A Madness So Discreet by Mindy McGinnis

Description from Goodreads

Grace Mae knows madness.

She keeps it locked away, along with her voice, trapped deep inside a brilliant mind that cannot forget horrific family secrets. Those secrets, along with the bulge in her belly, land her in a Boston insane asylum.

When her voice returns in a burst of violence, Grace is banished to the dark cellars, where her mind is discovered by a visiting doctor who dabbles in the new study of criminal psychology. With her keen eyes and sharp memory, Grace will make the perfect assistant at crime scenes. Escaping from Boston to the safety of an ethical Ohio asylum, Grace finds friendship and hope, hints of a life she should have had. But gruesome nights bring Grace and the doctor into the circle of a killer who stalks young women. Grace, continuing to operate under the cloak of madness, must hunt a murderer while she confronts the demons in her own past.

In this beautifully twisted historical thriller, Mindy McGinnis, acclaimed author of Not a Drop to Drink and In a Handful of Dust, explores the fine line between sanity and insanity, good and evil—and the madness that exists in all of us. 

❄❄❄

Wow, what was that! I mean the blurb definitely had me intrigued even though I'm not exactly the hugest fan of historical fiction, but A Madness So Discreet surprised me with its haunting setting, beautiful language, and very fascinating themes and topics like criminal psychology and what really defines madness. I knew just by reading the first chapter that this novel would entertain me right until the very end, and it definitely did it by being poignant, but also smart and exciting. The end was somewhat disappointing as it was wrapped up way too quickly for my taste, but let me first rave about all the amazing things.

Okay first of all, as a psychology student I have to say that McGinnis's exploration of mental health, the treatments in the past, and her take on criminal psychology was very interesting. She wrote very descriptive text about all of these aspects, and while it wasn't exactly the happiest thing to read about, I found it fascinating and thoroughly captivating. All of the mental health "problems" and their medical care felt very authentic, and that's the exact reason why the book was so haunting. You know that even though the book is a piece of fiction, majority of the events could have taken place in the past, one way or another. The author also engaged in a bit of profiling of murders too, which was so so so fun to read about, but also at times rather unscientific.. But that's not the point though - A Madness So Discreet is a fictional book about a girl trying to escape her past, not a non-fictional guide to criminal psychology. But yeah, I really enjoyed the psychological approach to the novel and all its sub-branches.

And how about the characters! I don't think there was one character whom I didn't find appealing or intriguing in some way. Even the bad guys had my attention from the very first moment, and I just couldn't wait to learn more about all of the characters. To my great pleasure, all the characters, even the minor ones, had their own distinct personalities and histories, and their actions were believable but never predictable. I could list here the most fascinating characters like our smart main character Grace, the enigmatic Dr. Thornhollow, or fiery Nell, but then I think this review would end up being an essay of exploration of the characters of ı. So briefly but effectively: the characters were absolutely great in this novel. 

McGinnis also knows how to write very elegant language, even when she is writing the creepiest scenes. There was this scene in the beginning in which a fellow patient of Grace's smells her and absurdly knows her past by the smells that she has on her. And it was so freaking creepy, scary, haunting yet so captivating and strangely beautiful too. The author just blew me away with the lyrical language which was more dominant in the first part of the book and unfortunately less frequent towards the end. However, the author's writing and the eye for characters and smart plot made me want to read her other books, and I have already landed my eyes on Not a Drop to Drink which was published in 2013 and is a part of duology(?). Can't wait to get my hands on it. 

I already briefly mentioned that the ending was a bit too hasty to my liking, and as good as the novel in itself was, the wrap-up ate some of the greatness of the book. The events which took place were okay by me, but the abruptness left me with so many unwanted questions (not the good kind) and in general left me cold. I suppose the ending wasn't exactly bad, and I can't really put my finger on it what made me dislike it, but I was left with a feeling that it was missing something. Not disclosure or peace per se, but something bigger. 

In the end though, A Madness So Discreet was a very different kind of novel and very entertaining at that. I could've done with even more criminal psychology and the ending didn't sit with me very well as it left me a bit uneasy for some reason, but otherwise - a superb novel. I loved the fact that there wasn't romance element to the novel, but more of a companionship resembling to Sherlock and Dr. Watson which suited me very well. There was caring about one another there, but nothing too explicit. After all, the novel was about facing your demons (whether imaginary or not) and finding your place in the world. 

☆☆☆☆

The Three by Sarah Lotz

Description from Goodreads:

They're here ... The boy. The boy watch the boy watch the dead people oh Lordy there's so many ... They're coming for me now. We're all going soon. All of us. Pastor Len warn them that the boy he's not to­­--

The last words of Pamela May Donald (1961 - 2012)

Black Thursday. The day that will never be forgotten. The day that four passenger planes crash, at almost exactly the same moment, at four different points around the globe.

There are only four survivors. Three are children, who emerge from the wreckage seemingly unhurt. But they are not unchanged.

