The Dead Girls of Hysteria Hall by Katie Alender

YA Horror/Paranormal/Supernatural

There is a really good book in here, even though the book as is is disappointingly lacking. With a great editor, The Dead Girls of Hysteria Hall could be a thrilling, scary read, with a fascinating mystery to solve.

But the mystery, in fact, all the exciting parts, essentially get buried in the last third of the book. Alender spends page after page describing how time can slow down for ghosts, and makes the reader feel each minute of the years a ghost might spend lying on the grass or sitting in a room. Then, in the last third, secrets are revealed, foes are fought, and every page is full of action. But all the reveals and running around, while really interesting, feel really rushed as well.

I wish that Alender had made this a shorter book. If she had cut out some of the more repetitive parts, there would have been more room to explore the core of the book-the mystery behind Hysteria Hall, and what that means for all who have entered its doors. This would have made the book great, instead of just okay.