An interesting tale on the madness within us and the depths our own mind will go to to protect us from the horrors of life.

Predominantly based in an asylum with flashbacks in interweaving chapters we learn of what brought Maud Lovell to be classified as a lunatic. Familiar in some ways, a family with hidden secrets but completely different in others. The study of poisons, the treatment of the insane and the hierarchy of society are the focus here.

A thoroughly enjoyable read.

It’s 1906 and Maud is stuck in Angelton Asylum with no recollection of the circumstances that led to her confinement. Then Dr Dimmond arrives and seeks to unlock Maud’s memories using the then new hypnotherapy treatment method. Slowly we see Maud grasp the memories and secrets begin to unravel with devastating consequences.

This story was wonderful. It was very well written and so beautifully descriptive, I felt I was transported to the house and the marsh as the descriptions were so vivid. An interesting premise and a very well crafted story. A very sad insight into what asylums may have been like in the early 1900’s.

Can Maud unlock her memories and rescue her future? I was rooting for her throughout.

I’d highly recommend this book as I struggled to put it down and am sure others will love it too!

Thank you to Welbeck Publishing UK and NetGalley for an ARC of this story in exchange for an honest review.

A thriller with a storyline you probably won't have seen before - Maud Lovell has been in Angelton Lunatic Asylum with no recollection of how she got there or what set off her "sickness". When taken on by Dr Dimmond to try out the new hypnotherapy that hasn't really been tried before, her story starts to unravel and we see the truth.

I loved this - absolutely flew through it! I was initially concerned with it being set in 1906 as I don't always get on with the classics and the style of writing associated with them, but it was an unfounded fear as for the most part I forgot the book was set in the past. I loved seeing Maud's story unwind and while I had a couple of ideas about what was going on - it didn't deter from my enjoyment when they turned out to be correct. Enjoyable thriller with a neat, wrapped up ending.

I see big things for this book once it's published - everyone will be reading it and speaking about it.

<i>Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review</i>

It is 1906 Maud Lovell has been in Angelton Lunatic Asylum for the past five years. She does not know the reason she has been there for all that time. All she remembers is a bell tolling and a ticking clock. Her memory is all a blank from the time before she came here and it terrifies her, and she does not want to remember what happened and to why she is in her current predicament.
When a new doctor arrives Doctor Dimmond, at the Asylum and wants to try and cure Maud of her troubles, by conducting medical hypnosis, as she thinks that she should not have been put her in the first place. Maud is apprehensive at first. But agrees to it to find out what happened and to help her leave the dreadful place of the asylum. The flashbacks go back to her time at Ashton Lodge at the time she was in Love with Harry.
I thank Wellbeck Publishing UK for a copy of The Asylum by Karen Coles. This is a gripping, atmospheric novel that I couldn’t put down. It was beautifully written, and I was so invested in Maud and her plight to what happened to her. How bleak her life is. But loved the ending when she got retribution to those that did her wrong. Five stars from me

Once started I struggled to put this book down, I just had to know what had happened and the reason as to why Maud was in the Asylum. The story was excellent, very well written and from the first page drags you in. The story is centralized around the beginnings of hypnosis but still portrays how Asylum inmates were tortured in the name of making them mentally better. Maud is telling her story as she remembers it under hypnosis and so the story flips between the present and past. The characters were believable and I felt Mauds pain, the book is that well written.
This will become an outstanding read for 2021.

Firstly, the cover for this book is absolutely beautiful, it captures the lettering style a lot of asylums had at their entrances in this era as well as obviously the brain representing the mind and the flowers, that as you read the book you realise hold deep significance to the main character. It is a gorgeous cover and one I can't wait to see in real life.
Now, the book is a well-crafted and interesting premise based on the historical treatment of mental illness, particularly in women, and the advances in experimental and theoretical practice that was aimed at helping cure ailments of the mind. Though I don't think it specified, I imagined the book to be set in the Victorian age, with the interest in sciences and other clues in the text.
Maud is trapped in her mind with terrible nightmares and disturbing hallucinations as she has spent several years inside the institution. One day things seem to change for her as a new doctor is assigned to try a new, experimental treatment of hypnosis to uncover the trauma that led to her mental illness and quickly becomes an ally to Maud.
With Dr Diamond's reassurance and rare, simple kindness amongst the harsh brutality and poor existence within the asylum, Maud begins to remember things about her past, things that are both happy and heartbreaking. Piece by piece her former life begins to be recovered and yet each memory seems to bring Maud more danger and agony.
As a reader you are led through these discoveries with Maud, and deciphering what is fact and what is false is both chilling and utterly gripping. I absolutely could not put this book down as I had to know what had happened to her and find out what her fate would be.
This book did not disappoint and the ending was a touching finale to the rollercoaster of emotions and heartbreak that you experience alongside the characters.

