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3.39 AVERAGE
3.39 AVERAGE
I really liked Hysteria, despite some flaws. This is the story of how Mallory starts recovering from the trauma of murdering her boyfriend (in self defence?) and the aftermath of the trial and grief.
To get her away from the anger and gossip of their town Mallory's parents send her to boarding school - yes, let's separate the traumatised teen from everything she knows! Mallory arrives at school to find unfriendly classmates and an unfeeling administration. This is one place where the book falls flat to me - a school like Munroe would have some type of counsellor of staff with whom Mallory would be forced to have at least weekly sessions. Instead it's Reid, her love interest that suggests she has hysteria.
Parts of the story were wonderful: I loved the slow reveals of the events the night of Brian's murder and the Monroe urban legend. Colleen and Mallory's friendship was brilliant - they had no illusions about who the other girl was, but they had each other's backs through everything. Reid was a great support through Mallory's issues with endless patience and understanding.
What didn't work were the descriptions of Mallory's nights. Miranda was trying for a creepy, uncertain tone. We're not supposed to know what's going on, just that it's creepy. In the end, though, they felt too repetitive and vague to be every interesting and I confess, I started skipping them. The mystery in the last part of the book had a very obvious answer; so much so that the suspense relied not on the doubts about Mallory's sanity that the first half had been building but on a 'can we catch them' scenario.
Overall this book was good contemporary YA, but it lacked the power to rise above its potential.
To get her away from the anger and gossip of their town Mallory's parents send her to boarding school - yes, let's separate the traumatised teen from everything she knows! Mallory arrives at school to find unfriendly classmates and an unfeeling administration. This is one place where the book falls flat to me - a school like Munroe would have some type of counsellor of staff with whom Mallory would be forced to have at least weekly sessions. Instead it's Reid, her love interest that suggests she has hysteria.
Parts of the story were wonderful: I loved the slow reveals of the events the night of Brian's murder and the Monroe urban legend. Colleen and Mallory's friendship was brilliant - they had no illusions about who the other girl was, but they had each other's backs through everything. Reid was a great support through Mallory's issues with endless patience and understanding.
What didn't work were the descriptions of Mallory's nights. Miranda was trying for a creepy, uncertain tone. We're not supposed to know what's going on, just that it's creepy. In the end, though, they felt too repetitive and vague to be every interesting and I confess, I started skipping them. The mystery in the last part of the book had a very obvious answer; so much so that the suspense relied not on the doubts about Mallory's sanity that the first half had been building but on a 'can we catch them' scenario.
Overall this book was good contemporary YA, but it lacked the power to rise above its potential.
To anyone who's read this:
Spoiler
Did the bloody, blistered hand print appearing on her shoulder ever get explained, since there was never any ghost, and all the stuff that happened to her at the boarding school was attributed to the mean girls or Dylan?
When I was younger I loved teen thriller books and I have to say that I think I still enjoy them. I liked never really knowing if Mallory was crazy or reliable and the book kept me wanting to read to find out.
I definitely wanted to keep reading to find out what really happened...but ultimately I was kind of disappointed in the resolution.
All the main characters walked in with preexisting relationships and fully formed personalities, and Mallory was the only dynamic character in the book. It made getting attached to the characters very difficult.
There were a couple minor plots that could have been left out of the book, and a few of the major plots were explained either all at once or didn’t make a whole lot of sense with the story. Mallory seemed to know who the murderer was on campus from day one, which doesn’t really make for a fun thriller, not to mention that she had very little proof that the murderers had done it.
Speaking of murder...the author makes it sound like Mallory had a very clear choice between running away from her boyfriend and just straight-up stabbing him. Throughout the flashbacks and Mallory’s own thoughts, readers are given what feels like a very conscious choice that Mallory made to stab her own boyfriend instead of escaping. Nothing is mentioned to make readers think that Mallory would have had an issue getting to the front door and leaving. Therefore, throughout the book, she is painted as someone who consciously decided to stab her boyfriend because...what? He was sort of a jerk? It never says that he abused her physically or sexually, so murdering him seems a bit harsh.
