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Asylum #1
Asylum
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.
317 pages, Hardcover
First published August 20, 2013
About the author
Madeleine Roux
41 books4,631 followersNew York Times Bestselling Author of the ASYLUM series, Allison Hewitt Is Trapped, Sadie Walker Is Stranded and the upcoming House of Furies series.
MADELEINE ROUX received her BA in Creative Writing and Acting from Beloit College in 2008. In the spring of 2009, Madeleine completed an Honors Term at Beloit College, proposing, writing and presenting a full-length historical fiction novel. Shortly after, she began the experimental fiction blog Allison Hewitt Is Trapped. Allison Hewitt Is Trapped quickly spread throughout the blogosphere, bringing a unique serial fiction experience to readers.
Born in Minnesota, she now lives and works in Seattle, Washington.
MADELEINE ROUX received her BA in Creative Writing and Acting from Beloit College in 2008. In the spring of 2009, Madeleine completed an Honors Term at Beloit College, proposing, writing and presenting a full-length historical fiction novel. Shortly after, she began the experimental fiction blog Allison Hewitt Is Trapped. Allison Hewitt Is Trapped quickly spread throughout the blogosphere, bringing a unique serial fiction experience to readers.
Born in Minnesota, she now lives and works in Seattle, Washington.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 7,216 reviews
November 21, 2017
As I read the other reviews I wonder how horrible it must be to be one of those people who has to nitpick every little detail in a book rather than enjoy it. Personally, I found this an enjoyable story, with twists I didn't see coming and an interesting conclusion. I'd recommend it, just maybe not to an elitist book snob.
September 7, 2013
The characters in this book are supposed to be 16. This is supposed to be a suspenseful thriller, a horror, for young adults. It is not. It is middle grade in writing. It is elementary in plot development and characterization. It is lacking in everything that would make it anything remotely approaching a good read.
The writing is not terrible, just forgettable. I usually use a fair number of quotes in my reviews; I have almost nothing at all scribbled down in my notebook for this one: roughly 15 words total, really. This book, the writing, and the characterization is absolutely lacking in anything memorable; for better or worse. Do yourself a favor and skip it. Don't even glance at it.
Oh, I changed my mind. I do have a quote for you. It's not from the book, but it's my personal opinion of that idiotic ending. No spoilers, by the way.
The characters are strange, I would usually say clichéd, but it's not even that. It is as if the characters cannot decide for themselves which cliché they are supposed to fall into. It is a sad, sad thing when a book fails at writing characters that are so poorly written that they cannot even force themselves into a mold. There is Dan, our main character, a seemingly extra-bright 17-year old, with hints of past psychological trouble. The book is told from his point of view, and he is an utterly unconvincing character. I believe he is a poorly written male character. It is not so much that he acts feminine, or makes observations that are uncharacteristically male (and he does make certain observations about her clothes and hair that do not ring true to a teenaged boy, but there's also something lacking about the way he is written. There is something about every single one of the three main characters, really, that doesn't make them feel real at all.
The characters are Dan, the socially awkward but bright teen. Abby, the beautiful, artsy (why are they always fucking artsy?) girl with whom Dan falls into insta-love. Jordan, the brilliant gay math student. The three of them bond almost immediately, but again, we are told this, not shown this. I cannot buy this friendship, the way it was written does not ring true. Their bond feels forced. I neither like nor believe in any of the three as characters, and I do not believe in their friendship for a moment.
They lack dynamic. They lack emotion. Their individual personalities are nonexistent. They are words on paper. Even through the eyes of our main character, we get no sense of development, of complexity. If this was a character-driven book, it fails utterly.
The romance was forced, and it had no room in the plot. It does not play any role of importance whatsoever, it felt merely inserted in the book for the sake of having romance in a book that needed none, and actually ended up making a bad book even worse with its extraneousness. Their romance, their dates, their strained courtship---had no room in the book short of trying to insert some awkwardness in the already poorly crafted credibility of the dynamic that makes up our not-so-dynamic trio of Jordan, Abby, and Dan.
For students supposedly so devoted to the pursuit of advanced education, the three seem in a terrible hurry to throw their summer of education away. They break the rules, despite knowing it would get them into trouble. They make stupid decisions, they overreact for no reason at all. Their apparent reasons for acting outside of their character were forced and not well-written as to create a sensible flow within the book. Everything felt incredibly disjointed.
The final nail in this book's coffin is the fact that this book fails in delivering a compelling plot. This book fails as a horror, as a thriller, as a suspenseful book. There is no fear to be found within its pages. The photographs are laughable, and does nothing to add to the atmosphere of the book. They actually make it laughable; the picture of the so-called "lobotomy" pictures a girl with a horizontal zigzagging line across her forehead. It looks like someone scrawled a long line of Ws across her forehead; did anyone even bother to research this? There are photographs of other patients, so poorly photographed that they are obviously posed. They do not instill anything within the reader except laughter.
The other photographs are that of letters, notes, sceneries. Letters. Yes, I am shaking in my boots. Letters. Terrifying. I'm actually more frightened by the hideous carpets (paisley?!) on which the notes sometimes are photographed.
I was an easily scared child. I would say with absolute confidence that my five year old self would not be frightened at anything within this books' pages.
The plot revolves around telling, not showing. Suspense is never built. The plot is paper thin, the twists are completely dependent upon our suspension of disbelief. For a horror, there is absolutely no suspense, and no fear. It is reliant upon coincidences and deus ex machina. There is no subtlety in the attempts at giving us hints. It was so very obvious to me from the very beginning as to whom the villain would turn out to be.
There is a hint that this will be part of a series. I was barely intrigued enough to keep reading until the end of this book, and I'm about as eager to read the next book as I am anticipating a visit to my dentist. Skip this book.
The writing is not terrible, just forgettable. I usually use a fair number of quotes in my reviews; I have almost nothing at all scribbled down in my notebook for this one: roughly 15 words total, really. This book, the writing, and the characterization is absolutely lacking in anything memorable; for better or worse. Do yourself a favor and skip it. Don't even glance at it.
Oh, I changed my mind. I do have a quote for you. It's not from the book, but it's my personal opinion of that idiotic ending. No spoilers, by the way.
“...This type of ending is a special instance of deus ex machina, known as the folie adieu, which is French for "Are you fucking kidding me?”- Howard MittelmarkThe book fails as a suspense, because within a suspense novel, characterization should be key. There is no character development in this book. The characters do not develop in complexity, they act, they do not think. They do not grow. They do not mature. They are scared, I am not scared for them; I half wished they'd get killed so that there would at least be a spark of excitement in this dull shadow of a horror novel. Stephen King might have written something better in 3rd grade.
The characters are strange, I would usually say clichéd, but it's not even that. It is as if the characters cannot decide for themselves which cliché they are supposed to fall into. It is a sad, sad thing when a book fails at writing characters that are so poorly written that they cannot even force themselves into a mold. There is Dan, our main character, a seemingly extra-bright 17-year old, with hints of past psychological trouble. The book is told from his point of view, and he is an utterly unconvincing character. I believe he is a poorly written male character. It is not so much that he acts feminine, or makes observations that are uncharacteristically male (and he does make certain observations about her clothes and hair that do not ring true to a teenaged boy, but there's also something lacking about the way he is written. There is something about every single one of the three main characters, really, that doesn't make them feel real at all.
The characters are Dan, the socially awkward but bright teen. Abby, the beautiful, artsy (why are they always fucking artsy?) girl with whom Dan falls into insta-love. Jordan, the brilliant gay math student. The three of them bond almost immediately, but again, we are told this, not shown this. I cannot buy this friendship, the way it was written does not ring true. Their bond feels forced. I neither like nor believe in any of the three as characters, and I do not believe in their friendship for a moment.
They lack dynamic. They lack emotion. Their individual personalities are nonexistent. They are words on paper. Even through the eyes of our main character, we get no sense of development, of complexity. If this was a character-driven book, it fails utterly.
The romance was forced, and it had no room in the plot. It does not play any role of importance whatsoever, it felt merely inserted in the book for the sake of having romance in a book that needed none, and actually ended up making a bad book even worse with its extraneousness. Their romance, their dates, their strained courtship---had no room in the book short of trying to insert some awkwardness in the already poorly crafted credibility of the dynamic that makes up our not-so-dynamic trio of Jordan, Abby, and Dan.
