"Been Bookin'?" Book Review: Asylum by Madeleine Roux

Asylum took me a bit longer to read and I'll tell you why later.

According to Madeleine Roux's personal website, she attended Beloit College for Creative Writing and Acting in 2008. She was then able to write Allison Hewitt is Trapped in a "experimental fiction blog." The blog was a success which then led Madeleine to write the Asylum series.

Asylum is the story of three friends who meet at a summer college prep program. Dan, Abby, and Jordan learn that once they arrive, they must stay in what used to be an insane asylum, Brookline, simply because the dorms of the college were shut down for the summer. The friends then begin experiencing a lot of crazy things after a trip to a shut off office in the building. 

Dan learns that the warden of the old asylum just so happens to share his name and for some reason, the weirdest things begin happening to him. He begins receiving letters from a mystery writer and black outs keep him from knowing who is writing them or how they are even getting the letters to his room. 

Abby learns that her aunt used to be a patient at the asylum after she finds a picture in the locked office. She kept the picture, feeling as though there was a meaning behind it. Of course there was.

Jordan isn't even supposed to be at this summer program. His parents believe he is at a camp that will help "scare the gay out of him," but his uncle was willing to help him get to the program he truly wanted to be at. The more trouble that the friends cause, the more afraid Jordan gets of being sent home. He slowly distances himself from his friends, but eventually realizes he needs his friends just as much as they need him. 

Suddenly, a murder occurs and from there things spiral out of control. A couple of the campers were then hurt and the suspect is none other than Dan.

With all the secrets of the asylum the friends are forced to find out just what is happening in the building and the town. Is it all just a joke played by some other camper or is there something more haunting happening at Brookline?

As I said earlier, this book took me a little longer to read. At first I felt as though the story was revealing too much information too fast, but then the story just flatlined almost. Yes, things were still happening, but nothing was being explained whatsoever. Then at the very end of the book, everything was explained at once. I really didn't like that style. Some things were left unexplained which really bothers me simply because it was important at some point so why wasn't it explained? It is a series so maybe things will be explained later on. I just don't know if the story finished in a way that it would carry on with the same characters. 

Overall the book wasn't terrible, but it was definitely better towards the very end. I rate this book with 3 notes.

3 NOTE RATING

Hookability: 3 notes

Story: 3 notes

Writing Style: 3 notes

Overall: 3 notes

I would like to read the sequel just to see if anything else from this book was explained, but I was not exactly impressed beyond belief by this book. Have you read this book? What did you think? Let me know below!