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.
My Review
5 of 5 Hysteria
Hysteria is a surprising read. I was totally hooked from the book cover but as I started reading right from the first chapter I was hooked! Lord Megan has a way with writing that captures you and keeps you reading until the end. I love Psychological thrillers and this is one of them.
Mallory is accused of killing her boyfriend Brian. She can't remember a thing that has happened. All she remembers is waking up and realizing Brian is dead on her kitchen floor. The town hates her and Brian's family especially his mother is determined to ruin Mallory's life. To make matters more complicated Mallory is being stalked by Brian's ghost and she is not sure what to do. Her family decides it is best to send her away to the boarding school her father attended.
Once there Mallory still does not feel like she is safe. The ghostly visions of Brian and some of the kids at the boarding school start to act weird around her. Mallory finally realizes that some of the students know what happened to her back home and they are telling others. All Mallory wanted was to left alone and start a new life after what happened between her and Brian but she soon finds out that someone has it out for her and when the dust settles she will have to fight for her life.
Then another student Jason ends up dead in Mallory's room and she is not sure how he got there and why he was there in the first place. Once again she is accused of killing a boy and she has no memory of it. See the doctor prescribed her some sleeping pills and when she takes them she is knocked out cold. What is a girl to do? She will have to uncover the mystery behind Brian's death and piece together Jason's death and who is responsible because she was sleeping when he was killed.
I loved this Psychological thriller. It had me at the edge of my seat and it will leave you breathless! This is a must read YA book for 2013!
Interview With Megan Miranda
Today we have a special guest author on A Diary Of A Book Addict. It is with the greatest pleasure I introduce you to Megan Miranda who is the author of Hysteria which was released on February 05, 2013.
Megan thank you for stopping by and taking the time to answer a few questions for you readers.
What inspired you to write Hysteria?
Oh, I’m not sure if I can trace this back to just one thing. I had a character in my head—a girl who killed her boyfriend—and I wanted a story for her. So in a way, Mallory inspired the story. Two of the things that I was really interested in while writing the book (that influenced many aspects of it):
-how memory and the brain work, and how psychological things can manifest in physical ways
-the idea of haunting, and all the things that can haunt, and in all the ways they can haunt
Both of these things started a long string of research into individual cases, such as that of a real-life soldier portrayed in the Band of Brothers miniseries (he went blind in a battle, though nothing was physically wrong with him). His story, and others like it, inspired the “what if” idea that became Hysteria.
How did you come up with the book cover? Is there a hidden message in the cover? I love the cover and that is what jumped out at me when I first saw it.
I wish I could take credit for the cover—I adore it, but my publisher is the one who comes up with the book covers. I don’t think there’s necessarily a hidden message, but it captures the feel of the book perfectly. When I first saw it, I did a double-take: was it a mirror? Was her head missing? Is it real? And there’s definitely that element to Hysteria – is it real? Is she losing her mind?
Also, the color red plays a consistent role in the book, so I love that she’s wearing a red dress.
Is the character Mallory inspired by someone close to you?
No, but I think all my characters have pieces of me, and probably pieces of people I know in them. That said, she is purely the product of my imagination.
What made you decide to choose a boarding school for Mallory to go to after her first incident?
Ah, this is partly one of those subconscious elements of writing where I gravitate toward things that are familiar to me. I'm from NJ (like Mallory), and I went to a boarding school (though I lived close enough that I didn't board). Writing a prep/boarding school is much more natural for me, so I think, in a way, I naturally gravitated toward it (disclaimer: my school was nothing like Monroe!) However, I also think it was the right choice for the story. From the parents' perspective…. what would you do if your kid was being harassed at home? If she couldn't escape a past? It might seem like cruelty to Mallory because she's already at such a low point, but it also makes sense. It's a chance to start over. A chance for normalcy. Even though that's not how it turned out...
What went through Mallory’s mind when she first met Reid?
Well, she knew him growing up, and I'm not sure if she remembers the very, very first time she met him. And if she did, she was probably too young to be thinking the same types of things she thought seeing him this time around. This time around, she probably thought a combination of: YES and OH, CRAP. And also NICE HAIR.
YES because they had a great connection growing up, and I think when you're in a new place, you tend to gravitate toward anything familiar.
OH, CRAP because of the last time they saw each other, 2 years earlier. I'll leave it at that.
And NICE HAIR, because, well, nice hair.
Is Reid inspired by someone close to you?
Like the above answer for Mallory, no. Purely a product of my imagination. But I do see elements of people in him when I read it back. Especially from high school.
Can you tell us 3 random things about Reid and Mallory that we did not read about?
*He got chocolate on her dress at that wedding on purpose years earlier. He was really bad at flirting.
*She thought about calling him on occasion throughout the years, but was mortified by the idea that his dad would answer and tell her dad and oh the awkwardness
*Reid knew she was coming to Monroe that first day, and he was sitting under that tree waiting for her specifically
What is your next WIP and when will it be released?
My next book will be the sequel/companion to Fracture, currently titled Vengeance. It's told from Decker's point of view and takes place about 8 months after the events in Fracture. It's currently scheduled to be published in early 2014.
Where is your favorite place to write?
I wrote the majority of Fracture and Hysteria in my bed, but we recently moved, and now I have a desk, and it is a little bit set apart from the rest of the house, and it is my favorite place to write. I've written at the library and coffee shops when I need to, but I really prefer to write at home.
Megan thank you again for stopping by and answering a few questions for us. We look forward to more GREAT books from you soon.
Thank you so much for having me on your blog!
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