Asylum/Madeleine Roux/313 pages

                                                                 Asylum is the story of three young adults who have enrolled
                                                            in a 6 week summer school before college that takes place in an
                                                            institution with dormitories that are attached in what use to be
                                                            part of a sanitarium.  Daniel is the main character.  He is a
                                                            typical teen with worries about fitting in and having friends but
                                                            after arriving at the asylum also questions his sanity--so many
                                                            bad dreams, de ja vu, disappearing emails and sleepless nights.
                                                            Abby is the pretty, artistic one who pairs up with Dan but seems
                                                            to have past ties to the asylum--maybe an aunt was once
                                                            confined there?  Jordan is the tad rebellious one--just
                                                            announcing that he is gay and then not going to the summer
                                                            school his parents arranged for him!  Sometimes our trio are exploring off limit places and find things they shouldn't--other times they are trying to be good and doing exactly what is expected of them and weird things just happen.
     This is a very unnerving story.  There are mind games at play that make it hard to know what is real--and just when you think you have it all figured out, there is one more clue that shows you that you really have NOTHING figured out!
     Good story.

House / Frank Peretti / 386 pages / October Challenge

This redemption tale features 4 of the most unlikable characters you will ever meet.  Jack and Stephanie are on their way to a marriage counselor.  Jack feels that Stephanie blames him for every little thing wrong in her life.  Stephanie seems to feel defensive and guilty, but we don't find out until much later what she feels guilty about.  They spend the car ride arguing and muttering under their breath until they run over a spike strip in the road and have to walk to the nearest shelter.  By the time Jack and Stephanie reached the House, I was hoping a monster would put a quick end to them.  Instead they meet Randy and Lesley, two even more unlikable characters who had been stranded after running over a spike strip several miles on the other side of the house.  The House is set up to be a bed and breakfast, but the owners can't be found.  The four of them rummage around the house looking for flashlights and other supplies until they find the owner in the pantry.  She and her sons are even worse than the four who have been stranded and are called the "inbreeds" for the rest of the book.


This book is reminiscent of a slew of "living house" movies (House on Haunted Hill, for example).  There is some originality to the quirks of the house, but many of the features are found in other books and movies.  It wasn't until about chapter 25 when the Christian themes began emerging that I started to like the book. 


The novel is the basis for the 2008 movie House.

Asylum / Madeleine Roux / 313 pages / October Challenge

This YA book features 3 high school juniors at a summer college prep academy in New Hampshire that happens to be held in the same building that housed Brookline Mental Asylum many years ago.  Dan, Abbie, and Jordan become best friends the first day of the academy, but forces beyond their control are driving wedges between them.  Dan suspects he may be related to the former director of the asylum and Abbie discovers her aunt may have been a patient.  Jordan has arrived without the knowledge of his parents who think he is at a "pray the gay away" camp in California.  Although parts of the plot remain unresolved, this is a good read.  It reminded me most of Shutter Island.  The themes may be a bit dark for younger readers, but ages 15+ will enjoy the fast-paced action and mystery surrounding New Hampshire College and Brookline.


This is the first book of a series that includes Sanctum and Catacomb.