The Lost Sister [Paperback]

Megan Kelley Hall (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2009

Sisters are born, not chosen. . .

Maddie Crane is grappling with the disappearance of Cordelia LeClaire, and trying to escape the grasp of The Sisters of Misery--an insidious clique of the school's most powerful girls, whose pranks have set off a chain of horrific events, and who have Maddie in their sights. . .

Beware the sister betrayed. . .

Now in a prestigious boarding school far away from her mysterious hometown of Hawthorne, Massachusetts, Maddie feels free from danger. But when an unmarked envelope arrives at her dorm containing a single ominous tarot card, Maddie realizes with terror that some secrets won't stay buried. Knowing she must return to Hawthorne--a town still scarred by the evil of the Salem witch trials--Maddie prepares to face the fears of her past...and the wrath of the sister she wronged.

Praise for Megan Kelley Hall and Sisters of Mercy

"An exciting, dangerous, and mysterious world! Megan Kelley Hall has crafted a story that'll keep you guessing until the last page." --Richelle Mead, author of the Vampire Academy series

"One of the very best things in life is discovering an author you want to read more of. Sisters of Misery makes me want to read a whole lot more of Megan Kelley Hall." --Ellen Hopkins, author of Crank and Impulse

"Hall will leave readers eager to know what happens next." --Publishers Weekly

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Character driven tale...deep Gothic feel and haunting foreboding atmosphere that hooks fan of all ages...THE LOST SISTER is a super thriller."

--Harriet Klausner

"This suspenseful saga sits between fairy tale and thriller, though readers need not be a diehard fan of either genre in order to appreciate Hall's intricate story of family history, witchcraft, teenage romance and sisterhood."

--Publishers Weekly

From the Back Cover

Sisters are born, not chosen. . .Maddie Crane is grappling with the disappearance of Cordelia LeClaire, and trying to escape the grasp of The Sisters of Misery--an insidious clique of the school's most powerful girls, whose pranks have set off a chain of horrific events, and who have Maddie in their sights. . .

Beware the sister betrayed. . .Now in a prestigious boarding school far away from her mysterious hometown of Hawthorne, Massachusetts, Maddie feels free from danger. But when an unmarked envelope arrives at her dorm containing a single ominous tarot card, Maddie realizes with terror that some secrets won't stay buried. Knowing she must return to Hawthorne--a town still scarred by the evil of the Salem witch trials--Maddie prepares to face the fears of her past...and the wrath of the sister she wronged.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Kensington (August 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0758226802
• ISBN-13: 978-0758226808
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,903,598 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Megan Kelley Hall, 37, author, independent publishing professional and literary publicist based North of Boston, is the author of SISTERS OF MISERY and THE LOST SISTER published by Kensington in August 2008 and 2009. Both books were recently re-released into mass market and optioned for film by Hollywood director, Allison Anders.

Hall has written for a variety of publications, including Elle, Glamour, Boston Magazine, Parenting, American Baby and Working Mother, She contributed an essay about her recent open heart surgery in former CNN anchor Daryn Kagan's anthology, WHAT'S POSSIBLE! (Meredith, 2008), as well as a a chapter in Ellen Hopkins' anthology, Flirtin' With The Monster. (Benbella, 2008).

Hall is co-editor (along with New York Times best-selling author, Carrie Jones) of the highly anticipated anthology about bullying for HarperCollins Publishers entitled DEAR BULLY: 70 Authors Tell Their Stories (HarperTeen, September 2011).

Hall is partner and co-founder of Kelley & Hall Book Publicity.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Mystical Mystery, August 12, 2009

By 

Galleysmith "Michelle" (Metro DC) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Lost Sister (Paperback)

This review starts by stating it was incredibly difficult to write a detailed summary of the over arching story because there are so many good plots, twists and turns that shouldn't be revealed. There are just that many secrets that spoiling even the smallest part would take the fun out of experiencing it; and experience it you should.

Knowing that to be the case, it can be said that the author did an excellent job of formulating an interesting and thought provoking mystery. Her ability to construct a story that utilized elements of mysticism and witchcraft accompanied with local history made for an intriguing read. It was certainly difficult for this reader to put the book down for fear of not getting to know the answers soon enough.