For students supposedly so devoted to the pursuit of advanced education, the three seem in a terrible hurry to throw their summer of education away. They break the rules, despite knowing it would get them into trouble. They make stupid decisions, they overreact for no reason at all. Their apparent reasons for acting outside of their character were forced and not well-written as to create a sensible flow within the book. Everything felt incredibly disjointed.
The final nail in this book's coffin is the fact that this book fails in delivering a compelling plot. This book fails as a horror, as a thriller, as a suspenseful book. There is no fear to be found within its pages. The photographs are laughable, and does nothing to add to the atmosphere of the book. They actually make it laughable; the picture of the so-called "lobotomy" pictures a girl with a horizontal zigzagging line across her forehead. It looks like someone scrawled a long line of Ws across her forehead; did anyone even bother to research this? There are photographs of other patients, so poorly photographed that they are obviously posed. They do not instill anything within the reader except laughter.
The other photographs are that of letters, notes, sceneries. Letters. Yes, I am shaking in my boots. Letters. Terrifying. I'm actually more frightened by the hideous carpets (paisley?!) on which the notes sometimes are photographed.
I was an easily scared child. I would say with absolute confidence that my five year old self would not be frightened at anything within this books' pages.
The plot revolves around telling, not showing. Suspense is never built. The plot is paper thin, the twists are completely dependent upon our suspension of disbelief. For a horror, there is absolutely no suspense, and no fear. It is reliant upon coincidences and deus ex machina. There is no subtlety in the attempts at giving us hints. It was so very obvious to me from the very beginning as to whom the villain would turn out to be.
There is a hint that this will be part of a series. I was barely intrigued enough to keep reading until the end of this book, and I'm about as eager to read the next book as I am anticipating a visit to my dentist. Skip this book.
September 22, 2020
Deliciously creepy and a great start to my Halloween creepfest 2020!
The photography was fitting and added an extra layer of chill factor. The story kept me guessing, and I definitely feel there will be some secrets and revelations in the stories ahead. The novellas just arrived in my mail today so on to the next!
The photography was fitting and added an extra layer of chill factor. The story kept me guessing, and I definitely feel there will be some secrets and revelations in the stories ahead. The novellas just arrived in my mail today so on to the next!
June 9, 2020
My mind is empty... I don't know what should I say about this book. Actually I was so scared but not scared!! I'M IN SHOCK RIGHT NOW!!
September 21, 2020
Asylum (Asylum #1), Madeleine Roux
Originally published: August 20, 2013, In this terrifying prequel novel to the New York Times bestselling Asylum series, a teen is wrongfully committed to the Brookline psychiatric hospital and must find a way out—before he becomes the next victim of the evil warden’s experiments.
عنوانها: «آسایشگاه»؛ «تیمارستان»؛ نویسنده: مادلین (مدلین) روکس (روو)؛ تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز یازدهم ماه می سال 2017میلادی
عنوان: آسایشگاه؛ نویسنده: مادلین (مدلین) روکس (روو)؛ مترجم: محمدمهدی خداقلیپور؛ تهران، انتشارات ریواس، 1395؛ در 336ص؛ شابک 9786007720868؛ موضوع داستانهای نویسندگان انگلیسی برای نوجوانان - سده 21م
عنوان: تیمارستان؛ مادلین (مدلین) روکس (روو)؛ مترجم: امیرمهدی عاطفی نیا؛ ویراستار نیما کهندانی؛ تهران، نشر بهداد، 1395؛ در 384ص؛ شابک 9786008939405؛
کتاب «تیمارستان» نخستین جلد از سری سه جلدی «تیمارستان»، نخستین بار در سال 2013میلادی در ژانر ترس و وحشت به چاپ رسید؛ این کتاب به سرعت مورد توجه همگان قرار گرفت و تا مدتها در لیست پرفروشترین کتابهای آمریکا قرار داشت
برای «دنیل کرافورد» شانزده ساله، کالج «نیوهمپشایر» چیزی بیشتر از یک برنامه ی تابستانی است- در واقع خط زندگی است؛ «دن» که در دبیرستان شخصی منفور بود، از پیدا کردن دوستانی در آخرین تابستانِ پیش از رفتن به دانشگاه، بسیار هیجانزده است؛ اما وقتی وارد برنامه میشود، درمییابد که خوابگاه تابستانی اش، پیشتر یک آسایشگاه بوده، و فراتر از آن، آنجا را به عنوان «تیمارستان» میشناسند؛ نه هر «تیمارستانی»، که آخرین پناهگاهِ مجرمانِ دیوانه بوده است! در حالیکه «دن»، و دوستان تازه اش، «اَبی» و «جردن»، در خانه ی تابستانی ترسناکشان، جستجو میکنند، درمییابند که حضور آنها در آنجا رویدادی عادی نبوده؛ چرا که «تیمارستان» کلید گذشته ای بسیار ترسناک است؛ اسراری وجود دارد، که نمیخواهند سرپوشیده بمانند...؛
تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 30/06/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی
Originally published: August 20, 2013, In this terrifying prequel novel to the New York Times bestselling Asylum series, a teen is wrongfully committed to the Brookline psychiatric hospital and must find a way out—before he becomes the next victim of the evil warden’s experiments.
عنوانها: «آسایشگاه»؛ «تیمارستان»؛ نویسنده: مادلین (مدلین) روکس (روو)؛ تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز یازدهم ماه می سال 2017میلادی
عنوان: آسایشگاه؛ نویسنده: مادلین (مدلین) روکس (روو)؛ مترجم: محمدمهدی خداقلیپور؛ تهران، انتشارات ریواس، 1395؛ در 336ص؛ شابک 9786007720868؛ موضوع داستانهای نویسندگان انگلیسی برای نوجوانان - سده 21م
عنوان: تیمارستان؛ مادلین (مدلین) روکس (روو)؛ مترجم: امیرمهدی عاطفی نیا؛ ویراستار نیما کهندانی؛ تهران، نشر بهداد، 1395؛ در 384ص؛ شابک 9786008939405؛
کتاب «تیمارستان» نخستین جلد از سری سه جلدی «تیمارستان»، نخستین بار در سال 2013میلادی در ژانر ترس و وحشت به چاپ رسید؛ این کتاب به سرعت مورد توجه همگان قرار گرفت و تا مدتها در لیست پرفروشترین کتابهای آمریکا قرار داشت
برای «دنیل کرافورد» شانزده ساله، کالج «نیوهمپشایر» چیزی بیشتر از یک برنامه ی تابستانی است- در واقع خط زندگی است؛ «دن» که در دبیرستان شخصی منفور بود، از پیدا کردن دوستانی در آخرین تابستانِ پیش از رفتن به دانشگاه، بسیار هیجانزده است؛ اما وقتی وارد برنامه میشود، درمییابد که خوابگاه تابستانی اش، پیشتر یک آسایشگاه بوده، و فراتر از آن، آنجا را به عنوان «تیمارستان» میشناسند؛ نه هر «تیمارستانی»، که آخرین پناهگاهِ مجرمانِ دیوانه بوده است! در حالیکه «دن»، و دوستان تازه اش، «اَبی» و «جردن»، در خانه ی تابستانی ترسناکشان، جستجو میکنند، درمییابند که حضور آنها در آنجا رویدادی عادی نبوده؛ چرا که «تیمارستان» کلید گذشته ای بسیار ترسناک است؛ اسراری وجود دارد، که نمیخواهند سرپوشیده بمانند...؛
تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 30/06/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی
January 14, 2024
RE-READ REVIEW (I’m sure there’s a better way to phrase that) :
This book still holds up. I usually don’t re-read books cause I remember them to well but I finally got ahold of the whole series so figured I should read it again so I was up to date.
This is still one of the scariest and best books I’ve ever read, still a favourite, still creepy. On to the next one!
ORIGINAL REVIEW :
I loved this book when I first read it back in high school. My mum bought it for me on a whim when I first told her so wanted to start reading horror books. She found it in a random second hand book store and I read it in 4 days, that’s still the fastest I’ve read a book. What I great intro into horror books!
