4 ASYLUM STARS ★★★★
Words are funny things.
Their meaning, the pictures they paint in the minds of those that hear them: they’re not always the same and to me at least, that makes them meaningless.
Take for instance the phrase ‘black widow’. Those words conjure the image of a spider, an eight-legged creature with the red imprint of an hourglass on its abdomen.
However, instead of speaking of an arachnid, of the resident of a spindly and dew-laden web, the people who whisper those words are talking about something much different.
They’re talking about me.
From what I’m told, I’m called the Black Widow because no man I’ve ever loved has survived.
Yet, I have no memory of any of it. My new home leads me to the definition of another vague and meaningless word. It’s a place where I’m supposed to seek refuge. A place of retreat and security. It’s a place where I’m supposed to be kept safe because I’m sick.
But the definition for this place is wrong and the word becomes meaningless when you’re tucked away and made silent by drugs and pretty white jackets.
My name is Alexandra Sutton and this is the story of what happened when I was imprisoned inside an Asylum.
Their meaning, the pictures they paint in the minds of those that hear them: they’re not always the same and to me at least, that makes them meaningless.
Take for instance the phrase ‘black widow’. Those words conjure the image of a spider, an eight-legged creature with the red imprint of an hourglass on its abdomen.
However, instead of speaking of an arachnid, of the resident of a spindly and dew-laden web, the people who whisper those words are talking about something much different.
They’re talking about me.
From what I’m told, I’m called the Black Widow because no man I’ve ever loved has survived.
Yet, I have no memory of any of it. My new home leads me to the definition of another vague and meaningless word. It’s a place where I’m supposed to seek refuge. A place of retreat and security. It’s a place where I’m supposed to be kept safe because I’m sick.
But the definition for this place is wrong and the word becomes meaningless when you’re tucked away and made silent by drugs and pretty white jackets.
My name is Alexandra Sutton and this is the story of what happened when I was imprisoned inside an Asylum.
"We're all crazy, Ms. Sutton. Some of us are simply crazier than the others."
Everytime I get my grabby hands on Lily's books, I know I can always expect two things from this lady. First, she will deliver the dark and second, she definitely brings out the psychology in a psychological thriller. This one is no exception as you strap on for a ride that is just overflowing with craziness.
Asylum tells the story of Alexandra Sutton, imprisoned in the Statham Institution for the criminally insane. She doesn't seem to know how she got there or how long she's been there. Her memories are limited and all she's been told is that she's akin to a Black Widow because all the men she'd loved ended up dead by her side.
And then comes along Dr. Jeremy Hutchins, the new sexy psychiatrist who will grace the halls of the asylum. He believes his methods could help Alex or at least recall back some of her past memories. Slowly bits and pieces of Alex's memories are coming around but the only problem is...how do you differentiate what's real and what's not when no one seems to trust the things you say.
After putting down this book, I had to question my sanity for a good while. I always seem to do so everytime I finished Lily's books, it leaves you pondering about what you've just read and go "Did that just happened?!". The author delivered the psych element well that completely throws you off at every turn and leaves you to debunk every theory you conjure up along the way.
Reading a book that depicts the everyday motions of what goes in that enclosed space and constantly surrounded by insanity, I for one, thought that I was being the crazy one alongside Alex. The author has a way of revealing bits of information and to have them later twisted again that completely screws with your mind. Honestly, there is simply no black and white, just a whole lot of gray.
With this author's books, you should be prepared that romance is very secondary to the plot. You can sense that lingering sexual chemistry between Alex and Jeremy but it'll not be heavily acted upon throughout the book. The erotica level was also milder compared to her Master's series as this one tend to focus more on the psychological aspect.
"I wanted to believe him, wanted to believe that every word he spoke was the truth. I'd been so happy when I woke up, so delighted to find someone as beautiful as him in a place as dark as midnight."
I enjoyed the mix of characters thrown into this read that brought out some dark humor which balances out the dark and twistedness of this read. Other than Alex, you'll have the pleasure of meeting all the other crazy women in the asylum and in a rather sadistic way, you will come to love these characters despite their uh, less than ideal tendencies.
However with the multiple layers of craziness, at times I found myself so baffled and confused instead of being mindblown. It felt like too many things were going on at the same time that my mind was still trying to wrap around one revelation to another. The overall pace of the book also came off a little slow for me at times but yet it did prove to be a page turner for the most parts.
Overall, Lily does deliver another premise that is different from her usual ones and with Asylum, this lady surely knows how to let you question your sanity overall. With her books, you can expect the darkness, the twisted mind games and the pure insanity.
And while this is not my most favorite work from her, I believe fans of her writings will still enjoy this read as it promises something new and different from her.
Most of all, in a true Lily White fashion, she always delivers that ending that leaves you reeling over it a while. So be prepared.
ARC kindly provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lily White is a dark writer who likes to dabble on the taboo side of eroticism. Most of the time
she can be found wandering around aimlessly while her mind is stuck in some twisted power
play between two characters in her head. You may recognize her in public by the confused
expression, random mumbling, and occasional giggle while thinking up a scene. Lily's favorite
things in life are reading, thinking about reading, buying books for reading....and writing. Her
other secret pleasure is meeting with her plot editor in public to discuss her books and watching
the shocked expressions of the people around her that don't realize she's talking about a book.
When Lily is not reading, writing, wandering or freaking out innocent bystanders, she's sleeping.
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