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vikingwolf's review against another edition
4.0
Mary has always been able to see and communicate with ghosts, has strange visions and can see things that are wrong with people. When she tries to do something with this information to stop bad things happening, she ends up involved in a fatal fire and her parents want her to go into a psychiatric unit to get help as they don't believe in her visions. Mary struggles to fit in with the other teenagers on the ward and becomes curious about the high death toll on the ward beside hers. Is someone murdering the terminally ill patients?
This was a really good novella. Mary is a normal girl who is tormented with weird visions that her parents believe are a mental illness. She agrees to their request to voluntarily go into the hospital for evaluation and treatment, and you can't help but feel sympathy for what is happening to her. It takes her a little time to adjust to being on the ward and becoming friends with the other teenagers. Mary is intelligent and becomes curious about the unusually high death toll on the ward for the terminally ill beside her ward. Feeling a bad vibe in the air, Mary wants to know what is happening.
I'm never a fan of setting a book on the psychiatric ward but this book does it very well. The teenagers on the ward have a range of issues including eating disorders, anger management and addiction but they are written as ordinary kids who are dealing with various mental illness issues. I didn't find them cliched in any way and I liked all of them, which I wasn't expecting. The kids are trying to make the best of being there, bonding with each other and making Mary feel welcome. I particularly liked her lively roommate Lacey and Mo. Frankie is really the only kid who has a severe mental illness but I feel that it is done sympathetically. I think the author does an excellent job of putting us in the world of these teenagers and making us care about what happens to them.
Things take a sinister turn for Mary and her friends when there is an unexpected death on her ward and she starts to fear that one of their doctors could be responsible for what is happening on both wards. The question is, how is she going to do anything about it on a locked ward where nobody will believe anything she says, without becoming a target for the killer?
As you would expect, this is not an all action novella but the characters are great and I was quite gripped by their story. I very much enjoyed meeting Mary and I plan to read on in the series to see if the standard is maintained. I would say that it is important to read this novella before you read book one in the series. There is also another short story which covers the plot of the fire and it is called 'Spirals' which I haven't read yet.
This was a really good novella. Mary is a normal girl who is tormented with weird visions that her parents believe are a mental illness. She agrees to their request to voluntarily go into the hospital for evaluation and treatment, and you can't help but feel sympathy for what is happening to her. It takes her a little time to adjust to being on the ward and becoming friends with the other teenagers. Mary is intelligent and becomes curious about the unusually high death toll on the ward for the terminally ill beside her ward. Feeling a bad vibe in the air, Mary wants to know what is happening.
I'm never a fan of setting a book on the psychiatric ward but this book does it very well. The teenagers on the ward have a range of issues including eating disorders, anger management and addiction but they are written as ordinary kids who are dealing with various mental illness issues. I didn't find them cliched in any way and I liked all of them, which I wasn't expecting. The kids are trying to make the best of being there, bonding with each other and making Mary feel welcome. I particularly liked her lively roommate Lacey and Mo. Frankie is really the only kid who has a severe mental illness but I feel that it is done sympathetically. I think the author does an excellent job of putting us in the world of these teenagers and making us care about what happens to them.
Things take a sinister turn for Mary and her friends when there is an unexpected death on her ward and she starts to fear that one of their doctors could be responsible for what is happening on both wards. The question is, how is she going to do anything about it on a locked ward where nobody will believe anything she says, without becoming a target for the killer?
