Halloween Read-A-Thon Book Review: Asylum by Madeleine Roux

Asylum by Madeleine Roux

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.

Okay so I'm seeing a lot of negative reviews for this novel on Goodreads. People are saying the book isn't creepy enough. It was creepy enough for me considering this is the first actual Horror story am reading. So let's get down to the review...

Dan is supposed to be 16 years old but at times he seemed younger than that. I didn't like him much considering he was always caught between doing-what-he-wants vs. doing-what-Abby-wants-to-impress-her. He is perfectly awesome at making bad decisions but that's good for us readers as bad decisions lead to plot twists and the like.

There isn't much character development when it comes to Abby and Jordan either but I suppose it's probably because the book is kind of small.

And also the Insta-love and insta-friendship among completely unrelated people. Dan likes Abby the moment he sees her and from then on all his decisions are influenced by his desire to impress Abby. Dan, Abby and Jordan become best pals overnight. It felt unreal. Am not saying people with different personalities can't be good friends but friendships take at least a couple of days to build and that isn't shown in the book.

Okay so maybe there were plot holes and a lot of things didn't make sense but I liked the plot. Simply because it was creepy. Like I said it's my first horror novel and so I don't really know the nuances of this genre. The plot moved quickly and I liked the ending. (I did guess who it was beforehand!) The story ends in a sort of cliffhanger and I'm excited to see what happens next.

The writing was a little juvenile but I liked that the story moved fast. There were no draggy scenes and I read the book in one sitting. Also I liked the photographs. Photoshopped or not, they do add to the creepy setting of the book.

- In one word- Creepiness

- Lack of character development

- Insta-relationships

WILL I BE READING THE SEQUEL?

I believe I will certainly be reading the sequel.

Overall, despite the flaws, I enjoyed reading the book. It's an easy and creepy read.

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