Also, her flashbacks confused me. The blurb made it sound like she had blocked out the whole night her boyfriend died, but when she started having flashbacks, I assumed that she actually remembered the whole night but was trying not to think about it (understandably). And then even later in the book readers discover that Mallory remembered certain things from the night and forgot other huge events that had taken place. I don’t think that’s a thing, psychologically. You either remember it all in vivid detail or your memory is bad/nonexistent. Not the sort of pick-and-choose amnesia she had.
The world building was also very sudden and sort of stereotypical, with the whole “boarding school with secretive rich kids” dynamic. I did like the woods, however - although I didn’t like the use of the urban legend surrounding them.
Overall, it was a fast and easy read, so not a lot was wasted, but there are much better thrillers out there, and this book had enough wrong with it to be irritating.
There were a couple minor plots that could have been left out of the book, and a few of the major plots were explained either all at once or didn’t make a whole lot of sense with the story. Mallory seemed to know who the murderer was on campus from day one, which doesn’t really make for a fun thriller, not to mention that she had very little proof that the murderers had done it.
Speaking of murder...the author makes it sound like Mallory had a very clear choice between running away from her boyfriend and just straight-up stabbing him. Throughout the flashbacks and Mallory’s own thoughts, readers are given what feels like a very conscious choice that Mallory made to stab her own boyfriend instead of escaping. Nothing is mentioned to make readers think that Mallory would have had an issue getting to the front door and leaving. Therefore, throughout the book, she is painted as someone who consciously decided to stab her boyfriend because...what? He was sort of a jerk? It never says that he abused her physically or sexually, so murdering him seems a bit harsh.
Also, her flashbacks confused me. The blurb made it sound like she had blocked out the whole night her boyfriend died, but when she started having flashbacks, I assumed that she actually remembered the whole night but was trying not to think about it (understandably). And then even later in the book readers discover that Mallory remembered certain things from the night and forgot other huge events that had taken place. I don’t think that’s a thing, psychologically. You either remember it all in vivid detail or your memory is bad/nonexistent. Not the sort of pick-and-choose amnesia she had.
The world building was also very sudden and sort of stereotypical, with the whole “boarding school with secretive rich kids” dynamic. I did like the woods, however - although I didn’t like the use of the urban legend surrounding them.
Overall, it was a fast and easy read, so not a lot was wasted, but there are much better thrillers out there, and this book had enough wrong with it to be irritating.
A good, suspenseful read! I tore through it eager to find out what was going on.
As a side note, I'm a wimp who's scared of the dark and this book didn't scare me. If you're a wimp too, and wondering :D
As a side note, I'm a wimp who's scared of the dark and this book didn't scare me. If you're a wimp too, and wondering :D
I really enjoyed this one. Readers get sucked down into the mental anguish that the main character has and it took me ages to figure out how sane or insane she really was. Almost all the characters are flawed, which always makes for a more realistic read. While the ending to the mystery aspects of the book weren't really a surprise, the character development and overall quality of the story more than compensates. Amy, if you are reading this one I think you'll like it!
3.5 stars This was my first time reading Megan Miranda’s works and I must say I enjoyed Hysteria. While not flawless, it did offer up a fascinating suspense thriller that kept me entertained. She brings us up close and personal into the mental struggle Mallory faces after she murders her boyfriend. With twists and turns at every corner Miranda kept me on edge.
The tale begins in the aftermath of the murder and the investigation that followed. Mallory killed her boyfriend in self-defense on a fateful evening and the ramifications are wide-spread. Her parents have decided to send her away to Monroe a private boarding school that her father once attended. Mallory is a mess, she is having nightmares, thinks she is being haunted by Brian the boy she killed and to make matters worse she thinks her own parents are afraid of her. She thinks that once she reaches the school that the nightmares and shadows will stop but boy is she wrong. To make matters worse something sinister is going on and Mallory’s dreams are actually causing her physical pain. The tale that unfolds was at times crazy with its twists and turns and I found myself delightfully entertained.
