Beautifully written and haunting, this novel was the perfect blend of psychological horror and mystery. Reminded me of a much more nuanced take on American Horror Story: Asylum. The atmosphere absolutely dripped off the page, and the central mystery kept me guessing until the last few pages.

The nitty-gritty: Unsettling and eerie, Chris Panatier's latest is a skillfully written story that delves into the horrors of psychiatric care gone wrong.

If anyone can come up with a completely original story combining asylum and pregnancy horror, it’s Chris Panatier, one of the most unique genre writers around. The Redemption of Morgan Bright is weird, upsetting, and gross (at times), with an eerie Gothic sensibility and a couple of slow burn mysteries at its core. Most of the story is told in standard prose format, but the author includes some epistolary content in the form of police interviews, articles, texts and more, which are critical as the story unfolds. This is an ambitious, intricately plotted piece of fiction that should be on every horror fan’s TBR.

Morgan Bright’s sister Hadleigh was found gravely injured, wandering a snowy road after apparently escaping from Hollyhock Asylum. Morgan is distraught and will do anything to figure out what happened to Hadleigh, and so she and her friend Darius hatch a plan to sneak Morgan into Hollyhock so she can investigate and hopefully get some answers. In order to execute their plan, Morgan and Darius take on fake personas and become Charlotte and Andrew Turner. "Andrew" insists on having his wife committed, and “Charlotte” is diagnosed with “domestic psychosis” and admitted to Hollyhock, where she’ll spend thirty days in the care of the asylum’s staff, hoping to recover from her condition. In reality, Morgan will get to experience first hand what goes on behind closed doors and perhaps even expose the truth. 

But stepping through the doors of Hollyhock is like stepping into the past. Morgan is shocked at the antiquated and dangerous methods the staff uses on their patients. The other women seem eager to participate, in the hopes of getting better, but once in a while a woman goes off for a procedure and never returns. And when Morgan begins to experience periods of forgetfulness, she’s drawn into the mind of her creation—Charlotte. If Charlotte isn’t real, then why is Morgan struggling to control her own actions?

In between chapters are interviews between the Scottsbluff Police Department and a “witness” (Morgan/Charlotte) that take place after Morgan leaves Hollyhock. These interviews serve as a way to explain what Morgan went through, and they also give readers a peak into the weird relationship between the two characters. I loved these sections, and Panatier did a great job of creating lots of mystery and tension, since we don’t yet know the full story.

There are a lot of layers to unpack in this story. You have the fraught relationship between Morgan and Hadleigh which is revealed mostly through text messages. We know that something happened between the sisters that fractured their relationship and caused Hadleigh to be committed to Hollyhock. These details are slowly revealed over the course of the book until the final shocking revelation, and there’s a lot of bitterness and heartbreak between them. Then there’s the equally unsettling relationship between Morgan and Charlotte, which is really the crux of the story. Morgan is real, Charlotte is a fabrication—or is she? Panatier brilliantly weaves their stories together, where reality and dreams are hard to tell apart. Is Morgan trapped in her own body? Or is Charlotte the victim? It’s not always easy to tell.

The strange relationship between Morgan and Charlotte is made even more surreal as the many horrors of Hollyhock Asylum come to light. When Charlotte first arrives, she’s sent to a “welcome room” and fed exotic foods. Later she's introduced to different types of therapies, like Housework, where she spends hours cleaning and making beds (to what end, well that’s the question, isn’t it?). It all feels sort of innocent, until Morgan “awakens” and begins to experience what Charlotte is doing. It’s at this point that the dirty secrets of the asylum are revealed, led by the director Althea Edevane, who has her own terrible agenda.

Panatier sets his story in the present, but Hollyhock is clearly stuck in the past, utilizing illegal methods of “curing” women and inventing maladies that don’t exist. “Domestic psychosis” in this story is a horrifying term that allows husbands to have their wives committed to a psychiatric hospital for any reason they want, an outdated idea that Edevane uses for her own diabolical plans. We also glimpse such “cures” as electroshock (which Panatier describes in horrifying detail), the Elizabeth collar that keeps patients contained in the dark, and the Utica crib, another device to restrain a patient from moving. This last one has a particularly gruesome use at the end of the story. And I won’t ever look at butterflies in quite the same way again. Edevane and her hairstreak cage play a roll in Charlotte’s treatment that gave me nightmares, to be honest (hairstreaks are a type of butterfly in case you didn’t know. I didn’t.)

