Review: Sanctum by Madeleine Roux (Asylum #2)

Sanctum by Madeleine Roux (Asylum #2)

Rating: PG-13

Genre: Horror, Paranormal. Fantasy

Score: ❤❤❤❤

Page Count: 343

Book #2 in the Asylum series

Publisher: HarperCollins

Published: August 26, 2015

In this haunting, fast-paced sequel to the New York Times bestselling photo-illustrated novel Asylum, three teens must unlock some long-buried secrets from the past before the past comes back to get them first. Featuring found photographs, many from real vintage carnivals, Sanctum is a mind-bending reading experience that blurs the lines between past and present, genius and insanity, perfect for fans of the smash hit Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.

Dan, Abby, and Jordan remain traumatized by the summer they shared in the Brookline asylum. Much as they'd love to move on, someone is determined to keep the terror alive, sending the teens photos of an old-timey carnival, with no note and no name. Forsaking their plan never to go back, the teens return to New Hampshire College under the guise of a weekend for prospective students, and there they realize that the carnival from the photos is not only real, it's here on campus, apparently for the first time in many years.

Sneaking away from sample classes and college parties, Dan and his friends lead a tour of their own—one through the abandoned houses and hidden places of the surrounding town. Camford is hiding a terrible past, and the influence of the asylum runs deeper than Dan ever imagined.

Review: 

PROS:

1. Before we get started and to avoid spoilers, this book is the sequel to the first book in this series, Asylum, which was an awesome read for me personally so I suggest you give it a go. Anyway, I was beyond excited to read this one once I FINALLY got myself a copy after holding off for so long and I seriously need to get my hands on the third book which came out back in September. So many books!! Anyway, here's the review:

2. First off, I want to say that I fell in love with the characters all over again. I love that I got to see a little more character development this time around as the three friends, Dan, Jordan, and Abby have to solve yet more mysteries in order to get to the bottom of what went down in the first book. Dan is a very clever character who seems to be targeted by whatever or whoever seems to be trying to communicate with him about the asylum and just what happened there and why he's the one that they blame. Abby is also a smart character and I like how she's a bit more daring when it comes to taking risks in order to find another clue. Jordan is my favorite. Just thought I'd put that out there. I love Jordan because even though he's a loyal friend, he'll probably have to think for a moment when it comes to either hightailing out of some creepy old house or saving you. He made me laugh with his sarcastic comments that didn't really help anyone out in the situation. 

3. I love all things horror so I was very intrigued by all the creepy pictures. I like that some of them were sad or mysterious while others were a bit creepier or just flat-out terrifying. There were pictures of apparitions, abnormal beings and even a few pictures of creepy old houses and hallways. I think I actually might like the pictures more in this book than in the first but don't quote me on that!

4. I really loved where the story line headed and how everything wrapped up in this book. At first, it felt like there was so much going on and so many unanswered questions that I got a little lost and had a little bit of a hard time keeping up with things but once you get in the groove, it's pretty much non-stop twists and turns. This book had so many weird things that happened to the characters, secrets, shocking revelations and even things I never saw coming that by the end of the book, I was still reeling. This book was such an exciting and creepy read that the cliffhanger ending left me wanting more. Give me the third book NOW! 

5. Overall, I would love to see these books become movies. At least the first one for sure. If you're a fan of mysterious photos, on-the-edge-of-your-seat storylines, eerie locations or stories of unexplained events, check this series out ASAP. I really enjoyed this book and I'm so excited to see what the next book holds!

I didn't give this book a five-star rating because it was a little slower than the first book and it did take about a hundred or so pages for me to become enthralled in the story. Other than that, I give this one a thumbs up.

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Review: Through The Woods by Emily Carroll (GN)

Through The Woods by Emily Carroll

Rating: PG-13

Genre: Graphic Novel, Horror, Fantasy

Score: ❤❤❤❤❤

Page Count: 208

Stand Alone

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Published: July 15, 2014

'It came from the woods. Most strange things do.'

