Reclaimed by Madeleine Roux REVIEW

Summary:

The Ganymede facility is a fresh start. At least that's what Senna tells herself when she arrives to take part in a cutting-edge scientific treatment where participants have traumatic memories erased.

And Senna has reasons for wanting to escape her past.

But almost as soon as the treatment begins, Senna finds more than just her traumatic memories disappearing. She hardly recognizes her new life or herself. Even though the cure might justify the side effects of the process, Senna knows that something isn't right. As her side effects worsen, Senna will need to band together with the other participants to unravel the mystery of her present and save her future.

My Thoughts:

Senna was born and raised in a cult, which she narrowly escaped with her life. Her family and the rest of the cult members weren't so lucky. When she finds a treatment trial to erase traumatic memories, Senna jumps at the chance. But when she arrives at the facility, even before the treatment, things seem off. There is a bad storm that traps them all there for days, she starts seeing shadows, and her non-traumatic memories are also effected by the treatment.

The summary is slightly misleading, as Senna is only one of the main characters. We also follow Zurri, a model, and Han, a teenage genius. The chapters alternate between the three of them. They are mostly well-developed, with Zurri being the least of the three. I really like the concept of the story - how memories, even bad ones, shouldn't necessarily be forgotten. I also liked the concept behind how the memories are erased, which we learn more about towards the end of the novel. I do wish that the villain of the story was more developed, as he seemed one-dimensional and stereotypical. Otherwise, this was a very interesting read.

My Rating: 3 stars 

Asylum by Madeleine Roux REVIEW

 Summary:

For sixteen-year-old Dan Crawford, the New Hampshire College Prep program is the chance of a lifetime. Except that when Dan arrives, he finds that the usual summer housing has been closed, forcing students to stay in the crumbling Brookline Dorm--formerly a psychiatric hospital. As Dan and his new friends Abby and Jordan start exploring Brookline's twisty halls and hidden basement, they uncover disturbing secrets about what really went on here . . . secrets that link Dan and his friends to the asylum's dark past. Because it turns out Brookline was no ordinary psych ward. And there are some secrets that refuse to stay buried.

My Thoughts:

I absolutely LOVED this book. I read it all in one sitting.

Dan is an interesting character to choose to focus on. Reading the book made me think that Abby was more of main character material then he was. He shares the name of the notoriously terrible warden that experimented on and sacrificed patients, which makes asking people who live in the area freak out. Hopefully in the sequel we get to find out if they are actually related. Also, he has a mild dissociative disorder, which is cool because it's usually the killer who has it, not one of their targets.

Jordan was also interesting, but he had less of a part in the search for answers, which didn't go well for his character development; he wasn't included in a lot of important scenes and revelations. He is a gay teen who escaped from being sent to a conversion camp. I hope we find out more about him in the sequel as well.

Abby's character was arguably the most interesting. She had an aunt who was sent to the asylum back when it was open. And it turns out that the aunt is still alive, living in the town. Her dad gets angry whenever she tries to ask him about her.

READ! THIS! BOOK! I know I'm like eight years late to this, but it was so good.

My Rating: 5 stars