This book was beyond riveting. Intense, strong, and heart-pounding, Sisters of Misery will keep readers back-hunched and dying to read more. Megan Kelley Hall is an author worth watching out for and stalked for the next release.

Every single last character is a power house that demands attention. Each character is defined by a single word—Maddie the innocent one, Cordelia the wild one, Kate the evil one—but surprisingly each characters carries so much more than that. They have their faults, their secrets, and vulnerability—some showing more than others—but also the hidden face in the mirror.

Maddie the girl that followed the sisterhood in fear of the consequences should she take on a path to best defend her cousin against the Sisters. Maddie is one that desires the close-knit relationship that Cordelia has with her mother. Despite this jealousy Maddie turns to be Cordelia’s best friend. At times I wish that Maddie would stand up for both herself and Cordelia more but should it have been me, I would have backed away as well. I mean, seriously, Kate scares the crap out of me.

Kate, in my opinion, is freaking crazy. All I could think about is how can a girl like this exist? I swear someone should drop kick her to the floor and shove urine down her throat to see if she likes it. Disgusting.

Cordelia is almost the complete opposite of Maddie. Wild…unpredictable…with no boundaries. She is a girl that has that “X Factor”. Like both the girls and guys, I was infatuated and captivated by her.

I was enthralled and hanging off the edge of my seats with this book. Literally one of my books fell from my bookcase and I jumped.

It did seem odd that this book seem inclined to include urine in a lot of things…it added to the evil factor of Kate I must say though.

Overall: Highly impressed by this book! ( )

If it is possible to make the rich look any more vile and horrible than they have been most recently following the near-global economic recession, then Megan Kelley Hall has done so with her slightly fantastic, suspenseful, and otherwise disconcerting novel, Sisters of Misery. Reminiscent of themes we’ve seen before, and the first book in a series (so far there are two books, with The Lost Sister hitting shelves last August), Sisters of Misery makes all those college frat movies about secret societies and evil (and loaded) old white guys getting what they want by doing just about anything short of acting like human beings look tame, and almost sophomoric.

The novel follows Madeleine Crane, a high school student in the small town of Hawthorne who has been more or less forced by her mother, Abigail, to become “friends” with a group of high school girls calling themselves the Sisters of Misery (led by the wicked Kate Endicott) in order “keep up appearances.” When her aunt, Rebecca, and her cousin, Cordelia, move in with her and her family, tensions between the family and the town of Hawthorne grow. Cordelia doesn’t “fit in” with the regular crowd, too free-spirited and seemingly unconcerned with what everyone else thinks of her. Soon rumors spread that Cordelia has been “seeing” Kate’s boyfriend, and Kate sets out to get payback. But when things go wrong, and Cordelia disappears, Madeleine finds herself emotionally strained by her fear of the Sisters of Misery and her loyalty to her cousin. Strongest of all, however, is her to desire to figure out what happened on the night of Cordelia's disappearance and whether she had anything to do with it.

Hall’s novel is neither a mystery, nor a fantasy, despite it containing elements of both. Madeleine’s search for the answers to Cordelia’s disappearance certainly hints at some of the old teen mysteries I read as a kid (Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys), though with a markedly darker tone, and the lingering sense of something fantastic is present and implied by many of the characters, but never solidifies, instead remaining illusive. Both of these elements create something nostalgic and also incredibly real (actual, not fictional as most fantasies must be). But what works most in Sisters of Misery is the way the story manipulates emotion in the characters and through the reading experience.

Madeleine’s struggle with her involvement in Hawthorne’s elite and Cordelia’s disappearance (and Kate’s revenge) are given weight by Hall’s exceptional ability to craft character and emotion. Though the gritty realism of the novel makes for a disconcerting ride (precisely because it is too real), there are some moments in the novel that make you both love and hate Madeleine. She is very much the teenager she’s supposed to be, and makes all manner of mistakes, some of which make sense, and some that don’t. Madeleine’s mistakes, however, created a love/hate relationship for me. On the one hand, I couldn’t help wishing that she had grown a spine and did what any sensible human being would, but on the other I understood why she made many of the decisions she did and began to hope that she would redeem herself.

