Book Review: Asylum by Madeleine Roux

For sixteen-year-old Dan Crawford, New Hampshire College Prep is more than a summer program—it’s a lifeline. An outcast at his high school, Dan is excited to finally make some friends in his last summer before college. But when he arrives at the program, Dan learns that his dorm for the summer used to be a sanatorium, more commonly known as an asylum. And not just any asylum—a last resort for the criminally insane. 

As Dan and his new friends, Abby and Jordan, explore the hidden recesses of their creepy summer home, they soon discover it’s no coincidence that the three of them ended up here. Because the asylum holds the key to a terrifying past. And there are some secrets that refuse to stay buried. 

Featuring found photos of unsettling history and real abandoned asylums and filled with chilling mystery and page-turning suspense, Madeleine Roux’s teen debut, Asylum, is a horror story that treads the line between genius and insanity.

Okay, this is going to sound infinitely weird, but I am absolutely fascinated by the history of the asylum and the treatment of the mentally ill in times of less scientific advancement.  It is a extremely deep pool of knowledge and history that has hardly been tapped in the fictional world.  Why?  Most likely because it has a sordid past in America and in Europe and it makes our ancestors look extremely inhumane.  However, I firmly believe that the stigma needs to be removed and the past explored in this area. 

Anyway, when I was watching Epic Reads’ Tea Time and they were discussing this novel, I knew that it was a book I had to get my hands on.  Now, the synopsis explicitly compares this novel to Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (which I did enjoy), but I really think the only similarity between the two is that they utilize photography during the narrative to help provide pictures of some descriptions to the reader. Which, I admit, can be a very powerful tool. 

Things that worked: the fictional asylum world and the descriptions of the abandoned parts of the hospital were exquisite.  It could be that I’ve done an exorbitant amount of research on the subject in the past, but I could really feel myself in the Operating Arena, the Warden’s office, and some of the solitary confinement rooms described throughout the narrative.  I also enjoyed Roux’s inclusion of some of the more horrifying surgical treatments that were administered during the mid-20th century asylum/sanitarium system: particularly the focal sepsis thought of removing kidneys, parts of intestines, etc.  Oh, did I mention there’s a character who underwent a lobotomy?  

Things that did not work: Short chapters.  While sometimes this can add something to the plot stylistically, the beginning of the novel is full of short chapters (some even only the length of a paragraph) and it was not conducive to the overall narrative.  The plot was somewhat easy to figure out from the start, and I kept reading just to make sure I was right (I was). The character relationships take off a little quickly and then rocket up and down like a roller coaster despite the lack of development between them.  In addition, some of the photography was not from actual insane asylums or of patients, but from stock photos.  (It is possible that I have some unrealistic expectations concerning the rights from historical archives, but it would have been pretty amazing to see some actual photos.) 

Overall, I think that this novel is something that will appeal to readers within a certain niche.  It isn’t a very well developed mystery, but the setting and descriptions are worth reading. 

3 Bards. 

Book Review: Kissing Shakespeare by Pamela Mingle

Miranda has Shakespeare in her blood: she hopes one day to become a Shakespearean actor like her famous parents. At least, she does until her disastrous performance in her school’s staging of The Taming of the Shrew. Humiliated, Miranda skips the opening-night party. All she wants to do is hide. 


Fellow cast member, Stephen Langford, has other plans for Miranda. When he steps out of the backstage shadows and asks if she’d like to meet Shakespeare, Miranda thinks he’s a total nutcase. But before she can object, Stephen whisks her back to 16th century England—the world Stephen’s really from. He wants Miranda to use her acting talents and modern-day charms on the young Will Shakespeare. Without her help, Stephen claims, the world will lose its greatest playwright. 


Miranda isn’t convinced she’s the girl for the job. Why would Shakespeare care about her? And just who is this infuriating time traveler, Stephen Langford? Reluctantly, she agrees to help, knowing that it’s her only chance of getting back to the present and her “real” life. What Miranda doesn’t bargain for is finding true love . . . with no acting required.