This book still holds up. I usually don’t re-read books cause I remember them to well but I finally got ahold of the whole series so figured I should read it again so I was up to date.
This is still one of the scariest and best books I’ve ever read, still a favourite, still creepy. On to the next one!
ORIGINAL REVIEW :
I loved this book when I first read it back in high school. My mum bought it for me on a whim when I first told her so wanted to start reading horror books. She found it in a random second hand book store and I read it in 4 days, that’s still the fastest I’ve read a book. What I great intro into horror books!
October 16, 2016
That was so so good, whaaaaaa? Exceeded my expectations with flying colours, yes it did. Perfect halloween read! Had me doing this every couple pages:
October 16, 2015
Yo esperaba que el libro fuera igual de espeluznante hasta el final, pero bajó un poco el ritmo y creo que se resolvieron las cosas demasiado rápido para mi gusto. Aún así, Asylum cuenta una historia increíble, llena de momentos que te hacen pensar que de verdad alguien te está observando, que hace que escuches ruidos raros en tu casa y que temas por los protagonistas. Confieso que el libro me dio escalofríos (al menos las primeras tres cuartas partes) y tuve que dejar de leerlo de noche porque... no podía con mi vida xD
Vamos a la trama. Asylum es la historia de Dan Crawford, un chico que está a punto de graduarse del colegio y que vive con sus padres adoptivos. La cosa es que en el verano decide ir a un curso preparatorio para la Universidad y, cuando llega al campus, ve el lugar donde se van a hospedar: un antiguo asilo mental. Han decidido acomodarlos allí porque los dormitorios convencionales no están disponibles. En poco tiempo Dan conoce a los que serán sus amigos durante todo el libro: Abby y Jordan, los principales, y Felix, su compañero de habitación. El libro empieza a ponerse espeluznante cuando empezamos a conocer un poco más de Brookline, el asilo, sus habitaciones secretas, sus pacientes y los terribles experimentos a los que eran sometidos allí. Cosas extrañas empiezan a pasar, notas sin remitente, pesadillas, visiones y... ¡asesinatos!
Creo que Madeleine Roux hace un trabajo increíble describiendo la atmósfera del asilo mental y de sus alas y habitaciones abandonadas, pues con cada descripción te transporta hacia allí y ya no estás más leyendo en tu cama, sino que estás en medio de una oficina subterránea llena de polvo, archivadores y fotografías espeluznantes colgadas en las paredes y cubriendo el piso. Hay algo muy interesante del libro y es que cada pocas páginas hay fotografías reales en blanco y negro de asilos mentales, enfermos y diferentes objetos claves para la historia... así que todo esto hace que te integres más a lo que estás leyendo, que te lo creas más y que, por ende, lo sientas más real, como si lo estuvieras viviendo.
Si bien los personajes principales de Asylum son Dan, Abby y Jordan, al último no lo soportaba. Dan es este chico curioso que siente que la historia de Brookline lo afecta a un nivel personal y que, además, empieza a tener pesadillas, lapsos de memoria y alucinaciones. Como protagonista me agradó porque ni él mismo sabía qué estaba pasando, se dejaba llevar por *algo que no puedo nombrar porque es spoiler* y actuaba en consecuencia. ¡Ah! Y, encima, le gusta Abby... aunque esa mini historia de romance no me cuadró mucho dentro de la temática del libro, pero vaaaaaale.
Abby, por otra parte, es una chica muy interesada en el arte, enérgica, espontánea y que irradia felicidad... hasta que ve una de las fotografías de las oficinas abandonadas del sótano. Su actitud empieza a cambiar un poco desde ahí, pues empieza una cruzada personas para averiguar ciertas cosas que la van a afectar mucho. Un personaje como Abby se agradece porque le da un poco de luz a una historia bastante oscura y, de hecho, cuando ella no está o no tiene su humor habitual, el libro se vuelve aún más tétrico
Ahora, con Jordan es con quien tengo un problema porque al principio nos lo presentan como un chico alegre, un poco miedoso, pero cool de todas maneras... pero conforme pasa el libro adopta una actitud de capullo impresionante. Y no, ni siquiera lo que hace al final del libro logra convencerme de que es buena gente, lo siento.
Volviendo a la trama, entiendo que este es el primer libro de una trilogía y que debe dejar algunos interrogantes abiertos (que no menciono porque son spoilers, jajaja), pero siento que el final fue muy abrupto, que sucedió muy rápido y que no me explicaron por qué esos dos personajes estaban actuando bajo el influjo de esos otros dos personajes... ¡y es que no tiene sentido! O sea, tengo teorías, pero creo que me habría gustado un pelín más de claridad en el asunto.
Y nada, creo que necesito leer pronto Sanctum porque ¡QUIERO EXPLICACIONES!
PD: WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW a la historia del Escultor, el asesino en serie. Fue fascinante y estoy casi segura de que, con lo loco que está el mundo, seguro existió un asesino así en la vida real.
Vamos a la trama. Asylum es la historia de Dan Crawford, un chico que está a punto de graduarse del colegio y que vive con sus padres adoptivos. La cosa es que en el verano decide ir a un curso preparatorio para la Universidad y, cuando llega al campus, ve el lugar donde se van a hospedar: un antiguo asilo mental. Han decidido acomodarlos allí porque los dormitorios convencionales no están disponibles. En poco tiempo Dan conoce a los que serán sus amigos durante todo el libro: Abby y Jordan, los principales, y Felix, su compañero de habitación. El libro empieza a ponerse espeluznante cuando empezamos a conocer un poco más de Brookline, el asilo, sus habitaciones secretas, sus pacientes y los terribles experimentos a los que eran sometidos allí. Cosas extrañas empiezan a pasar, notas sin remitente, pesadillas, visiones y... ¡asesinatos!
Creo que Madeleine Roux hace un trabajo increíble describiendo la atmósfera del asilo mental y de sus alas y habitaciones abandonadas, pues con cada descripción te transporta hacia allí y ya no estás más leyendo en tu cama, sino que estás en medio de una oficina subterránea llena de polvo, archivadores y fotografías espeluznantes colgadas en las paredes y cubriendo el piso. Hay algo muy interesante del libro y es que cada pocas páginas hay fotografías reales en blanco y negro de asilos mentales, enfermos y diferentes objetos claves para la historia... así que todo esto hace que te integres más a lo que estás leyendo, que te lo creas más y que, por ende, lo sientas más real, como si lo estuvieras viviendo.
Si bien los personajes principales de Asylum son Dan, Abby y Jordan, al último no lo soportaba. Dan es este chico curioso que siente que la historia de Brookline lo afecta a un nivel personal y que, además, empieza a tener pesadillas, lapsos de memoria y alucinaciones. Como protagonista me agradó porque ni él mismo sabía qué estaba pasando, se dejaba llevar por *algo que no puedo nombrar porque es spoiler* y actuaba en consecuencia. ¡Ah! Y, encima, le gusta Abby... aunque esa mini historia de romance no me cuadró mucho dentro de la temática del libro, pero vaaaaaale.
Abby, por otra parte, es una chica muy interesada en el arte, enérgica, espontánea y que irradia felicidad... hasta que ve una de las fotografías de las oficinas abandonadas del sótano. Su actitud empieza a cambiar un poco desde ahí, pues empieza una cruzada personas para averiguar ciertas cosas que la van a afectar mucho. Un personaje como Abby se agradece porque le da un poco de luz a una historia bastante oscura y, de hecho, cuando ella no está o no tiene su humor habitual, el libro se vuelve aún más tétrico
Ahora, con Jordan es con quien tengo un problema porque al principio nos lo presentan como un chico alegre, un poco miedoso, pero cool de todas maneras... pero conforme pasa el libro adopta una actitud de capullo impresionante. Y no, ni siquiera lo que hace al final del libro logra convencerme de que es buena gente, lo siento.
Volviendo a la trama, entiendo que este es el primer libro de una trilogía y que debe dejar algunos interrogantes abiertos (que no menciono porque son spoilers, jajaja), pero siento que el final fue muy abrupto, que sucedió muy rápido y que no me explicaron por qué esos dos personajes estaban actuando bajo el influjo de esos otros dos personajes... ¡y es que no tiene sentido! O sea, tengo teorías, pero creo que me habría gustado un pelín más de claridad en el asunto.
