In the aftermath of the Big Crash, the President of the United States declares martial law. The National Guard rounds up citizens who are never heard from again. While fear and chaos reign, a small band of revolutionaries rise up to resist.
Lacy Monroe, barely out of high school, never saw herself as a leader. All that changed after the Big Crash. When the rest of her family fled, she remained on the farm, the last piece of land in the state holding out against the hostile government. Alone and vulnerable, she endures a horrific attack, yet survives and offers sanctuary to others like herself—until an old friend turns her world upside-down.
Jace Cooper has harbored a secret for years—he is completely in love with his best friend’s sister. The world is crumbling around them, no one knows how long they will survive, and all he wants is to protect Lacy and stay with her.
With the National Guard circling ever closer, hunger and sickness taking a toll, and betrayal and jealousy threatening to destroy the group from the inside, the struggle to hold onto the farm pushes them to the brink. And Lacy is keeping a secret so devastating it could drive Jace to unthinkable actions. Is the farm a safe asylum—or will the fight for freedom destroy them?
I've been a little behind on my reading plans due to several reasons and it's taken me a while to finish up my last two books.
I had planned on reading Ascendant by Susy Smith first, but it turned out that Asylum was its prequel so I put it off to read this one first and I'm already behind.
As a whole, the book contains most elements needed to make a story succeed, a rape, the Big Crash which has brought uncertainty, chaos, lack of services and/or food, despair and more, but among all that there's also the power of survival, resilience and love. Will such qualities be enough to make it all fall into place? There may be more involved but only by following the path of Lacy and Jace will we be able to find out what that may be. There may be some other interests involved as well.
To be a debut novel I feel it met its purpose as it kept me going until the end, but Lacy and Jace's story is far from over so there won't be any finding out until I get to read Ascendant.
Although I empathized with Lacy's situation (no person should ever go through what she did) I was not really that keen on her.
In any case, I believe most of you who are into thrillers will find this as a most enjoyable reading experience so give it a go!
This book had the best plot!! I loved it and I loved this book. It was very well written. This is one of my favorite books I read in 2023. I couldn’t put it down.
WOW! For a debut novel, Asylum by Susy Smith has knocked it out of the ball park. I am impressed and will be marking her as a must read author. I rarely buy books any more, but I had to have Asylum. The cover, title and synopsis has everything I need to lure me in. I am eager to see what she comes up with next.
Asylum immediately brought to mind The Walking Dead, without he zombies. It also reeks of real life possibilities. With an economic collapse, marshal law is declared. Think about it. I sure have.
A farm. A 19 year old girl. A sanctuary. Secession. Labor camps. Brother against brother. Jace and Zach are brothers of murdered parents. Complete opposites.
How do you help someone, when you can’t help yourself? You JUST DO IT. Even in doubt, Lacy moves forward.
Jace had always had a thing for Lacy and so does Travis, the first person to join her in the sanctuary. A love triangle. I know some people don’t like them, but in this world, it fits perfectly.
I was immersed in Asylum by Susy Smith from the opening pages and it never let me go. Through the entire book, shades of real world history came to life. I kept thinking…could this happen in our current world?
I smiled. I cried. I loved. I hated.
Susy Smith did an amazing job on her debut novel and I will be keeping my eye on her.
Thank you Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) for allowing me to read and review Asylum by Susy Smith on NetGalley.
Published: 08/10/21
Stars: 2.5
Nice story that is reminiscent of Red Dawn (A movie.).
The genres New Adult, Romance, and Sci Fy Fantasy are concerning. The characters ages range from teen to mature and older. The conversations were juvenile amongst the "New Adults" and the romance was embarrassingly awkward. My hope was New Adult was more mature than Young Adult. Given the fantasy world they were surviving the temper tantrums of 20 and 30 somethings throughout the book was noticeable. The "you can't tell me what to do and you are not my boss" ruined it.
Smith had a good idea; however, the dialogue was poorly executed.
Asylum by Susy Smith was a high 4 stars. This NA, sci-fi romance is the author’s debut novel and book one of a series. I was excited to start this and enjoyed the characters and plot. I guess my favorite part was the romance and I can’t wait for book 2. The whole thing had sort of a walking dead vibe with no zombies. And Jace was an alpha male and everything I like in a man. I do recommend it. Thanks IBPA via NetGalley.
You know when I read the summary for Asylum I wasn’t quite sure what to expect and what I did expect was not what was between the pages. After giving it a little more thought I guess that the summary described the story well but it does leave a lot to be revealed.
Asylum took me on a different path than I was anticipating but that was alright as I enjoyed the ride tremendously. Asylum swept me up in a whirlwind and pulled me into its depths from the very beginning as Lacy was being attacked. I didn’t find out who Lacy’s attacker was until well into the book. Although I do believe I guessed who it was long before the ending came into view.
Asylum took off like a rocket and never let up from the first page to the last with plenty of twists and turns in between that had me racing to the end not being able to close the book for one second until I had read it all. Just the suspense alone is enough to keep those pages turning.
