On Tour with Prism Book Tours
Welcome to my tour stop! Read my review and enter the tour giveaway below...
Black in Time
(Synesthesia Shift #2)
By Brynn Chapman
YA Historical Urban Fantasy
Paperback & ebook, 143 Pages
April 6, 2021 by Burns and Lea Books
Paperback & ebook, 143 Pages
April 6, 2021 by Burns and Lea Books
Summary
Patient Twenty-Nine, or Jane, is within reach of her heart's desire: a home outside of Soothing Hills Asylum, where she has been raised.
Her sister Jules wants to take her in, and a man, Mason, is deeply in love with her and wants to care for her. But before Jane can leave, she must be examined by the Board of Lunacy. Jane is still hearing voices and songs from the cornfield outside the asylum, voices and songs that tell her what she must do, and that no one else can hear. So the Board may not allow her to leave.
But the asylum is becoming more and more dangerous. Its lead alienist, Dr. Frost, has disappeared, there have been frightening sightings of a woman in white, running through the corn at night, and perhaps worst of all: lobotomized women from the asylum are turning up pregnant.
Jane is desperate to get away and go to her new home. Mason and Jules only want to rescue Jane from the asylum.
But there is a complication: for Jane, the voice in the corn calls. And she must obey.
My Review
BLACK IN TIME is a story about Jane, who was raised in an asylum and still seeking her freedom, and Jules, who was raised in opulence and wants her sister free. The asylum has dark secrets and a mysterious twist that the sisters and their intendeds must figure out in order to be free. This is a dark tale with points of hope, friendship and love in a very Gothic setting. Recommended to fans of the author and Gothic tales with supernatural aspects.
I remember bits and pieces of the previous book, The Requiem Red, and appreciated how the author recapped it, giving enough information that even if you haven't read the first book, you won't be lost in this one, but also not so much that you feel likes she's dumping information. I remember being endeared to Jane before, who really has had a rough life inside the asylum, but loved her even more in this second book. I think living in that type of place, seeing violence and having it done to you, would make just about all of us a bit insane. Then there are the voices and the music she hears. The poor girl. The asylum is a bit of a terrifying setting and feels very Gothic. It leant an eerie feel to the story from start to finish. Then there is the cornfield mystery and the asylum staff. I just really wanted these characters to be safe and free. It's quite a rollercoaster ride as they figure things out. I also enjoyed reading the author's notes that talked about some of the inspiration and research behind the book.
I think that there could have been some additional smoothing to the writing and a bit more development in places. Some of the subject matter is more suited for older teens or adults.
In the end, was it what I wished for? This story was a fairly quick, engrossing read. The setting is mysterious and dark with a plot that will keep readers turning the pages. The characters are likable and the romance is sweet. Definitely a series to check out if you enjoy Gothic tales with twists!
Content: One fade-to-black love scene between a married couple, innuendo, some blatant remarks and violence, references to rape and subsequent pregnancies, and some English swear words.
Source: I received a complimentary copy through Prism Book Tours, which did not require a positive review. All opinions are my own.
Other Books in the Series
The Requiem Red
(Synesthesia Shift #1)
By Brynn Chapman
YA Historical Urban Fantasy
Hardcover, Paperback & ebook, 300 Pages
February 4, 2019 by Burns and Lea Books
Hardcover, Paperback & ebook, 300 Pages
February 4, 2019 by Burns and Lea Books
Summary
Life for Patient 29 is full of medicated day dreams of a life outside the walls of Soothing Hills Asylum. But fantasies are not all that consume her. A monster roams the halls of the sanitarium she reluctantly calls home and three girls have been found dead. The dead girls share one common thread . . . each was 29's cell mate. As the investigation gets under way, she retreats into her mind, listening to the voices that call to her. She is endowed with the cursed gift of perception. Through it, she hears messages carried upon the notes of music, discerns words hidden among the strokes of paintings, and minds pleadings for help from the corn field outside.
Could the key to the murders lie within 29's broken mind? Mason, an orderly, does not see 29 as a lunatic and as his belief in her grows so does her self-confidence. The possibility of one day leaving the asylum seems less and less like a fantasy. But the monster has other plans for her. Leaving will not be so easy, at least not while she is alive.
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About the Author
Tour Schedule
Tour-Wide Giveaway
- One winner will receive a $20 Amazon gift card and an audiobook of HERE WALK THE DEAD
- Ten winners will receive a print copy of REQUIEM RED
Do you like reading Gothic stories? What do you think of this one?
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