Thank you to NetGalley and Sarah Hans for the opportunity to review this ARC of Asylum.
The writing is solid up until the 65-70% point, where I felt the finish was seriously rushed in the closest section that could be described as Horror/Slasher. From there, it would be better situated in the “supernatural romance” genre. It ends with an abrupt and predictable cliff hanger.

I was enjoying this in the beginning. The character dynamics were interesting to read about and the abusive relationship between Ashley and Connor was written well. It had such a promising setup; gritty characters, squatting in an abandoned place, on the run from the law. Until like 60% of the way through where it turned into furry erotica. Not what I was expecting. Not for me. It's just a strange thing to tag as a horror.

This was not the book for me. Did not enjoy the random scene of Ashleigh with the creature. It wasn't spooky or scary, just gross. I won't be putting up a review anywhere.

Thank you NetGalley and RDS publishing for this arc.

I enjoyed this novella. There is a lot going on in a very short amount of pages, and I believe it could benefit from being a full length novel but overall I did very much enjoy it. I think I’m still trying to fully process the ending, because oh boy that is not where I thought the story was going. I am not at all mad at the ending, it’s just a very interesting ending. It’s a very well written, thought provoking read. Please check the trigger warnings before reading. I loved the representation of substance abuse, addiction and toxic relationships- they were done very well. I adored the MC, and her inner monologue. Would recommend this novella to friends who want a weird read.

Thanks for NetGalley for this ARC.

I want to dub more into horror / thriller books this year. This was short horror novella that brings out issues with drug addiction and domestic violence. Its gory at some parts with paranormal urban legend elements of cat named Perry.

Overall any asylum story sound creepy ... AHS im looking at you. This was fast paced and interesting. It follows 4 people (Ashleigh & Connor and Dylan & Kylee) who hide in abandon asylum from cops. Little do they know this little hide out trip will change their lives.

I feel like there should be follow up book because wtf with the end!?

Thank you to Sarah Hans, NetGalley, and Raw Dog Screaming Press for providing me with this ARC.

This book was a super quick read. I was completely engrossed in it, and when I looked down to see I was 78% of the way through, I felt sad. One part had me literally physically reacting and that so cool. Very little does that. A little bit of gore, some suspense, no ghosts or anything. I go into most books blind, so I was really thrown as I read this one. Character development was great and I was definitely left wanting to read more. Excellent job!

This book was a quick read it pulls you in there is a lot of emotions displayed, and how when emotions and taking drugs can take over and make situations worse and even deadly. Sarah Hans gives you an image of how it is being on drugs and acting on impulse can have your entire world crashing down. But this book also brings a paranoid scary feeling as you read. You think you might know what’s going on but then you start questioning what you are reading and at some point you kinda start feeling like the characters. I definitely recommend this book if you are in a reading slump and you are looking for something quick but it definitely gets you back in the mood for reading.

Thank you Netgalley and RDS Publishing for the opportunity to read Asylum by Sarah Hans.

Four addicts are fleeing from police to find a place to hide and possibly get clean. Ashleigh the lead character recommends an abandoned asylum on top of a mountain. After the arduous journey up the mountain with very little supplies they wait. The asylum does provide shelter, but there is no electricity or running water. From the 1st hour there, things start to happen not only between the friends, but also in the location itself.

The setting was very creepy and atmospheric. The characters in the first half of the book drew me in to see what was going to happen next. Nothing scary happens until the second half of the book and when it does, it goes somewhere I was definitely not expecting. If you read the book, you'll know. Even this book was necessarily a 5 star for me, I do feel there is an audience that would very much find it interesting.

This horror novella will be out on March 14.

Very confused as to what this book was supposed to be. Drug addicts gone crazy in an asylum and a furry who wants to have sex with the main character.

I thoroughly enjoyed Asylum and ended up reading it in a single sitting. As someone who has struggled with addiction, albeit a different DoC, it was easy to relate to the main character and how she felt throughout her experiences with her friends, boyfriend, and her own mind.
It did lose a sense of relatability towards the end and left me with some questions though. Overall I do recommend giving it a read!

This was a very good book. I highly recommend it. The characters are developed really well .Therr are a lot of surprises.

This horror novella follows Ashleigh and her group of friends as they hide out in the Asylum. They are on the run from the cops and decide the Asylum will be the perfect place to disappear and also detox from meth. Unfortunately, there maybe something worse for them residing in the Asylum.

This story was really fast paced and enjoyable. It touched on serious subjects such as the suffering of drug addiction and domestic violence and then brought in bizarre elements such as the shadows in the Asylum. The author did a fabulous jobs setting up the shockingly purrrfect atmosphere of the Asylum. The ending had me shouting "No!"

Thanks NetGalley, RDS publishing and Sarah Hans for the copy of this book for my honest review.

