Title: The Castle School (for Troubled Girls)
Author: Alyssa Sheinmel
Genre: YA
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
When Moira Dreyfuss’s parents announce that they’re sending her to an all-girls boarding school deep in the Maine woods, Moira isn’t fooled. She knows her parents are punishing her; she’s been too much trouble since her best friend, Nathan, died―and for a while before that. At the Castle School, isolated from the rest of the world, Moira will be expected to pour her heart out to the odd headmaster, Dr. Prince. But she isn’t interested in getting over Nathan’s death or befriending her fellow students.
On her first night there, Moira hears distant music. On her second, she discovers the lock on her window is broken. On her third, she and her roommate venture outside…and learn that they’re not so isolated after all. There’s another, very different, Castle School nearby―this one filled with boys whose parents sent them away, too.
Moira is convinced that the Castle Schools and the doctors who run them are hiding something. But exploring the schools will force Moira to confront her overwhelming grief―and the real reasons her parents sent her away.
I really enjoyed this novel! I like Moira a lot, and I was very firmly in her head for the entire novel, which made this an interesting experience. Her first impressions of the Castle School, Dr. Prince, her fellow students…they were so well-done that I felt them, too. This didn’t turn out like I expected at all—in a very good way. Very strong writing and believable characters made this an engrossing read.
Alyssa Sheinmel is a bestselling author. The Castle School (for Troubled Girls) is her newest novel.
(Galley courtesy of Sourcebooks Fire in exchange for an honest review.)
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