SUSY Asylum: Blog Tour Review

SUSY Asylum (Lorne Family Vault, 2) by Michael Pierce, April 25, 2013. 424 pages. Source: CBB Book Promotions.

In SUSY Asylum, there is no release. There is no escape. No hope.

Oliver and Desiree are introduced to the writings of a mysterious blogger, Commodore Chaos, when they return to Provex City to indulge in what the sublime city has to offer. The blogger claims the Lornes are collecting people venturing between the higher planes of awareness and locking them away in a mythical asylum. But are these legitimate concerns for inter-plane travelers or just the ramblings of an anonymous conspiracy blogger?

Oliver looks to Provex City as his only connection to his father while Desiree looks to the city as an escape from the torment of losing her best friend—again. Provex City is a wonder of beautiful treasures, entrancing them to continue returning. But behind the beauty, wolves have continued hunting Oliver, a boy who is still unaware of his importance in the rebellion.

Oliver’s belief is waning. Desiree will not always be by his side. Mr. Gordon will not always come to his aid. Oliver finds himself alone, forced to confront his biggest fears, fight his inner demons, and face the very cold reality that no one is coming to save him.

Welcome to SUSY Asylum.

First Sentence:

The orderlies in black scrubs would be rounding the corner of the hallway at any moment.

Okay, so, after having read SUSY Asylum, the second book in Michael Pierce's Lorne Family Vault series, I am torn on my thoughts on it. I'm just going to be blunt, I liked the second half of the book, but was not too keen on the first half. I have been trying to find the words for this review since I finished it.

The good and the bad of SUSY Asylum can be summed up quite quickly. The first half of the book almost felt unnecessary because nothing really happened...at all. I was extremely frustrated reading the first half because it felt like we were back at square one with Oliver exploring Provex City, but not actually doing anything to progress the story line. While I was generally not to caught up in the plot of the first half of the book, I did enjoy learning more about what happened between Desiree and TJ and how their relationship/friendship spiraled out-of-control. Seeing what happened between them definitely made both of them easier to understand...even though he is now dead.
  So, while the lack of  movement in the plot was disappointing during the first half of the book, the second half of the book was excellent. Where the first half was boring, the second half had action, progression in the plot, and even some character development. In short, you just need to stick it out and get to the latter half of the book and then you'll be hooked. While it had all these lovely things, what really makes the second half good is that Oliver is finally starting to really learn what he is capable of and not relying so heavily on others to point him in the right direction.

Truly, the most epic part of SUSY Asylum would have to be when Oliver is confronted by his mirror first in the asylum and again later in the book. What I really enjoyed about the whole mirror angle to the plot was because it gave the book a slight psychological bent as you saw the darker side of things in Provex City. There is actually a lot I would like to say about the mirrors and the role they played in SUSY Asylum, but that would be telling some of the biggest twists...and you know how I hate spoilers. Just know this, the mirrors, especially Oliver's, clears up on the questions I had at the end of book one.

While I really wanted to enjoy the second installment of the Lorne Family Vault, as much as I liked Provex City, I was a little disappointed because it took forever for anything important to the story line to actually happen. Also, the last reason I had trouble getting into the first half of the book was because I don't really care for Desiree as potential love interest. For me, her character seems, well, too hot and cold and like she's using Oliver to get what she wants-an adventure in a new world and to possible see her dead ex again. If she was just a friend who happened to know his secret then I would probably find little problem with her.
  Again, these are just a couple things that bothered me in SUSY Asylum, so, I leave the final decision up to you on whether or not this book is for you.

Final Verdict: While there may have been some rough points in SUSY Asylum the end of the book has me excited for the next installment. I for one, cannot wait to see what will happen next regarding Oliver's search for his father and how the game will change.

SUSY Asylum earns 4 out of 5 pineapples

Provex City