Thank you to NetGalley & Welbeck Publishing for the ARC of The Asylum in exchange for an honest review.

In 1906, Maud Lowell trapped in Angleton Lunatic Asylum for 5 years where she was barely remembered anything from her past. One day, a new doctor, Dr Dimmond started to use hypnosis treatment on her and slowly uncovered her past. One by one, Maud managed to remember again.

This book is unputtable down as I was reading more and more. I am so interested to uncover Maud's past. Little by little, we found out Maud's tragedies which it was so unfortunate. Her past is so bleak and hopeless. We also got to feel the eerie and intriguing atmosphere in the asylum as Maud kept imagining. She's going through a lot of tragedies so what made her gotten temporary amnesia? How does she ended up in asylum? Who is she in the past?

As author slowly revealed who is Maud, that elements attracted us to know more. However, I am quite dissatisfied with the ending. She deserved happiness after going through so much hardships. She deserve to be loved. If you enjoyed reading gothic mystery book, this might for you.


***Reviewing in Goodreads separately due to technical error***

I did feel like there were some elements of this story that I have read before. Woman in asylum that shouldn’t be and new doctor trying to help her. I also felt that it was a little bit slow to get going.

Having said that, I did enjoy it and wanted to find out what had happened to Maud/Mary and if she would ever get released.

3.5 stars rounded to 4.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. #TheAsylum

I was really excited by the idea of this book and the beautiful cover but I don't think it fully lived up to my expectations.
The author created the eerie and intriguing atmosphere very well and once I got into it I enjoyed it and found it hard to put down. Most characters had depth not just Maud as the protagonist, the internal monologue of Maud was written well and I loved the combination of flashbacks and present-day narrative.
However, I feel that the beginning and end of this let it down and are what brought it down to 3 rather than 4 stars. I wasn't invested in Maud's character until we started to get longer flashbacks which allowed more insight into her, until this happened I was interested in the story but found it quite slow. I found the ending confusing with all the sudden revelations and weird events happening. It would have been a better ending if it finished when Maud was released from the asylum in my opinion.
I did still enjoy this book but probably wouldn't reread it.

It’s 1906 and Maud Lovell – who the lead doctor is convinced is called Mary – has been a resident of Angelton Lunatic Asylum for five years. She doesn’t know how or why she arrived at this bleak location, where every action is recorded and punishments are doled out daily. However, those working in the asylum tell Maud who she is: an irrational, unstable woman prone to lashing out. But when a new doctor arrives and sees potential in Maud as a test case for the new practice of medical hypnosis, she slowly sees a light in her otherwise sad and lonely life. Little by little, Dr Dimmond draws Maud’s past out, highlighting the person she was before she arrived at Angelton… and the person she could continue to be if she was ever able to leave. As her history becomes clearer, Maud realises she’s got a few things to see through. This is a clever, taut read that can be quite uncomfortable at times. The asylum is brought to life vividly and Maud is an impressive protagonist, someone who has withstood so much more than she should have.

Maud Lovell has been in the Angelton Lunatic Asylum for five years. She doesn’t remember how she got there but she is afraid that she must have done something terrible in the past to deserve the horrific treatment she has received at the hands of the Asylum staff.

When a new doctor arrives and want to try out a revolutionary new treatment on Maud—hypnosis—she is reluctant and fearful. But she trusts Dr Dimmond more than the sinister Dr Womack, who doesn’t seem to want her to remember anything and would rather keep her drugged and imprisoned. As Maud’s sessions progress, she begins to remember her previous life—all that she has lost and all that has been taken from her.

This story reminded me a lot of Alias Grace—it is structured using memory flashbacks, and Maud is a similarly maligned and ambiguous character. A wonderfully mysterious and atmospheric story with a scalpel-sharp edge. Loved it.

During the first years of the 20th century Maud Lovell finds herself trapped in a lunatic asylum for no reason that she can understand. She is even addressed by the wrong name until a new doctor arrives. He wants to treat Maud through hypnosis to find out why she has been incarcerated.

