The setting was a seedy section of Boston. It was Charlotte’s sixteenth birthday. She wandered around Boston for almost a week before one of the Collectors discovered her. Despite her protests they transported her to Prime-evil, the foulest asylum on Redwine Hill. Her mother had explained many years ago about an infection that affected teens when they turned sixteen, causing insanity. The government’s solution to the infected teens was to lock them away. At Prime-evil she meets Jared, a guard. He becomes her friend, ally and protector. Prime-evil offers nothing but abuse, pain and danger. Teens die at Prime-evil and Charlotte stumbles onto the reason why. The reader will find themselves wondering if Charlotte is really insane? Who would dismember a human body? Is Jared the caring person he appears to be? What is really happening at Prime-evil?

Red Wine Hill: The Secret at Prime-Evil Asylum was written for Young Adults by Laura Stolmeier. I would consider it a cross between horror and suspense. The lead character, Charlotte C. Carrion, is interesting, strong and self-reliant. Red Wine Hill is well written in a simple but pleasing style. The plot is pure genius in originality. While this book is for Young Adults I think it will appeal to a broader age group. This is the first book I’ve read by Laura Stolmeier but will not be the last.

"Redwine Hill: The Secrets at Primevil Asylum" by Laura Stolmeier creates a dystopian universe of lost souls that young adults and older readers will adore. The idea behind the book is simple yet incredibly original and successful. On their sixteenth birthdays, practically every single teenager succumbs to a damaged gene and goes insane. They are then unceremoniously carted off by the corrupt collectors to, usually, the nearest asylum. Here the youngsters have to work or contribute in some way to earn favours and better treatment until they can hopefully be released. We follow the story of parentless Charlotte who is taken to one of the infamous Redwine Hill asylums, the worst of the worst, where she befriends Serenity and Jared, the guard. Serenity vanishes and Charlotte is determined to get to the bottom of the mystery, no matter how dangerous that might prove to be.

Like the premise behind the book, Stolmeier’s style is deceptively simple. The language and ideas are ideally suited to a YA audience, but conceal complexity and deeper layers. The teenage characters, unlike the adults we meet who are mostly unattractive and untrustworthy, are appealing and show great resourcefulness and resilience in their struggles in the bottomless pit of anguish they inhabit. But it is not all bad. Alongside the repression, distrust and corruption are loyalty, friendship and love. In a nice but non-sentimental touch, two little kittens, usually destined to be served up in the cafeteria, act as a reminder that where there is life, there is hope. This is compelling, exciting reading.