Hadleigh Keene died on the road leading away from Hollyhock Asylum. The reasons are unknown. Her sister Morgan blames herself. A year later with the case still unsolved, Morgan creates a false identity, that of a troubled housewife named Charlotte Turner, and goes inside.
Morgan quickly discovers that Hollyhock is… not right. She is shaken by the hospital’s peculiar routines and is soon beset by strange episodes. All the while, the persona of Charlotte takes on a life of its own, becoming stronger with each passing day. As her identity begins unraveling, Morgan finds herself tracing Hadleigh’s footsteps and peering into the places they lead.
Goodreads | Amazon
Rating: 1 Star
My Review: When I saw the cover of this book and read the description I was so excited to read it. Unfortunately it seems I committed the sin of judging a book by its cover, and it did not live up to the hype I had given it.
I spent the majority of the 30 pages I read feeling very confused. The timeline of the story was not immediately clear to me and I’m not sure if the story is happening in the 1950’s, 2010’s, or sometime in the future. I was also confused as to who was talking in what chapter, and when the storyline of the FMC’s sister would ever enter the picture. I was to confused and not invested enough to keep on reading.
Review
"Panatier conjures an unsettling mood of suspicion and disbelief from his depiction of the asylum’s cultish caregivers and their oddly ritualized behavior. Fans of paranoid thrillers like Catriona Ward’s Last House on Needless Street will devour this."
– Publishers Weekly
"The Redemption of Morgan Bright is a gorgeous mystery. A layered maze that grants access to the darkness yet shows the reader only enough to put one foot in front of the other as they delve ever deeper into dread. Beautifully told and with perfect pacing, Chris Panatier unveils each piece with deliberation and care, building to a series of jaw-dropping reveals and an ending I never saw coming. This is horror that hits on every level, crafted with an expert hand. I absolutely loved it."
– Laurel Hightower, author of Belowand Crossroads
"Haunting, gorgeously visceral and, frankly, gross – the mysteries of Hollyhock House will keep you pinned to your seat, desperately flipping pages until its secrets are unearthed. You'll never look at a can of cranberry sauce the same way again."
– Lauren Raye Snow, World Fantasy Award Finalist
"The Redemption of Morgan Bright is a dizzying mix of epistolary recollections, sinister encounters and dark, velvety prose laid sumptuously upon the platter of Hollyhock Asylum. Important themes are tackled with Panatier's usual urgency and intelligence. A sharp thorn of a book."
—Gemma Amor, Bram Stoker and British Fantasy Award nominated author of Dear Laura andFull Immersion
"A triumph. Panatier has created a world I never wanted to leave, but by the time I hit the third act, I dreaded turning the page. The Redemption of Morgan Bright is a brutal, beautiful, relentless, and tragic journey into hell. I freaking loved it."
– Sam Rebelein, author of Edenville
“This book kept me up at night, turning pages and seeing shadows out of the corner of my eye. Panatier delivers on a layered horror story that keeps you jumping at every unexpected turn.”
— Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam, author of Grim Rootand Glorious Fiends
“Panatier spins us a tale straight from an alternative America that will haunt your days and nights. This is The Handmaid’s Tale meets Midsommer, an immersive reading experience that will take you deep into the caverns of your own mind to inspect the wriggling, creeping things that lurk in the shadows. How would you transform, in the search for personal peace? And just how far would you travel into darkness to uncover a dark and insidious truth?"
— Caroline Hardaker, author of Mothtown and Composite Creatures
“The disturbingly irresistible pull of The Redemption of Morgan Bright grows out of its many deceptions. Like a Matryoshka doll, Chris Panatier artfully peels off the layers of his character’s mind. A beautifully crafted book.”
— Gabriela Houston, author of The Bone Roots and The Second Bell
“Lack of bodily autonomy, memory gaps, and ghosts are just some of the psychological horrors inside Hollyhock Asylum… every time I thought I’d figured out its secrets, another curveball came along.”
