable disease that was very similar to schizophrenia... but was more the relationships. I loved seeing how Clare slowly realized that her brother, Wes, was right in a lot of what he said, regarding her running away from Clarkeston. I loved seeing her character growth throughout the novel. And I loved Wes' brotherly jabs at her ("my friends aren't dickheads... unlike yours").
I would've liked to see more romance between her and Kenneth, but given the hectic and tense situations that they continuously faced, it makes sense why there wasn't (and honestly, given the setting of this book, it would've been more of a distraction had there been more of a spark between them). That being said, the book ended on such an amazing cliffhanger-but-not-quite-cliffhanger so if there is a follow-up/sequel to A Cure for Madness, I definitely want to see more Clare-and-Kenneth interaction in there (even if it's not super romantic).
My honest opinion - Jodi McIsaac has a lot of talent. And I'm very interested to see where she will go from here. I'm definitely going to be putting some of her others books on my TBR pile (which is about the size of Mt. Everest now... and growing!).
Those of you who have been friends with me for awhile know that I love to dissect books about mental illness, especially when the author has done a terrible job at the research involved in the book (for examples, see this review of The Asylum Prophecies or this review of Switching Time).
There was none of that nonsense in A Cure for Madness.
(Can I tell you how much I adore authors who present a realistic picture of mental illness??)
Anyway. I think what really caught me up in A Cure for Madness was not so much the fact that there was a pathogen that created an extremely contagious and incurable disease that was very similar to schizophrenia... but was more the relationships. I loved seeing how Clare slowly realized that her brother, Wes, was right in a lot of what he said, regarding her running away from Clarkeston. I loved seeing her character growth throughout the novel. And I loved Wes' brotherly jabs at her ("my friends aren't dickheads... unlike yours").
I would've liked to see more romance between her and Kenneth, but given the hectic and tense situations that they continuously faced, it makes sense why there wasn't (and honestly, given the setting of this book, it would've been more of a distraction had there been more of a spark between them). That being said, the book ended on such an amazing cliffhanger-but-not-quite-cliffhanger so if there is a follow-up/sequel to A Cure for Madness, I definitely want to see more Clare-and-Kenneth interaction in there (even if it's not super romantic).
My honest opinion - Jodi McIsaac has a lot of talent. And I'm very interested to see where she will go from here. I'm definitely going to be putting some of her others books on my TBR pile (which is about the size of Mt. Everest now... and growing!).
dani17731's review against another edition
4.0
This is my kind of story, for sure...but it kind of lost steam near the end. I really enjoyed the ride, but I just wanted more. Solid story, okay characters. 3.5/5
samantha_89's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this story. I, personally, liked the ending and saw what happened. Without spoilers, I wished that it had been a little bit more concrete for the reader.
stacylmoll's review against another edition
5.0
This is a very scary story, something the government is working on gets out and causes people to go crazy. Clare is trying to keep her brother safe and out of the hands of the government, since they think he is the answer for a cure. There are many twists and turns, as well as an ending that has me wondering if there is another book coming. There was just one sentence at the end that makes you question that this is a stand alone book. Look for this book starting tomorrow, you will not want to put it down. The e-ARC was provided by NetGalley, which keeps me reading and allows me a sneak peek at what is about to hit the shelves.
cjsjellybean's review against another edition
3.0
A Cure for Madness is a fast paced novel that constantly left me wondering what would happen next. Sadly, I didn't particularly feel connected to any of the characters which is why I felt it deserved a 3 star review. The story was very well written however I had a hard time picturing something like this happening in real life. Another rather disappointing point for me was that I felt it ended rather abruptly. I am a sucker for an epilogue or at least some sort of hint that tells me how things are a few years down the line and this had nothing!! Overall, it was an enjoyable read but without that connection to the characters, I couldn't enjoy it as much as I'd hoped.
Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for my honest review.
Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for my honest review.
daynpitseleh's review against another edition
3.0
I received this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
So this is a fun little thriller about an epidemic that causes people to turn paranoid and often violent. Clare's brother is schizophrenic, and scientists believe that he might be the key to a cure. It was easy to get sucked in, and I really wanted to know what was going to happen. I found the ending a bit hokey, but overall, I was entertained by this novel.
