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.
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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