Five mysterious, spine-tingling stories follow journeys into (and out of?) the eerie abyss.
These chilling tales spring from the macabre imagination of acclaimed and award-winning comic creator Emily Carroll.
Come take a walk in the woods and see what awaits you there...

Review:

PROS:

1. I've been seeing this graphic novel around for the past few months and I have no idea why I waited so long to read it. Now that the Halloween spirit is starting to seep into the fall season itself, I've been craving something scary in book form. I've seen plenty of horror movies to last me a few lifetimes so I wanted to find more creepy reads instead to satisfy my craving for the scare factor. And I'm so happy that I finally did so with this book! Here's the review:

2.   Usually I save the art talk for last but this time around. I just need to focus on it first for a second. Going into this book, I honestly thought it was going to be more of 'structured' style of illustrations like most graphic novels are with certain layouts and blocked in text. I was so intrigued by the art I was seeing, however, when I first opened it up and began reading. It actually caught me a little by surprise. I loved how loose and free the illustrations felt and how creepy they were because of just that alone. Add in the cool color pallet that really used bold reds and blues to make certain things pop and you have a book that's just entertaining to stare at. The text was also free flowing and looked almost handwritten onto the pictures in a scratchy font that made things a little creepier. 

3. This book has five different short stories, six if you count the very last four or five pages that was counted more as an epilogue, and I loved every single one of them! One thing I really loved was how original each tale was. Some of the short stories were more paranormal whereas some dealt with actual beasts lurking in the shadows of the woods just waiting to strike. The woods were definitely a big part of every story which was nice because it tied all the stories together in a way. All the stories were surprising in their not-so-concluded endings and I loved that. In all the stories, I couldn't believe how they ended and it just left me wanting to know what happened next even though that story was over. I would love to see all of the short stories somehow become their own graphic novel. They were very dark, sinister at times and even a little freaky. 

4. This graphic novel is very imaginative and a PERFECT read for October or if you're just looking for something creepy to read at night. This book actually had me a little creeped out and that's coming from a girl who loves scary movies and yet never gets scared in any of them. I think this book has a little something for everybody. Whether you like ghost stories, urban legends or Boogeyman-esque tales, I think you'll love this one for sure!

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I hope you guys enjoyed this book review! If you have any other book requests you would like me to review, just leave a comment or send me an email. Read on bookworms! See you in the next chapter!

Review: The Dreaming (Vol. 1-3) by Queenie Chan



The Dreaming (Vol. 1-3) by Queenie Chan

Rating: PG-13

Genre: Horror, Paranormal, Manga

Score: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Page Count Total: 482

Books 1-3 of The Dreaming trilogy

Publisher: Tokyopop

Published: December 13, 2005, November 14, 2006, May 1, 2008

 

Summery for book #1:

Identical twins Jeanie and Amber are new students at Greenwich Private College, that lies on the edge of virgin bushlands. The school is run by its vice principal, who has a prejudice against twins - in fact, she rejects all twins' applications. The girls were only able to get in by saying that they are just regular sisters, born 11 months apart.

 

SUMMERY FOR BOOK #2 SPOILERS!!

Greenwich Private College grinds to a complete halt after the discovery of Millie's body. As gloom and despair sets in, most of the students leave the school. But Jeanie's curiosity keeps her on campus, and when she's led down the path of the Greenwich's dark history, has she awakened a ghostly curse?

 

SUMMERY FOR BOOK #3 SPOILERS!!

Where did the ghostly girls come from? And what do they want? Before the students know it, the missing girls enter the school, where Amber spots Millie, who speaks to her almost as if to warn her of something. Is there more to this supernatural mystery than just the school itself? The answers to why these girls have come back and what caused their death are revealed in this haunting series finale.

 

Review:

PROS:

1. I love manga with all my heart and I've really been wanting to check out some more series in the style but of course there are about a million to choose from in the world. I came across this one that I'd been seeing around for a while but I never actually knew what it was about. I decided to get all three books and I ended up loving every minute of it! Here's the review!

