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carriesouthard's review against another edition
1.0
*sigh* was really hoping this story would get better... I still have no clue who is who and what is really going on. I think it's just way too many characters who just appear as if from no where to keep track of. I wish I didn't buy all 4 of the books in this series at the same time. still hopeful that they'll get better
d3n1z's review against another edition
3.0
It wasnt bad, but it wasnt anything amazing either. I understand this is laying some ground work for the rest of the series so I havent given up. I just wasnt wanting to read this non-stop to get to know what was going to happen next.
shannon_cocktailsandbooks's review against another edition
3.0
This was one was a little slow going. I'm not sure I liked the alternating POV, although it did push the storyline along. I missed the interaction between Caden and Evangeline.
disconightwing's review against another edition
5.0
**THERE ARE SPOILERS FOR ANATHEMA IN THIS REVIEW**
I could not wait to start this book and I was torn between wanting to draw it out and savor it and finishing it as quickly as I possibly could.
Asylum picks up directly where Anathema left off, with Evangeline attempting to bring her friends from Ratheus over, along with about a hundred other vampires who had touched the portal at some point, and Sofie sending her to a remote location for her safety. The book then splits into two points of view--Evangeline's in the hidden sanctuary and Sofie's in the "safe house" in Manhattan. Because Evangeline had returned with Merth, Sofie was able to create a magic spell to keep the vampires in the mansion.
In the sanctuary, Evangeline is a prisoner, away from her friends and Caden but with Leo the butler, her loyal werebeast Max, and two humans that Sofie saved because Evangeline wanted it that way, Valentina and Julian. Despite the fact that she believes Caden wants to kill her and she's not sure she'll get out of her prison for years, Evangeline doesn't spend the whole book moping (or sitting in a rocker and staring out the window, just sayin'). She mopes for a bit, but then puts her pictures away and eventually befriends Julian.
Meanwhile, Sofie is supposed to be searching for a way to separate Evangeline's soul from that of her preserved sister, Veronique's. Viggo and Mortimer do their best to hinder her in this plan, and Sofie has to deal with a second witch being brought in and being unable to communicate with Leo in the sanctuary, plus the remainder of the hungry Ratheus vampires, plus she wants to know if she can trust Evangeline's friends (Caden, Amelie, Fiona, and Bishop) but can't use magic to read them due to the inclusion of Mage, a mysterious vampire from Ratheus who can somehow "see" Sofie's magic.
As much as I want to keep talking about the plot, I can't, because I'll end up spoiling the book and really, it's well written. So I will stop rehashing the plot here.
I find POV changes in novels to be a real gamble, a hit-or-miss technique that a lot of people try and few pull off, especially when it's done like this and each chapter or so switches back and forth between characters. There's a high risk of redundancy, as well as the risk that the plot of the story won't flow quite as well because you could be giving away the "big reveal," but it worked well for this book. There were only a couple of times I felt like the novel might be getting redundant, and really, as I pushed past it... it wasn't at all.
Something else that I enjoyed in this book was the inclusion of a FRIENDSHIP with Julian with no chemistry whatsoever. Evangeline knew she loved Caden but wasn't hobbled by it, wasn't so broken beyond belief that the only way to "fix" her was to throw in a romance with another character. They were just friends, they never progressed beyond just friends, and when the third book in the series comes out I don't feel like there is any chance of their relationship changing to be anything but friends later on.
I started out really disliking Mage, the mysterious new vampire... but by the end of the book she'd grown on me. I like it when characters do that, when you think you have them figured out but then at some point you realize you're wrong and you're not sure when it happened but you kind of like it. For me, this is what Sofie was in the first novel... you don't know if you should trust her, but you really want to, and you know that it's probably not going to work out the way you want, but you can't help it. Since Sofie has shifted into the maternal figure for Evangeline (due to watching her for eighteen years of her life, which I suppose is reasonably natural), I'm glad Mage was there to still give me that character conflict.
The love story here is so much healthier than vampire/human love stories in most paranormal romance books... Caden and Evangeline are devoted to each other, they love each other, but they're not crippled when they're not in the same room together. They can live apart, but they don't want to. To me, that's more what real love should be like. And I liked that it took this long for Evangeline to come to the conclusion that she could live as a vampire... she grew into it, instead of it just coming to her like it was the only way out, even though the other characters (Sofie) had apparently already come to that conclusion.
As far as the Viggo/Veronique/Mortimer triangle that should be mentioned because it's a big part of this series without being the biggest part of this series... I honestly don't know who I'd rather her choose. Mortimer, I think, because even though he is cold I just want to punch the wall every time Viggo is mentioned.
I have NO IDEA how I'm going to be able to wait a whole year before the third book in the series.
I could not wait to start this book and I was torn between wanting to draw it out and savor it and finishing it as quickly as I possibly could.
Asylum picks up directly where Anathema left off, with Evangeline attempting to bring her friends from Ratheus over, along with about a hundred other vampires who had touched the portal at some point, and Sofie sending her to a remote location for her safety. The book then splits into two points of view--Evangeline's in the hidden sanctuary and Sofie's in the "safe house" in Manhattan. Because Evangeline had returned with Merth, Sofie was able to create a magic spell to keep the vampires in the mansion.
In the sanctuary, Evangeline is a prisoner, away from her friends and Caden but with Leo the butler, her loyal werebeast Max, and two humans that Sofie saved because Evangeline wanted it that way, Valentina and Julian. Despite the fact that she believes Caden wants to kill her and she's not sure she'll get out of her prison for years, Evangeline doesn't spend the whole book moping (or sitting in a rocker and staring out the window, just sayin'). She mopes for a bit, but then puts her pictures away and eventually befriends Julian.
