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redheadsuperpowers's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
This is a book about a haunting. Hysteria Hall was a women's asylum that opened in 1866, and closed in 1943 due to a declined quality of care. The building stayed in the founder's family, ultimately ending up in the care of teenager Delia Piven, the founder's many times great granddaughter. Upon this inheritance, her family travels to see the estate to prep it for eventual sale. From the moment of arrival, Delia knows something is very wrong, and tries to tell her family so. If only they had listened.
This is a spooky mystery, with some dark bits due to the setting. The characters are well thought out, have distinct personalities, and their own places in the story. This was refreshing for a book with such a large ensemble, as large casts in less well written books tend to blur together. The plot is very consistent, and the mild confusion of part one clears right up at the start of part two, when the circumstances our main lead got herself into are revealed. I was able to finish this in about 2 hours. I recommend this book for anyone who is into ghost stories, and likes strong female characters.
This is a spooky mystery, with some dark bits due to the setting. The characters are well thought out, have distinct personalities, and their own places in the story. This was refreshing for a book with such a large ensemble, as large casts in less well written books tend to blur together. The plot is very consistent, and the mild confusion of part one clears right up at the start of part two, when the circumstances our main lead got herself into are revealed. I was able to finish this in about 2 hours. I recommend this book for anyone who is into ghost stories, and likes strong female characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Death, Forced institutionalization, Sexism, Suicide, Misogyny, Medical trauma, Murder, Medical content, Kidnapping, and Self harm
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