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A review by gracelozier
Asylum Hotel by Juliet Blackwell
2.0
The first third of this book really grabbed my attention. We follow Aubrey, an architect with a penchant for photographing abandoned buildings. She’s heard of an abandoned hotel called The Seabrink that’s been scrubbed from all media. With some boots-on-the-ground research, she successfully finds the hotel, and a YouTuber named Dmetri who’s also documenting the facility.
After a day exploring the building, the two decide to spend the night together. But when Aubrey wakes up, she discovers Dmetri is dead. His body was found at the base of the cliff her hotel is on, and the local police have labelled it a suicide. The townspeople start telling Aubrey stories about how haunted The Seabrink is, and Aubrey becomes convinced that Dmetri was killed, either by a ghost or someone trying to protect The Seabrink.
The plot starts going downhill as Aubrey decides to investigate his death on her own. There’s 20 different characters introduced in the modern timeline, along with another 10 characters with historical relevance that are included. The bloated cast adds even more complications to an already overly-complex plot. I felt like I needed to have a corkboard and red string to keep everything straight. And after all that mental work, the ending wasn’t scary. It was downright ridiculous.
I was definitely not the best fit for this book, but I think this could still be a great option for other readers. If you’re looking for an almost-cozy psychological horror book, this would be a great pick. Also, if you’re looking for a haunted house book where the house’s vibes are immaculate, this would definitely work!
After a day exploring the building, the two decide to spend the night together. But when Aubrey wakes up, she discovers Dmetri is dead. His body was found at the base of the cliff her hotel is on, and the local police have labelled it a suicide. The townspeople start telling Aubrey stories about how haunted The Seabrink is, and Aubrey becomes convinced that Dmetri was killed, either by a ghost or someone trying to protect The Seabrink.
The plot starts going downhill as Aubrey decides to investigate his death on her own. There’s 20 different characters introduced in the modern timeline, along with another 10 characters with historical relevance that are included. The bloated cast adds even more complications to an already overly-complex plot. I felt like I needed to have a corkboard and red string to keep everything straight. And after all that mental work, the ending wasn’t scary. It was downright ridiculous.
I was definitely not the best fit for this book, but I think this could still be a great option for other readers. If you’re looking for an almost-cozy psychological horror book, this would be a great pick. Also, if you’re looking for a haunted house book where the house’s vibes are immaculate, this would definitely work!