Madeleine Roux

"Three teens at a summer program for gifted students uncover shocking secets in the sanatorium-turned-dorm where they're staying--secrets that link them all to the asylum's dark past"--

Asylum

Asylum is about high school students going to a summer college prep that used to be an asylum. Then weird things start to happen, weird and spooky things. However, the book was not spooky enough. Before I get into why I didn't like it, let's discuss what I did enjoy. The chapters are short, which is a plus when you need stopping places. It also makes me feel good when I finish chapters. Also, the book includes black and white photos that add to the spooky and gives you a clear image of what is being described. Now, what I don't like. The entire thing really. 

Madeleine Roux had already made my dnf list, but this book has promise. I think what makes me upset the most is the promise that this book had, and how greatly the author failed to deliver. I mean, an old asylum? Bring on the ghosts, the nightmares, the scary chills. The entire book was a drag. Nothing interesting happened until the last few chapters and even then, it was a letdown. I continued on reading in hopes it would get better, that it would get spookier. It didn't. With the layout, the photos, and the plot, this should have been a slam dunk and it wasn't.

I wanted to be on the edge of my seat, eager to turn the page. To read all the gruesome torture the quack warden did to his patients. This book is for ages 14 and up, yet the audience feels like it's mainly for teens. It was way too plain to be a good read for adults. What's a shame is that this is a series... It goes without saying that I will not be reading the rest.

★★★★☆
3.50 STARS 

The book cover was absolutely the reason that got me into reading this. My fascination with something eerie and disturbing gave me away. True enough, I was so thrilled and creeped out with the haunting photographs offered by this book. It surely added more creepiness to the story. Without it, it would probably make a vast different, because the photographs really provided a very big role in showing what the author wanted her readers to see and feel. 

There's no doubt, I enjoyed this book in general, making me hold onto the suspense of it all. Sure, the flow of the story was not that astounding. There were parts in the story that I easily constructed some pretty good guesses to what would have happen next and who's who when it should have had layers of mystery into it. That left me a bit dissatisfied. Why wouldn't I if I was looking for a real twists that would take me by surprise? Some of the supposed twists and mysteries were exactly what I expected, that is why it was a tiny bit disappointing. But like I said, I still enjoyed it in general and deserved a 3.50 stars from me.

I’ve never read a ‘YA horror’ before so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from this book.

This book follows Dan and his friends as he tries to solve the mystery of what really went on in Brookline (the asylum), and contains real pictures from real asylums, which added to the eeriness of this book.

I found this book very entertaining and well-written, not so much about ghosts (although there’s some) but more of a mystery book altogether. Maybe my opinion will change after I read the second book, 

, but for now I would class it as more of a mystery than a horror. I think this is a great starting book for people looking to get into horror or even mystery books.

I’m excited to read the second and third book in this series and I’m hoping it will live up to the expectation I have thanks to the first book. 

Selina 

I’ve never read a ‘YA horror’ before so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from this book.

This book follows Dan and his friends as he tries to solve the mystery of what really went on in Brookline (the asylum), and contains real pictures from real asylums, which added to the eeriness of this book.

I found this book very entertaining and well-written, not so much about ghosts (although there’s some) but more of a mystery book altogether. Maybe my opinion will change after I read the second book, Sanctum, but for now I would class it as more of a mystery than a horror. I think this is a great starting book for people looking to get into horror or even mystery books.

I’m excited to read the second and third book in this series and I’m hoping it will live up to the expectation I have thanks to the first book. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Briar's Reviews

I got this book from a local book store as an Advanced Reader's Copy. Before I read it, I did my research on the book and all the reviews I found told me how boring and stupid the book was. 

I disagree to these reviews.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book far more than I expected. It did start off a little slow, but once I got into the book I was addicted instantly. I wanted to know more about the characters and the back story of the New Hampshire College Prep and how it used to be an Asylum. 

The plot was fun to follow, and I couldn't guess the ending (which rarely happens! So this book was quite the gem). Some of the aspects of the plot were predictable, but it took wild turns that I didn't see coming, so I enjoyed it.

It did bother me a bit reading this before I went to bed, since it unsettled me a few times when I left off at a more 'scary' chapter, but it wasn't really that scary or a horrible read.

I really enjoyed this book! I did wish there was more pictures to go along with each chapter instead of just one every few (this book has illustrations that goes along with some chapters for added effect). I loved this aspect of the book though! Having illustrations added more insight into the novel and made me more interested in the story.

Overall, an amazing book and I can't wait to get my hands on the sequel!
Five out of five stars!

