BOOK REVIEW: Asylum – by Madeleine Roux

Title: Asylum
(Asylum #1)
Author: Madeleine Roux
Genre: Horror, YA, Paranormal
First published: August 20th 2013
Finished reading: October 5th 2015
Pages: 320

“If someone tells you you’re crazy enough times, eventually it becomes true. It’s that old psychiatrist’s joke: insanity’s all in your head.”

October is the month of Halloween and creepy reads and Asylum fits right into this category. It will be the first of hopefully many creepy reads this month! This first book of a series with the same name has been compared with Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children and I can understand why. Both books include a series of creepy photos that make them into something truly special to read and enjoy. I only read an e-copy of Asylum myself, but I really want to get a physical copy now so I can take a better look at the photos… The prose is easy to read and with a fast pace, plot twists and a ‘medium’ creepy factor I was able to finish this story by Madeleine Roux in no time at all. Asylum is a ghost story set in an old asylum, so the horror part is mostly psychological and not too scary for those who want to sleep at night after reading this book. I sort of had a hate/love relationship with the main characters though; I liked that they all had their own personalities and all, but sometimes they came over as a little whiny. The plot twists were mostly well done, although a bit predictable. Still, I can’t deny I really enjoyed this read and I will definitely read the next two books in the series soon.

Dan Crawford is an outcast at his high school, but he is able to get a second chance at making friends at a summer program during his last summer before college. When he arrives, he finds out his dorm actually used to be an asylum for the criminally insane… Dan and his new friends Abby and Jordan decide to explore some of the forbidden areas in the old building to see what they can find. They discover it’s not exactly a coincidence the three ended up at the summer program in New Hampshire… There are some secrets about the past that don’t seem to want to stay hidden away; soon enough creepy things will start happening to the three friends and the people around them. What are those secrets and will they be safe living inside the old asylum?

Asylum is a creepy ghost story where the setting in an old asylum for the criminally insane alone already sets the tone. I’m not sure what to think of the characters, but the plot is easy to follow and there are some delightfully scary moments and interesting old photos to enjoy. It’s quite a fast read and not too scary if you are not really into the horror genre. I would definitely recommend it if you enjoy reading psychological thriller/horror/ghost stories!