And if these horrors weren’t enough, the author touches on the hot button topic of women’s reproductive rights, adding an emotionally charged layer to his story. Under the guise of “health care,” Morgan, Charlotte and all the other women in the story are brainwashed into thinking Edevane’s methods will actually cure them. I mentioned in the beginning of this review that the book contains pregnancy horror, and while I won’t spoil the details for you, do be aware of triggers like rape and forced pregnancy, which should upset every single person who reads this book.

After everything that happened, I wasn’t quite prepared for the final chapters, which were emotional and shocking. Morgan learns the unfortunate truth about Hadleigh, but the nightmares of Hollyhock will be with her for a long time. The Redemption of Morgan Bright does what the best horror stories do—it leaves the reading feeling both satisfied at finally learning the answers, but uncomfortable with the horrors those answers reveal.

Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.

This was definitely a mindf*ck book. As other reviewers mention, I’m not too sure what I just read, which maybe is the point? To confuse reality with fantasy? That Morgan fakes psychosis and actually falls into psychosis? I’m unsure, and I also don’t think it worked out too well for me. Thank you for the arc

I received a free copy from Netgalley here is the blurb
"Hadleigh Keene died on the road leading away from Hollyhock Asylum. The reasons are unknown. Her sister Morgan blames herself. A year later with the case still unsolved, Morgan creates a false identity, that of a troubled housewife named Charlotte Turner, and goes inside.

Morgan quickly discovers that Hollyhock is… not right. She is shaken by the hospital’s peculiar routines and is soon beset by strange episodes. All the while, the persona of Charlotte takes on a life of its own, becoming stronger with each passing day. As her identity begins unraveling, Morgan finds herself tracing Hadleigh’s footsteps and peering into the places they lead.

The terrifying reality of The Redemption of Morgan Bright unfolds over the course of chapters told from the points of view of both Charlotte and Morgan, police interviews, and text messages. "

Overall I enjoyed this book while reading it, even though at times I wasn't really sure what was happening. The ending was also confusing and I am not really clear on what happened

I finished this last night. Even though I've been thinking about it since, I still have no idea what I read.

Morgan fakes her entrance to the psychiatric hospital where her sister lived before she went missing and was found dead. After that, the author lost me. I found it difficult to keep track of the characters and, while written with beautiful, image-invoking language, couldn't figure out what in the world was going on. I think this one will be a hit or miss for most people. It was a definite miss for me.

The worst part, however, was the pro-abortion rant the author felt necessary to add after the end of the book. Mr. Panatier, I do not care about your political views or leanings. I read for entertainment. Your opinion on abortion is not entertaining.

The Redemption of Morgan Bright, by Chris Panatier is a mind bending fever dream that I did not want to wake up from. I absolutely loved this book!

A few days on from finishing this book, I’m still not entirely sure what I think about it. It’s a difficult book to classify. Very possibly it’s going to go on my “really good books that I inexplicably didn’t enjoy all that much” shelf. That’s ok, it happens. I think many people will love this book.

This is an asylum story. Morgan Keene blames herself for the death of her sister, inexplicably found dead on the road leading from Hollyhock Asylum. A year on from the death, with the reasons still unknown, Morgan creates a false identity – Charlotte – in order to infiltrate the asylum.

The story is told from the perspective of both Morgan and Charlotte, interspersed with police interview transcripts. The author’s writing is unsettling, disturbing and feverish. There is a powerfully feminist kick at the end which I fully salute him for.

Not entirely my personal cup of tea, but if you enjoy books featuring an unreliable narrator, this could very well be for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers, Angry Robot, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I must admit that it took a few attempts to get into this book. The premise was clear, but the way the author wrote this book it felt sort of choppy. The main character was meant to be unreliable and well the author nailed that piece as it left me
confused for the first 20%. .

It definitely started to pick up around 50% mark and the ending was pretty wild.

Also I did enjoy breaking the story up with the interviews, texts and also going back in time to the asylum.

Overall I would give this 2.5 stars because of the confusing start and the fact took over a month to finish reading.

Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC.