For 16-year-old Dan Crawford, a summer program for gifted students is more than a gift - it's a lifeline. No one else at his high school gets his weird academic fixations, but at the New Hampshire College Prep program, such quirks are practically required. Dan arrives to find that the usual housing has been quarantined, forcing students to stay in the crumbling Brookline dorm, formerly a psychiatric hospital. As Dan and his new friends Abby and Jordan start exploring Brookline's twisty halls and hidden basement, they uncover disturbing secrets about what really went on here.

Nessa Luna

I guess that when Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children came out, more authors thought it would be a nice idea to publish a book with creepy/strange pictures, and a story written around them. Because I personally loved Miss P very much, but thought it wasn't horror enough (even though I still loved it to bits), I picked up Asylum a while back, hoping it would have that horror story that I had been hoping.

Asylum tells the story of Dan Crawford, a student at the NHCP, the New Hampshire College Prep a five-week summer program, who one day finds a strange picture in the drawer of his desk. The person on the picture has had his eyes crossed out, and that is what intrigued Dan so much. Together with his new friends Abby and Jordan, they discover an out-of-bounds area full of pictures similar to the one Dan's found. Throughout their weeks at the NHCP, the three uncover a disturbing story about the dormitory that used to be an asylum for the criminally insane.

To be honest, I was rather disappointed in this book. I had been hoping for a super scary story with loads of creepy pictures, but it wasn't at all scary. It was actually rather boring. The real exciting part didn't start until we were 200+ pages in, and even that couldn't get me that exciting anymore. This story could have been so much, could have been so scary, so creepy - but it failed at that.

First of all, I didn't like any of the characters. I didn't like Dan, I didn't like Abby, I didn't like Jordan or Felix or Joe or basically anyone. I didn't believe in the insta-love between Dan and Abby, and I actually didn't like the way Dan was around her. I mean, he sees her and he's almost instantly in love with her. From that moment, he starts acting jealous every time another guy talks to her. Seriously? Stop it. And I just didn't believe in their friendship at all. I mean they barely know each other, and they were fighting half the time, that is not what a good friendship should be like. Okay maybe friends bicker sometimes, but this was just unbelievable.

Also, I found this story so predictable. I knew half of the plottwists before they happened already, and that made me so sad because they were good plottwists, but the hints were way too obvious which just wasn't fun anymore. (view spoiler)[I had guessed Felix was the guy behind it all from moment we 'met' him. Okay, I didn't really suspect him, but I just didn't trust him right away. And in the end, I was 100% right. He was possessed or something, I guess, but still it was Felix's body that did all those things. (hide spoiler)]

The writing also didn't really appeal to me, I don't know it sometimes sounded very childish. These characters were supposed to be around sixteen, but they sometimes just felt like children to me. The upside about this, was that it was a super easy read and I finished it within a day (even with my current Harry Potter Lego addiction).

It honestly was an enjoyable story though, I didn't give it two-and-a-half stars for nothing. Like I said after the 200-page mark it started getting more interesting, when murder happened. And it did kind of turn out to be a ghost story after all. Even though we didn't see actual ghosts (view spoiler)[but it was Felix sort of being possessed by that Sculptor serial killer (hide spoiler)] so yeah, in the end Asylum was an enjoyable book, but it was still not the book-with-creepy-pictures-that-is-actually-a-horror-story book that I have been looking for. *sighs*

My opinion on this book in one gif:

For Dan Crawford, the summer program for gifted students is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. His friends could never understand his fascination with history and science, so he is looking forward to meeting some like-minded people. When he arrives at the school, he discovers the dorms are locked. All the students are forced to stay at Brookline, a former mental hospital for the criminally insane. When Dan begins to explore the halls of the hospital, he unearths the chilling secrets of what happened there, and the lines between the past and the present begin to blur.

Marianela Arevalo

En un principio el libro llamo mi atención por completo, quería saber qué pasaba, cómo terminaba, que podían llegar a encontrar; pero mientras más leía sentía que la trama se degradaba y perdía un poco de esa fuerza que tenía en un inicio. Creo que tiene unos personajes muy bien construidos y una ambientación magnifica.
Tengo que decir que el libro me gusto, lo disfrute, pero no tanto como yo esperaba hacerlo. Mientras que en el medio del libro la trama me desilusiono, el final te deja con la expectativa de más. Sabiendo que este libro pertenece a una saga, me parece que el final abierto que decidió darle la autora llama a incursionar en los otros libros para así saber el final de esta terrorífica historia.
En mi edición (y aclaro esto porque no se si todas lo tienen) las imágenes con las descripciones de las prácticas médicas llevadas a cabo en el manicomio o simplemente la imágenes para representar algo gráfico que capaz no todos pueden imaginar, fue lo que más llamo mi atención. Me parece que eso es lo que te hace sentir pavor en la historia aunque capaz no estes disfrutando mucho de la trama en sí.
Siento que es un buen libro para nuevos lectores que quieren incursionar en los thrillers y en los misterios. Tiene giros inesperados y muchas escenas que captan la atención del público.