— Reese Hogan, author of Shrouded Loyalties
“The Redemption of Morgan Bright split me in two. Now there is the me before reading this book, and the me after reading it. A terrifying dive into the evil humans can inflict on each other, both while alive and from beyond the grave.”
— Jessica Hagemann Bross, author of Headcheese
“The Redemption of Morgan Bright is one of the best depictions I’ve read of civil commitment, where the most challenging battle is not against the institution, staff, and other patients, but against yourself. If you’ve ever spent time on the inside or know someone who has, you’ll recognize Hollyhock is as real as it gets. And it is terrifying.”
— Michael Carter, author of Boneyard Tales
“A creepy, beautifully written blend of horror and mystery, unraveling like a documentary into some very messed up supernatural and all-too-human nightmares. You will be easily drawn into the quiet hell of Hollyhock Hall, but I can’t promise you’ll make it out again.”
— Dan Hanks, author of Swashbucklers
“A twisted chrysalis of a novel. A book to dissolve the spine and rearrange the guts. Read it and be altered, emerging with the kind of wings that soar best in the dark.”
— Daniel Cohen, bestselling author of The Coldmaker Saga
"A powerful new voice in horror, Panatier skillfully delivers a mind-bending tale that blurs the line between reality and insanity while leaving readers to distinguish fact from fiction. An enthralling story that I didn't want to put down, I'll be thinking about this one for some time to come."
– Shawn Burgess, author of Tears of Grief Hollow
"This was my first time reading Chris Panatier, but it certainly won't be my last. The Redemption of Morgan Bright was a rollercoaster, equal parts Girl, Interrupted and The Stepford Wives, with enough folk horror and emotional weight to grab you by the throat and not let go until the very (shocking but satisfying) last scene, all of it orchestrated by Panatier's sure and steady hand."
– Paul Michael Anderson, author of Standalone and Bones Are Made To Be Broken
"Chris Panatier is a literary lepidopterist who goes-for-baroque with his gothic shocker The Redemption of Morgan Bright, metamorphosing a mindf**k of a novel that's equal parts Shock Corridor and Midsommar. You don't read this book as much as let it cocoon you, consume you, rearrange and change you from the inside out, and when it's done – with you – what emerges from its radiant pages is an altogether altered reader. What a beautiful butterfly of a book this is."
– Clay McLeod Chapman, author ofWhat Kind of Mother andGhost Eaters
– Publishers Weekly
"The Redemption of Morgan Bright is a gorgeous mystery. A layered maze that grants access to the darkness yet shows the reader only enough to put one foot in front of the other as they delve ever deeper into dread. Beautifully told and with perfect pacing, Chris Panatier unveils each piece with deliberation and care, building to a series of jaw-dropping reveals and an ending I never saw coming. This is horror that hits on every level, crafted with an expert hand. I absolutely loved it."
– Laurel Hightower, author of Belowand Crossroads
"Haunting, gorgeously visceral and, frankly, gross – the mysteries of Hollyhock House will keep you pinned to your seat, desperately flipping pages until its secrets are unearthed. You'll never look at a can of cranberry sauce the same way again."
– Lauren Raye Snow, World Fantasy Award Finalist
"The Redemption of Morgan Bright is a dizzying mix of epistolary recollections, sinister encounters and dark, velvety prose laid sumptuously upon the platter of Hollyhock Asylum. Important themes are tackled with Panatier's usual urgency and intelligence. A sharp thorn of a book."
—Gemma Amor, Bram Stoker and British Fantasy Award nominated author of Dear Laura andFull Immersion
"A triumph. Panatier has created a world I never wanted to leave, but by the time I hit the third act, I dreaded turning the page. The Redemption of Morgan Bright is a brutal, beautiful, relentless, and tragic journey into hell. I freaking loved it."
– Sam Rebelein, author of Edenville
“This book kept me up at night, turning pages and seeing shadows out of the corner of my eye. Panatier delivers on a layered horror story that keeps you jumping at every unexpected turn.”
— Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam, author of Grim Rootand Glorious Fiends
“Panatier spins us a tale straight from an alternative America that will haunt your days and nights. This is The Handmaid’s Tale meets Midsommer, an immersive reading experience that will take you deep into the caverns of your own mind to inspect the wriggling, creeping things that lurk in the shadows. How would you transform, in the search for personal peace? And just how far would you travel into darkness to uncover a dark and insidious truth?"
— Caroline Hardaker, author of Mothtown and Composite Creatures
“The disturbingly irresistible pull of The Redemption of Morgan Bright grows out of its many deceptions. Like a Matryoshka doll, Chris Panatier artfully peels off the layers of his character’s mind. A beautifully crafted book.”
— Gabriela Houston, author of The Bone Roots and The Second Bell
“Lack of bodily autonomy, memory gaps, and ghosts are just some of the psychological horrors inside Hollyhock Asylum… every time I thought I’d figured out its secrets, another curveball came along.”
— Reese Hogan, author of Shrouded Loyalties
“The Redemption of Morgan Bright split me in two. Now there is the me before reading this book, and the me after reading it. A terrifying dive into the evil humans can inflict on each other, both while alive and from beyond the grave.”
— Jessica Hagemann Bross, author of Headcheese
“The Redemption of Morgan Bright is one of the best depictions I’ve read of civil commitment, where the most challenging battle is not against the institution, staff, and other patients, but against yourself. If you’ve ever spent time on the inside or know someone who has, you’ll recognize Hollyhock is as real as it gets. And it is terrifying.”
— Michael Carter, author of Boneyard Tales
“A creepy, beautifully written blend of horror and mystery, unraveling like a documentary into some very messed up supernatural and all-too-human nightmares. You will be easily drawn into the quiet hell of Hollyhock Hall, but I can’t promise you’ll make it out again.”
— Dan Hanks, author of Swashbucklers
“A twisted chrysalis of a novel. A book to dissolve the spine and rearrange the guts. Read it and be altered, emerging with the kind of wings that soar best in the dark.”
— Daniel Cohen, bestselling author of The Coldmaker Saga
"A powerful new voice in horror, Panatier skillfully delivers a mind-bending tale that blurs the line between reality and insanity while leaving readers to distinguish fact from fiction. An enthralling story that I didn't want to put down, I'll be thinking about this one for some time to come."
– Shawn Burgess, author of Tears of Grief Hollow
"This was my first time reading Chris Panatier, but it certainly won't be my last. The Redemption of Morgan Bright was a rollercoaster, equal parts Girl, Interrupted and The Stepford Wives, with enough folk horror and emotional weight to grab you by the throat and not let go until the very (shocking but satisfying) last scene, all of it orchestrated by Panatier's sure and steady hand."
– Paul Michael Anderson, author of Standalone and Bones Are Made To Be Broken
"Chris Panatier is a literary lepidopterist who goes-for-baroque with his gothic shocker The Redemption of Morgan Bright, metamorphosing a mindf**k of a novel that's equal parts Shock Corridor and Midsommar. You don't read this book as much as let it cocoon you, consume you, rearrange and change you from the inside out, and when it's done – with you – what emerges from its radiant pages is an altogether altered reader. What a beautiful butterfly of a book this is."
– Clay McLeod Chapman, author ofWhat Kind of Mother andGhost Eaters
About the Author
Chris Panatier lives in Dallas, Texas, with his wife, daughter, and a fluctuating herd of animals resembling dogs (one is almost certainly a goat). He writes short stories and novels, “plays” the drums, and draws album covers for metal bands. Plays himself on twitter @chrisjpanatier. --This text refers to the paperback edition.
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FTC Guidelines: In accordance with FTC guidelines regarding endorsements and testimonials for bloggers, I would like my readers to know that many of the books I review are provided to me for free by the publisher or author of the book in exchange for an honest review. If am compensated for any reviews on this site I will state that post has been sponsored.
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