 

2. Of course, the art really made an impact on me. I love drawing manga characters from my favorite anime series and manga series and I have to say that these books made me want to draw everything for myself. I love the black and white color pallet for this series because it suites the story so well whereas color probably wouldn't have made as nice an impact. The illustrations were so cool and eerie in the first book but then the art grows more detailed and even more creepy in the second book and by the third book, the art had me oohing and ahing throughout the whole book. I loved seeing the change and progression in the artwork and it was one of my favorite things about this series.

 

3. I also of course really loved the characters and the things that affected the characters in a way that made them change in a very eerie way. If I honestly had to choose only one word to describe this series, it'd be eerie. No question about that! The characters such as Amber and Jeanie were really cool to get to know. Amber was more of the shy girl who was a loner and didn't really have any friends other than the books she read. Whereas her sister Jeanie was very outgoing and daring and didn't shy away from people and trying new things. I thought the sisters were very opposite from each other which I think made they're characters more interesting. The side characters such as their newfound friends, I didn't really get enough of. I would've loved to see more of them in this series but what I did get out of them was that they were very loyal and suspicious themselves about what's going on at their school. 

 

4. Overall, I highly recommend this series if you want to check out a manga series but don't want to commit to a very long one. We all know it takes about five years to read the Dragon Ball books . . . I really loved these books not only because they were fast-paced and creepy but because they were also exciting and very fast reads. The story had a lot of twists and turns and I loved every minute of it. There was so much mystery in this series so if you're looking for some books to read around the Halloween season, definitely add these books to your list!

 

I hope you guys enjoyed this book review! If you have any other book requests you would like me to review, just leave a comment or send me an email! Read on bookworms! See you in the next chapter!

 

 

Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Rating: PG

Score: ★★★★★

Genre: Horror, Dark Fantasy

Page Count: 348

Book #1 of the Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children series

Publisher: Quirk Books

Published: 2011

 It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen year old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that Miss Peregrine's children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow- impossible though it seems- they may still be alive. 

Review:

Pros:

1. This creepy yet fascinating book is definitely a book unlike any other I've ever read. If you're in the loop with all the newest updates about what everyone is currently reading, then you should have seen this book before about a million times. That's what happened in my case and I just couldn't let this book sit on my shelf any longer. Let's just say, I don't regret picking this one up!

2. One thing I really loved about this book was the characters but for different reasons this time around. The characters were very . . . well, peculiar to say the least. I thought it was really interesting to see what each child could do, what their "power" was and how they used it. I loved how the unique abilities between the children weren't those that were common. Consisting from super human strength to being able to bring non-living things to life, the children were very interesting to read about.

3. I really loved how the old vintage pictures used to create the story were so well interwoven that it seemed as though the photographs were taken especially for the book itself. The pictures were sometimes creepy and just hands down terrifying, but others were sweet, funny and even a little witty. I love how the story gave the pictures such a unique meaning and really made me as a reader want to dive in deeper to know more about the pictures.

4. The story is dark and somewhat horrific but was also funny and witty. I got a Lemony Snicket kind of vibe from reading this book, seeing that there was so much mystery and unique characters and had a darker, almost Gothic, kind of tone. It was also lighthearted at times, though rare, but it made me smile, laugh, and sometimes was creepy and scary, almost getting under my skin. It was an enjoyable read that I couldn't stop thinking about even after I finished reading it.

5. Overall, this book definitely deserves the hype that it's been given and so much more. If you're a fan of a mysterious and dark type of book, perfect for a rainy day, then this one is the next book you should pick up! Come on, you know you want too!

Age Recommendation: 12+

I hope you guys enjoyed this book review! If you have any other book requests you would like me to review, just leave a comment or send me an email! Read on bookworms! See you in the next chapter!

Be sure to read this one before the movie hits theaters in March 2016!!

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