(2/5 stars)
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
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've always had a morbid fascination with abandoned mental hospitals, and this cover is super creepy, so I figured it would be a no brainer that I would enjoy this book. I expected darkness, scary insanity, and maybe something that was bit disturbing, but I was sadly disappointed.
What I liked: There were two things that I liked about this book, and they can be summed up in two short bullet points.
- The premise- like I said, insane asylums are one of my favorite literary tropes.
- There was a Peeta Mellark reference that I thought was cute and witty and I even snapchatted it to my friend.
- That's it.
- No more bullet points.
What I didn't like: This book was cheesy and shallow and the characters were unbelievably flat. Dan was, to say the least, lame. There was nothing special about him. His awkwardness and curiosity felt forced, and I hate to say that I didn't care for him one bit. And not in a good way. Basically, the writing was immature and undeveloped. The plot line was painfully in your face predictable, and though there were some moments when I thought it was going to go somewhere, it took a turn back towards an unconvincing narrative that almost made me put the book down for good. Honestly, I'm only giving it two stars because I at least had a small part of me that wanted to finish the book. Oh, and the pictures looked photoshopped and did nothing for the story.
I hate giving bad reviews, but there was no way around this. I had such high hopes at the beginning so you can see just how disappointed I am. So much potential was wasted; it really is a shame. Now, somebody go find me a good insane asylum story, pretty please!
-Annie
No comments:
Post a Comment