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

The Dead Girls of Hysteria Hall by Katie Alender
Published by Point on August 25, 2015
Pages: 336
Format: Hardcover
Source: the publisher
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Asylum meets Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, in this riveting tale of ghosts, secrets, and family, from master of suspense Katie Alender.

Delia's new house isn't just a house. It used to be an insane asylum, a place to lock up "troubled" young women long ago. And a restless, wicked spirit is still at play--and it doesn't want defiant girls like Delia to go anywhere.

So the house kills her.

Now Delia is a ghost, trapped in her creepy home forever. As she meets the other ghost girls who haunt the narrow hallways, as well as the handsome ghost boy on the grounds, she learns shocking truths about the house's history. Delia also realizes that her alive and grieving sister might be the house's next target. Can Delia unlock the mystery of the old asylum, save her sister, and free herself?

Kirkus (starred review): "This superior ghost story keeps the creep factor high… A really scary and original ghost story, well told. Read it with the lights on."

School Library Journal: "Alender has created a chilling tale of forgotten tragedies and family secrets. A great choice for fans of horror or suspense novels."

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Hey everyone! Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for The Dead Girls of Hysteria Hall by Katie Alender! I’m very excited to be a part of this blog tour! I absolutely loved this book and I hope you enjoy my review!

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As a lover of all things horror, I’m always keeping an eye out for creepy YA novels. Sadly, most of them don’t live up to my expectations. But The Dead Girls of Hysteria Hall was full of epicness and creepiness! From the great writing to the awesome characters and the suspenseful plot, this book is definitely up there on my favorites list!

Before I get into the heart of this review, a little side note: This book sucked me in so much, I had trouble keeping detailed notes because I just read and read and read and didn’t want to stop reading long enough to jot down notes. So if some of this is really vague, it’s because I’m avoiding spoilers and also because I don’t have detailed notes to refer to, hehe :)

Delia was an intriguing character. She starts off a bit stubborn and – I want to say self-absorbed, only because I can’t think of a better word, but that’s not quite right. She loved her family, but they didn’t always get along. She was in complete denial when she first became a member of the undead population of Hysteria Hall and her attitude was very self-pitying – but who can blame her, right? Her character growth, as she began to accept her death and embrace her path in (the after)life, was great.

I didn’t like nor dislike Janie in the beginning. She was the stereotypical, annoying kid sister who did whatever she could to get Delia in trouble. But as the book progressed, the changes in her character were unbelievable, fueled mostly by the guilt she felt over Delia’s death. My heart was in my throat at the end of the book, awaiting her fate. I’m not even going to talk about Delia and Janie’s parents because there would be too many spoilers involved and I’d get ragey about sooooo many things!

I really liked Florence in the beginning. She reminded me of Daisy from Dead Like Me, but by the end… Wow. Did NOT see that coming! I never really trusted Eliza or Theo – I was always waiting for something to happen or for them to backstab Delia. I was pleasantly surprised with the way their stories ended, though. As for Maria, I had mixed feelings about her, but I really liked how her story ended, as well – maybe more than anyone else’s. I didn’t like nor dislike Penitence, though I had my suspicions about her from fairly early on. Her story was very intriguing, though!

As someone who loves being scared, this book could have been a touch creepier. However, it absolutely had its moments where I was like, “Okay, I need to put this book down or I’m not going to be sleeping tonight.” It reminded me of a less creepy teen version of House on Haunted Hill (the remake). There was also a lot of foreshadowing, which added to the creepiness. The ending wrapped up a little neater than I expected – almost like a Horror Movie Happily Ever After. I expected more of a creepy, twisty ending. But maybe that’s Alender’s signature move – I haven’t read anything else by her yet to know, but I’ll definitely be picking up more of her books now!

Overall, though I could have done with a little more creep factor, this book was epic. Then again, I’m not one to scare easily, so this book certainly has the potential to scare the crap out of people who DO scare easily. The Creepy Level didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the book, though. Alender is an amazing writer with a knack for suspense and horror. If you’re looking for a twisty ghost story, I highly recommend this book!

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And now for the giveaway! 3 winners will receive a finished copy of THE DEAD GIRLS OF HYSTERIA HALL. US Only. To enter, complete the Rafflecopter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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About the Author:
 
Katie Alender is the author of The Dead Girls of Hysteria Hall, Famous Last Words, Marie Antoinette: Serial Killer, and the Bad Girls Don’t Die series. She is a graduate of the Florida State University Film School and lives in Los Angeles with her husband, daughter, and two dogs. When she’s not writing novels, she can usually be found quilting, reading, eating delicious high-calorie foods, and hanging out with her friends (on very special occasions, she manages to do all of those things at once).
 
 

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Tour Schedule

Week One:
8/17/2015 – The Cover Contessa – Interview
8/18/2015 – Twisted Book Junkie – Review
8/19/2015 – Fiktshun – Guest Post
8/20/2015 – BITTERSWEET ENCHANTMENT – Review
8/21/2015 – Mundie Moms – Guest Post

Week Two:
8/24/2015 – The Unofficial Addiction Book Fan Club – Interview
8/25/2015 – Pandora’s Books – Review
8/26/2015 – bookaholics anonymous – Interview
8/27/2015 – A Dream Within A Dream – Review
8/28/2015 – Such a Novel Idea – Guest Post