Book stats (from Amazon):
Amazon rating: 3.2/5 stars
Goodreads rating: 3.5/5 stars
Summary (from Amazon):
Asylum is a thrilling and creepy photo-novel perfect for fans of the New York Times bestseller Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.
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.
I'm going to acknowledge this now: I feel this book has a bit of a bad reputation. A lot of people online didn't like it. I don't understand why. Sure, it may be somewhat similar to other horror/suspense novels/movies/what have you, but it's extremely difficult to write anything in that genre - or really, any genre - without there being something, somewhere, that is similar.
To be frank, I loved this book. I had trouble putting it down. I sped through the majority of it in one day, and I'm planning to buy the sequel, Sanctum, as soon as I can. In all honesty, this book had my heart pounding. I was almost panicking at some points, and legitimately frustrated by the setbacks the characters faced at other points. This book blended creepy pictures and creepy description with a few instances of dry humour, which anyone who knows my book preferences will know I love, especially when it's balanced nicely with the content. I love dry humour in almost anything, although I am a fan of creepiness too.
This book is classified as Young Adult. It's written in third person, from the perspective of 16-year-old Daniel "Dan" Crawford. Dan is a history-loving outcast excited to make friends before he heads off to college for real. His best friends are Jordan, the math genius, and Abby, an artsy girl Dan finds himself falling for. Dan and Abby do end up dating later in the novel, which creates a bit of tension between the trio, but the romance isn't overdone, nor does it take over the plot.
The best part of this book, for me, were the plot twists. The ending itself (or rather, who the villain turns out to be), was completely unexpected. I fell for what I'm sure the author was trying to lead the reader toward (I won't spoil it, but if you've read it, you probably came to the same conclusion). The best part of it, however, was that when you reread the book knowing the real villain, it makes perfect sense. Which I find somewhat infuriating because WHY DIDN'T I REALIZE IT BEFORE?
I have to say, I'm not sure I can pick a favourite part of this book. I love the characters, especially Dan's (creepy) roommate, Felix, and Jordan's roommate Yi was a favourite too. I love the main three as well, but in my opinion, good secondary characters can really bring a novel from good to amazing.
As I mentioned before, this book is part of a series. I believe there will be three books: the second, Sanctum, is out now, and according to Goodreads, the third will be called Catacomb. Also according to Goodreads, there are two in-between books called The Scarlets and The Bone Artists (Asylum 1.5 and 2.5, respectively). I haven't read either of these or Sanctum, but (as stated previously) I am looking forward to Sanctum and I think I'll have to read the other two as well, if I can get a copy.
Overall, this book is not for everyone, but I would recommend it to anyone who likes a creepy, fast-paced, hard-to-put-down adventure! 4/5 stars!
