Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Review: A Madness So Discreet by Mindy McGinnis

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24376529-a-madness-so-discreet
A Madness So Discreet
by Mindy McGinnis
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Publication Date: October 6th 2015
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Pages: 384
ISBN: 9780062320865
Genre: Young Adult | Historical | Mystery-Thriller
Source: Edelweiss

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Grace Mae knows madness.

She keeps it locked away, along with her voice, trapped deep inside a brilliant mind that cannot forget horrific family secrets. Those secrets, along with the bulge in her belly, land her in a Boston insane asylum.

When her voice returns in a burst of violence, Grace is banished to the dark cellars, where her mind is discovered by a visiting doctor who dabbles in the new study of criminal psychology. With her keen eyes and sharp memory, Grace will make the perfect assistant at crime scenes. Escaping from Boston to the safety of an ethical Ohio asylum, Grace finds friendship and hope, hints of a life she should have had. But gruesome nights bring Grace and the doctor into the circle of a killer who stalks young women. Grace, continuing to operate under the cloak of madness, must hunt a murderer while she confronts the demons in her own past.

In this beautifully twisted historical thriller, Mindy McGinnis, acclaimed author of Not a Drop to Drink and In a Handful of Dust, explores the fine line between sanity and insanity, good and evil—and the madness that exists in all of us.
(Goodreads)
A Madness So Discreet is the very first book I've read by the super talented Mindy McGinnis, although I've had her previous books, Not a Drop to Drink and In a Handful of Dust on my to-be-read list for quite a while now. Not only did the story sound awesome, but the cover is just absolutely stunning. I was super excited to finally read something by McGinnis, as I'd heard nothing but good things about her books. I definitely was not disappointed with this book!

The main character in the story is Grace, a young girl who holds too many secrets, and one in particular that lands her in an insane asylum. But Grace is not insane; not even close. Instead she is super smart, is given the opportunity to prove so when she is discovered by a doctor who is visiting the asylum. I found Grace to be a very interesting and unique character. You couldn't help but love her for all the things that she has been through in her young life, and the more these secrets come out as the story goes along, the more you will grow to love her.

Not only is Grace a great character, but there are so many other wonderful characters in the story that you will grow attached to. Of course, there will be some that you will absolutely hate with a passion, but the ones that you will love will completely overwhelm you with how awesome they are.  There are almost too many to mention, so go read the book and meet them for yourself!

The storyline for the book was quite addictive and completely engrossing. I didn't really know what to expect when I first started the book, and I found myself surprised by the direction the book takes. At first, the storyline had one sort of feel to it, then it took a turn and had a completely different feel to it. I enjoyed that McGinnis kept me guessing as I turned the pages.

I really loved the historical parts of the book, although some things were completely terrifying. Like the face that it only took a male family member and a judge to determine that a woman was 'insane', and therefore could be locked away for the rest of her life. So. Not. Cool. And then there are the asylums that were mentioned in the stories, one in which was absolutely horrible. I can't even imagine a place like that existing, although, sadly, I'm sure it did during this time period.

Overall; A Madness So Discreet has it all; a great storyline, wonderful characters, and a stunningly gorgeous cover. I'm so glad I added this book to my collection, and now I'm pretty excited to read more by McGinnis as soon as possible!!
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2 comments:

  1. My kinda book ..... I will definitely get this soon. Grace looks to be a great and the cover is simply gorgeous enough to entice me.

    Great review :)
    Aparajita @Le' Grande Codex

    ReplyDelete
  2. OOoh nice! I've been meaning to start McGinnis's books as well. Needless to say I have them all now! LOL! Great review!

    ReplyDelete

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