Release Date: August 14, 2012 


Let’s face it, there is evidence of how much I love and appreciate Shakespeare based on the title and design of my review blog.  So when I read the synopsis for Kissing Shakespeare, I kept thinking that this was going to be as awesome as Shakespeare in Love (although I admit that no one can beat Tom Stoppard’s brilliant writing).  Maybe I went in with my expectations too high. 


Mingle did an excellent job setting her stage for sixteenth century England, and I have to say that the depictions of Hoghton Tower, the clothing, the dancing, meals…basically everything in that sense was very well written and realistic.  For the most part I think that the conversations set in the sixteenth century felt very authentic based on the vocabulary and sentence structure.  


As much as I respect Mingle for tackling such a rich historical time for a story, I feel that there are some significant gaps in the timeline, the plot, and even the love story. 

For the entirety of the story, Miranda is only back in time for about a month, but after all the intense things that happen over the course of that month, it felt like MONTHS went by rather than just one.  Overall, the plot seemed rushed.  With the current knowledge of Shakespeare, even during what is considered the “lost years,” the idea that he could have served as a school master is plausible.  However, the idea that Shakespeare was caught up in the religious turmoil in Elizabethan England doesn’t seem as realistic. That being said, I think that Mingle’s obvious knowledge of the Catholic/Protestant/Puritan problems really helped the story.  


That being said, there still were a lot of things in the plot that were easily predictable and there wasn’t necessarily a surprise factor at all in the love story. While I liked Miranda’s character, I think that her family issues (especially with her mother) were somewhat moot in comparison to the rest of the story.  I do think that it provided some depth of character, but there really wasn’t much in the way of resolution since 95% of the novel was in the 1500s instead of modern day. 


Overall, while I enjoyed Kissing Shakespeare, it just didn’t live up to my expectations and I even struggled to finish it. It seems very average…3 Bards.

Book Review: The Diviners by Libba Bray

Evie O’Neill has been exiled from her boring old hometown and shipped off to the bustling streets of New York City–and she is pos-i-toot-ly thrilled. New York is the city of speakeasies, shopping, and movie palaces!

Soon enough, Evie is running with glamorous Ziegfield girls and rakish pickpockets. The only catch is Evie has to live with her Uncle Will, curator of The Museum of American Folklore, Superstition, and the Occult–also known as “The Museum of the Creepy Crawlies.”

When a rash of occult-based murders comes to light, Evie and her uncle are right in the thick of the investigation. And through it all, Evie has a secret: a mysterious power that could help catch the killer–if he doesn’t catch her first.

Release Date: September 18, 2012

I was so estatic to get my hands on a copy of this book, Libba Bray’s Gemma Doyle trilogy was one of the first Victorian based young adult series that I read and they cemented me as a Bray fan. So when I heard that not only was Bray coming out with another paranormal series, but one set in Jazz Era New York City, I’m pretty sure I squealed with barely controlled glee.

Overall, I have to say that I enjoyed reading The Diviners.  However, there are some things to be aware of that differ greatly from her other paranormal historical novels: point of view, length, and word choice.

I’ll start with point of view.  For me, POV can be very difficult to understand the need to switch between characters…and the fact that Bray switches between no less than FIVE characters’ point of views really threw me off.  Honestly, it was this that caused me to take a long time to buy into the characters and the story in general.  I wasn’t sure which narrators were truly reliable and who was there just to throw in a little extra flair.

I would have been satisfied had the entire novel been narrated by Evie (to cover one side of the city’s action) and Memphis.  It would have made the alternating chapter voices easier to track.  I kept having to go back to the beginning of the chapters to figure out who was narrating and which side of the story I was getting.  The POV switching really took away from the story.

