Sorry guys, this one did not do it for me. I thought it would and to be honest I gave this book a fair go at it. At about 100 pages in though, I had to close the book and move on to another story. One that did not try too hard to be scary or one where I found myself knee deep in sexual assault and rape.
I know this book had really good reviews and I may just be a little whacko for not following the herd on this one, but this book made me want to pull my hair out with the over the top loathing of the world in which this book takes place and the ever-not-so-much suspense of waiting for Alice to get almost raped or discovered.
Now, while this book fell extremely short for me, there were some redeeming qualities. The beginning of the book was incredible. I was intrigued and couldn’t wait to keep reading to see what would come of Alice and Hatcher. The imagery in the insane asylum was done beautifully and it had a Count of Monte Cristo feel to it. Hatcher is an intriguing character in the beginning. Going from moments of pure madness into extreme times of lucidity. But, he is dangerous and maybe it is because Alice is messed up herself, but I just wanted to scream at this girl for being so naive and trusting of someone she met in an insane asylum. There was a whole lot of romanticizing of Hatcher, which was just a big NO for me.
Did I mention there was rape in this book? I felt like every time I turned the page someone was being raped or in fear of being raped. Really?
Sigh. I’m going to end it here because I feel like I said all I needed to say. I was not a fan of this book, though others are. Read it if you want, but beware that this book should come with a big “Read with Caution” sign on the front if you have any triggers around rape, torture, or abduction.
