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Hysteria by Megan Miranda (view source)
Revision as of 12:06, 30 December 2014
, 12:06, 30 December 2014no edit summary
{{infobox
|title=Hysteria
|author=Megan Miranda
|reviewer=Robert James
Shunned by many of her former friends after killing her boyfriend in self-defence, and unable to remember the details of his death, Mallory feels haunted by his presence. When her parents send her to boarding school, will this be a chance for a fresh start, or will her past catch up with her even there?
Hysteria isn’t isn't quite as strong as Megan Miranda’s excellent debut [[Fracture by Megan Miranda|Fracture]], but it’s an intriguing read with some vivid characters – particularly Mallory herself, her friend Colleen, and love interest Reid. (In a neat sidestep of the ‘insta-love’ which plagues some teen novels, Mallory and Reid have a past which makes the speed at which their relationship develops believable.) I particularly liked the intense friendship between Mallory and Colleen, which was one of the strongest I can remember reading about in a YA book for a good long time.
Apart from the characters, Hysteria’s other main strength is the way in which Miranda builds up the tension. It’s a real thriller which gets more and more nerve-wracking as the story progresses, and a really exciting climax meant I was left with barely any nails by the final few pages!
The early part of last year seemed to see excellent teen thrillers being released at an incredibly fast rate. In addition to Miranda’s own [[Fracture by Megan Miranda|Fracture]], which I’d definitely recommend to anyone who enjoyed this one, we also got [[Choker by Elizabeth Woods]], [[Poison Heart by S B Hayes]] and [[Hollow Pike by James Dawson]]. Any of that trio are highly recommended to fans of this novel.
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