As you would expect, this is not an all action novella but the characters are great and I was quite gripped by their story. I very much enjoyed meeting Mary and I plan to read on in the series to see if the standard is maintained. I would say that it is important to read this novella before you read book one in the series. There is also another short story which covers the plot of the fire and it is called 'Spirals' which I haven't read yet.
withthebanned's review
4.0
3.5 stars. This was really quite good. It was a very quick read but had me thinking about it when I wasn't reading and wondering what was going to happen next. It wasn't without faults, there were some things that stood out in the writing and details that didn't flow as well as I had hoped, but that didn't hinder me from enjoying it. My Daylight Monsters was just creepy enough to keep me engaged and intrigued about the big twists. The friendship between Mary and Lacy was very sweet, I only wish that there was more detail put into all of the relationships and backstory of Mary's life before coming to the hospital. However, being a novella, it makes sense that this was just a glimpse into Mary's world. I do believe that I will be checking out the full novel in this series by Sarah Dalton. Recommended to those of you who like a mild creep factor and strong heroines.
editorsansserif's review
4.0
This novella was suspenseful and well-crafted, making it a quick and delightful read.
The plot of the novella was well-designed, and while at first you may think little of Mary's condition, the breadcrumbs are laid out for the reader from the start that there is more to her view of the world than what others see. The core characters are memorable and well-developed, although some side characters are left a little hollow or underdeveloped. Still, from the point of view of a teenage narrator, this is generally acceptable, and every character interaction remains thought-out rather than cliche.
The pace of the book requires a special mention. The prologue of the novella is intense, but the story afterward takes a much slower pace before building into a crescendo of action, character development, and resolution. The end of the novella was particularly bittersweet, and will definitely leave you wanting more.
The plot of the novella was well-designed, and while at first you may think little of Mary's condition, the breadcrumbs are laid out for the reader from the start that there is more to her view of the world than what others see. The core characters are memorable and well-developed, although some side characters are left a little hollow or underdeveloped. Still, from the point of view of a teenage narrator, this is generally acceptable, and every character interaction remains thought-out rather than cliche.
The pace of the book requires a special mention. The prologue of the novella is intense, but the story afterward takes a much slower pace before building into a crescendo of action, character development, and resolution. The end of the novella was particularly bittersweet, and will definitely leave you wanting more.
sjj169's review
3.0
This would be a perfect October dark night read. Mary Hades' parents and doctor decide she needs some time in the local psychiatric hospital. Reading as Mary's character I wondered why? She seemed stable to me. Then she starts admitting to seeing a "skeleton man."
Once Mary realizes something is off about the hospital she starts "cheeking" her meds.
She and her roommate Lacey decide to dig deeper and find out what's going on.
This is a novella that turned into a series of books. I'm intrigued enough to watch where the author goes with these.
I received an arc copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
"So, kiddo, what's it like in the loony bin? What have you been getting up to? Nurse Ratched been sending you for the ECT yet?" Dad says. Mum shoots him a hard stare the could kill the happiest unicorn in the world stone dead with pure fear.
Once Mary realizes something is off about the hospital she starts "cheeking" her meds.
She and her roommate Lacey decide to dig deeper and find out what's going on.
This is a novella that turned into a series of books. I'm intrigued enough to watch where the author goes with these.
I received an arc copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
liibookaddict's review against another edition
4.0
I didn't know much about this novella when i got to it and I'm glad that was so.
This book was phenomenal. I must admit that I'd started slow but then it picked up really nicely and I couldn't stop reading.
Mary was a lovely character. She didn't annoy me one bit which usually happens in this sort of books because the characters tend to see themselves as victims. Mary didn't do that at all. She kept to herself most of the time and tried to figure out why things were happening to her.
I think this was a fantastic beggining to a series and I hope to read it soon.
All in all I really liked this novella.
This book was phenomenal. I must admit that I'd started slow but then it picked up really nicely and I couldn't stop reading.
Mary was a lovely character. She didn't annoy me one bit which usually happens in this sort of books because the characters tend to see themselves as victims. Mary didn't do that at all. She kept to herself most of the time and tried to figure out why things were happening to her.
I think this was a fantastic beggining to a series and I hope to read it soon.
All in all I really liked this novella.
limabean74's review
4.0
My Review:
I was about to read Mary Hades when I realized you had to read this book first. I am so very glad I did. I think this books was fantastic it has an insane story and a great amount of creepy.
