The Dead Girls of Hysteria Hall by Katie Alender finds Delia at an abandoned insane asylum that may not be as empty as she first thought.

Delia’s great aunt just passed away, rather mysteriously we might add, bequeathing her niece an abandoned insane asylum. How sentimental.

Worse yet, Delia’s family decides to spend some quality time fixing the place up so they can turn around and sell it — which also allows them to keep Delia on a short leash after her recent transgression.

But Delia doesn’t even have to spend a single night in the appropriately named Hysteria Hall to know it’s bad news. Strange noises, the feeling of being watched, and missing objects let her know she’s not alone. But when she tries to escape, that’s when the real terror sets in.

‘The Dead Girls of Hysteria Hall’ book review

Dead Girls has two very important things going for it — it’s beautifully heartwarming and spellbindingly terrifying.

The story is one part horror movie, complete with disembodied voices, mysterious smoke, and disfigured ghosts, and one part mystery. The mystery of Hysteria Hall is compelling enough that even those who don’t usually pick up these kinds of books will find something intriguing to hold on to.

But don’t get us wrong: This book is scary. We recommend not reading it in the middle of the night when you’re home alone in your bedroom and the only thing possibly keeping you safe is the too small circle of light emanating from your desk lamp. You’ll find yourself glancing over your shoulder every few seconds, refusing to let your limbs hang off the side of your bed. Which is completely sane and rational and normal, by the way.

But believe it or not, there’s also a lot of heart in this book. Delia finds out too quickly how ghosts operate and what it’s like to find yourself among them. While at first all Delia wants is to save her family and keep the ghosts as far away as possible, she soon befriends them, realizing some are not as bad as she feared — and others are far worse.

The Dead Girls of Hysteria Hall is on sale now. Add it to your Goodreads list, or purchase it from Amazon or IndieBound.