Review: The Ward

The Ward by S.L. Grey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**Re-read 10/20**

Holy crap, this was so much better the second time around. Bumping it from 3 stars to 4.5.

Firstly, it made a lot more sense, having already experienced a little of the Downside in The Mall. The place absolutely fascinates me, so this time around I was able to just relax into the utter strangeness of it and really enjoyed how freaky everything was.

This time, the story follows Lisa, a plastic-surgery addict with body dysmorphia, and Farrell, a photographer whose recent fight with his model girlfriend is the last thing he can remember before waking up blind in hospital. Strange things are happening in this hospital, and together, the two are drawn down into a darker world where they will both have to face their darkest fears ...

This was so much creepier than the first book, even already knowing about the freakiness of the Downside. There's something about the vulnerability of being in hospital that amped up the tension, and I really loved how this hospital is just so completely unreliable.

For me, though, the most effective 'horror' aspect to this series is how tempting the Downside actually is. This was particularly strong in this novel, because Farrell is such a jerk he makes the bad guys look like the good guys. I spent so much of this novel rooting for the other side. Lisa is so spineless and pathetic, too, which made me feel so sorry for her, so when she was treated respectfully I really warmed to those characters, and when she stood up for what she wanted, I supported her 100%.

Ever since my first reading of this book seven years ago, the Downside has stuck with me. I'm just so fascinated by this backwards world that values all the things our society looks down on. It's straight up and honest and if you're one of the lucky ones, you're treated with so much respect. The surgical focus of this novel definitely has a lot of questionable activities and freakiness to it, but somehow it just seems okay. The way this novel is written, the Downside seems like a perfectly normal alternative world to be part of. Sure, the unlucky ones don't do so well, but that's just their assigned role. I love the concept, and I love the way it gets me puzzling over it all. This world is an addiction I can't get enough of.

That being said, if you're not expecting the bizarre, this might be a little much. If you haven't read The Mall first, you'll spend a lot of this book trying to work out what exactly is going on. This is not a psychological thriller - this is supernatural horror. This is intriguing weirdness that will draw you in deeper and deeper as you read. I loved it, but it won't be for everyone.


**Original review 10/13**

Really don't know how I feel about this. It held me captivated the entire way through, but for mixed reasons. At the start, it had the makings of a good psychological thriller. About halfway through, it slipped out of reality and had me wondering what exactly it was getting at. Very intriguing ideas, and I loved the character explorations even if the situation was somewhat hard to grasp. Reading some of the other reviews on here it seems this is actually more of a sequel, so I'd probably recommend reading the other book first, as that may lend some more comprehension to the reader. 4 stars for the writing itself, 2 stars for the weirdness factor, thus the three.

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