Y nada, creo que necesito leer pronto Sanctum porque ¡QUIERO EXPLICACIONES!
PD: WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW a la historia del Escultor, el asesino en serie. Fue fascinante y estoy casi segura de que, con lo loco que está el mundo, seguro existió un asesino así en la vida real.
August 16, 2017
A copy of Asylum was provided to me by Harper Children's/Edelweiss for review purposes.
The word Asylum alone evokes a feeling of dread. A twinge of apprehension. Unfortunately the title was the only thing that elicited that expected response, because the book was honestly extremely dry and wearisome.
The idea behind the story was solid: 16 year-old Dan comes to stay for several weeks over the summer at a college prep program and he finds out their dorms are located in what once was an asylum for the criminally insane. I'm on board with that. The characters completely destroyed this story though. They were dull, uninteresting and lacking in any sort of dimension.
The inconsistency of maturity was awful. Dan would be contemplating Jung one minute and acting like a 12 year old boy the next. He is supposed to be this incredibly socially awkward guy that has the hardest time making friends, yet he finds two people and they're the bestest of friends... instantly. They spend all their time together and they even decide to take some of the same classes together and they talk about their family problems with one another and... it just didn't feel authentic. Their friendship itself may have worked, but the fact that we knew they had JUST met ruined it all. Within a week even the teachers have nicknamed them 'The Hydra'.
Dan's two friends, Abby and Jordan, also met each other for the first time on the bus that brought them to the school. The nail in the coffin happened for me when about a week into their stay, Abby forgets to tell Jordan that she won't be able to study with him because she's hanging out with Dan instead. She comes home to find him waiting for her outside her dorm door, drinking, proclaiming that she drove him to drink.
Their friendship lacked a necessary composition that would generate these types of responses. But honestly, I'm not sure when I would ever put up with that type of behavior from a friend; it was just unnecessary and dramatic. (Also unnecessary was the incredibly forced romance that could have completely been done without.) It seemed incredibly unrealistic how advanced their relationship seemed to be after such a short amount of time and considering this was a huge basis of the story, it practically ruined the story as a whole for me.
The comparison to Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children is a bit far-fetched and the only link between the two I could determine was the inclusion of black and white pictures. With Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children though, the pictures felt like they fit with the story much more and appeared to be incredibly authentic. While my ARC copy didn't contain all pictures, the ones I was able to view looked digitally created and many didn't even match up to what was being described which completely defeated the whole purpose. I would consider this to be a far closer match-up to Dennis Lehane's 'Shutter Island'- the YA Version with extremely bad characters.
The story was interesting enough but I was really anticipating a much more intense reading experience. The ending doesn't give you all the answers, because apparently this is being made into a series which is completely unnecessary; this could have been a perfect stand-alone story (if it had more solid of characters and maybe a bit more creepy thrown in for flavor). Suffice it to say this was an epic disappointment and I don't consider myself to be interested enough in continuing.
The word Asylum alone evokes a feeling of dread. A twinge of apprehension. Unfortunately the title was the only thing that elicited that expected response, because the book was honestly extremely dry and wearisome.
The idea behind the story was solid: 16 year-old Dan comes to stay for several weeks over the summer at a college prep program and he finds out their dorms are located in what once was an asylum for the criminally insane. I'm on board with that. The characters completely destroyed this story though. They were dull, uninteresting and lacking in any sort of dimension.
The inconsistency of maturity was awful. Dan would be contemplating Jung one minute and acting like a 12 year old boy the next. He is supposed to be this incredibly socially awkward guy that has the hardest time making friends, yet he finds two people and they're the bestest of friends... instantly. They spend all their time together and they even decide to take some of the same classes together and they talk about their family problems with one another and... it just didn't feel authentic. Their friendship itself may have worked, but the fact that we knew they had JUST met ruined it all. Within a week even the teachers have nicknamed them 'The Hydra'.
Dan's two friends, Abby and Jordan, also met each other for the first time on the bus that brought them to the school. The nail in the coffin happened for me when about a week into their stay, Abby forgets to tell Jordan that she won't be able to study with him because she's hanging out with Dan instead. She comes home to find him waiting for her outside her dorm door, drinking, proclaiming that she drove him to drink.
Their friendship lacked a necessary composition that would generate these types of responses. But honestly, I'm not sure when I would ever put up with that type of behavior from a friend; it was just unnecessary and dramatic. (Also unnecessary was the incredibly forced romance that could have completely been done without.) It seemed incredibly unrealistic how advanced their relationship seemed to be after such a short amount of time and considering this was a huge basis of the story, it practically ruined the story as a whole for me.
The comparison to Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children is a bit far-fetched and the only link between the two I could determine was the inclusion of black and white pictures. With Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children though, the pictures felt like they fit with the story much more and appeared to be incredibly authentic. While my ARC copy didn't contain all pictures, the ones I was able to view looked digitally created and many didn't even match up to what was being described which completely defeated the whole purpose. I would consider this to be a far closer match-up to Dennis Lehane's 'Shutter Island'- the YA Version with extremely bad characters.
The story was interesting enough but I was really anticipating a much more intense reading experience. The ending doesn't give you all the answers, because apparently this is being made into a series which is completely unnecessary; this could have been a perfect stand-alone story (if it had more solid of characters and maybe a bit more creepy thrown in for flavor). Suffice it to say this was an epic disappointment and I don't consider myself to be interested enough in continuing.
July 18, 2016
I enjoyed this book much more this time around than the last time I read it. I was itching for a creepy yet easy read and that's exactly what this gave me. I always enjoy it when the plot of a story is centred around an old, dark building with secrets to be uncovered. This provided all of that and more! Add in the slightly disturbing photographs and creepy handwritten notes and I'm 100% sold!
May 31, 2019
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.
2.5 stars
———
Buddy read with Kaleena!
September 6, 2013
See more reviews at YA Midnight Reads
Thank you HarperCollins Australia for sending me this copy. No compensation was given or taken to alter this review.
Mini review:
I highly recommend Asylum if you want to fall asleep in the middle of the day- which mind you, I haven't done since I was 4 years old, and well, now. This book certainly comes with a lot of nostalgic moments, including a writing style that's vehemently juvenile. But of course, read this book if you're feeling lazy, and don't want to use your brain as Asylum does a perfect job in these two areas. Apart from that, Asylum was flawed in most other aspect which is re-assuredly much more important than a middle-of-day snooze and no-brainer read.
What I enjoyed:
The one and only legitimate reason to why Asylum was merely bearable was the plot. Sure, it was horribly executed but the mystery was somewhat there and interesting enough for me to want to know the resolution. While it didn't give off the effect of a thrillingly spooky, the mystery part did give this novel some enjoyment- though insanely miniscule.
What was just, bleh:
I feel Roux created a bunch of world's randomest characters and threw them into the storyline. Our main character, Dan is exceedingly flat. He's meant to be smart but his dialogue and the way he tackles situations is completely hollow and illogical. Moreover, Abby, the love interest had an undeniably stereotypical ego and Jordan, the other friend was more randomer than this book. He'd pop out of nowhere then show up with some irregular behaviour. The protagonists, to be put candidly, were inconsistent and not carefully constructed.
Another undoubtedly lousy aspect was the romance. There is not the slightest layer of depth. Instant love really does not go well with underdeveloped characters and childish chemistry. And by childish I mean utterly awkward and laaaaame.
The pace. Hot and Cold by Katy Perry is the ideal song to match this aspect. The range of fast to slow is a distinct dynamic here, really. This took major impact in the mystery. Like I aforementioned, the mystery lost its chilling counterpart due to the poor even, pacing.
Asylum, is another good potential gone bad. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this. (Heck, I couldn't find much effort in reviewing this either.)
***********
LAAAAAAME.
Thank you HarperCollins Australia for sending me this copy. No compensation was given or taken to alter this review.
Mini review:
I highly recommend Asylum if you want to fall asleep in the middle of the day- which mind you, I haven't done since I was 4 years old, and well, now. This book certainly comes with a lot of nostalgic moments, including a writing style that's vehemently juvenile. But of course, read this book if you're feeling lazy, and don't want to use your brain as Asylum does a perfect job in these two areas. Apart from that, Asylum was flawed in most other aspect which is re-assuredly much more important than a middle-of-day snooze and no-brainer read.
