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A review by sandrareilly513
The Girl in the Castle by James Patterson, Emily Raymond
4.0
Girl, Interrupted with a time travel twist!
Hannah is a "frequent flyer" at the Belman Psych ward, suffering from what doctors think are vivid hallucinations and schizophrenia. But Hannah is torn between two worlds -- today's and a village in the early 1300's. In Hannah's village, her family and neighbors are starving, dying in the streets, and it is up to her to find a way to save them. But every time she wakes up in today's world, she worries her family in the village won't be able to survive and begs to go back... But who can help her when they all think she's dreaming and that her other world doesn't exist? How can she break the time travel cycle? And which world does she really belong to? Jordan, a student intern, is captivated by her and wants to help her in any way that he can, but how can he save her from a world he doesn't think really exists?
Thoughts: This is such a fast-paced, easily readible book, and I can't wait to add it to my high school's collection! There's a lot of death and sadness, especially through the first half of the book, but the quick chapters help readers move through the plot without dwelling too much. There are shaes of Girl, Interrupted with the psych ward setting and a few of the secondary characters, and I actually wish there was more scenes in the 1300's because Patterson and Raymond brought us back in time in a way that I couldn't get enough of, especially the scenes with Hannah and the baron. The commentaries on mental health were realistic and poignant, and while the ending was a bit rushed and slightly disappointing in my opinion, it was also realistic given the circumstances. Reluctant readers, fantasy readers, realistic fiction readers, and readers of a genre I like to call "Tough Topics" will appreciate this book and its readibility, quality, and depth.
**Thank you, NOVL, for this ARC!**
Hannah is a "frequent flyer" at the Belman Psych ward, suffering from what doctors think are vivid hallucinations and schizophrenia. But Hannah is torn between two worlds -- today's and a village in the early 1300's. In Hannah's village, her family and neighbors are starving, dying in the streets, and it is up to her to find a way to save them. But every time she wakes up in today's world, she worries her family in the village won't be able to survive and begs to go back... But who can help her when they all think she's dreaming and that her other world doesn't exist? How can she break the time travel cycle? And which world does she really belong to? Jordan, a student intern, is captivated by her and wants to help her in any way that he can, but how can he save her from a world he doesn't think really exists?
Thoughts: This is such a fast-paced, easily readible book, and I can't wait to add it to my high school's collection! There's a lot of death and sadness, especially through the first half of the book, but the quick chapters help readers move through the plot without dwelling too much. There are shaes of Girl, Interrupted with the psych ward setting and a few of the secondary characters, and I actually wish there was more scenes in the 1300's because Patterson and Raymond brought us back in time in a way that I couldn't get enough of, especially the scenes with Hannah and the baron. The commentaries on mental health were realistic and poignant, and while the ending was a bit rushed and slightly disappointing in my opinion, it was also realistic given the circumstances. Reluctant readers, fantasy readers, realistic fiction readers, and readers of a genre I like to call "Tough Topics" will appreciate this book and its readibility, quality, and depth.
**Thank you, NOVL, for this ARC!**