The Dead Girls of Hysteria Hall

Received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Cover image and summary from Goodreads:

In this asylum, your mind plays tricks on you all the time…

Delia’s new house isn’t just a house. Long ago, it was the Piven Institute for the Care and Correction of Troubled Females—an insane asylum nicknamed “Hysteria Hall.” However, many of the inmates were not insane, just defiant and strong willed. Kind of like Delia herself.

But the house still wants to keep “troubled” girls locked away. So, in the most horrifying way, Delia gets trapped.

And that’s when she learns that the house is also haunted.

Ghost girls wander the halls in their old-fashioned nightgowns. A handsome ghost boy named Theo roams the grounds. Delia finds that all the spirits are unsettled and full of dark secrets. The house, as well, harbors shocking truths within its walls—truths that only Delia can uncover, and that may set her free.

But she’ll need to act quickly, before the house’s power overtakes everything she loves.

From master of suspense Katie Alender comes a riveting tale of twisted memories and betrayals, and the meaning of madness.

I’ve read and enjoyed one of Katie Alender’s previous books (Famous Last Words), so I was definitely looking forward to reading this.

I really liked the premise, and the story didn’t waste any time getting started. I really liked that the story addressed the way women were institutionalized as a means of controlling them, for things like ‘hysteria’, and the way ghosts, spirits and the supernatural worked in this book. As someone who likes to read a lot of supernatural and paranormal YA books, I always appreciate when an author writes something or handles an aspect of the supernatural that feels fresh to me.

I also loved the importance of family and friendship in Delia’s story.  Those relationships are crucial to the story, and I thought they were so well-written.

I’m two for two with liking Katie Alender’s books so far! I’m looking forward to reading more from her!