In ways Asylum, I reminded me of The Twilight Saga (which I loved). The reason being is that Lacy had two guys who were in love with her. Both guys wanted and tried to protect Lacy. A lot of the time it was from each other. But I don’t think she needed protection from either guy. I can’t say which guy I was rooting for as I liked them both equally.
With all that Lacy went through, she didn’t let it affect who she was or her heart. Lacy had this great big heart. Lacy had a farm that belonged to her grandmother. After the crash, Lacy took in a lot of people who had nowhere else to go or no one left as they were all alone and gave them shelter on the farm. All she asked from them was that they pulled their weight around the farm, and do their part by pitching in and helping out with all the chores.
I would like to recommend Asylum to all dystopian and romantic fans! Be aware that Asylum may not be for everyone as it does contain a rape scene. Grab your copy of Asylum today!
Asylum by Susy Smith Earc:NetGalley Publisher: Author Susy Smith, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Titles Publication Date: 10 August 2021 Genre:Romance, Sci-Fi and Fantasy, New Adult For all that Lacey has been through, she has never let herself be who she was or her heart.Lacy had this big heart. Lacey had a farm owned by her grandmother. After her crash, Lacey took in many people who could not leave because they had nowhere else to go or she was all alone, giving shelter to the farm. All she asked of them was that they do their part on the farm and help out with all the chores. I recommend Asylum to all dystopian and romantic fans! Please note that Asylum is not for everyone because it contains a rape scene.Get your copy of Asylum today! You know, when I read the Asylum overview, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. The writing between the pages was not what I expected. After some more thought, I think the synopsis describes the story well, but leaves a lot of room.
Asylum took a different path than I expected, but that was fine because I greatly enjoyed the ride.Asylum took me to a hurricane and from the start when Lacey attacked me. was drawn into its depth. I didn't know who Lacy's attacker was until I read on, though I guess I guessed who it was long before I could see the end.
Asylum took off like a rocket and never gave up from the first page to the last.There were many twists and turns along the way.The excitement just turns the page.
What A fast-paced thrill Ride. I love going immediately into a characters life and its even better when you love the character. Lacys life hooked me immediately and i could barely put this down. (Lacy & Jace🖤) Dark, suspenseful intence, and, romance. Absolutely loved it. I can't wait for book 2. I highly recommend this book. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This book was pretty good, but there were a few things that kind of bothered me while I was reading. First, the good:
I liked the concept. It seemed pretty realistic, in today's economic climate especially, that the US stock market could plummet and that the result would be something like the author describes with looting and violence causing the military to have to intervene. I also think she did a good job conveying how horrific it would be to have our freedoms taken away and what lengths people would go to in that scenario (for good and bad). I also really loved Cat's character (aside from the very jarring way she quickly overcame her circumstances when we first meet her)
Unfortunately, I thought the love story was a little meh. I just couldn't buy that Lacy would fall as fast as she did after going through what she does. Especially considering the circumstances. Because of that, I found I was much more invested in Jace's chapters because he, at least, had a valid reason for loving Lacy so quickly and it didn't feel too forced.
My one big complaint would have to be the jarring writing style (which maybe is the actual underlying issue with the two comments above). It could just be me, but I found myself having to keep rereading and backing myself up to see if I missed something with how quickly the characters would move from this to that in a particular scene. I could probably have caught up to it, but it felt like it wasn't always written that way either. Like, sometimes the author would describe everything in detail and you would get a play by play and then BAM, they are doing something completely different with no segue.
Anyways, all in all it was a solid 3 star read for me. I think there was definitely room for improvement in some areas, but I felt it was a fresh take on dystopian (for me at least) and I really like the spooky vibe that this is actually something that could occur in our lifetime (even though I really hope it doesn't haha). Regardless, it has me second guessing doomsday prepping for sure! :)
Thank you to Netgalley for a free copy of this book for my honest review.
Today I am teamed up with @tlcbooktours and @tlcdiversity for the #asylumbook Tour for #suzysmithauthor This debut book won the author the 2020 Writer Con award, and these are 5 reasons you will like this book:
🍁📚 You enjoy dystopian stories such as Divergent with a present day feel
📚🍁 You like strong female characters with minds of their own not afraid to survive ..like in the Walking Dead without the zombies
📚🍁 You like a second chance at love romance where the Male MC decides in his first scene the only thing that matters is the girl.
📚🍁 You like found family tropes
📚🍁 You wonder what it would be like if the government declares martial law and turns off cell phone towers/ internet and economy has crashed...it was an ominous
🌟⚠️ trigger warnings rape / PTSD / miscarriage
Characters: I loved Jace Cooper..fans of Sons of Anarchy who read this book will see Charlie Hunam as a perfect fit to play this character. He is larger than life , he protects the woman he loves with every breath of his body . He is quick to fight for Lacy , but oozing tenderness when they are alone. Easily one of my fave leading men of 2021, he is the bad boy morally grey man we have been waiting for !
Lacy Monroe is Jace's equal, she is no holds barred a strong woman ready to stand up for her people, her land . You watch her grow up in this book much like Karl in Walking Dead. She goes through every type of trauma only making her stronger and ready to take on the world.
