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A review by semperlunaris
The Mad Women's Ball by Victoria Mas
3.0
I first got this novel as I wanted to try something different in the historical genre, and honestly I was a bit flat after reading it.
The story's ok, the character's are ok, nothing really made me feel very invested. I think the only over-arching theme was "Women are never safe and will always be preyed upon in the outside world. Women get shafted by family and sent to an asylum for supposed 'madness'. Women are not safe in the asylum and are also preyed upon within the place that is 'keeping them safe'. Very grotesque and uncomfortable to read at points TRIGGER UNDER SPOILER - Personally I read to escape the horrors for women today and back in history, not to be reminded that yes, there's no hope and you're doomed. The real kicker is that the women in the asylum, and outside of it, are not even helped or supported by the other women (with very few exceptions) It's hard to sympathise with the Matron at first because even she doesn't support the women in her care, yet so quite the hypocrite (but I guess that's the point). There's some 6th sense stuff going on with the other protagonist because of course there is.
Overall it was a disappointing read for me, which is a shame as I was very excited by it.
The story's ok, the character's are ok, nothing really made me feel very invested. I think the only over-arching theme was "Women are never safe and will always be preyed upon in the outside world. Women get shafted by family and sent to an asylum for supposed 'madness'. Women are not safe in the asylum and are also preyed upon within the place that is 'keeping them safe'. Very grotesque and uncomfortable to read at points TRIGGER UNDER SPOILER
Spoiler
there is 2 counts of rape happening to a girl described, and 1 count of serious sexual assault mentioned by another womanSpoiler
writes letters to her dead sisterOverall it was a disappointing read for me, which is a shame as I was very excited by it.