Sisters of Misery by Megan Kelley Hall

Maddie Crane lives in a small town, Hawthorne, though not as famous as Salem for its witch trials, brutally persecuted females that were different, all the same. Despite living in a town with such a haunting past, Maddie goes to her local school where she is among the Sisters of Misery, headed by Kate, a powerful and spiteful girl who will stop at nothing to keep herself at the top of the food chain. So far, the Sisters of Misery haven’t caused life-threatening havoc, but they have spread some nasty rumors and played some mean practical jokes that have driven a fair share of people to tears. Even though Maddie is part of this elite club filled with the most powerful and popular girls at school, Maddie has not always felt comfortable with them; they’ve played some cruel jokes on unsuspecting people that have left Maddie assailed by guilt many times, and their midnight excursions to Misery Islands and hard partying isn’t quite what Maddie would like to be doing, but she always tags along anyway.

When Cordelia LeClaire, Maddie’s cousin, comes to town, Kate is furious. Cordelia has an ethereal air and charisma about her that quickly steals some of Kate’s popularity, not to mention Kate’s on-and-off boyfriend’s attention! But with the arrival of her cousin and aunt as they move in with Maddie and her family, Maddie can’t help but feel drawn to them. With Cordelia and her aunt she begins to have fun and learn more about things like ruins, herbs, and fortune telling.

But Kate is less than thrilled at this new arrival and is out to get revenge on Cordelia to protect her popularity. But with Kate on one side and Cordelia on the other of this struggle, whose side will Maddie take?

When things escalate and a trip to Misery Islands ends in a disaster with Maddie unable to remember anything and Cordelia missing, will Maddie find her cousin? Or will she side with Kate and forget about Cordelia? Can she even find out what happened to her cousin, or have Kate and the Sisters of Misery really done something unspeakable this time? Has Kate and the Sisters of Misery gone past their usual pranks and shown their true twisted violent side?

Sisters of Misery was undoubtedly a chilling read. Well written and suspenseful, Sisters of Misery keeps you guessing as Maddie tries to solve the mystery behind Cordelia’s disappearance. With old superstitions woven in extremely well, Sisters of Misery makes for a haunting tale like no other. Although this is a well written book that I’m sure many will enjoy, I cannot say that I loved it, only because I was really unnerved and rather sickened by some of the things Kate and the Sisters did. This, of course, is not to say that Sisters of Misery is not a good book; it is extremely well written and Maddie’s character was especially well developed and realistic, but I’ve just not been a huge fan of such thrilling and chilling books since they tend to leave me with such eerie and haunted feelings!