The writing is absolutely PHENOMENAL.
I had to binge read it, I couldn't put it down!
The atmosphere created by the author was incredible.
ABOSLUTELY FANTASTIC

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Angry Robot for this ARC!

Okay wow what a great creepy/weird horror! Reminiscent of Jeff Vandermeer’s Lighthouse Keeper, with the strange aphorisms of the patients at Hollyhock House. Very unsettling!

This book was very much like a fever dream which added to Morgan’s confusion and disorientation - I could not put it down because I needed to find out what was going to happen.

I liked the shifts in narrative style/perspective, between Morgan and Charlotte, and we also get parts of the story told via police interview transcripts and text messages. I don’t think I’ve read many things that make use of that and I liked it!

However, I do feel like part of the story was missing in some way. I guess I’m the sort of person who needs all the ends tied up. But, what happened to so completely alter Hollyhock House? I guess the ghosts but it’s hinted at in the transcripts that the authorities can’t even get close? My biggest questions is how did Morgan/Charlotte escape? We’re never told. Also never explained is the creature (?) in the sub-basement. It was completely separate from the ghosts but also never really explained - how on earth did it come to be there and how did the Doctor work out how to work with it and use its power?

Despite my questions I REALLY enjoyed this one!

When I read Hollyhock Asylum I was immediately interested in the book and when I read that Morgan was searching for what happened to her sister Hadleigh before she died I quickly requested this book on NetGalley. Originally, I thought it would be a murder mystery that takes places in an asylum similar to The Clinic, but Chris Panatier created a story that looked at mental health, trauma, grief, sibling bonds and trauma and an insight on the institutes that hold those suffering from various issues.

This book not only created an interesting mystery to find out what led to Hadleigh's death but also opened a dialogue on the idea behind mental health facilities and how they are regulated and watched. Throughout history this was a common issue with mental health facilities. This book also touched on reasoning behind people being sent for help would range from actual mental health issues to "women issues".

This book is a mix of mystery and leads to horror as the story continues - Morgan enters the Hollyhock Asylum under the disguise of Charlotte Turner, a troubled housewife. It quickly becomes evident that there is something wrong with this facility and Morgan mind begins to take on two personalities to deal with all the horrors she has been enduring. Over time Charlotte starts becoming the main personality with the intent to become the dominant personality by getting rid of Morgan. The path that they follow leads to a lot of horrific practices and Morgan starts to see what Hadleigh had to go through while in the asylum.

The atmosphere that was created is absolutely horrific and caused me to become uncomfortable and that showed Panatier's ability to write a genuine horror scene. The mix of police interviews and the events unraveling was a brilliant way to tell this story. It also allows the reader to question what was true and what might have been kept from the reader with the unreliable narrators. recommend this book for those that like a little mystery with a horror with a lingering questioning about what was actually read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Angry Robot for the e-ARC for an honest review!

This book was absolutely brilliant. It grabs you tight and it won't let you go. Panatier managed to mix horror and mystery perfectly. The addition of mixed media was fantastic, and gave the story a more realistic viewpoint for the reader to get immersed in. Great writing, good atmosphere, and I look forward to seeing more from this author in the future.

This is one of those books that you need to sit on for a few days and just let it settle after you read. The take on how people manage grief and loss and just the emotional rollercoaster that you go through is so well represented here.
I hadn't read Panatier's books before but I was so impressed with the way the narrative was handled. You really empathize with Morgan as she navigates Hollyhock and the nightmare that it is. The foreboding atmosphere and mental mindf**k left me mulling over events days after reading them. Absolutely fantastic storytelling. Can not recommend this enough.

I’d like to thank NetGalley, Chris Panatier, and Angry Robot for the eARC of The Redemption of Morgan Bright in exchange for an honest review.

It took me so long to read this because I never wanted it to end. You can only ever read something for the first time once, and I knew this would be a book I would wish I could read for the first time again. This book was brilliant, it was gorgeous, so so creative. For people who love gothic cultish asylum horror, love the vibes of Midsommar but with the setting of A Cure for Wellness. Butterflies, flowers, herbs, persimmons, ash. This book made me gasp, it shocked me, I loved it from the very first chapter. I prayed it wouldn't let me down and it never did, through all the wild twists and turns and times my brain felt too smooth to comprehend, I was never let down. I need this book in my possession pronto.

