Review: Interesting Concept, Slow Pace
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 07 18, 2013
I was so excited to read this book and the sequel Tunnelville.  I've read other similar books where teens are "institutionalized" only to discover later they have special talents/gifts, and I wanted to see how this series developed. The two main characters Max and Astrid are forced into a mental institution without real explanations of the rationale behind this action. Both are orphans, Max "apparently tried to kill himself" and Astrid is extremely logical and analytical and apparently asked too many questions around her Aunt, so she is shipped off to Wakefield as well. Both try hard to fit in, but how do you fit into a "crazy ward" when you're actually sane? Wakefield isn't all it seems either. While most of the patients do have bi-polar, schizophrenia, anxiety, etc some actually believe they have "superpowers".  How  are Astrid and Max supposed to believe anyone when everything does sound truly crazy?I think the author did an excellent job of fleshing out the characters in Wakefield, especially the main characters of Max, Terry, Astrid, Simon, Azrael,  and Ally. Also the adults, Eduardo,  Dr. Lycen,  Anthony and Clarissa. You either liked the characters or hated them. I've worked in the medical field for over a decade and in these types institutions, so I found the characters to be relatable (unfortunately even the sadistic ones).  While I enjoyed getting to know the characters, it took about 90% of the book before any real action happened. The mundane everyday routines took up the majority of the book. Yes, the teens did try to escape at one point, but that was glossed over in a few pages. The ending was where the characters and readers began to get a smidgen of an idea of what was happening.  The book ended with a slight cliff hanger, but nothing earth shattering.If I had downloaded this for free, I wouldn't have bothered to get the second book since the pacing of this book was so slow. However, I already had the second book and I dove right into it. It was more interesting than Wakefield, but you'll have to read the review for Tunnelville to find out anything else.Pros: Intriguing concept *****SPOILER ALERT-I liked that not all of the kids had superpowers, it set this book apart from others in the same genre*****END SPOILER ALERT, I liked that it dealt not only with superpowers/magic but also real mental health issues because it gave the characters more depth and had the reader discerning fact from fiction. Callahan is very good at fleshing out her characters which definitely drew me into the story.Cons: The pacing of this storyline was incredibly slow. Both Wakefield and Tunnelville could easily be fit into 1 book.  The plot isn't moved forward by most of the pages and interactions between characters, it simply seemed to fill up space. At the end of book one the reader discovers something much larger than just Wakefield is involved, however even that isn't fleshed out in the 2nd book.In my opinion, Callahan has true creativity and the ability to create wonderful characters. However, I think she will need to work on the storyline of her books to keep her readers engaged. The pacing in both books is very slow and the secrets of H.G. need to be explored and brought to the forefront so the characters are actually doing something proactive.I was offered a free copy of the book for my unbiased review.