Meanwhile, Sofie is supposed to be searching for a way to separate Evangeline's soul from that of her preserved sister, Veronique's. Viggo and Mortimer do their best to hinder her in this plan, and Sofie has to deal with a second witch being brought in and being unable to communicate with Leo in the sanctuary, plus the remainder of the hungry Ratheus vampires, plus she wants to know if she can trust Evangeline's friends (Caden, Amelie, Fiona, and Bishop) but can't use magic to read them due to the inclusion of Mage, a mysterious vampire from Ratheus who can somehow "see" Sofie's magic.
As much as I want to keep talking about the plot, I can't, because I'll end up spoiling the book and really, it's well written. So I will stop rehashing the plot here.
I find POV changes in novels to be a real gamble, a hit-or-miss technique that a lot of people try and few pull off, especially when it's done like this and each chapter or so switches back and forth between characters. There's a high risk of redundancy, as well as the risk that the plot of the story won't flow quite as well because you could be giving away the "big reveal," but it worked well for this book. There were only a couple of times I felt like the novel might be getting redundant, and really, as I pushed past it... it wasn't at all.
Something else that I enjoyed in this book was the inclusion of a FRIENDSHIP with Julian with no chemistry whatsoever. Evangeline knew she loved Caden but wasn't hobbled by it, wasn't so broken beyond belief that the only way to "fix" her was to throw in a romance with another character. They were just friends, they never progressed beyond just friends, and when the third book in the series comes out I don't feel like there is any chance of their relationship changing to be anything but friends later on.
I started out really disliking Mage, the mysterious new vampire... but by the end of the book she'd grown on me. I like it when characters do that, when you think you have them figured out but then at some point you realize you're wrong and you're not sure when it happened but you kind of like it. For me, this is what Sofie was in the first novel... you don't know if you should trust her, but you really want to, and you know that it's probably not going to work out the way you want, but you can't help it. Since Sofie has shifted into the maternal figure for Evangeline (due to watching her for eighteen years of her life, which I suppose is reasonably natural), I'm glad Mage was there to still give me that character conflict.
The love story here is so much healthier than vampire/human love stories in most paranormal romance books... Caden and Evangeline are devoted to each other, they love each other, but they're not crippled when they're not in the same room together. They can live apart, but they don't want to. To me, that's more what real love should be like. And I liked that it took this long for Evangeline to come to the conclusion that she could live as a vampire... she grew into it, instead of it just coming to her like it was the only way out, even though the other characters (Sofie) had apparently already come to that conclusion.
As far as the Viggo/Veronique/Mortimer triangle that should be mentioned because it's a big part of this series without being the biggest part of this series... I honestly don't know who I'd rather her choose. Mortimer, I think, because even though he is cold I just want to punch the wall every time Viggo is mentioned.
I have NO IDEA how I'm going to be able to wait a whole year before the third book in the series.
mrsjkamp's review against another edition
5.0
See full review here!
4.5 stars
I received this book from the author. Here is my honest review:
Man I enjoyed this book! I loved the first one, and I really loved this one too. Evangeline's journey gets more interesting as she's hidden in the middle of nowhere with Leo, Max, and the Forero siblings. Sofie is trying to hold down the fort in NYC with all the vamps that came over from Ratheus, plus Viggo and Mortimer. Told from Sofie's and Evangeline's POV, Asylum picks up right where Anathema left off and doesn't skip a beat. New characters are introduced, and old ones make bigger appearances. Plus, there's a section in here were you want to kill the evil lady who wrote this book until we find out the TRUTH!
KA Tucker never disappoints. She's obviously a skilled writer, as this novel is very well-written. Her technique leaves readers in shock and screaming for more by the end. She has a unique take on a well-worn topic: vampires. Witches and magic are involved, and Sofie even meets her match in Mage. It's deliciously complicated and deviously addictive. I highly recommend this series!!!
4.5 stars
I received this book from the author. Here is my honest review:
Man I enjoyed this book! I loved the first one, and I really loved this one too. Evangeline's journey gets more interesting as she's hidden in the middle of nowhere with Leo, Max, and the Forero siblings. Sofie is trying to hold down the fort in NYC with all the vamps that came over from Ratheus, plus Viggo and Mortimer. Told from Sofie's and Evangeline's POV, Asylum picks up right where Anathema left off and doesn't skip a beat. New characters are introduced, and old ones make bigger appearances. Plus, there's a section in here were you want to kill the evil lady who wrote this book until we find out the TRUTH!
KA Tucker never disappoints. She's obviously a skilled writer, as this novel is very well-written. Her technique leaves readers in shock and screaming for more by the end. She has a unique take on a well-worn topic: vampires. Witches and magic are involved, and Sofie even meets her match in Mage. It's deliciously complicated and deviously addictive. I highly recommend this series!!!
lberestecki's review against another edition
4.0
Definitely enjoyed Asylum better than book 1 of the series. I'm glad I decided to read it, because I wasn't sure if I was going to continue with the series after book 1.
loveisnotatriangle's review against another edition
4.0
It was refreshing to see everyone in the same world – thank goodness! And the requisite second book major-character-separation worked well for me. There were a few details that I figured out a little early and I was waiting for the characters to catch up, but overall good sequel. I’m looking forward to the next installment!
liesl68's review against another edition
3.0
This has some great twists ... I look forward to book 3