Mary is going into the psychiatric unit of the hospital, things haven't been the same since the fire that killed her friend and now Mary sees…well...dead people sort of. Strange things are happening but it gets even stranger when she gets into the hospital now Mary is not only trying to get better but she is also fighting for her life.
I felt so bad for Mary, she is seeing these creepy things (as she calls them) and she knows she is not insane but she doesn’t know whats happening and she just wants to get better so she can go home. I LOVED her roommate Lacey, even thought she has some issues she is a hoot. I loved the chemistry they had together especially as you get closer to the end of the book.
The story build and her details are amazing it was creepy and emotional. The end scene is my favorite and was what got my heart pumping as I prayed everything would work out for the characters. This was a great start to this series, I was excited to read Mary Hades even before picking up this novella and when I was done I wanted to read it even more.
I gave My Daylight Monsters a 4.5 stars, loved the characters and story. I think my only issue was I wanted more of the stories form the characters and a little more detail before the end. I completely recommend and I do think you should read this before Mary Hades.
Thank you so much for stopping by to check out my review
Hope you have a great day and Happy Reading!
bookish_satty's review
5.0
I got his book from the author, free of cost, in exchange of an honest review from my side.
Firstly I would like to thank Sarah Dalton, author of My Daylight Monsters, for giving me this opportunity of reading and reviewing this book.
Oh my God, what a great read but terrifying as well. I really enjoyed this story a lot and the horror scenes really scared me like hell. I couldn't sleep that night, fearing that the same Things will haunt me too. It’s that scary, folks. Try it and you’ll know. I would have loved if this would have been a full-length novel instead of a novella but the author managed to pour her heart and soul within these few pages and make it a fast-paced and totally intriguing read.
Here we meet Mary (protagonist) who on the basis of the prescription of her doctor visits a psychiatric ward of a hospital for a couple of days and the horrific moments of her life takes place there. With the increase in the death toll of the patients and her own hallucinations and visions she is torn between the actual fact and her delusions. Is she really crazy or there is something that haunts the ward and the corridors at night?
The author really did a great job and kept the readers confused as well. Sometimes I felt that she may really be crazy but the other times I believed her. The dialogues are really crisp and clear and totally soul touching. I have read and reviewed the Blemished Trilogy of this author and became a fan of her writing and I’m glad to say that she did it again; she mesmerized me by her awesome writing style. There is suspense and thick mystery that will make you chomp on your nails in fear and anticipation. The ending was really unpredictable and I loved the little shocking surprises that the author presented me with on intervals. Overall a great and must read for ya all and I’m sure it will spook you and will chill you up to the very core.
Firstly I would like to thank Sarah Dalton, author of My Daylight Monsters, for giving me this opportunity of reading and reviewing this book.
Oh my God, what a great read but terrifying as well. I really enjoyed this story a lot and the horror scenes really scared me like hell. I couldn't sleep that night, fearing that the same Things will haunt me too. It’s that scary, folks. Try it and you’ll know. I would have loved if this would have been a full-length novel instead of a novella but the author managed to pour her heart and soul within these few pages and make it a fast-paced and totally intriguing read.
Here we meet Mary (protagonist) who on the basis of the prescription of her doctor visits a psychiatric ward of a hospital for a couple of days and the horrific moments of her life takes place there. With the increase in the death toll of the patients and her own hallucinations and visions she is torn between the actual fact and her delusions. Is she really crazy or there is something that haunts the ward and the corridors at night?
