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heathercc89's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
smileyfacesix's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
chazbot72's review
4.0
This was my first Amy Cross book and it was a doozy. It jumped around a lot from past to present, and different points of view. The author told the story well, but I feel like part of it was missing. I wonder if the next book will fill in the gaps. Overall I liked the book, and will definitely read more from this author.
UPDATE: The next book, Meds, makes this one better!
UPDATE: The next book, Meds, makes this one better!
dasrach's review
dark
mysterious
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
4.5
orphan_of_you's review
5.0
Fantastic
I don't usually read horror books like this but I was glad I have it a shot. All the characters are well written and I like how the author have all the relevant background information. Made the book flow nicely and I always knew what was going on with every character. Great job ma'am!
I don't usually read horror books like this but I was glad I have it a shot. All the characters are well written and I like how the author have all the relevant background information. Made the book flow nicely and I always knew what was going on with every character. Great job ma'am!
stiricide's review
3.0
In a lot of ways, Asylum works really well. In others, it's kind of broken.
Released as a series of short stories/novellas, Asylum follows the lives and goings-on of the patients and staff of Lakehurst, a mental facility that no one outside of Lakehurst really seems to know much about. Each of the novellas is within itself, a complete, standalone short story, and individually, I found each of them to be pretty engaging. Particularly in her pieces with Annie, Cross is able to stitch together characters that read like the breakdown the facility and social constructs are having - the things that are wrong with each character aren't just described, but come through with how each of them delivers and thinks. When someone is boderline insane, this makes for pretty interesting reading.
The compendium delivers all of them at once, which is swell (and a bargain), but the problem is that as chapters in a novel, these stories fall apart. Things seem too rushed or too lacksidaisical, depending on which characters you end up invested in. The final chapter ties everything together, but it's very Deus Ex Machina, almost like the author was rushing to finish line so she could move on to something else. There was so much buildup in the previous 7 stories that looping them ALL together at the end may have been a mistake.
Released as a series of short stories/novellas, Asylum follows the lives and goings-on of the patients and staff of Lakehurst, a mental facility that no one outside of Lakehurst really seems to know much about. Each of the novellas is within itself, a complete, standalone short story, and individually, I found each of them to be pretty engaging. Particularly in her pieces with Annie, Cross is able to stitch together characters that read like the breakdown the facility and social constructs are having - the things that are wrong with each character aren't just described, but come through with how each of them delivers and thinks. When someone is boderline insane, this makes for pretty interesting reading.
The compendium delivers all of them at once, which is swell (and a bargain), but the problem is that as chapters in a novel, these stories fall apart. Things seem too rushed or too lacksidaisical, depending on which characters you end up invested in. The final chapter ties everything together, but it's very Deus Ex Machina, almost like the author was rushing to finish line so she could move on to something else. There was so much buildup in the previous 7 stories that looping them ALL together at the end may have been a mistake.
skyfox24kd's review against another edition
4.0
Just whoah.... strange, macabre, weird - and this is just number one.
imklb's review
1.0
Read this one a while back and apparently forgot to review it. So here we go.
I was beyond disappointed in this one. With all of the 4 and 5 star reviews I actually thought it was going to be a great read. I was mistaken. The concept was good and interesting. However, I was extremely disappointed in the books themselves. There was so much back and forth going on in the books that I was lost on what and when things happened. The whole thing with the brain surgery at the end? Completely ridiculous.
I was beyond disappointed in this one. With all of the 4 and 5 star reviews I actually thought it was going to be a great read. I was mistaken. The concept was good and interesting. However, I was extremely disappointed in the books themselves. There was so much back and forth going on in the books that I was lost on what and when things happened. The whole thing with the brain surgery at the end? Completely ridiculous.
leafy_kunoichi's review against another edition
2.0
This edition of Asylum is made up of the serial books in the series. The book as a whole had some much more potential than what it actually was. On the whole, the story kept my attention if just to figure out how all of the loose ends would be worked out. On that point, it did very well, I was left knowing what happened. The reader is presented with many mysteries along the way and everyone was solved.
The book takes place mostly the Lakehurst Psychiatric Hospital. It is another entry in the 'bad and scary things happen in the mental hospital' trope. The story is told from multiple characters' points of view and skips around through the years. Most of the characters are unreliable narrators which adds to the reader's doubts of if the explanation they are presented with is the truth of the matter. By using multiple characters showing the same event, the reader is given the chance to piece it all together. The major drawback to this presentation is all of the characters seem to have the same voice. If it were not for the chapter headings naming the person speaking, it would be very easy for the reader to be confused as all of the characters sound the same. For example, a character who has been through torturous "therapy" has thoughts that are not jumpy or choppy. Oh, they actually speak that way, but their narration of their thoughts and the story are clear and not what one may expect from someone that has been through rounds of pills and torture. She is as clear headed at the end as she is at the beginning of her journey. The characters also feel very flat for a story that is told from their perspectives.
Overall, the book is good if you enjoy figuring out what is happening but don't expect to get attached or care about the characters. It is a character driven book that is filled with characters that appear thin and bland.
Also, I found several places in which the wrong word was in the text or missed all together, incorrect spellings and missing punctuation. If these things distract you, skip this book.
The book takes place mostly the Lakehurst Psychiatric Hospital. It is another entry in the 'bad and scary things happen in the mental hospital' trope. The story is told from multiple characters' points of view and skips around through the years. Most of the characters are unreliable narrators which adds to the reader's doubts of if the explanation they are presented with is the truth of the matter. By using multiple characters showing the same event, the reader is given the chance to piece it all together. The major drawback to this presentation is all of the characters seem to have the same voice. If it were not for the chapter headings naming the person speaking, it would be very easy for the reader to be confused as all of the characters sound the same. For example, a character who has been through torturous "therapy" has thoughts that are not jumpy or choppy. Oh, they actually speak that way, but their narration of their thoughts and the story are clear and not what one may expect from someone that has been through rounds of pills and torture. She is as clear headed at the end as she is at the beginning of her journey. The characters also feel very flat for a story that is told from their perspectives.
Overall, the book is good if you enjoy figuring out what is happening but don't expect to get attached or care about the characters. It is a character driven book that is filled with characters that appear thin and bland.
Also, I found several places in which the wrong word was in the text or missed all together, incorrect spellings and missing punctuation. If these things distract you, skip this book.
ofbooksandbone's review against another edition
1.0
This book jumped all over the place. the constant change in POV and timelines was jumbled and hard to follow. The lack of editing and spelling/grammatical errors made for a large distraction.
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