What I enjoyed:
The one and only legitimate reason to why Asylum was merely bearable was the plot. Sure, it was horribly executed but the mystery was somewhat there and interesting enough for me to want to know the resolution. While it didn't give off the effect of a thrillingly spooky, the mystery part did give this novel some enjoyment- though insanely miniscule.
What was just, bleh:
I feel Roux created a bunch of world's randomest characters and threw them into the storyline. Our main character, Dan is exceedingly flat. He's meant to be smart but his dialogue and the way he tackles situations is completely hollow and illogical. Moreover, Abby, the love interest had an undeniably stereotypical ego and Jordan, the other friend was more randomer than this book. He'd pop out of nowhere then show up with some irregular behaviour. The protagonists, to be put candidly, were inconsistent and not carefully constructed.
Another undoubtedly lousy aspect was the romance. There is not the slightest layer of depth. Instant love really does not go well with underdeveloped characters and childish chemistry. And by childish I mean utterly awkward and laaaaame.
The pace. Hot and Cold by Katy Perry is the ideal song to match this aspect. The range of fast to slow is a distinct dynamic here, really. This took major impact in the mystery. Like I aforementioned, the mystery lost its chilling counterpart due to the poor even, pacing.
Asylum, is another good potential gone bad. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this. (Heck, I couldn't find much effort in reviewing this either.)
***********
LAAAAAAME.
March 26, 2017
Me llamó mucho la atención cuando lo vi, por el tema de suspenso y terror, la onda esta muy buena y me gusta la forma creativa que tiene, se nota que es un libro introductorio, con buenas descripciones de lugares lúgubres que llegan a causar uno que otro escalofrío y te dejan en suspenso deseando continuar la saga.
July 25, 2015
I wouldn't say this book is amazing. I mean, I liked the book, but I wasn't attached to it. Before reading this book, I had so many expectations. The characters were likable, but I wasn't completely attached to them. Unfortunately, I wasn't a huge fan of the writing style either. From some of the reviews I read, they said that this book was a cheaper version of Miss.Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. Unfortunately, I didn't read that book yet so I cannot compare the two. I just didn't enjoy the book as much as I thought I would. It was the reason I was in a reading slump. I kept avoiding the book because I think I got tired of it.
This story is about a boy named Daniel Crawford who is going to summer school. The high school that he is going to is an old asylum, that was renovated into a high school. But parts of the school is not renovated and there are old offices with information about the old asylum. Daniel befriends Abby and Jordan and they go on adventures to the old offices. Throughout the book, there are some images that show where they are. Weird things begin to happy to Daniel and murders begin to occur in the school. Abby, Jordan and Daniel try to figure out what it going on and try to piece everything together.
If you think about it, I feel like the summary really gets you. But when I read the book, I just didn't enjoy it. I found it fast-paced, but I didn't feel like I was Daniel. Usually, when I read a book, I feel like I am the main character. But I didn't feel like that in this book and I don't know why. The book was meant to give you the scares, but it didn't scare me. At parts I would get the creeps, but I never felt terrified. When I read the huge plot twist in this story, I felt like I saw it coming. I already knew who was behind the murders and I wasn't surprised. I suspected one character the entire time and I was right. But the thing is, when it comes to suspense and mystery, I want my predictions to be wrong. I want to be shocked and read a huge plot twist that gets me.
As you can see, I didn't enjoy this very much. Maybe others may enjoy it but I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would. I am planning on continuing with this series because some reviewers said that it gets better. I am hoping that it does. Wish me luck, and hopefully I wont go into another reading slump!
This story is about a boy named Daniel Crawford who is going to summer school. The high school that he is going to is an old asylum, that was renovated into a high school. But parts of the school is not renovated and there are old offices with information about the old asylum. Daniel befriends Abby and Jordan and they go on adventures to the old offices. Throughout the book, there are some images that show where they are. Weird things begin to happy to Daniel and murders begin to occur in the school. Abby, Jordan and Daniel try to figure out what it going on and try to piece everything together.
If you think about it, I feel like the summary really gets you. But when I read the book, I just didn't enjoy it. I found it fast-paced, but I didn't feel like I was Daniel. Usually, when I read a book, I feel like I am the main character. But I didn't feel like that in this book and I don't know why. The book was meant to give you the scares, but it didn't scare me. At parts I would get the creeps, but I never felt terrified. When I read the huge plot twist in this story, I felt like I saw it coming. I already knew who was behind the murders and I wasn't surprised. I suspected one character the entire time and I was right. But the thing is, when it comes to suspense and mystery, I want my predictions to be wrong. I want to be shocked and read a huge plot twist that gets me.
As you can see, I didn't enjoy this very much. Maybe others may enjoy it but I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would. I am planning on continuing with this series because some reviewers said that it gets better. I am hoping that it does. Wish me luck, and hopefully I wont go into another reading slump!
December 28, 2014
It's rare to see YA novels with a Gothic tone, but Miss Roux's Asylum leaves too many things to be desired:
(1) Those teenage main characters act like they are 10 years old instead of 17.
(2) The writing is decent enough, but authors such as Helen Grant had done a better job scaring me with her words.
(3) The ending, what a mess!
(4) There will be a sequel but I'm not looking forward for it.
(5) The friendship among the main characters is unconvincing, their personalities and motives all feel very forced.
(6) Said main characters being Too Stupid To Live when there's a killer lurking around the campus.
DO NOT compare this book with Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, for goodness's sake.
(1) Those teenage main characters act like they are 10 years old instead of 17.
(2) The writing is decent enough, but authors such as Helen Grant had done a better job scaring me with her words.
(3) The ending, what a mess!
(4) There will be a sequel but I'm not looking forward for it.
(5) The friendship among the main characters is unconvincing, their personalities and motives all feel very forced.
(6) Said main characters being Too Stupid To Live when there's a killer lurking around the campus.
DO NOT compare this book with Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, for goodness's sake.
Read
September 13, 2013Okay so I have decided to do something outside the box and norm for bloggers. I am going to start a new book shelf on here named "no rating" which means I will not rate it. I firmly believe that sometimes we read a book and it is not OUR cup of tea and we rate it badly by giving it a one or a two or a three stars. I hate doing that just because I read the book and did not like it does not mean you may not like it. As a blogger we influence a lot of readers with our reviews and I just don't want to do that to an author where others may enjoy the book. So I will state what I liked and what I did not like and the rest is up to the reader to decide whether or not to read it.
So here we go......
I picked up the book and loved the cover and the opening. I really enjoyed all the pictures of the Asylums in this book. I live in Mass which is the home of a lot of Asylums but I work across the street from one of the most famous Asylums ever and it is called Worcester State Hospital http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worceste... and for a good reading and scare read wiki for the info because it is very accurate and has pictures to see what I see everyday. So as I am reading this story about an awkward boy who has no friends and is spending his summer before college at a college prep program I was excited because I figured okay he is going to get some college credits under his belt and get ready for college.
Instead I get that he instantly makes friends with two other people Jordan his roommate and Abby his supposed love interest. So as the story goes on it is not made clear whether or not these three are related to things until the middle of the book. That is when we find out the three of then are related to this Asylum that is their dorm. Then things went a little south for me from there but I kept reading because I was like okay everything is going to come into place but it just didn't do it for me. So I finished it and I have decided that yes this was not a book for me but others may love it like it or hate it. It was okay to read but I loved the pictures and hopefully there is going to be a sequel because I had more questions than answers.
I hope this review helps and I am sorry but I just can't rate it you have to read it to see for yourself whether or not you liked it.
So here we go......
I picked up the book and loved the cover and the opening. I really enjoyed all the pictures of the Asylums in this book. I live in Mass which is the home of a lot of Asylums but I work across the street from one of the most famous Asylums ever and it is called Worcester State Hospital http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worceste... and for a good reading and scare read wiki for the info because it is very accurate and has pictures to see what I see everyday. So as I am reading this story about an awkward boy who has no friends and is spending his summer before college at a college prep program I was excited because I figured okay he is going to get some college credits under his belt and get ready for college.
