REVIEW: HYSTERIA

Author: Megan Miranda
Series: No, standalone
UK Publisher: Bloomsbury
UK Release date: 14th February 2013
Read via NetGalley

Mallory's life is falling apart. Her boyfriend was stabbed. He bled to death in her kitchen. Mallory was the one who stabbed him. But she can't remember what happened that night. She only remembers the fear ...When Mallory's parents send her away to a boarding school, she thinks she can escape the gossip and the threats. But someone, or something, has followed her. There's the hand that touches her shoulder when she's drifting off to sleep. A voice whispering her name. And everyone knows what happened. So when a pupil is found dead, Mallory's name is on their lips. Her past can be forgotten but it's never gone. Can Mallory live with that? (Goodreads)

I love Megan Miranda's writing style, and having read Fracture and now Hysteria, she has now become one of my favourite YA authors. There is something very natural and flowing about the writing, and I find her books very easy to read. I'm not the quickest of readers but I tore through the pages of Hysteria and finished it in less than 2 days (which is pretty fast for me). This is not only down to the writing, but also the gripping story.

All we know at the start is that someone died in Mallory's kitchen and she has obviously undergone a very traumatic experience. But we don't know the full story, so I was left guessing and speculating about whether Mallory was actually to blame and who might have died. My curiosity was certainly piqued, especially as Mallory's narrative showed how her mother feared her and certain people hated her. And although Mallory moves to boarding school to escape everything that happened, things still seemed to follow her. Her time at school was very creepy and chilling, and I was left with that spine tingling feeling of being watched. With so many strange things happening I was constantly suspicious of what other characters might be up to, if they were lying and whether Mallory was being haunted by a real ghost.

Mallory herself wasn't the most stable of characters; she was suspicious, paranoid and tense. But I still liked her. She tried to look out for other people but struggled to cope with the grief and mysterious goings-on. Through her memories I could also tell that she was a very loyal friend, and althoguh she wasn't the most outgoing bubbly person around, she was definfitely someone I would want to be friends with.

I would definitely recommend reading Megan Miranda's books, and as a standalone, Hysteria is perfect if you like a little bit of horror and tense chilling mystery. Hysteria is a creepy and mysterious thriller.

Rating: 4*