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.
The blurb will make you think this is a strange, Gothic mystery of some kind, with lightning and hidden rooms and possibly damsels in distress. It's not; it's a careful, involved, nuanced exploration of grief and other mental difficulties. Although the story is mostly Moira's, her classmates each get a chapter to describe ther background and what brought them to the school. They are from all backgrounds and have many different problems, but they are all teenage girls and it's lovely to see them come together.
I did think the relationship was kind of bolted on, but I find that's often true in YA novels, and it was kind of sweet. I just felt it was a little unnecessary.
I loved watching Moira slowly start to realise the motives of people around her, watching her start to notice things again and pay attention to things. It was very touching.
Over all, a great read and really nice. I cried a bit! I'll be recommending this one.
The Castle School (for troubled girls) publishes on the 2nd March, 2021. I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
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