Instead I get that he instantly makes friends with two other people Jordan his roommate and Abby his supposed love interest. So as the story goes on it is not made clear whether or not these three are related to things until the middle of the book. That is when we find out the three of then are related to this Asylum that is their dorm. Then things went a little south for me from there but I kept reading because I was like okay everything is going to come into place but it just didn't do it for me. So I finished it and I have decided that yes this was not a book for me but others may love it like it or hate it. It was okay to read but I loved the pictures and hopefully there is going to be a sequel because I had more questions than answers.
I hope this review helps and I am sorry but I just can't rate it you have to read it to see for yourself whether or not you liked it.
November 11, 2015
DNF at 50%.
This book compares itself to Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. Don't even. Just don't.
I try really hard to finish this book but I wasn't enjoying reading anymore so I decided to dnf. I usually hate dnf books because they sometimes get better or find some kind of redemption.
This book I feel like it would never change. Although the beginning was interesting some problems that I had i though it would be solved at least in half the book (of course it weren't).
What was my big problem? well.. THE CHARACTERS.
All the characters in the book are quite "empty", and they look more younger than they actually are (it gives a vibe of a childrens book, which it wasn't what i was exepted)), but the character that discourage more is the main character, Dan. he irrited me so much in this book. sometimes he acts like a 6 years old, other times he looks very girly and even other times he seemed a weird stalker.
The relationship between the characters didn't seem real.It developed too fast to look realistic.
Don't recommend this book.
This book compares itself to Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. Don't even. Just don't.
I try really hard to finish this book but I wasn't enjoying reading anymore so I decided to dnf. I usually hate dnf books because they sometimes get better or find some kind of redemption.
This book I feel like it would never change. Although the beginning was interesting some problems that I had i though it would be solved at least in half the book (of course it weren't).
What was my big problem? well.. THE CHARACTERS.
All the characters in the book are quite "empty", and they look more younger than they actually are (it gives a vibe of a childrens book, which it wasn't what i was exepted)), but the character that discourage more is the main character, Dan. he irrited me so much in this book. sometimes he acts like a 6 years old, other times he looks very girly and even other times he seemed a weird stalker.
The relationship between the characters didn't seem real.It developed too fast to look realistic.
Don't recommend this book.
September 5, 2018
Actually kind of impressed with this Young Adult horror story.
Creepy cover ✔
Horrible history ✔
Mysterious happenings ✔
Creepy AF location ✔
Terrifying photos ✔
The photos definitely make this book a hundred times creepier, even if most didn't really match the story. I think the shudder effect comes from knowing that people and places like this did actually exist once upon a time.
For any horror aficionado, haunted asylums aren't really anything new. They arise constantly in books, films, tv shows ... you name it. It's an endless source of fear, possibly because it also forces us to consider what kind of depravity humankind has been responsible for in the past. Those poor departed souls.
So it's not a particularly original idea, but there's a reason it's been done on numerous occasions. It's a totally creepy premise.
Fun fact: the place I stayed during my first year of uni was actually once an asylum.
Not so fun fact: Absolutely zero haunting shenanigans for the entire year I was there. Like, one day I came home from classes and the gas had been left on in the kitchen but I'm pretty sure that was incompetent roomies rather than vengeful spirits.
But I digress.
One of my favourite songs (aptly titled 'Ghost'), includes the lyrics: We're not afraid of what we know, more what we don't. I think that explains why so many people are fascinated (and easily terrified) by ghosts. Departed souls. Spirits. NO ONE KNOWS. It's a lot harder to stand and fight something that may or may not be there. The best horror stories are the ones where you're not entirely sure what the horror is. Not knowing is part of the fear.
I had a few theories in my head reading this, but I was still scratching it by the end. I think that's a lot to do with this being a series: it leads to unanswered questions. I think that's what stopped it from packing a nice hard punch at the end. It kinda tapers out in a weird way and nothing is properly resolved.
I liked the characters, but I wasn't too fond of the coincidences. They felt false to me, like the story was trying to hard to link things. I did really appreciate Jordan as a non-conforming character, but I was also thrown by his lack of characterisation. The book kinda tells you he doesn't fit a standard mold but then doesn't give you much more about him? I suspect his personality will come more into play in the sequel. Abby was okay, I liked her just fine, but she was a bit naive for my liking. Dan ... I mean, forgive me for saying so, but the guy seems like a total nut job. I'm definitely keen to see his insanity progress in the next book. (Wait, what?)
I guess I really liked the premise and this book scores major points for the creepy factor, but the story itself felt a bit weak to me. Like all the gimmicky stuff came first and then the author was like, 'oh, wait, I guess I kinda need a twisted story to go with this ...' I enjoyed it, and it has some great creepy moments and ideas, but the story is a bit ehhhh. Also weird. Rubbish ending.
Hoping the sequel amps up the creepiness and brings a stronger story. I'll definitely be reading it. There's got to be something way more sinister lurking underneath this lil horror story.
*rubs hands together in anticipation*
Creepy cover ✔
Horrible history ✔
Mysterious happenings ✔
Creepy AF location ✔
Terrifying photos ✔
The photos definitely make this book a hundred times creepier, even if most didn't really match the story. I think the shudder effect comes from knowing that people and places like this did actually exist once upon a time.
For any horror aficionado, haunted asylums aren't really anything new. They arise constantly in books, films, tv shows ... you name it. It's an endless source of fear, possibly because it also forces us to consider what kind of depravity humankind has been responsible for in the past. Those poor departed souls.
So it's not a particularly original idea, but there's a reason it's been done on numerous occasions. It's a totally creepy premise.
Fun fact: the place I stayed during my first year of uni was actually once an asylum.
Not so fun fact: Absolutely zero haunting shenanigans for the entire year I was there. Like, one day I came home from classes and the gas had been left on in the kitchen but I'm pretty sure that was incompetent roomies rather than vengeful spirits.
But I digress.
One of my favourite songs (aptly titled 'Ghost'), includes the lyrics: We're not afraid of what we know, more what we don't. I think that explains why so many people are fascinated (and easily terrified) by ghosts. Departed souls. Spirits. NO ONE KNOWS. It's a lot harder to stand and fight something that may or may not be there. The best horror stories are the ones where you're not entirely sure what the horror is. Not knowing is part of the fear.
I had a few theories in my head reading this, but I was still scratching it by the end. I think that's a lot to do with this being a series: it leads to unanswered questions. I think that's what stopped it from packing a nice hard punch at the end. It kinda tapers out in a weird way and nothing is properly resolved.
I liked the characters, but I wasn't too fond of the coincidences. They felt false to me, like the story was trying to hard to link things. I did really appreciate Jordan as a non-conforming character, but I was also thrown by his lack of characterisation. The book kinda tells you he doesn't fit a standard mold but then doesn't give you much more about him? I suspect his personality will come more into play in the sequel. Abby was okay, I liked her just fine, but she was a bit naive for my liking. Dan ... I mean, forgive me for saying so, but the guy seems like a total nut job. I'm definitely keen to see his insanity progress in the next book. (Wait, what?)
I guess I really liked the premise and this book scores major points for the creepy factor, but the story itself felt a bit weak to me. Like all the gimmicky stuff came first and then the author was like, 'oh, wait, I guess I kinda need a twisted story to go with this ...' I enjoyed it, and it has some great creepy moments and ideas, but the story is a bit ehhhh. Also weird. Rubbish ending.
Hoping the sequel amps up the creepiness and brings a stronger story. I'll definitely be reading it. There's got to be something way more sinister lurking underneath this lil horror story.
*rubs hands together in anticipation*
January 27, 2016
من فکر کنم مدت هاست کتاب ترسناک نخوندم!
