Review: Hysteria by Megan Miranda

Author: Megan Miranda
Title: Hysteria
Publication: February 5th 2013
Publisher: Walker Childrens
Pages: 336
Source: Publisher via Netgalley

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.

Thoughts:Fracture was my first introduction to author Megan Miranda and I enjoyed the emotional depth and messages in it. So, when I saw this title was available to review, needless to say, I hopped at the chance to read it. The premise of Hysteria is what initially drew me in and the cover. Anyhow, I wondered how the main character Mallory would survive and overcome such a devastating experience.

In the beginning of the story Mallory is being shipped to boarding school rather quickly after the incident. She saddened by her mother, who seemingly appears to be afraid of her and troubled by the haunting feelings of her ex, Brian, Mallory keeps hearing his beating heart go " boom, boom, boom" every night. She thinks it's all in her head until the hand prints start appearing on her shoulder and she has no idea what's happening to her. Things at the new school appear to be as good as they can be, she feels like the rest of the students hate her and that they somehow know her secret and why she suddenly moved there. One night chaos breaks loose when she wakes up with blood on her hands and no alibi. 

Mallory is a mild-mannered character, she's afraid and has the tendency to break out and run. I liked how gradually the events of the night he ex died unfold and you get to see a different side to Mallory and the boy who she thought liked her. Hint: it's not the one she kills. I think my favorite character that I would have liked to see more developed with is Reid. He seemed to balance Mallory and try to be there for her even through all her drama. Actually my first favorite character would be Colleen, the honest, give it to you straight best-friend that Mallory has to leave behind. I think the best message I got from this book is that a true friend will go to hell and back for you, literally. Overall, the story starts off slow and then picks up at the end when all the action becomes intense. The characters are good, though the mean girls were typical just far more sinister. Overall, good read. 

3 stars

Review: Fracture by Megan Miranda

Miranda, Megan. Fracture.New York:Walker Childrens, 2012. 272pp. Ages 12up

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Received from Netgalley

 Fracture: the act or process of breaking or the state of being broken

                                                                    -Merriam-Webster Dictionary

Eleven minutes passed before Delaney Maxwell was pulled from the icy waters of a Maine lake by her best friend Decker Phillips. By then her heart had stopped beating. Her brain had stopped working. She was dead. And yet she somehow defied medical precedent to come back seemingly fine —despite the scans that showed significant brain damage. Everyone wants Delaney to be all right, but she knows she's far from normal. Pulled by strange sensations she can't control or explain, Delaney finds herself drawn to the dying. Is her altered brain now predicting death, or causing it?

Then Delaney meets Troy Varga, who recently emerged from a coma with similar abilities. At first she's reassured to find someone who understands the strangeness of her new existence, but Delaney soon discovers that Troy's motives aren't quite what she thought. Is their gift a miracle, a freak of nature-or something much more frightening? 

Fracture grabs hold of your heart right from the beginning, and I enjoyed it. This book was so emotional, and it shows how one event can have a ripple effect on others lives. Delaney comes out the coma, different broken, fractured pieces of herself, no longer the Delaney that they once knew but the Delaney that is yet known. She is alive but wrong at least to her family, and even to herself she is changed from her life and death situation. She has these tremors that she realizes is death drawing her near, which sounds like some sort of seizure. Troy,was a scary character, he was so lost in his own grief and believed what he was doing was justified. Delaney's mother made me angry at times in how she dealt with the Delaney. However,  my favorite part of the book was the friendship between Decker and Delaney, it was true, heartwarming and very believable. Overall, this was an great read that will make you feel many emotions about love, loss, hope, friendship, death and life.

Favorite Quote: "Death is finite. Unless it's not. In which case it wasn't death in the first place. Just an absence of life."

Cover Review: Absolutely love it! I love reflections in photography.

In My Bag # 5

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren
Here's what was in my bag this week, these are items for review, and from the library ....
What's in your bag?
Wanted to try something different...Slideshow!!! Let me know what you think..do you like??
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