I guess I expected big things with this series because when I finished Asylum I was disappointed. The first few books were good but then they became predictable, gory, yet predictable. I found the death of Germaine Wagner, the librarian, to be very disturbing. I feel as though the last story was rushed. I wasn't that surprised to find who the gift-giving creeper was. It just seemed as though there was too much information crammed into 100 or so pages. I was confusing the Connelly's with each other, and then the Metcalf's, and then the mystery behind Oliver's sister's death was overwhelming. I was also wondering about the birthdate topic; how Oliver's uncle died on his mother's birthday and his birthday, and this was somehow supposed to be a gift?

Absolutely wonderful ending to this series!

This is the last book in a small novel series about a town being cursed by their own asylum

Excellent series. Looking forward to reading more Kohn Saul. Love finding a new author!

Overall, this series was good. The ending of Asylum left quite a bit to be desired IMHO because it was just like, "Ehhhh...we'll let that slide." The premise of the story line was spot on though, I'll say. I really liked the idea of how things came to be.

This was not it..... Sad that it ended this way. What happened? Why?? I have so many questions.. Also the twist was predictable in book 2. So the town just keeps living and not caring about what happened? What about the supernatural aspect of the book? Just gone? This reminds me of those movies where you find out there wasn't a ghost but some one living in the walls.


and I agree with another reviewer - the relationship between Oliver and Rebecca is creepy and not sweet at all.

Great series, can't wait to read his other books.

Hier im letzten Teil der Blackstone Chroniken wurde nun auch aufgeklärt, was es mit den Geschenken auf sich hat und wer dafür verantwortlich ist, dass gewisse Personen damit beschenkt worden sind. Dieser Teil hat mir wieder besser gefallen, allerdings auch hier eine Warnung, es geht um Gewalt an Kindern.

Fazit: Mir persönlich haben die Bücher rund um Blackstone nicht ganz so viel gegeben. Ich mochte die Protagonisten teilweise einfach nicht, zum ersten weil manche einfach nur nervig waren, zum anderen weil die Hörbücher so vertont wurden, dass die nervigen Charaktere auch noch nervige Stimmen erhielten. Auch waren die Geschichten relativ vorhersehbar und nicht besonders spannend. Das macht mir eigentlich sonst nicht so viel aus, aber in anderen Geschichten von John Saul wurde der Mangel an Spannung durch die düstere Atmosphäre und das Unheilvolle wettgemacht. Das hat mir hier leider etwas gefehlt.

a wrap up of a truly eerie series

I found the wrap-up disappointing and I was tired of the formula by the end. Maybe serial novels need to be spaced out instead of read in short succession so you don't get bored with them.

This was good. Enjoyed the serial novel idea as much as I did The Green Mile

I've debated back and forth on what to give this because I'm torn on how I feel about it. For one thing, the pacing was really good. There's also an interesting character, Henry Connolly, who should have been featured more in the other parts because he's the most complete character out of everyone. But the ending to this was just too predictable, and I kind of don't understand why it ended that way. There are still so many questions left unanswered, and this is kind of sad because the lead-up to the ending was well done; the tension and suspense was there for something shocking to happen, yet it never happened, so I'm kind of disappointed with that. I do like the insight we get from Oliver, though. All of the things that he has been experiencing comes to a head, so there was that to look forward to.

Overall, my reading experience was enjoyable with this serialized novel. The plot could have been a bit more complex and the characters could have been deeper, but this scratched that horror itch that I have every so often. I wouldn't mind seeing this being improved and then made into a television show—a miniseries would be perfect. There's a good setting in here that could go in any direction creatively, and I think that's why I feel drawn to John Saul's work even if I have yet to give anything a 4 or 5 Stars. (There's still hope though!) He's got some great ideas and a good writing format for stories. I'm sure I'll pick up another novel of his sometime.

Note: Oh, and there are also some acknowledgments/shout outs to Stephen King at the beginning of the first part, The Doll, as well as at the end of the last part, Asylum, so be sure to read the beginning and ending of those two parts. Happy Reading!