Sanctum by Madeleine Roux Review

Santcum (Asylum #2), by Madeleine Roux

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Psychological-Thriller, Contemporary, Horror

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Publication: August 26, 2014, by HarperCollins

Format: Hardcover Edition 


Goodreads Summary: 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:

        Wow. Back-tracking my thoughts back into early 2014 when I first read Asylum, I actually thought that it was a standalone, and next thing you know, it's a duology with a short novella. *thinks deeply*

          And it's obviously a great thing that this book came along so that we could get a book that will answer all of questions that have to do with this series. Surprisingly, we were left the same either way. Unfortunately, Madeleine Roux didn't write a novel that was as good as her debut. It was funnier, but it was lacking and not as-scary. Chills? Not really.

          

            I'd say that this book can be read by a choice. Sure, if you loved the first book as much as I did and want more from Madeleine Roux, then you'd probably go out and get this one, becoming excited to hear that a sequel from a fantastic story is released. But others, specifically those who gave Asylum a three star rating or similar to that—you might skip this. I'm not going to go out and argue that this didn't have all of the answers that I was looking for.

            This is a series that reminds me so much of Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children, except it's taken place in present time. This time around after Asylum's events, Dan, Abby and Jordan are back. They all are scarred for life after the summer's events, but strange events are still occurring. They're receiving photos of a circus from an unknown sender, and sooner than later, Dan begins to hear voices of ghosts calling his name.

             "Sanctum, a holy or sacred place—what could be more sacred than possessing the power of your own true thoughts? Sanctum. It is both lock and key."

            I was actually ready to only read this at night because I love the feeling of being so creeped out that you're unable to leave your bedroom. That's adrenaline for me, and shows that the book was so powerful and head-whopping. Unfortunately, there was no "sleepwalking" for me this time around.

             Huh. There was a plot to this, but I found that the characters were a huge let-down. They weren't believable. I've read many reviews where people mentioned this, and I totally agree with them. Dan, Abby, and Jordan were let-downs. They took risks that weren't even made to be taken because it wasn't possible, and they weren't freaking scared. How was the author managed to not make them scared? Aren't the readers supposed to be believed and intrigued with this book?

               That's what Dan should've done. He was weak anyways, why act like you're the boss and know everything? Really, the mystery was so surprising and the trio wasn't even close to figure it out. xD

               In the end, what was this book missing? More questions answered, better characters, and more creepy events. We were left wondering about so many things, and this is officially the end. Either way, I'm so looking forward for more by Madeleine Roux.