Review by grumpyreading - The Locked Ward

grumpyreading 's review for:

The Locked Ward by Sarah Pekkanen

3.0

dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

🔒 The Locked Ward by Sarah Pekkanen 🔒

MY RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Accused of murder, adopted heiress Georgia Cartwright is locked in a psychiatric ward. Her twin Amanda doesn't trust her—but when Georgia pleads for help, Amanda must decide: uncover a family’s dark secrets or fall into her sister’s deadly trap.

I was so excited for a new Sarah Pekkanen, and was grateful to receive an ALC of The Locked Ward. really enjoyed the concept of this book and I was curious about what was going to happen in each part, however, this wasn’t my favourite by her. I found it took me a while to get into the story and at times it felt slow, though it did pick up around the last third of the book. I felt some of the red herrings confused a bit of the story (not the suspense), and some of the characters and pieces didn’t seem fully flushed out and didn’t offer much in the story. Overall, this had some suspense and drama and I enjoyed the plot and the writing, but think there were some details and pacing challenges that didn’t suit my taste.

Read this if you like:

questionable narrator
complex dynamics (family, political)
uncovering the truth

Vibes: 🏥💉🩸👯‍♀️💸❓🤫

Song that matches the vibe: Game of Survival by Ruelle

Full review including content warnings on my StoryGraph.

The Locked Ward is out August 5th, 2025! Thank you NetGalley, Sarah Pekkanen, and Macmillan Audio for the ALC. This ALC was provided in exchange for an honest review.

Content Warnings