And the fourth is Pamela May Donald, who lives just long enough to record a voice message on her phone.

A message that will change the world.

The message is a warning. 

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I was pretty excited when my request on NetGalley was accepted. The blurb sounds pretty awesome as it gives you sort of pre-apocalyptic/terrorism/thriller vibes. I plunged into reading The Three and while I found it an enjoyable read, it wasn't exactly a horror or science fiction novel like it had been categorised on Goodreads. I was certainly surprised and captivated by the story, but I never had to know what was going to happen next. The novel tried to tackle a pretty ambitious concept, and I felt like it half succeeded, half let me down.

The story is told in the format of interviews, emails, and audiotapes of the caretakers of the survivors and witnesses of the events that took place after the plane crashes. Basically, the readers are allowed into the lives of the sole survivors through the experiences of bystanders like uncles, grandmothers, cousins, and friends. That's why the reader has to constantly question whether to believe these statements they give - there is no objective perspective to the story most of the time, so the author has let the readers decide themselves what to believe. I really liked this way of story telling as it kept the readers on their toes. The downside to it was that I found the other accounts far more interesting than the others. Paul & Jess's story was the most interesting, but the events that took place in the Africa weren't as compelling.

Like already mentioned, The Three is categorised as horror and science fiction novel which strikes me a bit weird. I think it was trying an attempt at a horror novel, but I think I found only one scene in the book scary and I'm pretty sure that doesn't automatically make the story to belong in the horror genre. I think the categories mystery and thriller were spot on, but sometimes I feel the thriller genre was a bit forgotten as occasionally there were  quite many moments when the scenes just dragged on without any thrill in them. Most of the chapters ended in a sort of 'uh oh' feeling which made you want to  see how the events would develop. But I never got into that zone where I just read as quickly as possible just to learn what happened next. 

The last 30 pages of the book were definitely my favourites. The ending was very suspenseful and I loved how some of the pieces locked into their place, even though the end was some what open-ended. I usually like endings like The Three had and I'm glad the author was able to pull of a pretty intriguing ending. Like the rest of the book, the readers are left on their own to decide what to make out of the whole story. I'm sure some people would have liked a more definite ending, but I felt like it was an appropriate way to end the book as it was a loyal to the rest of the book's character.

The Three isn't the most quickly paced thriller I've read, and that might have lowered my view of it, but nevertheless I found it an intriguing depiction of what could be the beginning of an apocalypse. Certain characters like Paul & Jess, and Pastor Len really absorbed me into their worlds and I was really entertained. However, I feel like there was something missing in the story and I really can't put my finger on it what this could be. Lack of action? Too many point of views? I would definitely recommend the story to people who are intrigued by the description and see for themselves if it's something they like. Actual rating 3.5

☆☆☆

The Troop by Nick Cutter

Description from Goodreads:

Boy Scouts live by the motto “Be Prepared.” However, nothing can prepare this group of young boys and their scoutmaster for what they encounter on a small, deserted island, as they settle down for a weekend of campfires, merit badges, and survival lessons.

Everything changes when a haggard stranger in tattered clothing appears out of nowhere and collapses on the campers’ doorstep. Before the night is through, this stranger will end up infecting one of the troop’s own with a bioengineered horror that’s straight out of their worst nightmares. Now stranded on the island with no communication to the outside world, the troop learns to battle much more than the elements, as they are pitted against something nature never intended…and eventually each other.

--

It has been ages since I've read a horror novel, and I think The Troop was a good book to enter the genre once again. I started reading with an open mind, even though I had heard some mixed things about the book - and  I think it was a good decision to pick the book anyway. The Troop succeeded in being a gruesome horror novel, which I believe to be the main goal for the author, but I can't help but feeling that the book lacked that something special that would have made the book even more to my liking.

I, myself, am more of a psychological horror kind of girl rather than jump scare or slasher. And despite the fact that The Troop had quite a lot of emotional terror in it, the horror mostly was slasher orientated - lots of very graphic descriptions of all sorts of bodily abhorrences. I think I would have enjoyed the book more if the focus was more on the mental sufferings, but those who enjoy the gruesome stuff will most likely enjoy reading the book; some of the things made me lost my appetite. Cutter has a talent for drawing pictures with visual and olfactory imagery which is just perfect when you want to spook your readers. I could picture the events taking place with unquestionable clarity.

The reason why I found this books so horrific is all thanks to the bioengineered horror. The events are somewhat plausible, as god knows what sort of biohazardous experiments are going on even now, and this made the story so chilling. It's way more realistic and so also scarier as it wasn't about vampires or ghosts - this sort of event could actually take place somewhere in the near future. And it wasn't helping at all that the bioengineered targets were parasite worms - so disgusting. I don't know if there are many other things as disgusting as huge, white, infectious worms. 

