Idlewild Hall—"the boarding school of last resort ... where parents stashed their embarrassments, their failures, and their recalcitrant girls" (16)—is made for teens like Cece Frank, Roberta Greene, and Sonia Gallipeau.  Each hiding their own dark secret, the three become roommates in 1950 at the cold, isolated institution.  Although none of them are thrilled about being stuck in such a grim place, they find comfort in their newfound friendship.  Like hundreds of Idlewild girls before them, they swap shivery stories about Mary Hand, the veiled ghost whose unsettled spirit haunts the school garden where her baby is rumored to be buried.  None of them doubt her existence—they've all felt her dark, menacing presence.  When one of the roommates disappears without a trace, the others can't help but wonder if she's been a victim of an apparition hungry for revenge.

Forty-four years later, the body of 20-year-old Deb Sheridan is discovered on Idlewild's long-abandoned campus.  Her death by strangulation is clearly the work of human hands, most likely those of her boyfriend, who's convicted and imprisoned for the crime.  Despite getting closure, the tragedy breaks the Sheridan family.  Two decades later, Fiona still can't shake the feeling that something wasn't right about her sister's case.  When she learns that an anonymous benefactor is restoring Idlewild Hall, it stirs up her old feelings of unease.  Desperate to find out what really happened to Deb, Fiona launches her own investigation under the guise of writing a magazine article about the reopening of Idlewild Hall.  To find answers, she'll have to confront the school's many ghosts and battle the sinister forces that haunt not just Idlewild, but her own tortured past.

I have a long-standing rule about not reading creepy books while my husband is out of town.  So, even though I made the mistake of starting The Broken Girls by Simone St. James right before a planned trip, I promised myself I'd read something else until his return.  As much as I tried to distract myself with a lighter, less nightmare-inducing novel, though, I couldn't do it!  Scary dreams be darned, I could not look away from this gripping story about ghosts and girls and their ghoulish secrets.  Atmospheric and eerie, The Broken Girls is a tense, absorbing novel that will keep you guessing throughout.  Even though the ending felt a little rushed and anticlimactic to me, overall, I enjoyed this haunting—but ultimately hopeful—story about righting past wrongs.

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of books by Carol Goodman, especially The Ghost Orchid and Arcadia Falls)

Grade:

Do you have certain time periods or places that you avoid in your reading?  Settings that, for whatever reason, just don't really appeal to you?  I for sure do.  Ancient Rome being one of them, I was naturally reluctant to give Jennifer A. Nielsen's middle grade Mark of the Thief series a go.  If it hadn't been for a book award gig I'm involved in, I probably would not have bothered.  In an effort to do a thorough judging job, however, I read not just the latest and greatest book in the trilogy, but also the first two.  And you know what?  Overall, I enjoyed them.
Nic Calva is no longer a slave, but he's still very much trapped.  With the power of the gods running through his veins, he's become a pawn in the war over Rome.  The Praetors, a secretive group determined to possess Nic's magical amulet, won't leave him alone.  With his mother in their possession, Nic can't afford to ignore their threats.  Finally, he makes them an offer they can't refuse—Nic will enter a chariot race, competing against the area's best riders and using no magic.  If he wins, the Praetors release his mother and let Nic go free.  If he loses, he will give up the powerful amulet so tenaciously sought after by the Praetors.  With very little experience driving a chariot, Nic has everything to lose.  Even with loyal friends by his side, it's a race that can't be won, especially since he insists on playing fair, a vow his competitors certainly won't honor.  Does Nic have even a sliver of a chance?  Or will he lose everything on a foolish gamble he never should have taken?