With the emotions running high in Sisters of Misery, it’s no wonder that much of the novel is driven by suspense. Short chapters and Madeleine’s pension for digging up little clues that potentially expose even those she trusts make for a novel that is constantly twisting, constantly changing, and constantly leaving one completely disconnected, not because there isn’t a grain of truth to hold on to, but because you never know who will be implicated next, or how everyone is involved in Cordelia’s disappearance. Add in the cast of secondary characters, some of them so utterly loathsome that you wish you could strangle the life out of them yourself, and you can understand why it is that Sisters of Misery is not at all nice to people who take their wealth for granted.

And this is what makes Sisters of Misery both a fun and exciting novel made somewhat more curious by its illusive fantastic elements. No matter how sure I was that Madeleine finally had it right, I could not rely on that assurance at all, because I knew that in a few chapters, Hall would tear away that sense of security, much like she does for Madeleine and leave me grasping for something resembling the truth.

But, despite being an exciting novel, Sisters of Misery is also one that disappoints. After all of the suspense and excitement, I was left with an ending that neither cleared everything up nor sufficiently distributed justice to those who most deserved it. Instead, I was left with too many questions unanswered. The problem for me is that despite the insufficient ending, I am too addicted to the characters and the possible answers to be had in The Lost Sister to give them up. Regardless, I still wanted an ending that could lay to rest at least a handful of the the plot points, and though Hall could not deliver on that front, she certainly could deliver by giving me a cast of characters I either love or despise that I can't quite get out of my head (maybe because they're so real, or maybe because I want to know what will happen to them). Hopefully the second installment will tidy up the loose bits. ( )

Reviewed by Amber Gibson for TeensReadToo.com

Maddie Crane is a New England prep by default, not by choice. It seems that her entire life has been dictated by her mother and her controlling clique of friends, The Sisters of Misery. It has always been easier for Maddie to just go along with The Sisters, to avoid incurring their wrath. She might be nice, but Maddie doesn't have courage. She is always a follower, never a leader.

Cordelia LeClaire, Maddie's cousin, is a free spirit, a natural beauty with confidence and an easy smile. In a small town like Hawthorne, a beauty like Cordelia stands out.

When Cordelia comes to Hawthorne to live with Maddie's family, the two girls overcome their initial differences and establish an almost sisterly bond. Maddie admires and even envies Cordelia's effortless poise, stunning looks, and quick wit.

Unfortunately, The Sisters of Misery, led by Kate Endicott, are not so thrilled with Cordelia's arrival.

Hawthorne has never taken kindly to outsiders and Cordelia is no exception. When Cordelia begins to attract the attention of several of Hawthorne's dashing young men, including Kate's boyfriend, Maddie knows that trouble lays ahead. The Sisters do everything in their power to make Cordelia's life miserable. Maddie is stuck in the middle, and forced to choose between her cousin and her lifelong friends.

It isn't until Halloween that Maddie and Cordelia realize that powers more sinister than they had ever imagined are alive and at work in Hawthorne. After hours of unspeakable torture and terror, Cordelia vanishes without a trace.

Although she cannot remember the events of Halloween night, Maddie knows that she played a role in Cordelia's disappearance. She will never be able to forgive herself for not protecting Cordelia and she must uncover the truth to find peace. But if Maddie isn't careful, she may be the next one to disappear. Somebody doesn't want Cordelia to ever be found.

SISTERS OF MISERY is an absolutely stunning debut by Megan Kelley Hall, perhaps the best Gothic novel that I have ever read. Hall knows how to create suspense like nobody else and she isn't afraid to delve into the most horrifying depths of the human psyche, places we don't want to admit exist. Secrets are revealed and mysteries slowly unraveled, with enough plot twists to keep readers on their toes!