I loved this emotive and beautifully told story. Through the hypnosis sessions we learn about Maud's previous career, her love story and the hardship of a young single woman towards the end of the Victorian era. The setting and characters are all so realistic that I could have been reading a 21st century version of a Wilkie Collins novel. Bravo Karen Coles. I shall be recommending this to all my friends. Many thanks to NetGalley and Welbeck Publishing for the opportunity to read and review The Asylum.

“The Asylum” by Karen Coles is one of those books you delve into not quite knowing what to expect. Set in Angelton Lunatic Asylum in 1906, this is the story of Maud Lovell. All Maud knows is what she’s been told by the doctors who keep her until a new doctor arrives, keen to experiment with the revolutionary practice of medical hypnosis. Maud’s lack of history makes her the perfect case study and what follows is gripping and thought provoking. If I’m honest, the title of this book is what initially attracted me to it, however, books that are set within asylum’s can often be a hit or a miss. This book was a sure fire hit and I devoured it. It is deep, it is dark, but it’s enjoyable and more importantly, it’s memorable. I’d highly recommend this book to everyone. My sincere thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

"The Asylum" by Karen Coles flits between hypnosis flashbacks and the current timeline in the Asylum. Like many books set in the late 1800s, the women do not deserve to be there. Poor Maud (or Mary as Dr Womack insists), finds out about her rather successful past and downfall through a series of hypnosis sessions. We learn of her former life and the unpleasant characters that frequent it. The baddies certainly get their just desserts.

Omg I started reading this at 5am and have been reading it all day. What a fantastic atmospheric book. I couldn't stop until I found out what happened in the Marsh. I love Maud she is fearlessly strong. This book has brilliant characters the right amount of one's you love and one's you hate. A great book definitely worthy of 5 stars.

The Asylum is a gripping, harrowing yet redemptive tale of Maud seeking to understand her true identity via hypnosis despite dissociative amnesia & abuse of power. Authentic characters with clever foreshadowing & historical accuracy. Enthralling & emotive!

Thank you to Netgalley, Wellbeck Publishing and Karen Coles for my arc of The Asylum by Karen Coles in exchange for an honest review.

Published: 1st April 2021

The year is 1906. The setting an asylum in the English countryside, (possibly Yorkshire based on the accents). Maud Lovell is trapped inside, inside the asylum and her own mind, the constant ringing of a bell and ticking of a clock her only companions. She is violent, has attacked one of the doctors already. Or so she's told. So it's difficult for her to understand why the new doctor is interested in studying her for a clinical trial of hypnosis a new and radical treatment for lunatic patients. But as Dr Dimmond delves deeper into Maud's past and begins to expose her memories shocking secrets are uncovered and Maud begins to turn her mind to revenge.

I always think that Asylum books are generally a disappointment I don't know what I go into them expecting but they never seem to deliver. Thankfully, this is not the case with this one. I really felt that it delivered everything perfectly. The eerie atmosphere, the depth of the characters from the main ones to the side ones, the treatment received in asylums and the historical accuracy were all fantastic. It was so atmospheric, rich, interesting and thought provoking. I read it one sitting. Really recommend this!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Welbeck Publishing for the eARC, in exchange for an honest review.

What an absolutely fantastic read. I was totally gripped from beginning to end. Karen Coles’ writing brings even the tiniest detail to life.
An excellent, well written book, with rounded, believable characters and an original storyline.
Plenty of twists and turns, A totally compelling read.
I would highly recommend.

So far, the best book I have read this year!

The Asylum begins with Mary (real name Maud) who seems fascinated with the marshland surrounding her abode. Her abode is actually an Asylum - she has no recollection of how she ended up there until she meets Dr. Diamond (Dimmond). Diamond uses hypnosis to unravel Maud's memories and we learn that she used to be a scientist. The book flips between Maud's memories and her time in the asylum and the terrible people she encounters.

The book is well written, it's very gripping and keeps you on the edge of your seat. It's nail-biting and stirs up all kinds of emotions.

I hope to read more of Karen Coles' work in the future.

** spoiler alert ** Maud appears to think shes killed a lot of people... and this isnt even the reason she is in the asylum!!
As she begins hypnosis,and slowly remembers her past,it becomes very clear why shes been locked away.
But will anyone believe her?

It's an age old story of new Dr trying his best for the hopeless patient.
It's done well,and the story flows nicely.
Theres plenty of drama to keep you turning the pages,and an ending that you may see coming,but is very satisfactory non the less.