Length is not something that Bray shies away from (I mean look at the final Gemma Doyle Book…it clocked in at 819 pages), but I feel that 608 pages was a bit long for a first novel in a series…and there were significant details that could have been removed.  Now, I did read an advanced reader copy of this novel, so it might have been changed for the final edition…but I felt that while I enjoyed Memphis’ outlook on things in the POV switches…I felt that him as a character lifted right out.  There was nothing really tying him to the other characters in this novel besides a chance meeting with Theta.   Maybe in the second installment the sides will come together and form an allegiance.  For now…it felt incomplete…EVEN at 608 pages. Perhaps had the POVs stuck with just Evie.  I’m not saying that 608 is bad, just that it was a bit longer than maybe it had to be based on all of the POV switches and it is rather long for a first installment.

The word choice was in a word: Brilliant.  I was familiar with a good bit of Jazz era slang due to a project I had to do in high school.  You will love the way that Bray immerses you in the culture through the vocabulary used by Evie and her friends.  Not only this, but Bray does a good job of using those slang words to describe the scenes to readers as well, which creates an even more advanced level of world building.

As I stated earlier, I really did enjoy reading The Diviners once the story started to pick up after the switching POVs overwhelmed at the beginning.

4 Bards.

Waiting on Wednesday

Every week Breaking the Spine hosts a book meme where all of us book bloggers can get together and share the books we are desperately waiting to be released!

This week I’m waiting on Kissing Shakespeare by Pamela Mingle!

Release Date: August 14, 2012

Miranda has Shakespeare in her blood: she hopes one day to become a Shakespearean actor like her famous parents. At least, she does until her disastrous performance in her school’s staging of The Taming of the Shrew. Humiliated, Miranda skips the opening-night party. All she wants to do is hide.

Fellow cast member, Stephen Langford, has other plans for Miranda. When he steps out of the backstage shadows and asks if she’d like to meet Shakespeare, Miranda thinks he’s a total nutcase. But before she can object, Stephen whisks her back to 16th century England—the world Stephen’s really from. He wants Miranda use her acting talents and modern-day charms on the young Will Shakespeare. Without her help, Stephen claims, the world will lost its greatest playwright.

Miranda isn’t convinced she’s the girl for the job. Why would Shakespeare care about her? And just who is this infuriating time traveler, Stephen Langford? Reluctantly, she agrees to help, knowing that it’s her only chance of getting back to the present and her “real” life. What Miranda doesn’t bargain for is finding true love . . . with no acting required.

Now Reading: A Breath of Eyre by Eve Marie Mont

Emma Townsend has always believed in stories—the ones she reads voraciously, and the ones she creates in her head. Perhaps it’s because she feels like an outsider at her exclusive prep school, or because her stepmother doesn’t come close to filling the void left by her mother’s death. And her only romantic prospect—apart from a crush on her English teacher—is Gray Newman, a long-time friend who just adds to Emma’s confusion. But escape soon arrives in an old leather-bound copy of Jane Eyre…


Reading of Jane’s isolation sparks a deep sense of kinship. Then fate takes things a leap further when a lightning storm catapults Emma right into Jane’s body and her nineteenth-century world. As governess at Thornfield, Emma has a sense of belonging she’s never known—and an attraction to the brooding Mr. Rochester. Now, moving between her two realities and uncovering secrets in both, Emma must decide whether her destiny lies in the pages of Jane’s story, or in the unwritten chapters of her own…

Book Review: The Queens Lady by Eve Edwards

England, 1584.

When beautiful Lady Jane Rievaulx begins her service to the Queen at Richmond Palace, she is thrilled to see the court’s newest arrival . . . Master James Lacey.

No matter that Jane was previously courted by the eldest Lacey brother—James is the one who has won her heart. For his part, James cannot deny his fascination with Jane; his plans, however, do not allow for love. He is about to set sail on a treacherous journey to the Americas, seeking absolution for what he sees as past sins. But when Jane is forced into a terrible situation by her own family, only one man can save her. Will Master James return to his lady before it’s too late?

Release Date: April 10, 2012

Historical fiction has always been a weakness for me, because deep down I believe that “those who do not learn history are due to repeat it.” Therefore, anything that has historical significance that shows up in a fictional novel is my bread and butter.

