Friday 8 February 2013

Review: Hysteria by Megan Miranda

Title: Hysteria
Author: Megan Miranda
Published: 5 February 013
Source: Bloomsbury USA Children's Books via Netgalley
Reviewed: Sapphireddragon
SapphiredDragon Rating: ****

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. In another riveting tale of life and death, Megan Miranda's masterful storytelling brings readers along for a ride to the edge of sanity and back again.



Add to GoodreadsPurchase:  Book Depository 

Review: 

This book was really uncomfortable to read in a surprisingly good way.  At first it is just uncomfortable, jarring and creepy.  Jarring because it tends to leap between the past and present which got a little confusing at times, uncomfortable because this is the feeling between the main characters and her parents and friends, after what happened with her boyfriend and this seeps through in the writing   and creepy because you don't know how much of what Mallory is experiencing is real and how much is not.  Having read Megan Miranda's previous book Fracture , I somewhat expected this uncomfortable, creepy vibe and knew that generally it led to good things so continued to read.

As the story moved along, the backwards and forwards nature of the story began to make more sense and the pace of the story picked up and kept me glued to my kindle until the story was over.

I liked the suspense of the novel and and the way the author slowly revealed what had actually happened that night, which of course added to the suspense. Add in the creepiness of the school and I was literally on the edge of my seat reading at times.

The story itself is tight and clever.  There are twists and turns but these are not over the top so the ending while not completely unexpected, made sense and satisfied the story.

I love Ms Miranda's writing as it really seems to convey the moods and feelings of her main character and what they are experiencing.  This is part of what makes this book especially when you realise all may not be as it seems...

This book is just as good if not better than Fracture.

I give this book 4 stars

Sapphired Dragon xx

No comments:

Post a Comment