This is how I like my historical fiction to be, one of my favourite reads so far this year.

I’m looking forward to reading more by the author

This is dark and atmospheric. I like the unreliable narrator. The story is interesting and clever. The storyline is quite unnerving and very gothic. It is well written

A dark tale set in Victorian times. A young girl refuses a marriage proposal and her family lock her away in a lunatic asylum, The book charts how she has to keep her wits about her to have any chance of escaping. he book tells a story of attitudes towards duty, desire, madness and sanity. It gives a portrait of life in a Victorian lunatic asylum

All my favourite things from the 19th century. Gothic, atmospheric, secrets, rumours and an asylum so vivid it was terrifying.

Tragically, this book ended up not being for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-ARC copy of this book, in exchange for this honest review.

Violet is a young woman of the late nineteenth century who is tired of being bound over by the constraints of the era she lives in: the woman’s place only to be married, uneducated, unfulfilled and unable to be her authentic self. This is a time when it is more than dangerous to attempt to colour outside of the lines, to walk a different path. Violet struggles with the expectations placed upon her, the family needing her to marry her childhood friend Felix, but her own conflicting dream to be apprenticed to an artist.
This is a story about madness; the illusion of societal norms made up by men and the crushing truth of the expectations placed upon women. This is a gothic story based on the horrific truths of a time when women were often locked away for disagreements, melancholy, boredom and boldness. The themes of this tale are patriarchy, “the second sex” and abuse.

It will evoke emotions that undoubtedly include outrage, sadness and gratitude. This is a compelling story, and would make a good book club discussion. I highly recommend The Darlings of the Asylum by Noel O’Reilly.

This one didn't really land for me. While the subject matter was interesting, comparing the characters to those who appear in the Madwoman's Ball or Fingersmith, or even the Woman in White, left this cast feeling a bit thin and interchangeable. There was also something a bit uncomfortable about the way the women were described. Possibly because this was written by a male author? While the horrors of Victorian (and earlier)asylums were well documented, this did feel as if there was a salacious edge.

I really enjoyed reading about Violet Pring. I always wonder, when reading Regency era novels, whether the women were truly as empty headed as they are portrayed. Violet certainly wasn't.

This book is very reminiscent of Girl, Interrupted and The Mad Women's Ball. It's about women defying convention but it's also shining a light on the quackery and condition of the British asylums and the people in their care.

Really good historical fiction. Violet’s story is very well written and will have you rooting for her. Sadly, Violet’s story is so close to many women’s stories, and whilst you can enjoy the suspense of Violet’s story you will also get a real sense of the injustice that has been experienced by many women in history.

This was a fabulous historical read, that really brings home the insanity of the times that we lived through where women couldn't follow their dreams, and if they dared go against the grain they were locked up and treated as insane.

Violet is the heroine of this story - a free spirit who wants to be an artist, but her family disagrees! And so does society! Young women should just aspire to be married. That is it! It is not proper for women to enjoy themselves and do what is right for them! So when she says no to the arranged marriage her mother sets up, she is locked up as deranged!

It was fascinating to read how she complies while she's in there just to get by. She needs to understand why nobody can understand her wants and needs, and she loves to talk to the other women in the asylum about their experiences. The treatment of the women is pretty horrific too if they dare to disobey.

I found the ending pretty shocking as it wasn't what I expected but it made me sit up and take notice, and also rethink a few of my early perceptions of characters!! That's what made this such an enjoyable read! Not everything is straightforward and I loved how the author played around with the characteristics and really mixed things up!!

The Darlings of the Asylum is a great story and I couldn't put it down.
I adored Violet instantly and was rooting for her throughout the entire story. All she wants is to be an artist and this, with her dislike of being forced into marriage, is what lands her in an asylum, an asylum which she will probably never leave.
The characters are all extremely well rounded and the interactions seemed believable. I would have perhaps liked more detail about some of the other patients in the asylum and more in that environment but the story moved forward with a good pace and had a great ending.

Not the first novel I read about the insane attitudes and medical procedures around mental health in Victorian times, but one of the best.

Noel O'Reilly can spin such a gripping and fascinating narrative. I was there, in the story, at all times! I rooted for Violet, I wanted her to be the artist she deserved to be. I wanted her to be loved for herself and allowed to blossom. I suffered alongside her and I've luxuriated in her schemes to escape. Oh and then that ending...it took me by surprise and what a gorgeous surprise that was!