So this is a fun little thriller about an epidemic that causes people to turn paranoid and often violent. Clare's brother is schizophrenic, and scientists believe that he might be the key to a cure. It was easy to get sucked in, and I really wanted to know what was going to happen. I found the ending a bit hokey, but overall, I was entertained by this novel.
elkreil's review against another edition
3.0
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Why prions? Throughout the entire book that thought kept circulating through my head. To put it simply, prions are proteins that are improperly folded. Due to the nature of their configuration, the proteins mass together and cause damage to the brain. Furthermore, they “attack” other proteins and refold them improperly as well. Prions are suspected to be the cause of a number of neurological diseases, the most well-known being Mad Cow Disease and Kuru. There are no known cures for prion caused diseases; both antivirals and antibiotics are useless in treating them. This much the author got correct, however, she got a few more important facts wrong. The incubation period for prions is a lot longer than 72 hours, we’re talking years here. Kuru has been known to incubate for as long as 20 years. Prions are transmitted in one of several ways: eating infected meat, coming in to contact with infected medical equipment, or coming in to contact with infected spinal fluid, brain matter, or lymphatic fluid. There is also strong evidence that a prion disease can be inherited. There are no known cases, outside of a laboratory setting, of prions being transmitted by aerosol, which means sneezing on somebody, while possibly infecting them with a number of other diseases, isn’t going to infect them with this one. Prion diseases are always fatal. Those two facts, punch huge holes in the premise of the story.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s an interesting premise, I just feel the author went about it the wrong way. There are plenty of ways to infect a large population of people, using the aerosol method feels like a cop out. Furthermore, I believe the author could have used the long incubation period to write a far more interesting story. Due to the fact that prions can be hard to test for, and can be passed on through some organ donations and contaminated medical equipment, the author missed a chance to spread this disease farther. The longer incubation period could also have led to a delay in the CDC figuring out what they were dealing with, which would have allowed the author to ramp up the panic in the population. Of course, the author would be telling a different story if these changes had been made. Which brings me back to my initial question, why prions? A bacterial or viral infection would have been far better suited to this type of story. Both are more easily spread throughout the population and can have significantly shorter incubation periods. If she was worried that the disease would be too easily cured, no worries, antivirals have come a long way, but they’re not miracle drugs. As for antibiotics, there has been a rise in the number of antibiotic resistant bacteria. Using either of those two options, the bulk of the story could have remained the same, even the cure could have been kept as is.
I realize, this makes it sound like I didn’t enjoy the book, but I did; I just had some issues with parts of it. Overall, the writing was engaging and the author did a good job of keeping the story moving, even if I didn’t particularly like the direction that it moved. It was interesting, but perhaps not really aimed at me as an audience. I gave this book 3 stars.
Why prions? Throughout the entire book that thought kept circulating through my head. To put it simply, prions are proteins that are improperly folded. Due to the nature of their configuration, the proteins mass together and cause damage to the brain. Furthermore, they “attack” other proteins and refold them improperly as well. Prions are suspected to be the cause of a number of neurological diseases, the most well-known being Mad Cow Disease and Kuru. There are no known cures for prion caused diseases; both antivirals and antibiotics are useless in treating them. This much the author got correct, however, she got a few more important facts wrong. The incubation period for prions is a lot longer than 72 hours, we’re talking years here. Kuru has been known to incubate for as long as 20 years. Prions are transmitted in one of several ways: eating infected meat, coming in to contact with infected medical equipment, or coming in to contact with infected spinal fluid, brain matter, or lymphatic fluid. There is also strong evidence that a prion disease can be inherited. There are no known cases, outside of a laboratory setting, of prions being transmitted by aerosol, which means sneezing on somebody, while possibly infecting them with a number of other diseases, isn’t going to infect them with this one. Prion diseases are always fatal. Those two facts, punch huge holes in the premise of the story.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s an interesting premise, I just feel the author went about it the wrong way. There are plenty of ways to infect a large population of people, using the aerosol method feels like a cop out. Furthermore, I believe the author could have used the long incubation period to write a far more interesting story. Due to the fact that prions can be hard to test for, and can be passed on through some organ donations and contaminated medical equipment, the author missed a chance to spread this disease farther. The longer incubation period could also have led to a delay in the CDC figuring out what they were dealing with, which would have allowed the author to ramp up the panic in the population. Of course, the author would be telling a different story if these changes had been made. Which brings me back to my initial question, why prions? A bacterial or viral infection would have been far better suited to this type of story. Both are more easily spread throughout the population and can have significantly shorter incubation periods. If she was worried that the disease would be too easily cured, no worries, antivirals have come a long way, but they’re not miracle drugs. As for antibiotics, there has been a rise in the number of antibiotic resistant bacteria. Using either of those two options, the bulk of the story could have remained the same, even the cure could have been kept as is.