و واقعا لذت بردم از این کتاب. کتابی دلهره آور، پرکشش و مهیج
با سبک روایتی کاملاً خاص و جدید
و عکس هایی بسیار زیبا و جالب
من واقعاً از خوندن این کتاب لذت بردم. یعنی دو روز نشستم 260 صفحشو یک جا خواندم
و خیلی وقتی می شد که کتابی رو اینطوری نخونده بودم
و البته تبریک ویژه میگم به مترجمش
این کتاب رو به شدت به طرفداران ژانر وحشت توصیه میکنم
و واقعا لذت بردم از این کتاب. کتابی دلهره آور، پرکشش و مهیج
با سبک روایتی کاملاً خاص و جدید
و عکس هایی بسیار زیبا و جالب
من واقعاً از خوندن این کتاب لذت بردم. یعنی دو روز نشستم 260 صفحشو یک جا خواندم
و خیلی وقتی می شد که کتابی رو اینطوری نخونده بودم
و البته تبریک ویژه میگم به مترجمش
این کتاب رو به شدت به طرفداران ژانر وحشت توصیه میکنم
September 2, 2013
I cannot stress this enough - this is a horrible and poorly executed book, particularly in that there is no way to get a refund for the time I spent reading it. Time that would have been better spent on, oh, maybe reading nutritional facts on a cereal box or perusing depressing obituaries in the newspaper. While the cover sports an eerie image and promises disturbing found photographs to enhance the story - reminiscent of Ransom Riggs' technique in Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children - the author fails to deliver on this at all. The characters are underdeveloped and rather unlikeable. Despite the fact that you can easily ascertain where the story is heading within the first few chapters, the storyline is plodding at best and fails to pick up the pace until you are more than two-thirds of the way through the book. Even then the supposed plot "twists" were weak and grossly underutilized. Between the lackluster writing, uninspiring characters, and tediously predictable plot, the only satisfying aspect of the book's ending was that my suffering in reading it was finally over.
April 9, 2014
Mucho gancho, muy atrapante. Aunque esperaba algo más terrorífico y volví a adivinar al asesino al toque, la autora sabe como manejar el misterio, como jugar con la cabeza del lector y por un momento sentí que me estaba volviendo completamente loca a la par de Dan intentando deducir qué pasaba (sentimiento muy apropiado para esta lectura. Muy creepy considerando varios mensajes que te deja).
Las imágenes que acompañan la narración son espeluznantes y complementan muy bien la trama.
Para mi gusto le faltaron algunos "cómos", pero en términos generales un libro adictivo.
Muy bueno.
Las imágenes que acompañan la narración son espeluznantes y complementan muy bien la trama.
Para mi gusto le faltaron algunos "cómos", pero en términos generales un libro adictivo.
Muy bueno.
August 19, 2021
2.5 stars
اتمام
۱۹/تـیــر/۰۰
۲۲:۱۹
چرا فکر میکردم هیچوقت جرئت خوندن این مجموعه رو پیدا نمیکنم؟🥲
خب جلد اول که اونجور تو تصوراتم بود ترسناک نبود
(یا تصور من از این مجموعه یه داستان بشدت ترسناک بود یا فقط این جلد اول چیزی نداشت و قراره جلدای بعدی به چیز خوردن بیوفتم)😂🖐🏼
اتمام
۱۹/تـیــر/۰۰
۲۲:۱۹
چرا فکر میکردم هیچوقت جرئت خوندن این مجموعه رو پیدا نمیکنم؟🥲
خب جلد اول که اونجور تو تصوراتم بود ترسناک نبود
(یا تصور من از این مجموعه یه داستان بشدت ترسناک بود یا فقط این جلد اول چیزی نداشت و قراره جلدای بعدی به چیز خوردن بیوفتم)😂🖐🏼
November 10, 2014
Check out my blog for this review & so much more!
Rating: A Generous 2.5 Stars
As soon as I saw that Asylum was being compared to Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children, I immediately downloaded an ARC of it. Miss Peregrine's is one of my favorite books so I had high expectations for Asylum. I'm sorry to say that Asylum is not the next Miss Peregrine's but it is a pretty good horror/thriller.
Miss Peregrine's was such an unique read because all of the photos that accompanied the story were original. Ransom Riggs wrote a story around the creepy photos he had found at flea markets and photograph collectors. It is quite obvious that the photographs in Asylum were staged to complement the story. All of the photos feel very fake and don't really add much to the overall feel of Asylum. There were times when I felt like creepier photos should have been in this book rather than the mundane photos that were included. I know my ARC didn't have all of the interior art and photographs so it's a bit unfair to deride this book based on the visual components.
The characters in this book are definitely developed, but I wasn't the biggest fan of them. Dan acted like a petty child at sometimes and it bothered me how infatuated he was with Abby. Dan would notice such trivial things about Abby's appearance and obsess over it. It was a bit strange in my opinion how he fawned over her hair and how wavy it was. Last time I checked this isn't normal behaviour for a teenage guy. Abby was kind of a strange character but I still kind of liked her. I didn't understand why Dan was so enamored with her but she was definitely an interesting character. I felt like Jordan got the short end of the stick in this book because even though he is a main character, at times he felt kind of arbitrary. There were pages and pages went by where the author didn't even mention Jordan and I really wanted to know what was going on with him. He wasn't under-developed but I would have liked to see his character furthered in this book.
Asylum is a well-done mystery-thriller-horror combination and the plot is executed extremely well. There was a perfect balance of thrill and macabre ingrained in the plot but there were still moments where I felt a need to roll my eyes. Asylum is a very original novel but it still has some of the horror movie cliches. Seriously why would you enter an abandoned mental asylum alone? Besides the cliches, the plot was pretty original and enjoyable up until the ending. The ending felt like a total cop out and just a lame way to expand this book into an entire series. I seriously feel like this book would have worked better as a stand-alone, does every YA book need to be apart of a series? Whatever happened to good ol' stand-alones?
Bottomline: I enjoyed Asylum for the most part and I will reluctantly read the sequel. Asylum is a fast-paced thriller with just enough spookiness to give readers chills. This book isn't the next Miss Peregrine's but it's definitely a must-read for horror fans.
Rating: A Generous 2.5 Stars
As soon as I saw that Asylum was being compared to Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children, I immediately downloaded an ARC of it. Miss Peregrine's is one of my favorite books so I had high expectations for Asylum. I'm sorry to say that Asylum is not the next Miss Peregrine's but it is a pretty good horror/thriller.
Miss Peregrine's was such an unique read because all of the photos that accompanied the story were original. Ransom Riggs wrote a story around the creepy photos he had found at flea markets and photograph collectors. It is quite obvious that the photographs in Asylum were staged to complement the story. All of the photos feel very fake and don't really add much to the overall feel of Asylum. There were times when I felt like creepier photos should have been in this book rather than the mundane photos that were included. I know my ARC didn't have all of the interior art and photographs so it's a bit unfair to deride this book based on the visual components.
The characters in this book are definitely developed, but I wasn't the biggest fan of them. Dan acted like a petty child at sometimes and it bothered me how infatuated he was with Abby. Dan would notice such trivial things about Abby's appearance and obsess over it. It was a bit strange in my opinion how he fawned over her hair and how wavy it was. Last time I checked this isn't normal behaviour for a teenage guy. Abby was kind of a strange character but I still kind of liked her. I didn't understand why Dan was so enamored with her but she was definitely an interesting character. I felt like Jordan got the short end of the stick in this book because even though he is a main character, at times he felt kind of arbitrary. There were pages and pages went by where the author didn't even mention Jordan and I really wanted to know what was going on with him. He wasn't under-developed but I would have liked to see his character furthered in this book.
Asylum is a well-done mystery-thriller-horror combination and the plot is executed extremely well. There was a perfect balance of thrill and macabre ingrained in the plot but there were still moments where I felt a need to roll my eyes. Asylum is a very original novel but it still has some of the horror movie cliches. Seriously why would you enter an abandoned mental asylum alone? Besides the cliches, the plot was pretty original and enjoyable up until the ending. The ending felt like a total cop out and just a lame way to expand this book into an entire series. I seriously feel like this book would have worked better as a stand-alone, does every YA book need to be apart of a series? Whatever happened to good ol' stand-alones?
Bottomline: I enjoyed Asylum for the most part and I will reluctantly read the sequel. Asylum is a fast-paced thriller with just enough spookiness to give readers chills. This book isn't the next Miss Peregrine's but it's definitely a must-read for horror fans.
July 16, 2016
I wanted to read a scary book, something that would chill me to the bone, a dark, deep, twisted read. For me, Asylum ticked all of the boxes.