The setting and background of this book immerses the reader in a land where there are states declaring sedition , a President locking up people in labor camps , and our characters are in no Mans land , free land trust. The author did a terrific job making us feel the hunger, the joy in small things, and the fear of military tanks rolling up . This book was a complete cinematic experience that I hope is read for a Netflix adaptation. I can easily see a limited series.
The only minor details that bothered me was Jace could be overly possessive of Lacy, and calling her girl all the time was like nails on a chalkboard for me. But it was his character. I also felt some of the background characters needed more backstory and more fleshing out. I kept flipping back trying to see if I missed learning about people ..but how we learned about them was in the very last moment when they have their "important scene" in the book .. and then nothing more. The background characters kind of hovered till they were important . Otherwise this was an excellent book I read in almost one sitting , and will definitely read the next book by this author..one of my top ten fave debuts of 2021.
Are you ready for an adventure that will take you on a journey through a disintegrated world where chaos reigns supreme? Look no further than Susy Smith's Ascendant, the latest addition to the Asylum series. With its gripping plot and intense storyline, Ascendant promises to leave a mark on your soul.
Smith's Ascendant is a science fiction, fantasy, and dystopia novel that will captivate readers both new to the series and those following it from the beginning. The book explores the lengths people must go to survive in a dystopian world and its aftermath, with an enthralling escape into a fast-paced dystopian world.
With a devoted readership already in place, Ascendant is poised to become a must-read for fans seeking an adventure that will unleash their imagination. Whether you prefer the feel of a paperback or the convenience of an e-book, Ascendant is available in all formats.
Get your copy of Ascendant today and join the countless readers who have already fallen in love with this thrilling and unforgettable series. Don't miss out on this captivating journey through a world of chaos and survival.
Asylum lacks even the barest of comprehensible background stories. It’s a supposed dystopian novel that completely lacks the world building necessary to make it interesting. The characters are thinly developed and the plot is sorely lacking in structure and momentum. Most annoying is the underlying misogynistic tone, especially given the rape of one of the protagonists. The use of “girl” as an “endearment” is beyond annoying, but not surprising given that the male protagonist physically restrains his “love” interest when he doesn’t get his way, attempting to physically force her to listen to him. There is a clear lack of understanding regarding the psychology of intimate relationships. Beyond that however, this was an absolutely awful read. The best I can say is that it isn’t riddled with typographical errors.
I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
I found Susy Smith from a tiktok her daughter posted, with the miracle of social media, I bought the book off Amazon and make a tiktok review @readwithkaley. I am so pleasantly surprised with the dystopian world build Smith put out. At first I was a little confused on certain plot details but as the book goes on and you find out who the monster who hurt Lacy is, at least I felt, absolutely captivated by this book. Jace and his “I love you, girl” moments always had me chuckling. There definitely are some dark parts to this book but the moments Lacy and Jace are together it feels so light hearted like love is supposed to feel. My thoughts: •FUCCCCCC Lacy’s uncle, he is a scumbag. •Lacy shouldn’t of given Dylan a second chance, I would’ve kicked him out. She is a better person than I. •Zach deserved to die. He was a psychopath. Job well done with this book. Candy told me she would keep me updated with the sequel, can’t WAIT until it comes out!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
An interesting take on the Dystopian theme of things. I found the book easy enough to read. The plot is good, and makes the reader consider the possibility of such things happening given the society of today. The one complaint is how quickly Lacy fell for Jace, but maybe I am the only one that found that hard to believe what she went through.
All in all this debut novel was good and leads us into what promises to be a gripping and interesting series. I look forward to seeing how things turn out.
The beginning was kind of awful. I almost DNFed it. I persevered and am glad I gave it a chance. Jace and were so well described and their personalities jump off the page. I took away one star because the ending didn’t deliver in my opinion. It actually had me scratching my head. Is there a sequel? There were loose ends left hanging The cover is amazing and made me look at it again. I received this book from NetGalley and this review is my own.
This book had such an interesting plot! I throughly enjoyed the characters and how well they were thought out. Lace is such a strong woman and I love how well she handles cards that are delt to her. If you’re looking for a bit of a dark, thrilling read with a bit of romance, this book is totally for you!
What a great book. Full of excitment, and suspense, love & loss. Faced with tough times and hard decisions we do what needs to be done and keep going. It is a book I would read again...it is staying in my library.
. . . thriller, mystery, romance, dystopian. It is fast and furious, so buckle up for a great read. A smart, snarky protagonist treks through hell on both a personal and social level. Nice prose, excellent debut.
CHECK TRIGGER WARNINGS On the brink of a civil war, governments are feuding and people are being taken to camps and across borders. A novel full of action, love triangles, tension, desire, betrayal, revenge and controlling governments. A great action suspense read!
This was such a great fast paced read. It was a dark distopian. There was romance, action, labor camps, sanctuary, great characters and economic collapse. With the way our economy is right now it makes it feel almost possible. I highly recommend this one.