Reviews

Asylum — Madeleine Roux

July 25, 2019

Asylum by Madeleine Roux

TITLE: Asylum (Asylum, #1)
AUTHOR: Madeleine Roux
GENRE: Horror
AGE RANGE: YA

SYNOPSIS:
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.

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No great mind has ever existed without a touch of madness.

I know a lot of people feel that asylum settings in horror are overdone, or insensitive, and I can fully respect that and see where those people are coming from! That said, even as a woman who probably (definitely) would’ve been locked up with the key thrown away if I’d been alive a couple hundred years ago (I say this only half-jokingly ?), I adore a good retired asylum setting in a scary story, so when I found out about this little series, I was pretty excited to check it out!

It was a house for those who could not take care of themselves, for those who heard voices, who had strange thoughts and did strange things. The house was meant to keep them in. Once they came, they never left.

And I have to say, the setting in Asylum really is great. It’s claustrophobic at times, atmospheric as anything, and struck me as the kind of place that I would pay good money to be allowed to explore or even just take a tour through. It seemed like a building that absolutely ought to exist in a million places all over the world, run-down and decrepit and probably terrifying the locals on a daily basis. Unfortunately, the positive things I have to say for this book begin and end there.

It was a fight against the madness, he felt like he was losing. Maybe he already had…

The characters are all solidly awful, and I don’t think I ever had a moment of liking a single one of them. On top of that, I literally predicted the ‘twist’ a few pages into the book, and having guessed it so early on made it difficult to enjoy the rest, because I kept wondering why the hell these teens couldn’t come anywhere near guessing the truth. I was frustrated, disappointed, and altogether unimpressed that I spent my money on this book or its immediate sequel, which I don’t know if I’ll ever even bother picking up.

Buddy read with Kaleena!

twohalfstar

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No Comments

  • Reply Shalini July 25, 2019 at 8:26 am

    Uuggghhh from the cover I thought it would be a great read… Ah well hope the next is great

  • Reply marydrover July 25, 2019 at 9:23 am

    Thank you for the review! I’m in the middle of Roux’s House of Furies series, which I’m loving, and though I’m still definitely going to pick up her Asylum series, this is good to know going in.

    • Reply Destiny @ Howling Libraries August 29, 2019 at 1:53 am

      I really want to check out House of Furies soon! I’m glad you’re enjoying the series. 🙂

  • Reply Sam || Fictionally Sam July 25, 2019 at 10:28 am

    oof! I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy this book more. I personally hadn’t read it, but my sister did and had the same qualms you did about the predictability. Hopefully your next read will be a banger! <3

  • Reply Kelly | Another Book in the Wall July 25, 2019 at 11:42 am

    Great review, Destiny! I’m sorry this one didn’t quite work out for you! I hate it whenever the twists are so predictable we’re able to guess it very early on in the story. It also doesn’t help when the characters are all unlikable! I hope your next read is more enjoyable! <3
    (I do love this quote tho! "No great mind has ever existed without a touch of madness.")

  • Reply Becca Leighanne (Bex) July 25, 2019 at 2:25 pm

    I’m sorry you didn’t like it :/ I remember picking up a Roux book (it might have been this one lmao) & only reading a little bit of it before putting it right back down.

  • Reply Aislynn d'Merricksson July 25, 2019 at 8:32 pm

    Eck! Sorry it wasn’t a great read. Or even a good one… My sister has this in her shelf but hasn’t read it yet. The synopsis and cover always interest me but ive never read it either.

  • Reply Sunday Post — July 28th, 2019 – howling libraries July 28, 2019 at 3:04 pm

    […] settings I love ✨ The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (YA paranormal review) ✨ WWW Wednesday ✨ Asylum (YA horror review) ✨ The Black Farm (adult extreme horror review) ✨ Stacking the Shelves ✨ […]

  • Reply Alex August 3, 2019 at 8:55 am

    What a shame! I, like you, find stories set in asylums fascinating (the episode in season one of Supernatural remans one of the creepiest to this day) so it’s disappointing that this one wasn’t great.

    • Reply Destiny @ Howling Libraries August 29, 2019 at 1:54 am

      Ooooh, I didn’t know there was a creepy asylum episode in Supernatural! I’ve been meaning to watch that show FOREVER and always forget to start it. You might have just given me the motivation I needed lol!

      • Reply Alex August 29, 2019 at 5:20 am

        I hope you give it a chance and love it! It’s one of my favourites ?

  • Reply Kal @ Reader Voracious August 20, 2019 at 7:15 pm

    Honestly I am still so mad and disappointed at this book! And I bought the whole damn series and the books are taunting me on my shelves.

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