I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: ★★★ (3/5)
Review:
TW: Rape, abuse, physical harm, mental illnesses
Belle Vue starts quick, and shockingly. It sets the tone for the rest of the book and how dark, disturbing and violent it stays. It’s definitely not a book for the faint hearted, and keeps you glued to the page the entire time.
I don’t think any of the characters are particularly likeable, and some just get worse the further into the book you go. I oddly thought Claire was the protagonist, so not only did I get some surprises but I was pretty surprised to learn that it’s actually Alex who is blurbed as our main character. At first I thought he was pretty flat. He seemed to be only there to give background information about the asylum and to either be constantly drunk or having sex with Claire. But, he has a pretty great scene at the end that was particularly great!
I think I missed a super important name somewhere. Because it threw a name out as someone super important and essentially who the story revolves around as the bad guy. But for the life of me I couldn’t remember who they are. (But please remember I’m fairly useless with names so that might very well be a me problem). I would have loved to see that character again or been given a little bit more context about how the fit into the modern day, just to jog my (sometimes lacking) memory.
I desperately wanted to know what was going to happen next. It really kept me glued to the page and crafting my own theories from the get go. Which I love doing and I really didn’t guess where it was going, which was a great surprise!
This book will keep you hooked.
Synopsis:
Jealousy, betrayal, murder and a hunger for vengeance that spans the centuries…
History student Alex Palmer is thrilled when his girlfriend, Claire Ryan, buys an apartment in Belle Vue Manor, formerly a Victorian lunatic asylum.
But as Alex begins to discover the dark truth about the asylum’s past, he, Claire, and their friend Marianne find themselves on a nightmarish journey. Each will face the deadly consequences of the evil that began with the construction of the first Belle Vue Manor by an aristocratic French émigré in 1789, as well as the cruelty and satanic practices that continued when it became an asylum for the insane.
As the two strands—past and present—unfold, Alex uncovers a supernatural mystery where revenge is paramount and innocence irrelevant—without being aware of the price he, and those around him, will pay.
Words of a Paige 