Michelle-ly

Sarah B reviewed a book.

“By turns genuinely creepy then instalove-y, I was hooked quickly by this book but can't say that I was blown away.
The history of (the very real) Danvers State Asylum is creepy enough to carry a book like this through all 257 pages. The characters certainly aren't going to go down in...”

“By turns genuinely creepy then instalove-y, I was hooked quickly by this book but can't say that I was blown away.
The history of (the very real) Danvers State Asylum is creepy enough to carry a book like this through all 257 pages. The characters certainly aren't going to go down in literary history, but they weren't completely awful, either. All of them pretty much represent a sort of high school stereotype, and it's clear the author didn't invest tons of time in making any of them a massively three-dimensional being, making it feel like this book was a novelization of a made-for-TV teen thriller.

The creepiness of the setting (seriously, do an image search for "Danvers State Hospital") is significant, from decaying underground tunnels, to peeling paint, to scattered and abandoned medical records, to forgotten patient diaries and possessions - there's enough here to make your skin crawl. However, "creepy" does not a horror book make, and there were really only a couple places that really made my heart pound.

I guess to summarize: the characters aren't particularly strong, the horror isn't unimaginably horrible, but the setting is a true creep-fest. And, at 257 pages, it's a quick read, so probably worth reading once if you're interested.”

Meghan R rated a book.

• Rated 3 stars

Corryn V reviewed a book.

“Though I usually enjoy MacAlister's books, this one seemed to drag on a bit. Still, witty and humorous dialogs and an interesting concept with the story.”

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Sarah B reviewed a book.

“"What if Anne Boleyn had succeeded in having the son she promised Henry VIII?"

It's a tempting promise, and one that I've wanted to read about for some time. Now we have the first book in a planned trilogy to explore.

At first, I'll admit I wasn't totally in love with this...”

“"What if Anne Boleyn had succeeded in having the son she promised Henry VIII?"

It's a tempting promise, and one that I've wanted to read about for some time. Now we have the first book in a planned trilogy to explore.

At first, I'll admit I wasn't totally in love with this book. The main characters, with one key exception, are completely fictional and not exactly iconic. The historical figures I rather expected to see - Anne Boleyn, Mary Tudor, Norfolk, etc - are not as prevalent or as powerfully drawn as I would have liked. The plot takes a while to stand up straight and make itself known.

But.

By the time I was halfway through the book, I found myself turning the pages all the more urgently, trying to figure out the underlying mystery that appears early on, wondering about the romance between some characters, and making bets on the identity of the villain.

When I finished with the final chapter, my expectations were blown out of the water. Anderson inserted a twist at the end that I simply didn't expect. It's not a cliffhanger ending, so you can move on with your life without slavering for Book Two, but you'll definitely want to read the sequel when it arrives.

Recommended. A great debut.”

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Meghan R rated a book.

• Rated 4 stars

Sarah B rated a book.

• Rated 4 stars

Lady S rated a book.

• Rated 3 stars

Lady S rated a book.

• Rated 4 stars

Meghan R rated a book.

• Rated 4 stars

Meghan R rated a book.

• Rated 3 stars

Sarah B plans to read a book. (see 2 more books added to shelf)

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Meghan R plans to read a book. (see 8 more books added to shelf)

Meghan R rated a book.

• Rated 4 stars

Meghan R rated a book.

• Rated 3 stars

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Meghan R rated a book.

• Rated 3 stars