** spoiler alert ** Kathy Hepinstall's "Blue Asylum" is a set in the South near the end of the Civil War. Iris's husband had her committed to an insane asylum when she tried to run away from him, after having the slaves she took with her shot and killed. Sanibel Island in Florida is the beautiful location of the institution, ran by a doctor who thinks any woman in her right mind would sit doting by her husband, regardless of what he's done. The hospital's residents are an interesting mix of people with all sorts of abnormalities. One patient in particular, a soldier named Ambrose, befriends Iris, their relationship growing under their doctor's jealousy.

What I like:
The author did an excellent job capturing realistic views on the war from different perspectives. The characters were well-drawn and intriguing, even the less likeable ones like Dr. Cowell and the matron. The patients and their disorders were realistic, quirky, and consistent, one of my favorite elements in this novel. I loved the style the first half of this novel was written in, easy and flowing as all the characters were introduced and the setting and plot expanded. Ambrose's Post Traumatic Shock Disorder was very true to life.

What I didn't like: (SPOILER ALERT)
Certain things were left unresolved. Mainly, I wanted to know if Iris was ever granted a divorce and what her husband did when he learned she was out of the asylum; I was very disappointed to close the book without an answer. I was not at all surprised about what Ambrose found under Seth's uniform because the first description of the person pretty much gave that away. Iris's haircut was not at all something a person in her situation would have done, since she was on the run and a woman with a short awful haircut would only attract attention. Also, people on the run, especially an ex-soldier, would not be stupid enough to stay in one location that long when they knew they were being hunted down. It didn't bother me that the creature that bit off Wendell's fingers was left a mystery, but it was unbelievable that the patients were still allowed in the water after that incident; what doctor would risk people in his care losing limbs under his watch? While I didn't read this expecting a flowery romance, the one love scene was anticlimactic and sort of disappointing considering the buildup.