That being said, this is the second novel in The Lacey Chronicles by Eve Edwards. The first, The Other Countess, was filled with love, loss, and all the intricate details of court life during Elizabethan England. However, the majority of that novel was set at the Lacey Manor outside of London.

The Queens Lady, on the other hand, is set in the heart of London. Not only do readers get to learn details of worship at Westminster Abbey, but they learn about the first trip that Sir Walter Raleigh’s supporters lead to the New World (and landed in the great state of North Carolina!)

To be honest, I didn’t really enjoy the character of Lady Jane until this novel. Even though she has a somewhat important role in The Other Countess, it took almost half of The Queens Lady for me to really begin to feel sympathetic toward her as a character. In fact, the first part of the narrative started off extremely slow, and for readers who haven’t read the first in The Lacey Chronicles it will be somewhat confusing.

Just like in the first novel, Edwards delivers a beautiful love story with the romantic backdrop of Elizabethan England. (Oh, for fans of the first novel, you will get to catch up with Master Will Lacey and Lady Ellie) James Lacey struggles with his future after living through some disastrous things during the war, but he is such a sincere and respectable character.

Also, we get to meet Kit Turner (who will be the focus of the third Lacey Chronicles Novel, The Rogue’s Princess), and he is the illegitimate son of the late Earl of Dorset (the Lacey Brothers’ father). Readers will see the fabulous Diego find love, and scenes with Queen Elizabeth I herself.

Overall, I didn’t enjoy this installment in the series as much as I loved the first one, but I still really liked this one. 3.5 Bards.

Now Reading: The Queen’s Lady by Eve Edwards

England, 1584.

When beautiful Lady Jane Rievaulx begins her service to the Queen at Richmond Palace, she is thrilled to see the court’s newest arrival . . . Master James Lacey.

No matter that Jane was previously courted by the eldest Lacey brother—James is the one who has won her heart. For his part, James cannot deny his fascination with Jane; his plans, however, do not allow for love. He is about to set sail on a treacherous journey to the Americas, seeking absolution for what he sees as past sins. But when Jane is forced into a terrible situation by her own family, only one man can save her. Will Master James return to his lady before it’s too late

Book Review: Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

Release Date: April 3, 2012

Why be the sheep, when you can be the wolf?

Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others.

Ismae’s most important assignment takes her straight into the high court of Brittany—where she finds herself woefully under prepared—not only for the deadly games of intrigue and treason, but for the impossible choices she must make. For how can she deliver Death’s vengeance upon a target who, against her will, has stolen her heart?

I can honestly say that this book taught me something I did not know: That Brittany really was a separate country from France and England, and that the majority of the characters within this novel were real people. I wasn’t expecting this to be a historical novel after I read the synopsis, but I love historical novels so this book ended up being a complete pleasure to read.

My enjoyment of this novel is not limited to the historical subject matter, but LaFevers does an excellent job constructing an alternate world within reality, the character development is wonderful, and the depiction of the settings are beautiful and realistic. So I suppose I could go in order of these aspects and explain why I believe that Grave Mercy needs to be on your To-Read list for 2012.

As I mentioned above, the Historical subject matter is not something that has been explored much in literature, much less Young Adult literature. Therefore, not only will reading Grave Mercy expand on the readers’ general knowledge, but it will bring to light the treatment of women throughout history as vessels for procreation and arm candy versus a strong ruling power.

The alternate world within the reality of Brittany is that of the convent of Mortain (aka the God or Spirit of Death) and their operation as assassins. This provides LaFevers with the opportunity to throw some kickass poison knowledge, fashionable murder weapons (a la James Bond), and an outlet for the women of the convent toward the patriarchal society in which they reside. I can say that there are ways that LaFevers could have made this portion of the narrative stronger, (more details on the formation of the convent, perhaps), but overall this part was done extremely well.