Hall has also written dynamic characters that are somewhat larger than life. Showcasing a typical class based system of haves and have-nots the animosity between groups is palpable. As one would expect there is constant positioning, one-upsmanship, back stabbing and general down and dirty cat-fighting. Fighting, that at the heart of it all, spurns resolution to the larger mystery.

If you are looking for a good whodunit with a dash of the supernatural that includes compelling characters that you'll want to revisit in the future then The Lost Sister is definitely for you.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great sequel to Sisters of Misery, August 8, 2009

By 

The Book Muncher (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Lost Sister (Paperback)

Ever since the disappearance of her half-sister Cordelia, Maddie Crane has been wracked with guilt and plagued by nightmares of that fateful night that forced Cordelia to flee. Even when she transfers to a boarding school in Maine, far from her hometown in Hawthorne, Massachusetts, Maddie can't escapt from the blame she's pinned on herself. Although Maddie will take the guild any day over facing the demons she's left at home, she knows she can't hide forever, especially after receiving news of her mother's cancer--and the tarot card for Death from an unknown sender. And so she returns to Hawthorne, to a home torn apart by her sister's disappearance, to a town scarred by dangerous memories and filled with sinister secrets. Maddie realizes that it's time to start cleaning up the whole mess, but what she doesn't know is that this mess may have moved beyond her control and into the hands of someone--or something--far more cruel.

The Lost Sister is the sequel to Sisters of Misery we've all been looking for, but while it does address many of the questions its prequel left unanswered, the novel was not quite as spectacular as I thought it'd be. Let me make this clear, The Lost Sister is without a doubt a thrilling story filled with danger, the scandal of recently uncovered secrets, and the mystical wonder of witchcraft and extrasensory perception. But as enthralling as the story is, I often felt the characters were mere puppets of the plot instead of people within a story. Maddie and a select few other characters do experience some growth, but none of these characters ever felt quite real to me. In all actuality, the spirit sightings and other unexplainable events were more believable than the characters. This is because although Hall does a fantastic job of making this novel's plot exciting and unpredictable, she didn't dedicate the same care to developing her characters. I didn't know them and could hardly relate to them most of the time. This doesn't make the story bad; in fact, I found this story quite enjoyable. But I did find it a little odd that there were so many loose ends left untied by this novel's finish even though the story just felt like it was over. The Lost Sister could've been greater had it been refined better, but it is still a good read and a page turner.

Fans of Hall's debut Sisters of Misery will not want to miss its sequel The Lost Sister. Hall's writing is sure to be enjoyed by fans of Swoon by Nina Malkin, Distant Waves by Suzanne Weyn, Blue is for Nightmares by Laurie Faria Stolarz, and Revealers by Amanda Marrone.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars super young adult fantasy, August 2, 2009

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Lost Sister (Paperback)

It has been one year since the Hawthorne, Massachusetts based SISTERS OF MISERY tried to kill Cordelia LeClaire on nearby Misery Island, but somehow she survived. While she seeks her estranged father Malcolm Crane, whom she blames for the tragedies that have devastated all the females in her family, Maddie feels guilt and remorse for not helping her new friend out of fear of retaliation by the Sisters.

She is away at school struggling with her weakness especially her failure to help Cordelia. Haunted by neurotic trepidations she returns to Hawthorne when she learns her mother is dying from cancer. When a Sister dies at a party hosted by the Endicott family to announce their plans for a new hotel on the site of the Ravenswood Asylum, the police arrest Finn and Reed, who are still suspects in the cold case of the disappearance Cordelia as murder suspects. Cordelia returns so one charge against Finn and Reed is dropped. Meanwhile The Endicott Hotel construction is stopped due a blaze destroying what has been built. The townsfolk are divided in opinion between a human or an otherworldly arsonist. Maddie and Cordelia team up to investigate who burned down the partially constructed hotel and killed the Sister, but neither trusts the other for good reasons; they better move past their suspicions of one another as something is stalking them.

The second Sisters of Misery young adult fantasy will appeal to older readers as well due to the character driven tale containing a deep Gothic feel and haunting foreboding atmosphere that hooks fans of all ages. The lead amateur sleuths are terrific as they invesitgate while doubting the sincerity of one another at a time they better get over it or else. With strong ties to the late seventeenth century Salem Witch Trials, THE LOST SISTER is a super thriller as evil comes in all packages.

Harriet Klausner