Hysteria by Megan Miranda
Mallory killed her boyfriend, Brian. She can't remember the details of that night but everyone knows it was self-defense, so she isn't charged. But Mallory still feels Brian's presence in her life. Is it all in her head? Or is it something more? In desperate need of a fresh start, Mallory is sent to Monroe, a fancy prep school where no one knows her . . . or anything about her past.But the feeling follows her, as do her secrets. Then, one of her new classmates turns up dead. As suspicion falls on Mallory, she must find a way to remember the details of both deadly nights so she can prove her innocence-to herself and others.
In another riveting tale of life and death, Megan Miranda's masterful storytelling brings readers along for a ride to the edge of sanity and back again.
Review: We learn right from the beginning that Mallory killed her boyfriend Brian. What we don't know is the details on what happened that night just like Mallory who can't remember much of anything but her parents got her a really good lawyer and they marked it off as self defense. Her parents also decide it's a good idea to send her off to boarding school to get her away from everything including Brian's mom who is turning a little crazy with the grief of losing her son. So off to boarding school Mallory goes for a fresh start except it's not really that fresh of a start when rumor spills out about her and she is pretty much alienated by everyone there also.
Hysteria was a really fast read for me. I liked how the author didn't waste any time in letting us know what happened between Mallory and Brian and pretty much kept us in the dark on what happened that night for majority of the book only revealing events from that night in bits and pieces.
For majority of Hysteria I really thought there was something paranormal going on. Mallory thought the ghost of Brian was haunting her every night by whispering in her ear Wait and grabbing her shoulder which was leaving a very visible bruised hand print on her. Lets just say this part of the book made me really curious because I'm sitting here wondering why is he keep saying wait...wait for what? Needless to say I kept turning the pages faster and faster. Anyways it turns out there was nothing paranormal going on it was all psychological, which actually made me wonder how she really got those bruises on her back since that part was never fully explained.
As far as the characters go Mallory was a broken girl who was scarred emotionally and psychologically...obviously. But I really did feel really bad for her since she was a good person who just happened to get thrown into some really bad situations. We also have Reid who was the love interest, I don't have much to say about him, he was sweet but things just seemed to happen a little to fast between the two. Then there were the kids at the prep school, lets just say they were really cruel and well the one who ended up dead I really don't feel sorry for him.
Also I did have a little issue with the ending, for some reason it just fell a little flat I guess I was expecting more. Anyways overall I would recommend this book to fans who enjoy reading mysteries and thrillers.
Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen
- Pub. Date: February 14, 2012
- Publisher: Walker & Company
- Pages: 304
- Amazon/Goodreads
Many readers know the tale of Robin Hood, but they will be swept away by this new version full of action, secrets, and romance.
Posing as one of Robin Hood’s thieves to avoid the wrath of the evil Thief Taker Lord Gisbourne, Scarlet has kept her identity secret from all of Nottinghamshire. Only the Hood and his band know the truth: the agile thief posing as a whip of a boy is actually a fearless young woman with a secret past. Helping the people of Nottingham outwit the corrupt Sheriff of Nottingham could cost Scarlet her life as Gisbourne closes in.
It’s only her fierce loyalty to Robin—whose quick smiles and sharp temper have the rare power to unsettle her—that keeps Scarlet going and makes this fight worth dying for.
First Line: "No one really knows 'bout me."
Review: Another book that I had sitting on my shelf for months and after reading it I wish I had picked it up and read it the day it arrived in the mail. Scarlet was such an awesome retelling, I hated having to put the book down to go deal with "life." I just wanted to stay wrapped up in the world in which Robin, Scarlet, John and Much lived in.
Will Scarlet is not the Will Scarlet we have come to know. He is a she, a young woman with secrets of her own that she won't tell anyone not even Robin Hood whom she trusts the most out of the bunch. But with Gisbourne the thief taker coming to town to hunt down the Hood her secrets will start putting them all in a whirlwind of danger.
I loved this re-telling of Robin Hood, to think that Will Scarlet one of the baddest of the Merry Men could have also easily been a girl, the spin on the character was done so well and made to be very believable. I loved Scarlet she was pretending to be a boy and she played her role very well, she was the best at throwing knives and using them to get out of dangerous predicaments, she was a thief - one of the best, but besides all that she had so many layers to her character I couldn't get enough of her. The only thing that I had to get used to about her was the usage of "were" instead of "was", her way of speaking fits with the story since that is how the commoners of the time spoke but it did take some getting used to while reading the book yet it did not take away from anything at all.
As for the romance I loved how it was secondary, it didn't take up the entire novel instead it was just in the background teasing us. Robin and Scarlet wow they had their moments, moments of hateful words being exchanged, wrongful impressions about certain situations and also some very sweet moments. There were a few times Scarlet was blind to the underlying meaning of some of the things Robin said to her and took things in a literal manner which made me a little frustrated but at the same time it kept things interesting between the two.
The way the book ended it can easily have a second book to it although last time I checked there isn't. But I'm hopeful because I want more of these wonderful characters and their world. The writing was done so well, the story was fast paced and kept me glued to the pages. If you are fan of Robin Hood, or characters who are multidimensional and highly addictive I would recommend this book.
Memorable quotes
"The very thought made my anger die like a leaf on a branch, and I followed behind him. It were fair torture when he put his hands on me, and looked at me, and stood with me, but Robin were a lord, and his heart would never turn to a thief."