The main character Daniel Crawford is on a summer programme run by the New Hampshire College but instead of staying on a College campus, the students are housed in an ex-run asylum. Dan meets Jordan, Abby and his new roommate Felix but after a short time at the asylum, nothing is quite what it seems. Dan starts to suffer from hallucinations, Jordan and Dan from nightmares and all of the friends from disturbing images and creepy texts that threaten to kill them all. It's then that Dan starts to question his true heritage and because of this, he is determined to get to the bottom of the mystery. Even through all of the local residents who seem to hate his guts.
The images in the book are quite disturbing but in all honesty, I feel that the images paint scenes of portrayal throughout and gives the reader more to explore regarding settings in various locations. It's most definitely not a book for anyone under the age of 15, it's violent in places. Please don't read this book before bedtime! For anyone wanting to be scared out of their wits, this is a book that I will recommend to you.
Review for the sequel Sanctum to follow soon!
The main character Daniel Crawford is on a summer programme run by the New Hampshire College but instead of staying on a College campus, the students are housed in an ex-run asylum. Dan meets Jordan, Abby and his new roommate Felix but after a short time at the asylum, nothing is quite what it seems. Dan starts to suffer from hallucinations, Jordan and Dan from nightmares and all of the friends from disturbing images and creepy texts that threaten to kill them all. It's then that Dan starts to question his true heritage and because of this, he is determined to get to the bottom of the mystery. Even through all of the local residents who seem to hate his guts.
The images in the book are quite disturbing but in all honesty, I feel that the images paint scenes of portrayal throughout and gives the reader more to explore regarding settings in various locations. It's most definitely not a book for anyone under the age of 15, it's violent in places. Please don't read this book before bedtime! For anyone wanting to be scared out of their wits, this is a book that I will recommend to you.
Review for the sequel Sanctum to follow soon!
August 2, 2017
من واقعا از خوندن این کتاب ترسیدم! و واقعا می ترسم دو جلد بعدی مجموعه رو بخونم!
March 30, 2021
Tercera lectura: 29/03/21
No se porque, pero 5 años después de mi última lectura me dieron unas ganas ENORMES de releer este libro y por fin lo hice. And it was good.
Asylum no es de mis libros favoritos, mucho menos diría que es un libro que siento que sea buenisimo, pero con esta lectura diría que es un confort book. Me gusta bastante y mientras lo leo me la pasó a toda madre.
Con esta lectura me doy cuenta que la escritura no es tan buena, los personajes son bastante mediocres (en uno de mis primeros updates con este libro dije que Dan era irritante y 13 year old fernando was right) y los diálogos y algunas interacciones son bastante cringey, pero Dios que bien me la pase. De hecho, estoy planeando releer la serie completa, YNIMODO.
Esta es un libro que se siente como de esas películas que siempre ves cuando te sientes mal, y que no falla con levantarte el ánimo. Sabes que no es una película muy buena, pero a te encanta a pesar de eso.
Gracias por darme esa experiencia 3 veces Madeleine Roux, you're a real one.
Segunda lectura: 04/05/16
Entretenido, mis sentimientos son los mismos como la primera vez que lo leí.
Primera lactura: 17/04/15
Este libro es simplemente fantástico. Al principio no note el temor que la autora quería transmitir pero a partir de la página 150 todo se pone muy intenso. Me encantaba ver los transtornos que sufría el protagonista. Espero que la secuela sea mas fuerte y que lleve la historia a un nivel completamente diferente.
No se porque, pero 5 años después de mi última lectura me dieron unas ganas ENORMES de releer este libro y por fin lo hice. And it was good.
Asylum no es de mis libros favoritos, mucho menos diría que es un libro que siento que sea buenisimo, pero con esta lectura diría que es un confort book. Me gusta bastante y mientras lo leo me la pasó a toda madre.
Con esta lectura me doy cuenta que la escritura no es tan buena, los personajes son bastante mediocres (en uno de mis primeros updates con este libro dije que Dan era irritante y 13 year old fernando was right) y los diálogos y algunas interacciones son bastante cringey, pero Dios que bien me la pase. De hecho, estoy planeando releer la serie completa, YNIMODO.
Esta es un libro que se siente como de esas películas que siempre ves cuando te sientes mal, y que no falla con levantarte el ánimo. Sabes que no es una película muy buena, pero a te encanta a pesar de eso.
Gracias por darme esa experiencia 3 veces Madeleine Roux, you're a real one.
Segunda lectura: 04/05/16
Entretenido, mis sentimientos son los mismos como la primera vez que lo leí.
Primera lactura: 17/04/15
Este libro es simplemente fantástico. Al principio no note el temor que la autora quería transmitir pero a partir de la página 150 todo se pone muy intenso. Me encantaba ver los transtornos que sufría el protagonista. Espero que la secuela sea mas fuerte y que lleve la historia a un nivel completamente diferente.
April 18, 2023
This book felt more like a YA read. It may well be and I just missed the call out. I enjoyed the story line and suspense, it just wasn’t so much that I’ll really remember the premise in the future. I think fans of YA might love this!
October 27, 2018
I'm really disappointed in this book. I don't know if it was the narrator of the audiobook or if I just didn't like the writing but it wasn't for me.
Honestly I had it all figured out pretty early on and I was waiting for a twist but it was just kind of predictable. Not for me which is a shame as it's been on my list forever.
Honestly I had it all figured out pretty early on and I was waiting for a twist but it was just kind of predictable. Not for me which is a shame as it's been on my list forever.
October 30, 2013
What would you do if you attended a college that used to be an asylum for the criminally insane?
In the book “Asylum” by Madeleine Roux, sixteen year old Dan Crawford was attending New Hampshire College Prep, which was just your average summer program - or so he thought. When Dan comes to know that his dorm used to be an insane asylum, he starts noticing a change in the atmosphere of the college. Something just wasn't right.
Dan and his newly found friends, Jordan and Abby, discover an abandoned wing of the college that led straight into the asylum. Upon exiting the old hall, the three teenagers regret entering in the first place. Over the next week, Dan was being gifted anonymous letters, each containing a clue to what he would discover in the last weeks of the program. When Abby begs Dan to go back into the asylum once more, she finds a room that contains all the files from patients who checked into the asylum. They each had a paper that said ‘Recovered?’ with either a ‘Y’ or an ‘N’ to signal whether a patient had recovered or not. Most of the cards were checked with a ‘N,’ but one card stood out to Dan, which had been checked ‘Y.’ The recovered patient went by ‘The Sculptor, and he was put in the hospital for murdering many people, and leaving their bodies in certain positions, as if sculpting a statue.
As if things weren't crazy enough, Dan and the old warden had the same exact name. Dan starts experiencing visions as if he was seeing through the wardens eyes. This drives him mad, and he is suddenly determined to find out about his biological family’s past. His current parents always told him they couldn't say too much about his blood family, and he never understood why, until now.
Join Dan and his friends on all their supernatural occurrences!
In the book “Asylum” by Madeleine Roux, sixteen year old Dan Crawford was attending New Hampshire College Prep, which was just your average summer program - or so he thought. When Dan comes to know that his dorm used to be an insane asylum, he starts noticing a change in the atmosphere of the college. Something just wasn't right.
Dan and his newly found friends, Jordan and Abby, discover an abandoned wing of the college that led straight into the asylum. Upon exiting the old hall, the three teenagers regret entering in the first place. Over the next week, Dan was being gifted anonymous letters, each containing a clue to what he would discover in the last weeks of the program. When Abby begs Dan to go back into the asylum once more, she finds a room that contains all the files from patients who checked into the asylum. They each had a paper that said ‘Recovered?’ with either a ‘Y’ or an ‘N’ to signal whether a patient had recovered or not. Most of the cards were checked with a ‘N,’ but one card stood out to Dan, which had been checked ‘Y.’ The recovered patient went by ‘The Sculptor, and he was put in the hospital for murdering many people, and leaving their bodies in certain positions, as if sculpting a statue.
As if things weren't crazy enough, Dan and the old warden had the same exact name. Dan starts experiencing visions as if he was seeing through the wardens eyes. This drives him mad, and he is suddenly determined to find out about his biological family’s past. His current parents always told him they couldn't say too much about his blood family, and he never understood why, until now.
Join Dan and his friends on all their supernatural occurrences!
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