A Hidden End

A Hidden End

Loren Salguero

Sanctum by Madeleine Roux

“How was he supposed to forget that he had been strapped down to a gurney and almost killed?” (35). What would you do if you lived your life with your destiny in someone else’s hands? This, is how Daniel Crawford and his two friends, Abby and Jordan, live their lives after being attacked and haunted by demons and people at an asylum. Sanctum by Madeleine Roux talks about the aftermath of three teenagers attending a college program over the summer. While they are there, they visit an asylum that was ran by a very cruel man many years ago that happened to be a relative of Daniel’s -- “Dan felt this was a hole in his personal history, a mystery that he very much needed to solve” (13). There is not much said about what happens to Daniel and his friends but throughout the book, they do reveal mini events. After that summer, they start their senior year but continue to have nightmares about what had happened.

Daniel, Abby, and Jordan recieve a picture either through mail or in person by a psychotic and most likely possessed old roommate that almost murdered them all. Haunting them all, the three pictures would not let them escape their shivering past: “You’re not finished” (36). They join a program at the same school they went to during the summer so they can return to the asylum and find out why they are not finished yet.

This book definitely grabbed my attention the first time I began to read it. Immediately, there was suspense and mystery. This was my first time reading a book like this so I believe that is why I was so interested right away. After continuing to read more of the book, I began getting a bit tired of all the suspense. For example, “He was almost the one doing the killing” (24). At this part, no other follow up questions were answered; Why would he do the killing? Who was he about to kill? How? I just wanted to know what happened at the asylum so badly. All the suspense would make a normal person want to read more; however, It just got me really bored after being halfway through the book and still not having an idea of what went on. I definitely recommend this book to lovers of mystery; this book was full of suspense with all its clues and uncertainty. I do not recommend this book to people who are impatient, like me. There is always a big surprise ending in each book but when it comes to these scary ones I just like to know right away. For example, the characters in this book are trying to figure the why of what already happened. But, when it is a story being told and events are clear, I am more satisfied.