My favourite thing in The Troop was that the story was told from various perspectives; how the people on the island saw and experienced the events, and how the outside world reacted to them. It was really nice change to the flow of the story when every now and there were interviews, laboratory diary entries, and direct/cross examinations of the witnesses in relation to the events, between the chapters. These variations to the traditional narration brought more depth to the story and let the readers know the context, origins, and aftermath of the events that took place on the island. In fact, I enjoyed more these supplementary additions than the actual story - they were really powerful chapters as they conveyed how dangerous the situation really was on the island. 

I didn't really connect with any of the characters except for Newton. This probably is because most of the characters were 14-year-old boys. I think I could have liked them more if they weren't all stereotypes of teenager boys: the nerd, the jockey, the trouble-maker, the boy from next door, and the creep. However, it was nice to notice that Cutter had given though to their origins and how they became to be who they were. - it gave them more complexity and helped me to cope with their caricatureness. Newton, for example, was a very interesting character and did experience the most perceivable character development, but he was the only boy on the island for whom I cared for. The stereotypes just rub me in the wrong way.

The Troop definitely wasn't what I was expecting, and it was a good read even though it wasn't perfect. I think I would have enjoyed the book more if there was more psychological horror included opposed to depictions of the bodily horror. The book was somewhat predictable, but there were also some interesting twists that I didn't see coming. It's funny how I know that if this book was made into a film, I would probably hate it, but because it was book I found it okay. Magic of the words, I suppose?

☆☆☆

Red Seas Under Red Skies (Gentleman Bastards, #2) by Scott Lynch (2007)

Description from Goodreads:

Thief and con-man extraordinaire, Locke Lamora, and the ever lethal Jean Tannen have fled their home city and the wreckage of their lives. But they can't run forever and when they stop they decide to head for the richest, and most difficult, target on the horizon. The city state of Tal Verarr. And the Sinspire.

The Sinspire is the ultimate gambling house. No-one has stolen so much as a single coin from it and lived. It's the sort of challenge Locke simply can't resist...

...but Locke's perfect crime is going to have to wait.

Someone else in Tal Verarr wants the Gentleman Bastards' expertise and is quite prepared to kill them to get it. Before long, Locke and Jean find themselves engaged in piracy. Fine work for thieves who don't know one end of a galley from another.

--

I had very high expectations for the book. I loved the book one, The Lies of Locke Lamora, so much because of it's witty, smart and funny dialogue and twists which knock your socks off. Red Seas Under Red Skies did offer these elements once again, but not nearly with the same standard as the first book, or at least I felt like this. 

I think the main reason for this is the fact that like the description tells us, Locke and Jean are forced to become pirates. Even though the idea seems pretty appealing to put the duo in a situation where both of them are helpless sounds pretty comical and interesting, it was mostly boring and predictable for me. I was able to guess every plot development while Locke and Jean were on the sea, and I didn't like it. I have never been a huge pirate fan, so probably this also contributed to my lack of enthusiasm. If the book wouldn't have concentrated so much on piracy and sea traveling, I probably would have liked the book better. The guys are definitely land rats, and I prefer them to be on dry land as that is where they shine. 

Fortunately, the book wasn't all about the pirates, but we got plenty of action in Tal Verrarr, the city Gentleman Bastards habit for the moment. The beginning and the ending were my favourite parts of the books as Jean and Locke were in their element. Of course as always, they face some tricky situations and they need to solve it order to move forward with their plan. I really admire Lynch's ability to come up with such complex shams Locke invents and he gives hints how the plan is carried out, but only in the end everything is revealed. In Red Seas Under Red Skies, we didn't get so much of this as in the book 1.

Another thing that is to my liking when it comes to Gentleman Bastards books, is the characters. Jean and Locke faced a terrible loss in the book 1, and some of the aftermath is handled in Red Seas Under Red Skies. Locke starts drinking trying to forget his sorrow while Jean concentrates on something concrete in order to copy with the events that took place in The Lies of Locke Lamora. I wish the readers would have gotten more of the coping with the sorrow as it was both heartbreaking and occasionally tragicomic to watch especially Locke's effort to move on (or not to move on). Other characters were also once again brilliant as this time we got also very strong female characters. I loved that they weren't stereotypical but felt very real with their strengths and weaknesses.

Even though I did mostly enjoy the book, I just wanted to skim some parts (the pirates). I think partly the reason why I'm disappointed with Red Seas Under Red Skies is because I loved the first book, and I was expecting the plot to be so different what it turned out to be. Nevertheless, I do want to continue reading the series as the third book The Republic of Thieves sounds mind-blowing. I can't wait to see what happens!

""You're mangy," said Jean. "You're dirtier than a Shade's Hill orphan. You've lost weight, though where from is a great mystery. You haven't been exercising you wounds or letting anyone tend to them for you. You've been hiding in a room, letting your condition slip away, and you've been drunk for two straight weeks. You're not what you were and it's your own damn fault.""

☆☆☆