The author really did a great job and kept the readers confused as well. Sometimes I felt that she may really be crazy but the other times I believed her. The dialogues are really crisp and clear and totally soul touching. I have read and reviewed the Blemished Trilogy of this author and became a fan of her writing and I’m glad to say that she did it again; she mesmerized me by her awesome writing style. There is suspense and thick mystery that will make you chomp on your nails in fear and anticipation. The ending was really unpredictable and I loved the little shocking surprises that the author presented me with on intervals. Overall a great and must read for ya all and I’m sure it will spook you and will chill you up to the very core.
jdhobbes's review
5.0
A fast read, but absolutely terrifying! The atmosphere is perfect and the entire story is chilling. I hope to read much more from this author.
faithdarlingbooks's review
This actually reminded me a lot of Donnie Darko, just in bits and pieces. It was a good, short, creepy read and I'm looking forward to reading the next Mary Hades story.
jeanz's review
4.0
INITIAL THOUGHTS
I decided to read this novella as a distraction from another book I was reading and having problems getting into. I have been wanting to try reading something by Sarah Dalton for a while, I do have the first book in her The Blemished series sitting on my kindle awaiting me reading it. When I saw this novella and the first book of the Mary Hades series available on Netgalley I couldn't resist, so I requested them and received them within a few hours. I honestly don't usually read "horror" as a genre but there was something about this series drawing me to it. Which is why I decided to read the novella as an introduction to the series.
MY REVIEW
I received a free e-copy of this novella via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. The cover features a young female looking out over a field, with a rather stormy looking sky, flinging what looks like a wrap or shawl of some sort in the air. Would the cover make me pick up the book in a book store? I think I would pick it up to learn more about it.
The main character is Mary Hades, her parents are taking her to hospital. Both her parents and Mary are worried about her going into hospital they know she needs to go in because of how she handled what is referred to as an "incident", she hasn't been "right" since. Mary has "visions" and is naturally very scared of them. The visions come along in the day time too, not just at night. Mary is going to be staying on the Magdelena Ward whilst her medication is worked out. Mary meets the other teens on the ward who have a wide variety of "problems from Yasmeen and Anka who are anorexic, Helen, a depressed over eater to Natalie who regularly attempts to commit suicide, and some of the male teens are Frankie who just screams and screeches out for no apparent reason and Tom who has a borderline personality disorder. They all have their own issues that they are trying to learn to live with by spending time on the Magdelena ward at the mental hospital. The main nurse on the ward is Nurse Frances Granger, she attempts some humor to appear to be "down with the kids" on the ward. Mary's bag is immediately removed even though her mother insists that it doesn't contain anything Mary could harm herself with. The hospital still goes through the bag. Mary says a difficult goodbye to her parents with the promise she can just stay for the one week. Nurse Granger shows Mary around the ward, the community area, the therapy rooms, and the hatch where Dr Gethen hands out everyone's medication from. Then Mary is shown her room that she has to share with Lacey Holloway. Lacey is manic and talks non stop, never even giving Mary time to talk, not that Mary wants to talk.
Mary finds some of the other patients really odd, the way they are playing a game with chocolate and crisps as currency. Mo seems to be in charge of the game that is being played. When Mary asks more about it, she finds out that they are guessing about how many deaths there will be in the week. as the Magdelena Ward is opposite a palliative care ward. Mary thinks the occupants of Magdelena ward all seem to have a camaraderie and a morbid sense of humor, but Mary does fit in quite easily. I also enjoyed the interactions between Mary and Johnny, though I did guess what was so "special" about him before it was revealed in the novella.
As I have said previously within this review the book is very different to my normal reading, but I did find myself really enjoying it. Sarah Dalton's description of the dreary, gloomy looking hospital as Mary views it through the pouring rain really has you visualizing it. The detailing within the description of how her mum uses an umbrella in the rain, yet her dad just sort of hunches over and pulls his jacket collar up as men do when its raining heavy. I grew attached to Mary's roommate Lacey, the way she talked and talked constantly, making up for how quiet and withdrawn Mary can be.
So did I enjoy the novella? I really did enjoy the novella from beginning to end. The novella definitely made me want more. . Would I recommend the novella? Yes, even if you think it's not your usual reading comfort zone , give it a try. I wasn't sure I would like it with it being categorized as horror and I ended up being pleasantly surprised. Would I want to read more of this series? Undoubtedly yes. Would I want to read more books by Sarah Dalton? I am absolutely going to checkout her dystopian series called The Blemished as well as more of this, Mary Hades one too.