Emelie

Second read; 11-13/3-18;
Okay.. so it wasnt as good as i remembered it! Still good though, but I'm not over the moon with this book anymore! 
First Read; 5-7/10-15
Omg!! This book had me on edge from the first page!! A really good book to read for halloween for sure! Mystery and horror, just the way i like it!

mighty dragon 

jeez, im so in love with this book. its cute yet creepy, but really, i smell something fishy about Dan, lol.

Amanda Valentin

I was hoping this book would be better...but it was not. This is a young adult book but was written more towards the young side then adult. I felt like I was reading a story written by a high school student. If this book was a movie it would be a cheesy C rated horror movie...highly disappointed.

Tiffany Robinson

I thought this was a very interesting concept and I loved that there were photographs in this book. I thought it brought another element to the story which I liked.

Katie Holem

Madeleine Roux's New York Times bestselling Asylum is a thrilling and creepy photo-illustrated novel that Publishers Weekly called "a strong YA debut that reveals the enduring impact of buried trauma on a place." Featuring found photographs from real asylums and filled with chilling mystery and page-turning suspense, Asylum is a horror story that treads the line between genius and insanity, perfect for fans of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. For sixteen-year-old Dan Crawford, the New Hampshire College Prep program is the chance of a lifetime. Except that when Dan arrives, he finds that the usual summer housing has been closed, forcing students to stay in the crumbling Brookline Dorm—formerly a psychiatric hospital. As Dan and his new friends Abby and Jordan start exploring Brookline's twisty halls and hidden basement, they uncover disturbing secrets about what really went on here . . . secrets that link Dan and his friends to the asylum's dark past. Because Brookline was no ordinary mental hospital, and there are some secrets that refuse to stay buried.

Jessica Williamson

3 Stars

A decent entry for a YA paranormal book written in the early 2010's. I liked the creep factor and the atmosphere but I'm not sure about a lot of the rest of it. 

I didn't like the photos. I know this is supposed to be set up as a found photo multi-media thing, but the pictures are just . . . bad. In comparison to say the Miss Peregrine books (of which I only enjoyed the first book's plot but LOVED the photos throughout) these photos are below sub par. 

The characters felt a bit off. Though I know part of that has to do with the plot itself, but they just didn't feel right or fully fleshed out in a way that I enjoyed. 

But again, the creep factor was definitely there. I liked the plot fine enough and I am interested in picking up the next book. 

cover 2; characters 3; plot 3; pace 4; writing 3; Enjoyment 3.

Viry

2.5 stars

I started off really liking this book, mostly because I've always found asylums and haunted places fascinating so when I heard of this book I simply had to read it.

One of the major problems in this story is that it was extremely predicable. The main characters were flat, the love story between Dan and Abby felt forced, and I didn't find myself growing attached to any of the characters at all.

The one thing I liked about the book was how the pictures were incorporated and some were straight out creepy adding eeriness the writing was unsuccessfully, at times, trying to provoke.

The story was repetitive and predictable. Wouldn't recommend to those who haven't read it yet.

Luna

i can tell the prequel was written way after this because those characters are a thousand times better than these little shits

Ezgi Çilingiroğlu

O 1 puanı da nereden kırdığımı hemen açıklayayım; Jordan bence çok gereksizdi. Yani tamamen olsun diye konulmuş bir karakterdi ve hiçbir işlevi yoktu. Kitaptaki romantizm unsuru da yine öyle. Yani aşırı gereksizdi ve kesinlikle ikisi de olmasa da olurdu. Onun dışında kitaba bayıldım. Bazı yerleri okurken gerçekten de tüylerim ürperdi. Uzun zamandır okuduğun en iyi gerilim kitaplatından biri olduğunu hala çok rahatlıkla söyleyebilirim.

