The Dead Girls of Hysteria Hall by Katie Alender

This book was recommended to me by a Dayre friend, and I am so glad she did because it was amazing! The Dead Girls of Hysteria Hall starts off with one of the worst beginnings possible - the protagonist, Delia, dies (or perhaps killed, like she suspects). While that would normally be the end of the story, Delia has died at Hysteria Hall, which dooms her to be a ghost.

Why? Probably because Hysteria Hall was an insane asylum for women, and in the past, insane women were just strong-willed women (at least a good portion of them were). And since Delia is a strong-willed girl as well, the house decided to keep her.

Which begets the bigger question: how do houses gain sentience in the first place?

So just to make it clear: Delia won't be coming back to life. Any happy end won't include a reunion with her family. Which is a pity because she so clearly wanted to be reunited with them.

Anyway, I felt for Delia so strongly that I was surprised. I think it's because her grieving process was so well-written. (Mild spoilers ahead) When she got angry at her best friend for getting together with her ex-boyfriend, I totally understood and empathised with that anger.

Apart from her having to deal with her grief, Delia also has (or rather wants to) figure out why the house traps the girls that dies that. And just exactly why did she die? Did she jump, like everyone says, or was she pushed, like she thought? I thought that Delia's grief story and the mystery of the house were very well written and merged together seamlessly at the climax.

This is a really great story filled with very real, very sympathetic characters. I really enjoyed reading it, and I'm totally checking out more of the author's books when I have the time.