Review: Asylum by Madeleine Roux.

Book: Asylum

Author: Madeleine Roux.

Pages: 310

How Long it Took Me To Read: 2 days..rather 2 sittings.

Plot Summary: For sixteen-year-old Dan Crawford, New Hampshire College Prep is more than a summer program—it's a lifeline. An outcast at his high school, Dan is excited to finally make some friends in his last summer before college. But when he arrives at the program, Dan learns that his dorm for the summer used to be a sanatorium, more commonly known as an asylum. And not just any asylum—a last resort for the criminally insane.

As Dan and his new friends, Abby and Jordan, explore the hidden recesses of their creepy summer home, they soon discover it's no coincidence that the three of them ended up here. Because the asylum holds the key to a terrifying past. And there are some secrets that refuse to stay buried.

Featuring found photos of unsettling history and real abandoned asylums and filled with chilling mystery and page-turning suspense, Madeleine Roux's teen debut, Asylum, is a horror story that treads the line between genius and insanity.

General Thoughts and Review: I heard of this book a while back and it was also a recommendation on GoodReads and it seemed that is just perfect for me. Creepy dorm? Ghosts? Asylums? Criminally insane? What't not to love?! I just had to read it! 

For most part this book is just what it claims to be: a fun, intense, spooky read. I liked the pace and the use of pictures to aid the story. Some might find it gimmicky, the use of pictures in books, but I just love it. If done right it can really add to the story. In this book, as the three friends find new clues and see new things, we the reader, also see them via these black and white pictures. I just loved it! 

I also loved the setting and the writing...sure sometimes it seemed more middle grade than Young Adult, in the sense that the writing is sometimes simplistic. It didn't take away from me enjoying the book. 

The mystery was good too...I guessed some of it, and the rest of it was revealed at a decent enough pace. 

There was also a mystery behind Dan's life and we find out more as the book progresses- this was nice added element to the plot. 

I liked the way in which the friends went about investigating and none of their efforts or interest for that matter seemed forced. In some books the characters get involved in the spooky scenarios for no good reason. This book was different, these three get pulled into the freaky things in almost believable ways. 

The characters were nicely etched out and came across as real and normal. I especially liked Jordan, it's not very often in YA literature that you find a gay character who is going through something difficult with his family. I also liked equation between the three friends and their chemistry. I liked Abby too. I liked Dan the least...I actually didn't like him very much. He is sorta insecure, clingy and reallllly whiny! I found him fairly irritating. 

The book was overall an enjoyable experience and I think there is a second book coming out this year, which makes sense because a lot of things were left unexplained. I am going to read the second book as I did enjoy this one and I am curious to see where the story goes. 

Rating: 3.5/5