Asylum by Madeleine Roux

Series: Asylum
Author: Madeleine Roux
Page Count: 313
Published: August 20th, 2013

Publisher: HarperTeen

5 Stars ★★★★★

Dan is attending New Hampshire College Prep this summer, and his dorm room is located in the old Brookline Asylum. 

He befriends Jordan and Abby, and explores the abandoned area of the asylum, which is strictly forbidden for students to access. Soon after, he finds himself having disturbing dreams and visions, and receiving threatening notes. Researching the asylum brings to light the horrible experiments and practices that the cruel warden subjected his patients to. 

As the dreams, visions, and notes escalate, the unspeakable occurs, and Dan finds himself in the very center of the terrifying situation. Will he, and his friends, survive the summer?

There were so many amazing things about this book, I'm not sure where to start! 

I was captivated from the first chapter. Roux's writing flows smoothly and I instantly liked Dan. I like how I didn't know absolutely everything about Dan, Abby, and Jordan right away.

I need to mention that I was pleased that amongst all of the creepy paranormal and psychological stuff going on in this book, real issues were addressed through the lives of the characters. For example, Dan was adopted and had to spend some time in the foster care system. Abby's family was having problems and she was unsettled for a portion of the novel because of this. Jordan was attending the program secretly because his homophobic parents had attempted to send him to a gay conversion camp.

Another thing I loved about this book is the guessing game that was going on in my head the entire time. I couldn't decide if Dan was crazy, or if he was really experiencing the things he claimed to experience throughout the novel. 

I wondered who could possibly be behind the disturbing notes and why Dan was having such strange dreams and visions. One moment, I was suspecting one of the characters. The next, I had changed my mind and was scrambling to put the pieces together myself, to figure out who was behind all of this madness.

The photographs throughout the book really added to the creepy-factor by giving me visuals of Dan's visions/dreams and of the settings and objects the three friends came across. It enhanced the story because I was able to better imagine what Dan, Abby, and Jordan  were going through and discovering. 

I recommend this book to fans of YA, mysteries and thrillers, and to anyone searching for a genuinely creepy read.

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Ugly Young Thing by Jennifer Jaynes

Series: Stranger Series

Author: Jennifer Jaynes
Page Count: 270
Published: March 3rd, 2015

Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

  5 Stars ★★★★★

I received a free copy of this ebook through Netgalley. 

Allie's father walked out on her when she was young, her mother was a prostitute and a murderer when she had been alive, and her serial killer brother just committed suicide in front of her.

Alone and afraid, she runs away and sells her body, her only asset, for money. After returning to her abandoned childhood home, she is discovered by authorities and sent to live with a generous foster mother. 

Soon after she moves in, a woman is murdered near their town. Could this be the start of something awful? And who is behind the murder?

When I started this book, I had no idea what to expect. I downloaded it off of the "read now" section at Netgalley because I was intrigued by the cover, synopsis and title, and it seemed like something unique. A change from the YA romances I usually read.

I was SO right.

First of all, the level of emotion and tension in this book is INTENSE. From the first chapter, I was pulled into Allie's complicated life, and I felt what she was feeling as if I were there experiencing the events of the story with her. This only increased as the book progressed. I felt everything from empathy to anger towards her, and as a character she was very dynamic and believable. 

Secondly, the author made the right choice when she decided to tell the story from different points of view. I witnessed the events of the story through the eyes and minds of Allie, the murderer, and the foster mother. I gained insight on their views and pasts, but I was also kept wondering how exactly they were connected.

This leads to my third point: the mystery surrounding the killer. The author did an amazing job of dropping subtle clues about his identity, and she kept me guessing until the very end. 

One moment, I'm thinking that the killer must be this man.... No! This happened, so it must be the other one. Wait, it can't be!

That was my internal dialogue for the entire duration of the novel. 

I absolutely recommend this novel! If you enjoy mystery, this book is for you. If you enjoy suspense, this book was MADE for you! Those who are interested in novels that take on tough subjects may also enjoy "Ugly Young Thing." 

For those who read mostly YA books but wish to branch out a little, this book is a great start. It's fast paced with a teenage main character, but it also deals with mature subjects and contains no romance besides the mention of Allie's crush.

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Sweep: Book Of Shadows by Cate Tiernan

Series: Sweep

Author: Cate Tiernan

Page Count: 176
Published: March 22nd, 2007
Publisher: Speak

5 Stars ★★★★★

When Morgan meets Cal, everything changes. Despite her close-minded Catholic upbringing, she finds herself drawn to the fascinating world of Wicca, and soon realizes that she has a gift....

I LOVED this book! I felt like Morgan and I both had so much in common; a Catholic upbringing, and a Pagan transformation. I kept rooting for her to overcome her parents and their judgement, and to choose the right path for herself!

The characters were quite diverse; some ultra conservative Christians balanced by relaxed Wiccans, and gay secondary characters were included as well. I really appreciated this because there aren't enough books out there with such diversity, especially in the YA genre.

This book also dealt very well with the tough subject of family conflict, especially around things like religion. Cate Tiernan is quite brave to openly portray Wicca positively in a world dominated by other religions and disapproval, and I applaud her for this.

I also appreciated the somewhat realistic portrayal of Wicca. Unlike other novels including witches who either call themselves Wiccan or are hinted at as being such, this book portrayed the craft and beliefs rather accurately. I have to say, though, that I've heard of some of the events that occur in the other books in the series which are NOT accurate portrayals of Wicca and Paganism, so I feel that it is important to note that.

I recommend this book to those who want to read a non-cliche YA book, with an interesting mix of reality and the paranormal, and an intriguing plot.\

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Quotes About Books #1

A book is a version of the world. If you do not like it, ignore it or offer your own version in return.

–Salman Rushdie

Absolution by Gail Gallant

 Series: Apparition
Author: Gail Gallant
Page Count: 288
Published: September 2nd, 2014
Publisher: Doubleday Canada

5 Stars ★★★★★

Amelia has a gift. She can see ghosts. 

She and Morris, a paranormal investigator, assist those plagued with hauntings, and in Absolution, Amelia investigates a haunted hotel with a tortured ghost who harbors a dark past. 

This book was great! It completely reached above and beyond my expectations and pulled me into the story from the start! There aren't enough, good quality mystery YA novels out there, but this is one of the few that have blown my mind! 

Amelia was an incredibly likeable character, and I was able to connect to her and her thoughts, emotions, and experiences with ease. She felt like a real person at times, not just a fictional character. 

The author was able to creep me out at the appropriate instances, for example, when Amelia was trying to communicate with the ghost and when the ghost  actually appeared. However, this is one of the YA books that does not override the characters' personal issues with paranormal ones, so I was able to keep track of and remember the relevance of both the "real-world" and the paranormal events in the story.

I recommend this novel to fans of ghost stories and to YA readers looking for something that deviates from intense love triangles and balances romance with mysterious events and happenings.

I received this book in a first reads Goodreads giveaway.

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