Jenny Adams Perinovic

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A small town, a terrible tragedy, a mysterious stranger, drowned girls and a woman in white.

It is all in the mix in the first of The Asylum Saga. While overall I thought this was an enjoyable read, though it felt very Young Adult, there were some things that bothered me. Girls are being found dead, and it happens multiple times and even though they were considered suicides individually, people don't start to connect the dots. And then they find out it has happened also some decades before and no-one of the main characters is even aware of this. Or thinks it a very weird coincidences .

The bad-guy I saw coming from miles away and also the unnecessarily ass-holey ex-boyfriend could have been left out without any problems. The ending I quite liked except for the fact that it is a mega cliffhanger and I will have to read the second book to find some kind of closure.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!… (mehr)

Originally posted on Tales to Tide You Over

This is a young adult paranormal thriller that turns horror in the final stages. It’s also clearly a book one as it ends on a cliffhanger, but possibly not the cliff you might suspect.

Amelia Dupree is a young woman haunted by her brother’s recent death and her involvement in the steps leading up to his car accident. Her life has gone from driven and fun-filled to withdrawn. Even the ghost that had literally haunted her for years vanished from her life when Mark died only to reappear suddenly.

Charlie Blue comes to Asylum to live with his grandmother, a woman branded an actual witch by most of the townsfolk. He’s drawn to Amelia from the start, and as Amelia’s mother is one of the few willing to befriend a MacAllister (his grandmother), Amelia is encouraged to make Charlie welcome.

Their love story is sweet and poignant as they work through the troubles both have experienced and Amelia’s lack of self-worth, but that’s not the whole of the story. With the help of Ransom, the intern working with Amelia’s mother on the town’s history, they set out on a path of magic and mystery to free Amelia’s ghost.

There’s a lot more going on here, and the seeding is nicely done with Amelia reliving the ghost’s past in her dreams, but I’ll let you discover those on your own. I found the characters engaging, and though horrific things were happening, the focus is more on the people and their connections through most of the book. It’s not just teenage love and doubts, though. Life doesn’t stand still around the main characters, but rather they learn more about their own families and what’s been happening under Amelia’s nose as well, giving the world a well-rounded feel. The history of the town and how it’s all blended into the present is also interesting, and the ending left me wanting more, a more I’m promised by the series title. I enjoyed my time with these characters and would be happy to hang out with them again…well, most of them.… (mehr)