THIS BOOK CONTAINS MAJOR TRIGGERS
I will list these triggers at the end of the review, as I try to do, but be aware that I will be discussing mental illnesses, eating disorders, addictions, and other potentially triggering topics. I will avoid details where possible, but the book is set in a school for “troubled girls”, so it may not be possible to avoid completely. I have read one other book by this author (that I am aware of) - A Danger To Herself and Others - and boy, was that a ride. While attempting not to give away spoilers, I picked up on something relatively early on in that book, which was later confirmed, but it in NO WAY detracted from the overall beautiful, heart-wrenching majesty of the story. So once I knew that The Castle School was by the same author (which, admittedly, was AFTER I started reading it), I knew I was in for a time. As I start writing this, I’m only about halfway through. I was past the point of no return on my way to work this morning when I realised I had forgotten my Kindle… but it’s ok. I have the Kindle app on my phone (and the NetGalley one as well come to think of it), so I will be able to read on my lunch break. Yay! The first note I wrote while reading (this is still something that is new to me; taking notes as I read. Maybe if I had done that when I was studying…. NO! No what ifs). It wasn’t something I thought I would like - as a kid (and adult) I tend(ed) to inhale books, not putting them down for dinner let alone to write notes! (The skills I have developed of holding the book and being able to turn pages all with my non-dominant hand serve me well both eating and note-taking!) That said, I have started to enjoy it. It’s nice to have a scribble of thoughts of things I can look back on and solidify; a list I can use as a springboard when it comes to talking about the book to others. No-one else needs to see my scribble, 90% of the time it makes a little sense to me, but not always! Okay, we’ll try that again! The first note I wrote while reading this book was “this book has so much trivia, I love it!” Our main character has a habit of filling silences with trivia. ***** insert trivia***** The premise is (so far), simple. Our main character, Moria, has been sent away to the Castle School. Following the death of her best friend, her parents are at their wits end, and decide she needs more help than they can give. Moira is escorted to The Castle School by two bulky men - bodyguards, tasked with making sure she doesn’t run away - and lands in a place which is far different than she imagined. The Castle - a literal castle - somewhere (maybe) in Maine, is cold, damp, and dark. Her driver - son of the headmaster/doctor/owner of the school - tells her that it is after lights out, and that she needs to go to bed. Moira soon discovers that the school has an odd timetable - they don’t have a TIMEtable. The girls (there are 12) are woken, fed, ‘taught’, therapied, exercised and returned to bed without knowing what the time is, what the day is, or even where they are. The other 12 girls have a mix of conditions. We get to know each girl briefly, and we get a little more information about them in between chapters, with a section of each girl and how/why she ended up at the school. I won’t say much more, it’s too hard to rave without giving away important parts. Just know it is beautiful, and potentially triggering at the same time. I will note here that if you don’t like books which are ‘slice of life’ or you only read books which are filled with adventure, this is not that. I won’t say you won’t enjoy it, or should avoid it, because it IS SO GOOD. Content Warnings: discussions of addiction, drugs, self hard (cutting mostly), OCD, assault, trichotillomania, death, dying, mental health, therapy, family issues, selective mutism, eating disorders, scars, inpatient. There are probably more, but just be aware going in that the author doesn’t hold back. Overall Rating: FIVE STARS
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This book was one of the first in the new wave of YA Mysteries - not thrillers, but actual, someone wants to be a detective and solve a crime in the tradition of Agatha Christie, and Alfred Hitchcock and the Three Investigators.
Our story is set at a school most of us could only dream of hoping to attend. Accepting on the elite of the elite - based on talent, not only on money - the Ellingham Academy is a remote school at the top of a mountain. Founded by the millionaire Albert Ellingham, near the start of the 20th Century, the school was marked by tragedy not long after it was opened. One student was killed, and the founder’s wife and child kidnapped. The only clue was a pieced together note, signed only: Truly, Devious. Our main character is Stevie; a teenage girl who was desperate to go to Ellingham Academy for one reason only: to solve the mystery of Truly, Devious. A newcomer to a boarding school that is not your average, Stevie knows only one person before she starts - Janelle, one of her housemates (yes, instead of the standard dorms, they have “houses” - actual houses with a student to a room. Stevie’s housemates are a diverse bunch - a teenaged author for one - and their house parent is one of the teachers. The house is eclectic, the people nuanced and well rounded. I think, aside from the mystery aspect - which was done so very well - my favourite aspect of this book was the diversity. Janelle is black, focused on STEM, and likes girls! And, even better, it didn’t feel like a diversity grab. Janelle felt like a realised character, and I would 100% be keen to read a spinoff regarding what she does once she leaves Ellingham. The other wonderful thing was that our main character has anxiety! Not that anxiety that people might think of - oh no, so nervous before a test (thought that is perfectly valid, I would never want to demean or make small anyone’s mental health struggles) - but full blown, on meds, carries-meds-with-her, panic attack having, capital A anxiety. As someone who has and is medicated for anxiety, I am always happy to see a decent representation in YA books, especially when it is done without any stigma, and with friends who understand and support instead of judging. Maureen Johnson has done a fantastic job of portraying mental health in a realistic and non-inflammatory way. This book will be added to my M/H awareness list (will be? Already is!). There is also a non-binary character, who is dating Janelle. Again, would love to see more of these two, I think they would make a great spinoff. Don’t read this book (without having the second and third within easy reach) if you don’t like cliffhangers! Books one and two do end with a cliffhanger. The mystery aspect is done spectacularly - I read mysteries almost exclusively for a while - and there were twists and red herrings that I truly (haha) didn’t see coming. Overall, I thought pacing was good, flow was good, mystery was good. Did not like waiting for the sequels! Audiobook narration was also very good. Content warnings: murder, blood, gore, murder, death by suffocation, death by starvation (? not sure, also not sure which book) Rating: 4.5 stars AAAAAGGGGHHHHHHH.
