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klpage's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I also feel like because it was just in one location, it felt like as I was reading it, that I felt I was feeling claustrophobic and that I was in the institution.
The murderer reveals did catch me off guard which is very rare!
The last 100 or so pages were very intense.
Some of the violence was graphic and there is a lot relating to mental health and some of the stories of what the killers went through were difficult to read.
Moderate: Pedophilia, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Gun violence, Violence, and Murder
hollyamber's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Whilst I think this would make a great movie, I found the story a bit difficult to follow at times as there were a lot of characters to keep track of! There was more description than I like, but the tension was built well overall, and I liked the setting of the story. It took me ages to finish this though - a bit heavy and slow for me!
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
oceanwriter's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Medical content, Murder, Blood, Forced institutionalization, Death, and Vomit
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, and Suicide
Minor: Pedophilia
gretamitg's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Murder and Mental illness
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Mental illness, Murder, Medical content, Vomit, Violence, Pregnancy, Suicide, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Sexual assault, and Medical trauma
nataliect13's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Violence and Murder
jackierobinson's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Confinement, Body horror, Murder, Pregnancy, Violence, Physical abuse, Death, Gore, Medical content, Blood, Cursing, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Child abuse, Bullying, Kidnapping, Gaslighting, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Sexual harassment, Fire/Fire injury, and Suicide
Minor: Homophobia, Pedophilia, Sexism, and Death of parent
katiewhiteley's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Medical trauma, Murder, Suicide, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Mental illness, and Pregnancy
dogearedbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Death, Blood, Forced institutionalization, Confinement, Murder, Kidnapping, Suicide, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Torture and Sexual violence
soobooksalot's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Helen Fields is now an auto-buy author for me. The description of The Institution had me not even thinking twice about it.
The story is filled with fascinating and off-putting characters; darkness, tension, and action.
It's truly a "trust no one" situation - convicted serial killers in the highest security wing of an isolated island psychiatric hospital. What can go wrong?
This would be a fantastic story to see on screen. Recommended!
(Half a star off because I'm not sure about the ending. Other than write me a sequel posthaste!)
Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Pregnancy, Suicide, Violence, Death, Death of parent, Mental illness, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, and Medical trauma
yvo_about_books's review
3.25
"We give doctors a lot of power. Most of the time, rightly. Occasionally, that's dangerous."
*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Avon in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***
I tend to enjoy Helen Fields' writing and I have a weak spot for thrillers with a serial killer angle as well as a psych ward setting, so it's easy to say that The Institution sounded like a perfect fit. I've been looking forward to pick it up ever since a copy appeared on my kindle... What I sure didn't expect was that I ended up having mixed thoughts instead. It's by no means a bad read and I understand why so many people are loving it so far, but there were also a few issues I couldn't look past personally.
Before I continue, a little warning. While The Institution is technically a stand-alone, it is also the second encounter with main character and forensic profiler Dr. Connie Woolwine, who already appeared in another stand-alone The Shadow Man (along with Baarda). The story itself is completely separate, but I would still recommend reading that one first to have a better picture of the dynamics between the two characters and their background. You can still understand the plot and everything that is going on in The Institution without that knowledge though.
The remote psych ward and prison hospital setting was without doubt one of the highlights of this story for me. The descriptions of the fortress and its surroundings were thorough and made for such an atmospheric backdrop for the plot, and they helped create that ominous vibe perfectly. And this was even before the weather went bad and the huge storm amped things up even further... While the storm and them being cut off from the outside world was a bit too cliche, it sure added a lot of suspense and tension to the plot.
The plot almost had that locked room mystery vibe, with only a limited amount of staff having access to the Heaven Ward and only five prisoners on that same ward... A limited suspect pool, although every single one seems to be a worthy suspect, and the plot gives you reason to doubt them all as Dr. Connie goes undercover and tries to investigate. The psych ward and everything that goes on at the Institution complex in general are both fascinating to read about, and it was another highlight for me.
What didn't work as well for me then? First of all, I had issues with the pace of the plot. Especially the first half was considerably slower than expected, and it took me a long time to get a proper feel for the story. I'm not sure if the story was too descriptive, if things were too dragged out or if it was something else I couldn't put my finger on, but the fact is that I did struggle quite a bit in the beginning. I also felt that the final events were way over the top and simply not credible at all. Sure, once the storm makes its appearance the pace accelerates enormously and the entertainment factor goes through the roof. BUT. It was too much of a change and especially the behavior of the prisoners just wasn't credible at all for me.
I also felt that it was quite obvious who were behind it all, and when you look back at how the plot throws suspicion at everyone on the ward everything is starting to feel a bit too forced. Add the cliches, slow start, lack of credibility and over the top escalation, and The Institution just wasn't as good as I hoped it would be. If the story and pace would have been balanced more evenly, it would probably have been easier to forgive the escalation in the final part... But as it is, it almost seemed like I was reading two completely different stories that weren't glued together properly. I know I'm in the minority though, so don't give up on my account if you think this story is for you.
Graphic: Suicide, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Torture, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Kidnapping, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Bullying, Misogyny, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual assault, and Child abuse
Minor: Pedophilia