Series: NA
Author: Amy Lukavics
Release Date: September 2018
Format: Egalley
Pages: 384 per Goodreads
At seventeen, June Hardie is everything a young woman in 1951 shouldn’t be—independent, rebellious, a dreamer. June longs to travel, to attend college and to write the dark science fiction stories that consume her waking hours. But her parents only care about making June a better young woman. Her mother grooms her to be a perfect little homemaker while her father pushes her to marry his business partner’s domineering son. When June resists, her whole world is shattered—suburbia isn’t the only prison for different women…
June’s parents commit her to Burrow Place Asylum, aka the Institution. With its sickening conditions, terrifying staff and brutal “medical treatments,” the Institution preys on June’s darkest secrets and deepest fears. And she’s not alone. The Institution terrorizes June’s fragile roommate, Eleanor, and the other women locked away within its crumbling walls. Those who dare speak up disappear…or worse. Trapped between a gruesome reality and increasingly sinister hallucinations, June isn’t sure where her nightmares end and real life begins. But she does know one thing: in order to survive, she must destroy the Institution before it finally claims them all.
Nightingale was an interesting book. I expected - and wanted - horror. I got Sci-fi. In the end, it was just an alright read for my personal tastes. I've a feeling some people would love this whole storyline though.
June is an interesting character, and you get to know her quite well. I really feel for her, wanting more than just to be a 1950's housewife. She wants to read, write, and travel. Her family is rigid in it's roles, and June wants no part of it. I can't say I blame her.
But one wrong step lands her in an institution. I really expected something different from what I got here. Things were definitely creepy and sinister, and all of that was good.
But where it went wrong for me was the end of the book. It veered off the plot that I was enjoying and went far left. It wasn't like I was caught unaware, there were hints along the way. I had hoped that they would be explained some other way, but that just wasn't the case.
The writing in this book was good. I didn't find myself skipping passages or pages. The world was vivid, and I felt like I was there in the mental institution with June. If you aren't expecting horror, or even thriller, then this might be a good book for you.
Buy It!
