Reviews

The Institute by Stephen King

elizaxmb's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

“I loved having friends”

jaredwill_'s review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

My review of any King novel should come with the disclaimer that i read so much of his work as a child his style feels like coming home.
I kept being stopped with a singular question. What kind of people would kidnap children, abuse them, separate them from their families with no expectation of ever returning them, and feel like they're the good guys for doing it?
Once, this would have made this book too unrealistic, now it's far too real. This book could be titled the Trump Institute and it wouldn't be any more on the nose.

darrow_in_exile's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

m0rpheus's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

I've been a fan of thriller stories for a while and this one doesn't dissapoint. The story in this book is not new. It's actually pretty simple. It's about some crazy scientists who kidnap children with special abilities and do some research on them. If you've seen Stranger Things, you'll get the idea pretty much. But that doesn't mean that this book is not good. You don't always need a completely original story to make a good story. Sometimes, you can take what's already existed and improve on it and probably make a better version on it.

The Institute by Stephen King is definitely a must-read. I recommend reading it if you like Stephen King or thriller in general. Though it's pretty thick, the chapters are short, so you can read it bits by bits in your busy schedule.

Give this book a shot and tell me what you think.

lilygracekay's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced
  • 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

5.0

eileenrwerst's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

alvarezmn's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

The ending was so good, the story was unique and I enjoy Stephen’s writing. I’m stuck between 3 & 4 stars, but I think I ultimately give it a 3.5. No matter how good this was, felt like it dragged out and was way longer than it needed to be.

demiag's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

lhart2222's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

5/5

This was my first Stephen King book, going into it I was slightly sceptical. Thinking is he only popular because he’s well known and has grown off that. Well I can safely say, Stephen King is a well know and popular author, because he writes very good stories.

Luke Ellis is a supremely intelligent 12-year-old, tipped for great things and on the cusp of two of the countries top universities. But his clever brain isn’t his only gift, he has the very slight ability to perform telekinesis. He awakes one night to what appears to be a bad dream of him being taken. When he finds himself in his windowless bedroom hours later he begins to realise it wasn’t a dream, that’s when he meets the others. He finds himself in The Institute, a secret facility, with the sole purpose of experimenting on gifted children.

The Institute was a tremendous read, from start to finish. Starting slow, but building nicely into a wonderful crescendo, everything fell into place completing the book like a 1000 piece jigsaw, then seeing the complete picture. The book does a great job of building up to the big moments meaning it comes out like one of Beethoven symphonies and not a drum kit falling down some stairs. A bit slow at times, it made up for it come the end, having you create your own bonds with each character making their outcome mean so much more.

The story itself was great, I’m not usually one to read anything outside the realms of possibility, but this book sounded good and exceeded expectations. So don’t be put off by the science-fiction elements. The story was really easy to imagine and the author did a great job of not throwing all the fantasy parts in your face at once. Easy to follow and thrilling throughout you’ll find yourself reading on and on, with real intrigue and emotion keeping you entertained from page one.

The characters, this is where the book manages to create some really unique developments. The characters stand out in this book, having some take journeys from innocents to hero’s and others being hated throughout. The style made all of them so easy to imagine, making you feel so much when the author was mentioning them.

Overall The Institute was an entertaining book start to finish. Creating images, scenes, and characters in my mind that I truly enjoyed reading about, I had to give it 5 stars. Unique and thrilling I’d highly recommend reading this book.

jmmobley93's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5