I am not sure I actually like Mallory, but I felt for her as she tried to piece together events from that fateful evening. I thought she was strong when dealing with all the emotional baggage that came with it. She suffers from guilt, a fear that she is evil and she is definitely unstable. I really liked her BFF, Coleen and loved their banter. Reid is interesting and his connection to Mallory was interesting. As much as I liked the way he supported Mallory, we never really got to know him. The romance was complicated, mostly because of Mallory’s issues and it didn’t really add or deter from the tale. The bad girl click was a little cliché, as one girl dominates and abuses the weaker girls. Jason is the big man on campus and struts around like he is all that but he made me cringe. While the parents were present and it’s obvious they care about Mallory they are dolts. Why isn’t Mallory in counseling? Why does her Mom care more about appearances? GRRR!
There is a lot going on in Hysteria and it certainly kept my attention. I read this in a little under three hours. While parts were predictable I liked the complications and additional murder. At times I really questioned whether some of this was all in Mallory’s head and couldn’t help but wonder if as I turned the page I would discover she was in a rubber room somewhere and this was all a dream. How much can one girl handle? I liked the sensation of not really knowing for sure, and the thread regarding the second murder was fascinating. We see growth in Mallory but I was disappointed that the other characters weren't as fleshed out. Miranda ties all the threads together at the end but, I am just not sure I believed all of them.
Hysteria certainly entertained me and kept me on edge as I sought to unravel the events that occurred the night Mallory murdered her boyfriend and figure out what was happening in the aftermath. Overall this was a solid read but I have a feeling reviews will be mixed on this one. I still have Fractured on my wish list and intend to read it soon.
I want to thank Bloomsbury for providing this ARC in exchange for my unbiased review.
originally published on my blog Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer
The tale begins in the aftermath of the murder and the investigation that followed. Mallory killed her boyfriend in self-defense on a fateful evening and the ramifications are wide-spread. Her parents have decided to send her away to Monroe a private boarding school that her father once attended. Mallory is a mess, she is having nightmares, thinks she is being haunted by Brian the boy she killed and to make matters worse she thinks her own parents are afraid of her. She thinks that once she reaches the school that the nightmares and shadows will stop but boy is she wrong. To make matters worse something sinister is going on and Mallory’s dreams are actually causing her physical pain. The tale that unfolds was at times crazy with its twists and turns and I found myself delightfully entertained.
I am not sure I actually like Mallory, but I felt for her as she tried to piece together events from that fateful evening. I thought she was strong when dealing with all the emotional baggage that came with it. She suffers from guilt, a fear that she is evil and she is definitely unstable. I really liked her BFF, Coleen and loved their banter. Reid is interesting and his connection to Mallory was interesting. As much as I liked the way he supported Mallory, we never really got to know him. The romance was complicated, mostly because of Mallory’s issues and it didn’t really add or deter from the tale. The bad girl click was a little cliché, as one girl dominates and abuses the weaker girls. Jason is the big man on campus and struts around like he is all that but he made me cringe. While the parents were present and it’s obvious they care about Mallory they are dolts. Why isn’t Mallory in counseling? Why does her Mom care more about appearances? GRRR!
There is a lot going on in Hysteria and it certainly kept my attention. I read this in a little under three hours. While parts were predictable I liked the complications and additional murder. At times I really questioned whether some of this was all in Mallory’s head and couldn’t help but wonder if as I turned the page I would discover she was in a rubber room somewhere and this was all a dream. How much can one girl handle? I liked the sensation of not really knowing for sure, and the thread regarding the second murder was fascinating. We see growth in Mallory but I was disappointed that the other characters weren't as fleshed out. Miranda ties all the threads together at the end but, I am just not sure I believed all of them.
Hysteria certainly entertained me and kept me on edge as I sought to unravel the events that occurred the night Mallory murdered her boyfriend and figure out what was happening in the aftermath. Overall this was a solid read but I have a feeling reviews will be mixed on this one. I still have Fractured on my wish list and intend to read it soon.
I want to thank Bloomsbury for providing this ARC in exchange for my unbiased review.
originally published on my blog Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer
This book starts out with a girl killing her boyfriend...and then it just gets better. Lots of intrigue...lots of mystery...worth reading!