I would admit that many elements could be classed at tropes, especially seen the subject. In particular once she was admitted to the sanatorium. But that didn't disturb be in the least, because, as I've said above, O'Reilly has a way with words. By that point I was so invested, I only cared about her safe escape from the clutches of that mad man of a doctor, lol. But I think, the novelty element that the author introduces here is the character of Violet. In my view she is a person who has mental health problems. This are being explored from an artistic point of view, that "madness" that overcome artists and makes them create new things, have different perspectives, come up with subject unexplored by other artists. It is definitely a complex way of looking at potential mental health issues, at what we are pushed to do in moment of extreme emotions/fears. But it also highlights that some mental health ailments should not be a death sentence!

I was excited to read this as I enjoy historical fiction centred around women's misdiagnosed mental illnesses in past times. I felt drawn to the main character and felt the book started well and gave the reader a good sense of who she was. However, the beginning was quite long, I'd have liked more of the book to be set in the actual asylum. There were many good twists and turns but I felt the book was a bit muddled and missed the mark a bit for what I was expecting. I expected this to be more centred around a strong willed female character who was misdiagnosed as mentally unstable for not conforming to society's standards and while the beginning of the story gave that impression, the subsequent twists just didn't land for me. Still enjoyed the story but felt something was missing.

I’d like to thank NetGalley and HQ for approving me for an ARC of this book.

The story opens with Violet Pring. A young, unmarried woman with a passion for art and desperate to forge her own path in the Victorian world. Her mother has other ideas though. Keen to see her daughter married off, she starts to plot a tryst between Violet and a man that has been a friend to Violet since childhood. It soon becomes clear that Violet is not keen on this match and she makes her thoughts known, much to her mother’s annoyance.

Violet starts to find herself infatuated with a new artist in the town and after paying him a visit to show her latest artwork, it seems the feeling is mutual. When her mother and father hear of this latest artist’s interest in Violet they are embarrassed for their family and determined to steer her on the right path. God forbid a young woman in the 1800s should wish to be anything other than a wife!

Violet soon finds herself locked away in Hillwood Grange but the strange thing is, she can’t remember how she got there and why her family felt it was necessary to send her way. Surely not agreeing to marry a young man doesn’t mean you deserve to find yourself in an asylum? As Violet continues her stay at Hillwood Grange she gets to know her family Doctor, Dr Rastrick, a lot better and learn that she has more to fear then just being locked in the asylum. Are the other residents as mad as they seem or is there something darker at work here? All of the questions, plus a fantastic twist are all revealed in time.

I had a lot of sympathy for Violet and the situation she found herself in. This story really brought to life the expectations and struggles women in the Victorian era faced. Her father was reluctant to stand up to Violet’s mother and seemed to only realise what he was doing was wrong, at the last minute. Violet’s mother was something else entirely. A very dramatic woman who used emotional blackmail to get what she wanted, she certainly rubbed me up with wrong way from the start.

As we explored Violet’s inner thoughts throughout the novel we see her fear, her love and her passion. The friendships she made and her will to survive showed her true loyalty and bravery, I couldn’t begin to imagine living inside an asylum during those times. A dark, gothic and haunting story, filled with mystery and intrigue. It will keep you on the edge of your seat until the final page!

The idea of this story intrigued me, the main character Violet is a strong women, interested in sports and an artist but in a time where women have to marry and can't do 'unlady' like things. She has an offer of marriage but she is determined not to follow that path. After reading Austen and other books about women who get married or don't I have mixed feelings about her decisions. On the one hand I understand that she wants independence and to pursue her dream but on the other she has been offered the chance to do so with money and a home from a man who is her friend.

When her family's fortunes are in trouble I wonder if it is selfish of her to seek a different path but then she changes her mind.

There is mention of an illness that her and her mother have. And it's difficult to know if its a real affliction as she seems to think it's her mother trying to get her way. Is it the treatment of the time of women when they try to be themselves? Or does she genuinely have an illness?
I had expected most of the book to be set in the asylum but the beginning wasn't and I was disappointed but stuck with it. There were a few scenes set there but not what I expected from the blurb.

Then when the story got to her being put into the asylum it was very sudden. Sadly sometimes I found this book dull. I think if it was in the asylum from the start and then told how she got there in flashback it might've been more interesting. Sometimes I thought she could be mentally ill because of her actions but then other times I thought she was naive and immature in her actions and decisions.

I don't know what to think about the end of this story. Sometimes it seems like the ideas are plucked from nowwhere, unless I missed something. Maybe Violet is a unreliable narrator. Just didn't seem like it was headed in that direction and I'm left wondering what was the point of the story. I would never have guessed the end and despite one hint of it I'm still left disappointed

Is it deleberate that we are left wondering still what is going on inside her head? What her condition is and if she is right about her conclusions concerning the other people?
Maybe my expectations have affected my opinion of this book too much. If she is ill that would be a simpler explanation I guess.

