What’s creepier than an abandoned insane asylum? If you, like me, are into those ghost-hunting shows, you already know those cavernous old buildings are full of bad juju. If walls could talk, would you really want to hear the stories?

In this book, our fearless protagonist Dan Crawford didn’t have much of a choice. Unless he unravels the mystery of his college dorm—formerly an asylum for the criminally insane—some very bad things would happen to all of his friends. A dark force looms above the campus, and it’s up to Dan and his two trusty sidekicks to put the genie back into the bottle before the body count rises—and they too become trapped forever within the hallowed halls of the asylum.

On the scare-o-meter, I give this thing a 7.5, not bad for young adult. The little hairs on the back of my neck stood up a couple of times, and the unsettling photos of abandoned asylums and tortured patients really set the mood. Ransom Riggs jumpstarted this mixed-media trend with his book Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, and I must say it’s pretty effective for this particular genre. All of the photos are of real people and places from a bygone era, adding another layer of intrigue. With each chapter, I kept asking myself, “What’s the story behind the pale, haunted faces within these photos? What atrocities were performed on those rusty hospital beds?”  On second thought, I’d rather not know.

My only gripe is that the story was bogged down by all the typical YA junk (awkward flirtations, clichéd bullies, whiny self-loathing, etc.). The awkward romance between Dan and his fellow sidekick, Abby, really stunted the pace. This guy had no qualms about hunting for clues alone in a haunted basement, but he couldn’t muster the courage to ask a girl out? Please. I know these authors have to appeal to swoony girls, but sometimes the romance falls flat when it’s shoehorned into the story. I also could’ve done without the insatiably clingy Jordan. Dude clearly never heard of the term “cock blocker.”

Aside from those minor hangups, I have to say this is a quality read for ghost enthusiasts. But if you’re expecting any answers, you’ll have to wait until then next book in the series. Why were the trio of friends all brought to the haunted dorm by some unseen force? What’s the story behind the evil entity lurking within the dark recesses of the halls? Your guess is as good as mine.