'At 2am, a veil lifts. But what happens when you don't know the time? What happens when the light never goes off? That's what it's like, in the white room. It's limbo. It's neither real nor fantasy. It's not life and it's not death. Time doesn't matter here. I'm not sure what does, really.'

Plot

Mary Hades has never been afraid of the dark. Mary's fears are very real things; illness, physical pain, death. Before long, Mary discovers that the dark makes everything worse. Mary's psychiatrist advises her to have a short stay in a psychiatric ward, but how can she get better in a place that fills her with dread?

Something sinister is stalking the hospital corridors, and the death toll is rising beyond explanation. If Mary wants to survive her stay, and save the other patients too, she must confront the Things that she sees; it's the only way to uncover the truth.

My thoughts

I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for a review, and I read it as part of a Halloween horror book challenge. I found this book to be incredibly interesting, as I've never read a book set in a psychiatric hospital before. I recently watched a horror film set in an old psychiatric hospital,and this was fresh in my mind when I read this, which definitely added to the creepy atmosphere. The descriptions of the hospital and characters are very vivid; I was able to imagine everything, and again, this added to the eerie feeling I got from this book.

Although this only a short book, there's a lot packed into the pages. The pacing is great; it's fast paced without giving away too much too soon. When I've read novellas before, I've found that there didn't seem to be enough time to get to know the characters and get a feel for the setting before the book ended. However, this wasn't the case with this book; the pacing of the book allowed enough time to really get a good image of the setting and characters.

The characters were great in this book. Mary is incredibly brave, she's dealing with a lot of her own problems, but she still feels the need to help the other patients in the hospital. I loved this about her, since she could have just kept her head down until she left the hospital and forget all about the other patients. I also loved the character of Lacey, Marys' roommate. The relationship that they develop over a few short days is great, they laugh and joke together which is incredible, given the situation that they're in.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. For such a short story, the Author has really created something special. The only downside for me is that I want there to be a sequel so I can see what happens to Mary. I'd definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a quick and enjoyable read.

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My Daylight Monsters by Sarah Dalton is a very good story about a gal that sees things that aren't there but they tell her what is going to happen. Her family then put her in a mental hospital. This is the suspenseful story of what happens there! Pretty good! ( )

I have read my share of books set in insane asylums. Heaven knows I don’t want to go there, but I can definitely see its use as a setting; particularly when you want to scare the crap out your readers. That’s what Sarah Dalton does in My Daylight Monsters, a novella that starts the Mary Hades series.

Mary is a typical English teen, except for her ability to see ghosts. Except that isn’t what they are, exactly. They are frightening visions that come to her as harbingers of bad luck. She sees one before a fire at her school kills a girl.

Either way, what makes them so scary is that Ms. Dalton does not really tell us what they are. We see them through Mary’s eyes, and what she sees has scared her so much that she agrees to be committed to the psych ward of the local hospital. There she meets her fellow inmates, who are all well-drawn, particularly Mo and Lacey, who become her best friends. Instead of getting better, however things get progressively worse. Mary’s meds are taking their toll, and the patients at the Terminal Care ward next door are dropping like flies, so much so that the staff is getting worried. Mary and her fellow inmate know that something is wrong, but who is going to believe them? Not only is their sanity questionable, but they are teenagers. All of this works wonderfully. The atmosphere is constantly tense, and scary, as Mary decides that she has to take matters into her own hands, for the people that are dying as well as herself.

One of the real strengths of the story is the balance between the real-world terrors of the psych ward, and the supernatural ones that only Mary can see. It’s a fine line that Ms. Dalton rides masterfully. There are some terrific plot twists that my role prevents me from spilling, and Ms. Dalton does an excellent job in making Mary, and the terrors she has to face, very real. An imposing sense of the weight of things unseen, and definitely malign, hangs over this book. It’s a tricky thing to pull off, but Ms. Dalton does, giving up enough hope to keep the story moving, but reminding us that things don’t always, or even often, turn out all right. Mary comes out at the end scared, scarred, but strong, and definitely sane.

Review by: Mark Palm
Full Reviews Available at: http://www.thebookendfamily.weebly.com ( )

This is a quick read, most likely for older teen readers. Being a very long way from my teens, I still adored this book. The characters are so well written you understand and care about them in a page or two. The young girl who is the protagonist in the story has issues she is attempting to address in a psychiatric hospital for teens. She has both easily recognisable angst as well as an ability to see and interact with the dead, a much more complicating factor. All of the children in the center are both sad and delightful. The story moves fast and I read it in one sitting and it left me wanting very much to know what happened to these kids later on. Here's hoping the author considers a sequel. ( )

I received this book in exchange for my review. I've read a lot of books...this is by far one of the best books ive read. Its a shorter book but its crammed full of excitement and it unraveled quickly but well paced. I hope there will be a sequel for this book! I cant wait to read more of her books. The story was detailed enough to give you the feeling of being there but not so detailed that you get bored of the details. I cant recommend this book enough. It was absolutely such a good book and I didnt want it to end ( )