Violet finds herself struggling to come to terms with the idea that she must marry her rich childhood friend rather than pursue a career with her art and love a life of freedom. Her decisions ultimately lead her to confinement in an asylum under the care of a misogynistic doctor who has wanted to study Violet since her youth.

I really enjoyed this novel and have to make mention of the fact that I forgot it was written by a male author until I finished! This is somewhat rare from previous experiences of men writing women, as usually it leaps off the page. The relationships between Violet and her scheming mother was written so much depth that I felt I was watching their strained interactions from inside the room with them.

Noel O’Reilly presents readers with such an interesting glimpse into the vents leading up to Violets incarceration and her experience undergoing treatment while she is inside the asylum. I felt the claustrophobia and rising panic she experiences when she realises getting out will not be a simple task.

I would recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys well-written and gripping historical fiction! Thank you to @hqstories and @netgalley for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review

Violet Pring is an aspiring artist - something that in Victorian times is at best tolerated as a feminine pasttime. In the confines of her family and with an advantageous marriage looming - to a rich man she respects but does not love - she tries to pursue her love of art, only to find herself locked up in a mental asylum.
As a female reader, this book will make you seethe with resentment about the sheer unfairness towards and the helplessness of women. They were being treated as mere ornamental commodities, choked with the societal pressures and cruelty. I raced through this book with its fascinating insights into both female artists’ thoughts so aptly portrayed in the protagonist and the dire conditions in Victorian mental asylums.
The Hippocratic oath sworn by the asylum’s physicians is perverted into their belief that experimenting on their charges is legitimate in order to further their own careers.
A shocking portrayal of the treatment of females in that era and a very engrossing read.

In this multilayered gothic Victorian mystery where you never know who you can trust, a young woman named Violet is locked in an asylum with an obsessive doctor against her wishes after she decides that she doesn't want to marry the man her mother has schemed to set her up with.

Vivid and incredibly imaginative with the perfect balance of drama, the prose is at times lyrical evoking the true essence of the 19th Century.

I adored Violet who was a very willful character and the true driving force behind the novel as you became invested in her situation.

The author explores themes such as how women were viewed as inferior to men in society especially with harsh medical assumptions. I also loved that they didn't shy away from highlighting the hypocrisy in 19th Century social culture with Violet being a fantastic narrator on subjects such as gender equality.

I was left stunned by the ending, truly appreciating the authors ability to captivate me and tip upside down everything that I thought I knew previously for solid fact.

I believe this novel will be a huge success and I, without a doubt, encourage everyone to read it once it comes out!

The Darlings of the Asylum, This book from the cover and title was enough to draw me in as a novel I'd be interested in reading. while reading the synopsis it was ticking my boxes of history and the eighteen hundreds. There is something about the eighteen hundreds, that really appeals to me with its dark and brooding settings.
when I started to read this book, I thought am I going to struggle with this storyline. but that quickly changed I found it to be a real page turner and with each page it had just the right amount to keep me entrapped in the world of the Asylum. This book's main character is Violet and following her journey on how she wakes up with no idea and understanding as to why she in the Asylum under the watchful eye of the DR Rastrick, Violet dislikes this man. The Dr who is also attending her mother over the years has made Violet dislike this man immensely.
All Violet really want's is to paint and draw, read a book or two, Marry a man she actually loves ? but the DR has made it clear she is not to do so for her mental wellbeing. So easy right all violet has to to do is prove to the GOOD DR she is SANE !!! but that been said, how do you make yourself look sane ? in a Asylum.
Violet needed her family to visit and give a explanation as to why she is here ? violet can not remember the day's leading up to her been sanctioned, Violet ends up reaching out for help from someone she briefly had an encounter with, can they help ?
but the question remains doe's Violet remain a Darling or doe's she found a way out?
I could keep going with this review as I enjoyed it that much, it leaves you conflicted with sadness for these women wanting them released but at the same time are they are there for their own safety. Either way its a great book, If you love a Gothic novel and with twists you will enjoy this.

A dark, gothic and thrilling read, 'The Darlings of the Asylum' not only gripped me, but also explores the historical role of women, and the biases of both society and the medical profession against them, with chilling accuracy.

It is no secret that I like dark and gothic reads, and one of my favourite settings to read about is asylums because just in themselves they ooze gothicness and creepy atmosphere. This didn't disappont either It is well written with a haunting storyline and well developed characters..
It was fast paced and atmospheric and I couldn't put it down, I was gripped and the descriptions and imagery are so vivid I felt like I could slide into the pages and into the asylum walls.
If you love books like Jane Eyre and Rebecca you will love this.

This is a difficult book to review. I loved the premise of the setting of the Victorian asylum, an obsessive doctor more interested in his fascination for research instead of his patients and Violet, the main character, an intelligent, talented strong woman who fought back from her family, whose only wish was for her to make a good marriage and increase the family fortunes. This book is dark and deep with many layers and I was excited to read it.
However, the lengthy descriptions, especially of art techniques, failed to keep my attention and although I enjoyed the book, I didn't love it and did struggle to finish. The ending was unexpected and could not be predicted and I did like that the author had done that.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this e- advance review copy.

Sadly this didn't work for me.
The first third or so of the book was slow, and just not all that interesting I felt, that I struggled to get into the remaining part of the book.
Some brighter spots, but overall, I just wasn't that interested.