Not sure if the format is because it's an ARC but the lack of paragraphs made reading this very daunting on the eye.

A truly Haunting Book about how Women from all walks of life in Victorian times could be locked away in Asylum's for the smallest digression of what all levels of Society expected of them , & once in those Asylum's they were at the mercy of the Doctors & staff within it's walls more often than not for life ! There are characters & chapters in this book which will send a cold chill down the back of many a reader , I won't give any spoilers except for you to read the Book & decide for yourself! #NetGally,#Goodreads, #Amazon.co.uk, #FB,#Instagram,#<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/358a5cecda71b11036ec19d9f7bf5c96d13e2c55" width="80" height="80" alt="100 Book Reviews" title="100 Book Reviews"/>, #<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/ef856e6ce35e6d2d729539aa1808a5fb4326a415" width="80" height="80" alt="Reviews Published" title="Reviews Published"/>, #<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/aa60c7e77cc330186f26ea1f647542df8af8326a" width="80" height="80" alt="Professional Reader" title="Professional Reader"/>.

This was such a good book. I love historical fiction, especially when it is about eras/ situations that I previously knew nothing about and this was definitely one of those books. It was so well researched and so compelling in its narrative that not only did I love reading it but I felt that I learned too. A really enjoyable read and perfect for any fans of historical fiction.

The E-Book could be improved and more user-friendly, such as links to the chapters, no significant gaps between words some text written has been typed in red and a cover for the book would be better. It is very document-like instead of a book. A star has been deducted because of this.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

I throughly enjoyed this book. I loved the kept suspense all the way through; I kept hoping for answers and then thrown back in the dark.

The Mystery added to my sympathy to Violet, our protagonist and I was rooting for her and for her to find the answers she needed.

It also enraged me how she ended up in the asylum through no fault of her own.

The friendships she made were endearing and I recommend this book to anyone who loves gothic fiction.

Told through the compelling voice of it's incarcerated heroine, The Darlings of the Asylum is a devilishly gripping novel that tells the story of Violet Pring, a respectable young woman, who finds herself unfairly locked away in Hillwood Grange Lunatic Asylum, due to her refusal of marriage and her desires for life being far to advanced for her times.

With all the airs, graces and etiquette of Bridgerton but the darkness and grit of Girl, Interrupted, Noel O'Reilly unapologetically introduces his readers to life within the walls of an asylum. Every unpleasant and chaotic moment Violet spends inside is masterfully captured as heavy themes of abandonment, mental health and the gross mistreatment of women of the Victorian era, are all explored. Dr Rastrick provides the perfect villain, his sinister demeanour and cruel behaviour towards Violet is really rather unsettling.

There's a constant feeling of unease surrounding this novel and it's clear from the outset that certain details concerning Violet's imprisonment have been kept from her. It's Violet's own lack of memory that becomes so pivotal to the story and the very thing that keeps the the reader invested. How will she ever prove herself to be sane when she is so unaware of the actions that led to her diagnosis? It's only when Violet begins hypnosis that those crucial details resurface and you learn just how complex a character Violet really is...

Disturbingly gothic and yet an utterly engrossing read - I can't bring myself to give much more away. I REALLY enjoyed it! 💙

The Darlings of the Asylum is the first novel by Noel O’Reilly that I’ve had the pleasure of reading, and it certainly won’t be the last!

As regular readers of my blog will know, I am partial to a historical fiction novel or two, but this one is probably a little earlier than I would normally read.

Violet Pring is a young woman determined to live her own life, and not the one that her family have planned for her. The only trouble is, in 1886 this is very much frowned upon..

Violet’s family insist that is married before she is “too old”, but she longs to be an artist, and follow her dreams, she is headstrong and often classed as “difficult”, even though her family insist they have her best interested at heart.

After a chance encounter with artist Mr Lilley, Violet is more determined that ever to follow her dreams and become an artist.

He praises her work, and Violet can see a little something of herself in him. He encourages her to believe that she could possibly be whoever she wants to be. She has a rare talent, and she should use it.

Her family have other ideas.

After reluctantly agreeing to her fate and becoming engaged to her betrothed, Felix, Violet goes in search of Mr Lilley, to discuss her work, and how she might continue once she is married.

Mr Lilley lends a good ear, and Violet returns home albeit it a little later than planned, feeling more agreeable about life in general.

That is the last thing she remembers before waking in an unfamiliar room. She is horrified to learn that she is now incarcerated in Hillwood Grange lunatic asylum with no visitation rights and no release date.

Violet knows that she is not insane, but how on earth is she going to prove it, when society itself is against her, because she doesn’t confirm to the norm.

I don’t want to give anything else away, as this is definitely a novel to be discovered, and comes highly recommended from me.