Asylum by Madeleine Roux

How I Heard About It:  A week or so ago I was browsing in the book store and came upon a display with the newest novel in this series.  It caught my attention and I browsed through the different books on the display case.  When I got home, I looked up the first book, Asylum, and decided to give it a try on my 3M Cloud Library app via the iPad.  

What It Is About:  Dan Crawford is sixteen years old and has been accepted into the New Hampshire College Prep (NHCP) program for the summer months.  He is beyond excited to attend this unique college "camp" experience.  When he arrives on campus, the dorm he and his fellow students were to stay in has been closed.  The school has moved the residents to Brookline which is a former Asylum for the criminally insane.  As the students move into this old building where they will live for the summer, they begin to mix and mingle.  Dan meets his roommate Felix, who is a bit different from Dan, but an alright guy.  The two people Dan really connects with are Abby and Jordan.  The three of them begin to spend a lot of time together and eventually venture off into different parts of the "dorm" where the secrets of the Asylum from years earlier are waiting for them to discover.  

What I Thought Of It:  I enjoyed the story.  I was in the mood for something different and this seemed to fit the bill.  I thoughts the actual "photographs" that were sprinkled throughout the book, added to the mystery and tone of the novel.  It was an easy read and kept me turning the pages to figure out what was going on.  I was never actually "scared", but there sure were some great descriptive scenes when the three characters were down in the "bowels" of the building.  Many twists and turns along the way and the biggest one of course comes at the end which I'm sure leads to book number two.  I'm not sure I will continue the series, but you never know.  

Who Should Read It:  If you are a reader that enjoys a good mystery with some scary/horror parts, then this is the book for you.  It is geared toward the young-adult reader and I can just picture those readers getting so caught up with Dan, Abby, and Jordan in their "adventures" at Brookline.  Now as I'm typing this I'm finding myself a bit curious as to what will happen to these three in the second book.  Maybe I will have to continue at some point?  Happy Reading!  

Rating:  4 STARS out of 5 Stars