Ismae starts off as a hated girl who is sold into marriage by her father, and ends the novel as a strong woman who’s intelligence and skills help save lives and capture those against the duchy (the Duchess of Brittany). While the reader does not get an exact depiction of her looks, it was easy to picture Ismae in my mind and the atrocious scar on her back. Duval was an excellent foil for Ismae throughout the novel, and their friendship grows organically—as would most relationships would during that time if not based on money or power. There are a score of secondary characters that are imperative to the story, but Beast is most likely my favorite of those. He is brutally large, but as nice as he can be to Ismae.

LaFever’s descriptions of the castles in Brittany and the chambers in which Ismae resides and searches are so vivid that I felt I was in almost every scene with Ismae, seeing what she was seeing. The writing style and point of view for this novel was spot on, and I was hard pressed to find any inconsistencies.

I’m giving this novel 5 Bards. I loved it, I want you to love it. Go read it! I wish I had a hard copy to give away, but, alas, I had an e-copy from NetGalley.

Book Review: Darker Still by Leanna Renee Hieber

I was obsessed.

It was as if he called to me, demanding I reach out and touch the brushstrokes of color swirled onto the canvas. It was the most exquisite portrait I’d ever seen–everything about Lord Denbury was unbelievable…utterly breathtaking and eerily lifelike.

There was a reason for that. Because despite what everyone said, Denbury never had committed suicide. He was alive. Trapped within his golden frame.

I’ve crossed over into his world within the painting, and I’ve seen what dreams haunt him. They haunt me too. He and I are inextricably linked–bound together to watch the darkness seeping through the gas-lit cobblestone streets of Manhattan. Unless I can free him soon, things will only get Darker Still.

I cannot help but notice how influential Victorian literature was on Leanna Renee Heiber when she was working on the plot for Darker Still. This is not a bad thing! I personally love Victorian and Gothic literature (Wuthering Heights, Frankenstein, etc)so I noticed a number of similarities in Hieber’s narrative and that of Bronte, Shelley, and Austen. Not only does the story have similarities to these works, but Natalie, the main character, has similarities to some of the classic heroines as well. (It doesn’t hurt that Natalie is also a book worm that relishes in the fantasies provided by the Victorian writers of her time, since it does take place in 1880.) I must say I enjoyed the twist on the Dorian Gray issue in this story.

It took me by surprise that an established writer like Hieber would use the literary device of the character’s narrative being told through a journal, but I understand why this choice was necessary due to the main character being Mute. Now, Natalie is a mute almost by choice (she had a traumatic childhood experience that effectively silenced her), so it establishes her as a bit of an outcast regarding stereotypical mutes. How else are readers supposed to hear her story, told in first person, without the use of a journal or a story written down. I suppose Hieber could have used stream of consciousness, but the journal worked adequately.

I really appreciate that the main female characters, save Maggie, were very strong willed. Typically period pieces can cast the main female characters in a passive agressive lead role, but Natalie and Mrs. Northe defy this stereotype.
The plot was well constructed, but I still have questions about the “magic” used to release Denbury from his prison. There are a lot of mythical things at play from Runes to Egyptology, and sometimes the narrative was bogged down by confusing explanations of how they were related and what not. (I’m still NOT sure why it was vital for this demon to destroy Denbury and not some other random person.) But regardless of my confusion I was still engrossed in the turmoil as it unfolded.

I think the only major problem with the narrative that I noticed was Hieber’s use of what reviewers tend to call “instalove.” I understand that Hieber explains via Natalie that Denbury’s portrait is described as mesmorizingly realistic and that a typical woman falls in love with his beauty upon seeing it. Hence when Natalie and Denbury meet, we watch as Natalie almost instantly develops feelings for this man she barely knows. Now, there is a redeeming part of this, Hieber allows Natalie to question her feelings quite often which makes the relationship much more realistic (or rather, as realistic as a love story can be when one party is trapped in a painting.) I enjoyed Denbury and Natalie’s connection to one another, as predictable as it was, and cheered for them the entire story.

Overall, I think it is an impressive start to a series and a good debut for Hieber in the YA market. What can I say? I couldn’t put it down. 4 Bards.