This book gave me all the feels and maybe the first book hangover I’ve had in a while. I self identify as a part of the LGBTQIA+ community, being bi/pan, so I am always looking for more books which tell stories about the community. Years ago, a couple of LGBTQIA+ members of a D&D group I was a part of were vocal about the need for there to be more books about Queer poeple, that weren’t soley Coming Out stories. That stuck with me, and I am so glad that it has started to filter through and become more commonplace in YA Lit. This story was more of the second type; our main character Aleks/Alexis (him/him - she/her respectively) knows that they are Bi-gender, are out as Bi-gender to their family and friends. It’s not a coming out story. Aleks/Alexis moves in with their Catholic Aunt and Uncle - the latter of which is actually a Priest - following a traumatic incident which led them to cut off a significant part of their life. Spending a year away from the DRAMA; away from the people who were meant to be their “friends”; away from cosplay; and away from Aleks, seems to be the only way. Aleks/Alexis’ aunt and uncle are aware that they are bi-gender, but choose to misgender and misname them throughout the book, referring to them only as “Alexis” and our “niece” (the gender they presented at birth. Aleks/Alexis decides to pull back, to present as Alexis despite who they wake up as, in an effort to make the year simple and get through it. This obviously causes internal stress for them, which was at times heartbreaking to read. I know the author's note should be at the end, but I’m going to drop some of it here, because it’s important. Author’s Note: I wanted to write a book about the ongoing problems in the Catholic Church without attacking Catholics for their faith. I didn’t want to tarnish something that’s sacred for many people. At the same time, as a child safety advocate, I knew I needed to write something. I believe that if a person knows about a crime and does nothing, they are as culpable as the perpetrator. Seriously, ow. This book in my opinion (not a Catholic but with a religious family and background), did a really good job of this. There were times where Aleks/Alexis did stand up for themselves and for other characters who identify as LGBTQIA+, and maybe they did ‘blame’ Christanity for some of the beliefs, but they also tried hard to make the choice to not judge people just because of their faith. The author did a really good job of making them huma; having them make snap judgements and realising (sometimes) that they were wrong and needed to be fixed. In regards to the Catholic Priest child abuse side of things - I agree with the author. It should NEVER matter what one’s Religion, sexuality or history is when it comes to abuse. That the Catholic Church can absolve people of sins such as these while not reporting them to the authorities is dead wrong. This book was great. Basic Plot: Aleks/Alexis found that they could overhear confessionals from their bedroom. Hearing the Priest reprimand a woman for stealing to feed her children, while not offering to help her in any other way, Aleks/Alexis takes it upon themself to help - by finding her details online, making a CV and applying for jobs for her. Time goes on and they hear more sins, more things that they believe they have some ability to fix. Then things get dark. Aleks/Alexis overhears a Priest confessing to abusing a young teen, and their uncle basically says ‘you’re forgiven, try not to do it again.’ And all the sh*t hits all the fans. I learned a lot in this book. There is a mention in the back of the book that the author wondered if featuring a bigender protagonist was the right way to go, if “people [would] be interested in reading about someone who identifies as me? And I felt the same fear that Aleks/Alexis experiences: what if I’m the only one?” While no one person can speak to the whole experience, own voices lit is so important, especially in YA. This story isn’t simple, we don’t instantly fall in love with our main character. We can see their flaws before they do, and it was hard at points to not scream at them “LIKE DUH??!! WHAT YOU JUST SAID IS EXACTLY WHAT YOU WENT THROUGH HOW CAN YOU NOT SEE THIS??? SAJVGDBwghku!!!!!!!!” But that’s what life is about, what life is like, and how we grow. No-one can force us to make a change if we aren’t ready. We can’t always see our abusers until it’s gone too far; can’t see the addiction til we are at the bottom of the glass. It’s called growth and it’s important. ALSO: COSPLAY! Yay for cosplay being a thing and not being like “ew, gross, nerd, geek, creepy dude who lives in his Mum’s basement”. I liked that Aleks/Alexis talked about cons and cosplay as if it were just a normal thing like playing baseball - because it is :-). Content Warnings: hoo boy. discussions of child abuse and grooming (no on-page explicit), sexual abuse, emotional abuse, homophobia, swearing, murder. Overall Rating: 4.5 stars |