As with my copy of Peril, I got this back in 2012 for review and picked up my copy on Smashwords. When I went to read it now (yes, I'm waaaay behind and trying to catch up), I realized I never sent the copy to my Kindle so there is no copy there. Then I realized the computer that had the file crashed back in 2015, so struck out there. Then the backup flash drive is one of the ones that got accidentally wiped, so another strike. For the final nail in the coffin, the book is no longer available on Smashwords, so it's not in my library there. Ok, that's it. I toss in the towel. I have to move on.

I got this back in 2012 for review and picked up my copy on Smashwords. When I went to read it now (yes, I'm waaaay behind and trying to catch up), I realized I never sent the copy to my Kindle so there is no copy there. Then I realized the computer that had the file crashed back in 2015, so struck out there. Then the backup flash drive is one of the ones that got accidentally wiped, so another strike. For the final nail in the coffin, the book is no longer available on Smashwords, so it's not in my library there. Ok, that's it. I toss in the towel. I have to move on.

I had flashes of Fight Club while reading this book and after a bit of a struggle to get into it, it grew on me. Actually, it got to the point where I no  longer noticed little flaws I did see in the first part which basically means the writing was solid and captivating.

 

The characters, especially the Baptist, are so real they come alive in their twisted reality. The scenery was well done, because without being too descriptive the author manages to paint the picture yet leaves enough to the reader's imagination.

 

There's a surprising twist at the near end that caught me off guard, well done that one.

The  only bit that left me unsatisfied is that the book feels unfinished. It is a proper cliff hanger and you can imagine what happens next, but it would have been better in my opinion if there had been a real resolution.

I got this book for free, in exchange of an honest review, from Making Connections. Get your copy here.

What I liked:

the book caught my attention from the start.

I liked all the parts that happened inside the asylum.

Marguerite/Mary/Alice was my favorite & remained so up to the end.

the whole Feargal/Joe mystery was really interesting & done well.

What I didn't like:

the second half of the book was just all right. Made me skip & skim my way to more interesting parts.

the parts with Alice & John living in Kingsmead became boring quite fast.

Also reviewed at:
Shelfari
Smashwords

The Crucible (Part 1) - Ruby Barnes The book starts out in Cameroon, Africa. I found the prologue to be a bit confusing. While reading this book I was often mixing up the characters as they are numerous and sometimes were only introduced briefly for one chapter. In someways the chapters we almost as individual stories that appeared to have nothing to do with the plot, only to be weaved together later.The main problem I had with this book was there was simply too many characters and the settings jumped randomly around the world, from Uganda to Ireland to France, etc. At the half way point in the book I still did not have any connection to any of the characters, and I think this was mostly due to the multiple characters, which made it that the main characters had little time to develop.This book was really not my style. Maybe, if I enjoyed thrillers or suspense more I would have liked it more.Note, I received this book for free in exchange for a review.