I have a secret.
I love scary books, suspense, psychological thrillers – usually they do need a bit of romance and a touch of hope.
So, when I saw HYSTERIA by Megan Miranda up for grabs on NetGalley I didn´t hesitate. I requested it and grinned when I got approved. I may have done a bit of a happy dance. And when I was selected to be part of the Blog tour I was even happier 🙂
Summary from Goodreads.com: Mallory killed her boyfriend, Brian. She can’t remember the details of that night but everyone knows it was self-defense, so she isn’t charged. But Mallory still feels Brian’s presence in her life. Is it all in her head? Or is it something more? In desperate need of a fresh start, Mallory is sent to Monroe, a fancy prep school where no one knows her . . . or anything about her past.But the feeling follows her, as do her secrets. Then, one of her new classmates turns up dead. As suspicion falls on Mallory, she must find a way to remember the details of both deadly nights so she can prove her innocence-to herself and others
Mallory was at times an unreliable narrator. She doesn´t remember details, she feels the presence of the one she killed around her. It makes her insecure, worried, never able to let go. Her parents don´t know how to deal with her. Only her best friend continues to look at her like she still knows her.
But I liked her, I rooted for her, wanted to know more about her.
The entire novel, one wonders exactly what happened that night and what is going on in the boarding school. The setting feels real and the boarding school stories are a nice touch. The love interest is truly adorable and got my heart racing a few times.
I couldn´t stop turning the pages. I had to know what happened next. I found Miranda´s writing really engaging and I remember taking notes on some of the tricks she used, or some of the hints she dropped.
I wish there sometimes could have been more from that night and more on the actual resolution. (I´ll leave at that to not spoil anything).
But I really enjoyed it 🙂
(and I´m now writing a YA romantic suspense, finally trusting myself to take that love of thrillers and suspense to my YA writing)
Oh…and before I forget:
GIVEAWAY
Open until March 21st
- You can win a COPY of HYSTERIA (US only as per the guidelines I received)
- For you all my international readers: you can win a copy of Miranda´s first book FRACTURE.
What do you need to do?
- Simply tell me the last movie or book that scared you a little 🙂 (and please mention if you´re located in the US or any other countries)
Elodie Nowodazkij 
Great review – I will buy this. I liked Fracture and didn’t realise she had a new one out!
Ooh, that cover is cool, and the story sounds even cooler. I’m glad you shared your thoughts, Elodie, because I haven’t heard much about this one. I’ll definitely mark it To Read. 🙂
I have seen this one around and was curious about it. I’ll have to make sure I pick this one up. 🙂
I don’t tend to read many scary stories but HYSTERIA sounds really intriguing. I’m going to have to add this one to the TBR list for sure!
Ooooh, I loved FRACTURE and have been looking forward to HYSTERIA! I have to admit that I don’t read or watch horror and try to stay away from REALLY scary stuff, but I LOVE suspenseful stuff. Let’s see, the scariest thing I saw recently was PROMETHEUS (Ridley Scott). I didn’t love it like ALIEN etc. but it was definitely suspenseful and creepy (to me). I’m in the US!
I’m a big Scaredy Cat, so I don’t read a ton of thrillers, or watch scary movies. Even watching episodes of Pretty Little Liars freaks me out, lol. There were a few scenes in Kelley Armstrong’s book, The Summoning, that gave me the chills! P.S. I’m in the US:-)
This sounds really cool! (And I’m a sucker for boarding school stuff.) I get freaked out by weird things–most recently, when I became apparently the last person in the world to watch the video of Lily Allen’s song “Alfie”. I’m sorry, but that puppet is creepy. (And so is knowing that much about Alfie Allen’s personal life. I almost feel sorry for the guy, but it’s hard to muster sympathy for Theon Greyjoy.)
Awesome! And congrats on being a part of the blog tour! I just picked up HYSTERIA from the library and am looking forward to catching up on reading over spring break, which, btw, needs to hurry up and get here. Hope you have a great week!
Oh cool! THis sounds like my type of book. Thanks for the recommendation!
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