Sanctum Book Review

Sanctum

Written by: Madeline Roux
Number of pages: 343

Average Rating: 3.87/5 stars
My Rating: 3/5 stars

Published: August 26, 2014
Read in June 2016


Summary according to Goodreads

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-timer 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. 


My Thoughts 

I was very disappointed with this novel. Asylum was such a fast paced and scary read, I could not help but keep my expectations high. This novel was different from the first in many ways, none of which are very positive. Because this is a sequel I will not be talking too much about the plot for the sake of spoilers, just know that the same plot continues into this novel.

From the very beginning this move was much more slower paced, and not as gripping to read. I felt like this was more of a filler in the series, as there was a lot of research being done, and not too much excitement. The whole novel led up to one moment which lasted about 10 pages, and was even a plot twist I had seen coming right away. However, these novels are quick reads because the chapters are very short and there are creepy, old photos spread throughout. 

I am not sure if this novel is still classifieds a horror because I was not scared at all. I found the abandoned asylum in the first book terrifying, but there was nothing like that in this novel. I did not think the plot or characters were very strong, and I was very disappointed. 

I am giving this novel three stars instead of two because of the amazing pictures that are included consistently. I included a couple of my favourites in this review, because they definitely added to the overall story. Our three main characters are doing investigations and finding old photographs, so it was nice to be able to see what they were seeing. 

With the way that this novel ended I have no idea how it can possibly continue into a third novel, without it being only about Dan's family history. I am not overly excited to read it, but will be picking it up next because I want to finish the series.