On the lam from the law, Ashleigh, her boyfriend Conner, and another couple, Kayla and Dean, camp out in an abandoned asylum. Tension rises between the members of the group as they detox from meth and discover the dangers of the asylum.

The story has all the great vibes of a slasher story with the isolation, unexplained happenings, and rising body count as sexy times ensue.

The drug use adds an extra layer of uncanniness as the characters try to separate reality from the effects of the meth from reality.

I loved Ashleigh’s character arc as she decides to get clean and view her abusive relationship with a fresh perspective.

While I found the ending satisfying and the story solidly built, I wanted more time with the cats, characters, and the wonderfully creepy and cool world Hans created.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thanks to Raw Dog Screaming Press for providing an Advance Reader Copy via NetGalley.

Ashley her boyfriend Connor his friend Dean Dean‘s girlfriend Kaylee are all meth addicts Kaylee did have a job but due to Connor and Dean robbing a local quick stop they had to leave town and despite rumors of a wildcat call Perry roaming the hill where the asylum is Ashley talks them in to go in there to hide out. When they arrive at the asylum their goal is to get clean but first they have to finish smoking the last of their crystal meth . The first impressions of the asylum is the strong smell of cat urine and on the way up the hill they saw a fox ripped from limb to limb and they instantly know that isn’t the work of a bear or a coyote but something much bigger and much more fierce. It wasn’t until they start smoking the drugs they brought and everyone starts getting intimate with their partners that Ashley sees a shadow standing in the doorway when Connor turns he immediately thinks it is Dean despite the fact he was in another part of the asylum. Connor immediately starts beating on Dean this will not be the last strange thing to happen nor the last time Connor overreacts but when he and Ashley have a misunderstanding and she runs to the words to hide from him when she comes back she catches him with Kaylee in one thing leads to another and Connor is angry at Ashley again but he’s also torn between wanting her to just talk to him she has locked her self in one of the bathrooms but as he bangs on the door she hears what sounds like a body drop in when she is brave enough to open the door she sees him on the floor dying. This is when Ashley sees the bipedal feline staring at her once again from the doorway due to where he is standing Ashley cannot run and leave the asylum so her only choice is to jump out of the window two stories up and try her best to make it to the car they parked down the hill. Little does Ashley know her trip to the asylum is far from over and even though the book was good up until this point it gets really good after her long complicated treck to the sanctuary of the car. This is a great book it is a short story that I really feel deserves a sequel. I was not expecting the book to go where it did but OMG it was so refreshing for it not to be your typical haunted Asylum story. I really felt bad for Ashley and by the end I felt even worse. This is definitely a great horror story and another great book from this collection. I want to thank our DS publishing and NetGalley for my free arc copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

Thanks NetGalley, RDS publishing and Sarah Hans for a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

This novella started of strong and I enjoyed the atmosphere and the pace of the writing for the first portion of the book. Then it got to weird for me and I stopped enjoying it.

I would like to thank NetGalley for the e-arc of this Novella. (review contains spoilers). Asylum will be published 3/14/24.

I genuinely was 100 percent feeling this novella, until I wasn’t. It had the perfect start. Junkies squatting, running from the cops, strong personalties clashing. All the best ingredients for a gritty horror experience.

Somewhere around the 60 percent mark there was a major change up that felt rushed, clumsy even. It all goes downhill from there. The story never recovers and the reader is assaulted with a weird dose of furry-fetish-sexcapades.

I understand there will be a niche out there who will love this content, it just isn’t for this reader.

#NetGalley #Asylum #bookstagram #Horror #horrorbooks #betterreadthandead #horrorbooks #deankoontz #stephenking #weirdfiction #bookreview #GhastlyBookLover

Thank you to NetGalley and RDS Publishing for an ARC of this novella.

3.5 stars rounded down to 3.

Ashleigh and her group of friends are meth addicts, who are on the run looking for a new home so they can finally get clean. They decide to run to this abandoned asylum, since it's far from civilization and off the grid so they can remain hidden from police. However, once they arrive a shadowy figure appears to Ashleigh and things take a turn for the worse.

This one was difficult for me to rate, because there was a lot going on in such a short amount of pages. Despite that, it was actually really well written and mostly easy to follow. Themes of addiction (substance abuse as well as addiction to toxic relationships) were well-fleshed out, but it was maybe more than halfway through the story before anything "scary" started happening. For me, this wasn't really horror at all in a traditional sense. I think the horror was more about grief, addiction, and leaving toxic relationships more than any monster. The turn to a darker version of Beauty and the Beast was also something I didn't expect, and by the end I was left with more questions than those that were answered. I think this would make more sense to me if it was a full-length novel vs. a novella.

Overall, I liked the concept and the writing was well done and easy to follow for the most part. Very different concept than what I've read in the past and it was enjoyable and thought-provoking for a quick read!