Here are my gathered trigger warnings:
mental asylums, misogyny, child death, miscarriage, forced pregnancy, rape, forced institutionalization, mental illness, stigma, homophobia

I am always looking for a good asylum story and this book hit the spot. The way the author set the scene was really great. I think the way D.I.D was portrayed really fit this story well. It was creepy, spooky, and gave all the vibes you might feel if you were trapped in the same situation of the main characters.

The Redemption of Morgan Bright, set in an unspecified future date (my guess was somewhere around 2100) when women's rights were being rescinded, was a tense, disturbing read.
The setting of an all-female mental hospital with information about real (outdated, barbaric) practices sprinkled throughout definitely upped the creep factor.
The book itself read a little choppy in parts, not due to the constant change in narration or timeline, but it just sometimes felt like I had missed an important moment when I was reading it.

I read an eARC of this book so thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley.

This novel is told in different formats with interspersed police interviews. I thought this was a fantastic way to tell this story. We have an unreliable narrator so having the context of the police interview and the other perspectives was so helpful and insightful. Our main character can’t trust what’s happening and we get some great reveals through the way the book is written.

This is an extremely unnerving book. It is based around an asylum for women. This centre has a bad history and some disturbing deaths have occurred. In the state this takes place, husbands can have their wives committed for domestic hysteria (which is horrifying). We see some harrowing treatment applied which increase in intensity and unpleasantness as we go through the book. We follow our narrator through her experience at the asylum and her attempts to uncover the strange occurrences taking place there. However she’s at war with herself and often make harmful decisions.

This was a seriously creepy story. It’s a weird and macabre mystery and was a thrilling read. It was entertaining and gripping but I would recommend checking content warnings as there was some unnerving moments.

Up now on Goodreads and live on the blog on 15 April:

What drew me to The Redemption of Morgan Bright was the gorgeous cover (the colours, the flowers, the pupa!), the intriguing title (who is Morgan Bright and why does she need redemption?) and the even more intriguing blurb (honestly, they had me at asylum), and the author, whose debut The Phlebotomist has been on my list for quite a while (thanks to Jo’s review here) and I figured I might as well start with The Redemption of Morgan Bright and work my way back if I liked it. Dear reader, I will definitely work my way back!

Usually around the 50% mark of a proof, I have made up my mind about it, and random sentences of what I might say in my review start popping up in my mind. With this one I never got anything beyond “what the hell is going on”, “what in the fuckity fuck” and “how on earth will I review this one”. Well, I finished it and I still feel that way 😅

The Redemption of Morgan Bright had me questioning everything. The tagline mentions The Truth, but what was the truth and who was telling the truth? I couldn’t be sure. I was kept in the dark for the longest time, and at times I felt sort of lost and confused. While that can be massively annoying, for this story and in this setting it was perfect and I have no doubt I was meant to feel exactly this way.

One thing I did, and do, know, though? The writing was so evocative I saw the whole thing play out before my mind’s eye. Even the bits I really would have preferred not to 😬

While reading, it was clear that the author did his research, and I also much appreciate him clarifying past and present events that inspired and helped shape this book. I’ve also added the books he mentions in his acknowledgments to my list.

If you enjoy speculative fiction that is slightly but magnificently off-key and really rather unsettling with it, I would urge you to give The Redemption of Morgan Bright a try. Even more so should you happen to have a thing for asylum settings and psychiatry practices.

The Redemption of Morgan Bright is out in digital formats and paperback on 23 April.

Massive thanks to Agry Robot and NetGalley for the digital proof. All opinions are my own.

This was absolutely WTF fiction, and I THINK I enjoyed it, but it's hard to say. The writing was very well done, and I felt like I was in a fever dream much of the time. I think that was intentional, so props to Panatier for that. This book wasn't perfect, but it definitely left a mark, and I am still thinking about it days after finishing, which is good. There are some serious trigger warnings, as this does lean toward asylum horror, and it leaves a lot of questions unanswered. If you can handle that, this is definitely a thought provoking journey through grief, guilt, and love.

This was not for me, but it's well written and maybe it'll be for you. The found footage type narrative was interesting if a bit to follow, but I like non-traditional narratives.

That being said, I didn't find the book remotely scary. It was weird, for sure, but not scary. I felt like it was a showcase of trauma and grief but for no real reason and I found it to be sad and upsetting more than anything else.