Madeleine Roux's New York Times bestselling Asylum is a thrilling and creepy photo-illustrated novel that Publishers Weekly called "a strong YA debut that reveals the enduring impact of buried trauma on a place." Featuring found photographs from real asylums and filled with chilling mystery and page-turning suspense, Asylum is a horror story that treads the line between genius and insanity, perfect for fans of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. For sixteen-year-old Dan Crawford, the New Hampshire College Prep program is the chance of a lifetime. Except that when Dan arrives, he finds that the usual summer housing has been closed, forcing students to stay in the crumbling Brookline Dorm—formerly a psychiatric hospital. As Dan and his new friends Abby and Jordan start exploring Brookline's twisty halls and hidden basement, they uncover disturbing secrets about what really went on here . . . secrets that link Dan and his friends to the asylum's dark past. Because Brookline was no ordinary mental hospital, and there are some secrets that refuse to stay buried. Don't miss Madeleine Roux's all-new gothic horror novel, House of Furies.

Destiny J Tamayo

***3.5***** I liked it but I feel like there were many gaps in the story.

Nickie Mohler

Dan Crawford is excited to go to New Hampshire College Prep program. He's less excited to find out he will be staying in Brookline, which used to be a psychiatric hospital. The place is really creepy, he starts to receive scary notes, and has nightmares. As he and his friends explore the old hospital, strange things start to happen to them. This was decent book, I think I enjoyed it more because it's the season for creepy.

Erin Pitstra

“Sometimes, Dan, friends have to take a stand and say:
Hey, idiot, we’re here for you no matter what. We’re not
going to disappear when you get grumpy or angry, we’re in
this for the long haul. We’re in this for each other.” 

The characters in this book were likable, although I did not personally relate to any of them, does not mean that nobody will or can. I thought the character development was well done, you got to see how certain things led to their development. 

Personally the writing was just okay. It wasn’t memorable or anything extraordinary, just okay. But the plot made the book more enjoyable. I think Madeleine did a good job with the world building. She put in so much history about the characters and the asylum its self, that I felt like i had spent hours researching myself. 

Also I loved the pictures. They just made everything more creepy. 

Overall I really enjoyed reading Asylum, and plan to pick up and read the rest of the series one day.

Mollee Clingenpeel

I listened to this as an audiobook and knowing that it involves pictures in the physical copy I think I may have enjoyed it more if I'd read the physical copy. even though the book is supposed to be young adult it felt very middle grade to me. The reveal at the end was a shock and I liked the spooky elements. It just felt like it shouldn't have been in the genre it was marketed as in my opinion.

Elska Bee

This was an extremely underwhelming book. I remember being so frustrated by characters' decisions and it really wasn't able to communicate the spooky vibe it was going for. There's better middle grade stuff in this genre, don't bother with this one.

Paige Green

Rating: 2/5

Genre: YA Horror

Recommended Age: 13+ (jump scares and creepy)

Pages: 310

Author Website

Amazon Link

Disclaimer: None, I bought this book on my own!

Synopsis: For sixteen-year-old Dan Crawford, the New Hampshire College Prep program is the chance of a lifetime. Except that when Dan arrives, he finds that the usual summer housing has been closed, forcing students to stay in the crumbling Brookline Dorm—formerly a psychiatric hospital. As Dan and his new friends Abby and Jordan start exploring Brookline's twisty halls and hidden basement, they uncover disturbing secrets about what really went on here . . . secrets that link Dan and his friends to the asylum's dark past. Because Brookline was no ordinary mental hospital, and there are some secrets that refuse to stay buried.

I like scary books sometimes and I’ve always heard Madeleine Roux wrote some really good ones. When I read House of Furies last year I wasn’t that impressed, but decided to trudge on with Asylum anyways. While I felt it was better, I still didn’t enjoy the book that much. I thought the world building was much better than House of Furies and the book has really creepy and cool illustrations, but for the most part I was disappointed.

I thought the storyline of haunted school was a bit overdone and this one didn’t strike me as anything unique. The pacing is a huge issue in the book. There’s action over 2-3 pages and then everything is normal again. The chapters are very weirdly done as they do nothing to help with the flow of the book. The character development was almost non-existent and the main character was very frustrating to me.

Verdict: If you can get past how choppy this book is, it’s a really good horror book .Otherwise it’s frustrating and tired.

Elena Enns

When I found this book I was like "Oh, okay this kind of reminds me of "Miss Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children" " but as I read it I realized the only similarity is the pictures from the book. And the only similarity in that is the fact that there are pictures."Asylum" Is now officially one of my favourite books. I found the characters interesting and I never predicted things that happened in the books. I would recommend this book to anyone.