review 1: I'm rating this novella 3.5 stars. I'm glad I read this novella after reading Sanctum. It gives me closure on why Cal was the way he was in the book. I feel awful for him.The novella gives you a little bit more info on the secret society Scarlets, which is nice. Sanctum didn't say much about it. It will probably have more face time in book 3.You also get to see how Cal's dad died. The novella is pretty short, 13 mini chapters. Overall I'm glad I read it. It definitely was worth the read. You do get to get some back story. Do you need to read it to make the rest of the books enjoyable? No. Cal is a side character so it's not that big of a deal to know his history, but this may be a prelude to something more in book 3. Maybe Cal becomes more of a main character then, who kn... moreows.Check it out if you like the first two books ;) review 2: *Warning this contains spoiler for the second book in the duology, Sanctum*I should state first that I feel like this is a novella that should be read after you read the two books in the duology. The fact that it came out and is listed as #1.5 is deceiving due to the fact that this contains spoilers for the last book, Sanctum. In my opinion I feel like by reading this novella before Sanctum it will ruin some of the events and actions that take place in Sanctum that can destroy some of the mystery and feel. I do not think I would have liked it as if I read The Scarlets before Sanctum.With all that being said I did enjoy this novella and thought it was a nice addition. I liked the fact that it focused on a different character, Cal and his backstory. I felt like this allowed to see how Cal got to be how he was and explained a little of his personality before the story that happened in Sanctum. I also felt like this novella helped to make a connection with Cal and understand his actions at the end of Sanctum a lot more. This novella was a little creepy, but did not have the same feel the books did. There was a little weirdness and some strange occurrences, but it felt more mystery and suspense than horror.Overall I thought this was a real enjoyable short story that added greatly to the overall duology. It was intriguing and gave you insight into how Cal came to be how he was in Sanctum and also gave some more background to the overall situation and the Scarlets. I feel like this is a must read if you have read the other two books first, but DO NOT read unless you have read Asylum and Sanctum first! less