I realize, this makes it sound like I didn’t enjoy the book, but I did; I just had some issues with parts of it. Overall, the writing was engaging and the author did a good job of keeping the story moving, even if I didn’t particularly like the direction that it moved. It was interesting, but perhaps not really aimed at me as an audience. I gave this book 3 stars.
ohhthehorrors's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Violence, Gun violence, Murder, Colonisation, and Death
ccopeland28's review against another edition
2.0
This book is filled with coincidences - too many coincidences. As things play out I found myself continually thinking "Well, isn't that convenient". Every single character we are introduced to plays a significant part in moving the plot forward.
Need someone to plant the idea that this outbreak might be government created - crazy brother's fellow sanitarium inmate spouted off some insane prattle about that.
Need someone with inside information about the government's involvement in this outbreak - Clare's roommate works for the NSA.
Need a doctor that is an ally and can skip us through the red tape in the hospital, sneak us in and out, preform tests and get results super fast - Clare's very brief ex-boyfriend from many years ago (but they are in love).
Need conclusive proof that Clare was exposed to the pathogen - the man who coughed on her in the airport is the husband of her grade school teacher and her old friends happen to know that they both became infected.
Need quick cash and/or bargaining tools - the attic of Clare's childhood home has plenty of gold coins and valuable baseball cards.
Need survival tools - Clare's dad has a hoard of guns stashed under some blankets - you know, to keep them hidden from his son who is mentally ill and known to be violent.
Need a place to hide out from the government hounds that are chasing you - your parents still own some of the property (sold the house on it, but kept just enough property on the outskirts). Oh and Dad built a treehouse that, even with the boards nailed into the trunk to serve as a ladder, is still unseen by normal people.
Need to get to get out of the country - brother knows anarchist guys that live in, on, and over, the border of Canada, with comrades on both the US and the Canadian side.
Need to sneak into that other country - there are abandoned drug tunnels right on the property.
I wish the characters were a bit more fleshed out for us. I prefer stories that develop characters just as much as the plot. This story, however, only uses the characters to move the plot along. I will say that I really liked the ending. It is less than two pages long and yet it gets the job done brilliantly.
Spoiler
Need someone to plant the idea that this outbreak might be government created - crazy brother's fellow sanitarium inmate spouted off some insane prattle about that.
Need someone with inside information about the government's involvement in this outbreak - Clare's roommate works for the NSA.
Need a doctor that is an ally and can skip us through the red tape in the hospital, sneak us in and out, preform tests and get results super fast - Clare's very brief ex-boyfriend from many years ago (but they are in love).
Need conclusive proof that Clare was exposed to the pathogen - the man who coughed on her in the airport is the husband of her grade school teacher and her old friends happen to know that they both became infected.
Need quick cash and/or bargaining tools - the attic of Clare's childhood home has plenty of gold coins and valuable baseball cards.
Need survival tools - Clare's dad has a hoard of guns stashed under some blankets - you know, to keep them hidden from his son who is mentally ill and known to be violent.
Need a place to hide out from the government hounds that are chasing you - your parents still own some of the property (sold the house on it, but kept just enough property on the outskirts). Oh and Dad built a treehouse that, even with the boards nailed into the trunk to serve as a ladder, is still unseen by normal people.
Need to get to get out of the country - brother knows anarchist guys that live in, on, and over, the border of Canada, with comrades on both the US and the Canadian side.
Need to sneak into that other country - there are abandoned drug tunnels right on the property.
I wish the characters were a bit more fleshed out for us. I prefer stories that develop characters just as much as the plot. This story, however, only uses the characters to move the plot along. I will say that I really liked the ending. It is less than two pages long and yet it gets the job done brilliantly.