Book Review: A Madness So Discreet by Mindy McGinnis

Release Date: October 6th, 2015
Read: October 23rd-28th, 2015
Publisher: Katherine Tegen
Series: N/A
Format: ARC, 384 pages
Source: Traded

Description from GoodReads:

   Grace Mae knows madness.

   She keeps it locked away, along with her voice, trapped deep inside a brilliant mind that cannot forget horrific family secrets. Those secrets, along with the bulge in her belly, land her in a Boston insane asylum.

   When her voice returns in a burst of violence, Grace is banished to the dark cellars, where her mind is discovered by a visiting doctor who dabbles in the new study of criminal psychology. With her keen eyes and sharp memory, Grace will make the perfect assistant at crime scenes. Escaping from Boston to the safety of an ethical Ohio asylum, Grace finds friendship and hope, hints of a life she should have had. But gruesome nights bring Grace and the doctor into the circle of a killer who stalks young women. Grace, continuing to operate under the cloak of madness, must hunt a murderer while she confronts the demons in her own past.

Review:

Contains Spoilers:

   Dear child, do you even know all the rage that is inside you?
   I knew I'd love this book since the moment I saw the cover, there was an eeriness to it that just could not be ignored. But by not loving Not a Drop to Drink, I was a bit sceptical about A Madness So Discreet, but I can happily say I had nothing to be worried about.
   A Madness So Discreet is a book full of triggers, from the rape, to mental illnesses, the book brought you to realize many things about our world. The one thing that stood out the most for me was  that one you are labeled insane, because once you are there is no going back. But as we saw from the book, some of the people who were labeled insane, were normal functioning members of society, or to the best of their abilities they were. Elizabeth being a good example, though she talked to 'string' or an imaginary friend, she was sane otherwise. I felt like McGinnis wanted us to see the consequences we cause when we are quick to label people.
   My favourite thing from the book had to be Thornhollow's way of solving mysteries and crimes. Instead of the Who? When? Why? How? Like he mentioned, he would look at the other evidence that could have lead up to the nature of the murder. By studying the human nature and faults, he was able to determine almost the exact reason for the kill. I understand that people do that now a days, but to see it in the light that McGinnis put it was utterly fascinating.
   I found A Madness So Discreet to be highly informational and intriguing, and would love to see how McGinnis depicts other topics and such, later in the future with hopefully more books to come.
   Not a Drop to Drink was not a lively book for me, but A Madness So Discreet was the total opposite, I'm glad to have given the book a chance and can't wait to see what else McGinnis has in store for us in the future! 

Rating:

Favourite Quote:

" It's all blood and darkness, with your throat closed so tight your own death is choking you."

"Sometimes the loveliest places harbour the worst monsters."

"The dead know nothing.
 And the living have secrets."

Recommend to People Who Enjoy:

Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Asylums, Insane People