I need to think on this one for a while. My rating may change. I just chose 3 because it's in the middle and I'm feeling VERY in the middle and weird about this one. Also, if you know what the heck this was about-- please let me in on it!! ( )

This book was very well written, haunting, and atmospheric. I would have rated it with more stars, but I'm still not quite sure what to make of it. My questions weren't really answered at the end, and while I understand the need for the unreliable narrator, I don't enjoy books written in this style.

This book is a celebration of New York City and unique friendships. The flawed main character is relatable for teens, and the classic gothic mystery characteristics are fun and spooky. The characters are a secretive and mysterious and though there isn't a lot of action, you are invested in learning more. Unfortunately, though there is a great twist, the ending is unsatisfying. ( )

This book was very vague, both in its last 50 pages and in the main character herself. It was hard to grasp what she was running from even though it was supposed to be a major plot point. Without something to grasp onto, it was really hard to connect to Bina and it was downright impossible to know how she was really feeling. I’m also still confused as to how the boarding house works too. If all the girls are dead, how did Bina enter and why did Bina pay real-world money? How is her mom alive in the real world if she has to be dead to have lived in the house? I really don’t get this book and it has too many unclear points.

This was... Wild. I (for some dumb reason) predicted this was going to be an unassuming young adult contemporary and I was dead wrong. It's this claustrophobic, chilling, almost horror-based ghost story full of rich fictional history and gay subtext. Basically it's everything I didn't know I needed in my life. ( )

I really wanted to like this book, as it's well-written and it portrays a sad and desperate childhood with a deft hand, but I found the book so confusing I couldn't follow what was going on most of the time. I feel like the author was trying to enhance the horror movie feel by having things skip around and be non-linear and not fit together, but I abandoned the book 40% through because it made my brain hurt. ( )