The sequel, THE LOST SISTER, comes out in August 2009, and I honestly do not think that I can wait that long. ( )

Hawthorne may be a sleepy seaside town, but historically it is known for the witch hunts that aspired there and the death of three women. Much like it’s neighboring town Salem. The town today, however, seems to be full of modern day bit****, I mean witches!Maddie Crane has lived in Hawthorne her whole life and thanks to her mother she runs around with the girls that have everything, Kate, Darcy, Hannah and Bridget. They even have an exclusive “club” they all belong to, and they call themselves Sisters of Misery. Even though the girls are supposed to be Maddie’s best friends, she has never felt like she belonged. That is until her Aunt Rebecca and her cousin Cordelia come to live with her.Rebecca and Cordelia are a breath of fresh air into Maddie’s life. She can’t help but be drawn to their free spirit and knowledge of runes and herbs. The Sisters of Misery, don’t exactly share the welcoming feeling toward the beautiful Cordelia the way that Maddie does. When Cordelia makes it clear that she doesn’t care what Sisters of Misery think of her, they are determined to make her pay.After a ceremony conducted on the Island of Misery, Maddie finds herself at home in her bed, unable to remember the events the night before. Cordelia is nowhere to be found.My initial reaction is.....Okay, WOW! Megan Kelley Hall where have you been my whole life. This was an incredible novel. I don’t even know where to start. Let’s start with characters. I’ve discovered the most evil person I’ve ever come across in literature and her name is Kate Endicott. I seriously hope that people aren’t that mean, but I’m sure somehow, somewhere there is a Kate clone. I hope I never met her. Maddie on the other hand, while initially I was a little annoyed with her character, my main reason being, why would you want to be friends with girls you didn’t even like! But I also understand that she was in a really tough situation and given her history with these girls, I wouldn’t have expected her to act any different. Who am I to pass judgement like that when, if I really think about it, I probably wouldn’t have had the guts to stand up to them either. By the end of the story my admiration for Maddie increased substantially. Now to the plot. Don’t even try to figure the ending out in this one folks, you will fail miserably! Every one of my theories was shot down one by one! It was that good. And the climax, totally stunned me! I’m still stunned hours later. One word UNFORGETTABLE! I’m more than thrilled to also discover a continuation of the story. The Lost Sister will be available August 2009!! ( )

Maddie Crane has everything her mother ever wanted, she has a prestigious New England last name and is a member of the Sisters of Misery. Unfortunately, the pressure of living up to her mother’s expectations and being in this group led by Kate Endicott made life in Hawthorne feel anything but happy and secure. With the exception of her grandmother, Maddie can’t be herself with anyone. She isn’t really sure who she is. When her grandmother Tess allows her estranged aunt Rebecca and cousin Cordelia to return to Hawthrone and live with them, Maddie is hoping to find the sense of belonging she’s been searching for in this life.

What makes Maddie’s story about discovering who she is within her relationships and finding a home for her heart unique is the involvement of the supernatural in a town haunted by its history with witch trials and its proximity to Salem, Massachusetts. Although her mother likes to brush the fact that her family is more attuned to other dimensions, Rebecca and Cordelia’s arrival in Hawthorne bring it out into the open, at least superficially. When Rebecca and Cordelia open a new age store in Hawthorne, the Sisters of Misery quickly hone in on it in part of their campaign to ostracize Cordelia. When a Sisters of Misery induction ritual goes horribly out of control and Maddie, unaware of the intentions of the rest of the group, does and cannot do anything to stop it, her family is never the same again. It is only then when Maddie decides to let go of fear, stand up against Kate and her ilk, and embrace her family’s gifts. Hopefully it won’t be too late and Cordelia will forgive her.

Sisters of Misery is targeted to the Young Adult audience. The main characters are in high school and are facing some of the standard issues presented to girls as they are finishing high school and preparing for adulthood. I had no issues with the content, but there were sexual situations, hints of sexual violence, and language that took me by surprise given the intended audience. Much has changed since I last read a Young Adult novel. I would not discourage any mature teenager from reading this novel. At the same time, I feel it bears mentioning that this novel has a sharper edge to it.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. The story moved quickly and I cared for Maddie, Rebecca, Cordelia, and Tess. It brought back some of the darker sides of high school life and, while there were elements of the supernatural, it felt very true. I also enjoyed how runes were incorporated into each chapter. The secrets throughout the story were interesting and well revealed. Still, there is much left unfinished and I am excited that Megan Kelly Hall is writing a sequel. I feel that there is something more going on with her mother and I’m hoping this comes to light in The Lost Sister. I will be first in line to read it in August of 2009 to find out what happens to Maddie, Cordelia, and the Sisters of Misery now that they are college age.

http://literatehousewife.wordpress.com/2008/10/07/105-sisters-of-misery/ ( )