I've been meaning to read more Stephen King for a while now, so when I saw The Institute for only £3 I had to grab it - and I'm so glad I did! This book was gripping, heartbreaking and eerie. I buddy read this book with the wonderful @ebbiereadsinbarcelona from Instagram and loved being able to rant between chapters. It certainly made the read more enjoyable, even if it was incredibly difficult to put the book down.

Children across the US are being kidnapped and taken to a secret government facility where they're experimented on. The cruel experiments are used to heighten latent abilities in telekinesis and telepathy. When child-genius Luke Ellis is kidnapped, the Institute may have bitten off more than they can chew.

King certainly is the master of suspense; the first section of the novel focus' on Tim Jamieson's random wanderings. At this point, not much is happening and the novel hasn't really begun yet. But for some reason, you're completely enraptured by it. I got completely hooked from the beginning and really struggled putting the book down.

At the heart of this novel is the importance of friendship. The bonds made between the children, who are united in their suffering, makes them stronger than they ever thought possible. Its only through working together that they have a chance to survive. Luke Ellis has the brains to piece everything together, but its only with the help of the others that he stands a chance of saving them.

The characters are one of the best parts of this novel. You genuinely care about what happens to them and its this attachment which makes the experiments they're put through all the more difficult to read. Despite Luke being insanely smart, he's still a lovable and believable teenage boy. And don't get me started on Avery - he is just too pure. There's so much woven into this, little tidbits that play no role in the plot, that helps make the characters into tangible personalities.

King also raises an important question: what are you willing to do for the greater good? What sacrifices are justifiable? I don't want to give too much of the plot away here, but you may want to skip this paragraph to be on the safe side. For me, you should never bargain with human lives, especially humans unaware of their fate/position as bargaining chips. I'm not sure if that makes me short-sighted or selfish for only caring about the world now and not what may happen in the future.

I am a fully-converted King fan now (please recommend your favourite King novels!) and can't wait to read more of his work. The Institute was a wonderfully quick read, it builds tension perfectly and the characters jump off the page. There's action, humour and heartbreak. It is also uplifting and hopeful. I can't recommend this one enough really - it truly was a brilliant read and is right up there with my favourite reads of the year.

Review on my blog: https://proseamongstthorns.wordpress.com/2020/10/14/the-institute-by-stephen-king-book-review/