“Keep to the light. Avoid the shadows.” Gwen Donovan doesn’t know what to make of the Trustee’s cryptic warning when she is cast out of her family home and sent to the Delphi School for Girls. Months earlier, her older sister, Izzy, graduated from the same finishing school but returned a complete stranger. Although the school was meant to quell Izzy’s rebellious nature, Gwen doesn’t recognize this version of her sister, who has returned home. Determined to help Izzy and find out why she seems broken, Gwen pulls off a dramatic and crazy public stunt that results in her ‘dismissal’ the next day. Trustees escort Gwen to the school, which is hidden away on a desolate, snow-covered island. Immediately, Gwen can feel that something isn’t right at Delphi, and people make cryptic comments about “pulling out the evil.” She feels something lurking in the shadows, and she doesn’t understand why the walls are made completely from bookshelves. Can Gwen bond with the other students at Delphi and uncover what happened to her sister? Or will Gwen fall prey to the sinister presence she feels at the school?

I absolutely loved this novel. It was suspenseful, dark, exhilarating, and thought-provoking. Most importantly, it felt unique as there were plot points I hadn’t seen before. Although the title was what drew me in at the outset, I stayed for the creative world-building and character development. One of my favorite aspects of this novel was its setting. The beginning takes place in New York City in 1893, and readers are introduced to the opulence that characterized the Gilded Age, a term coined by Mark Twain. The term wasn’t a compliment, but a metaphor that alluded to the true nature of the times. Although everything looked prosperous and glittering, underneath it all festered rot and corruption. This is such a fitting setting for this novel. The combination of historical fiction, fantasy, and mystery, coupled with the fresh storyline, has moved this title to my “must” purchase list for my 6-12th grade school library.

Thank you, NetGalley and Penguin Random House, for the advanced reader copy of this novel that I received in exchange for a review. My opinions are my own.

Izzy returned from a preparatory school just a few months ago completely changed; she is no longer the wild, rebellious sister Gwen remembers. Determined to figure out what happened to her sister Gwen rebels at her sister's Izzy's wedding and promptly sent to the same place, Delphi School for Girls. There she is met with halls lined with bookshelves and shadows that seem to reach for the girls when their backs are turned. While this school is supposed to reform troubled girls, it seems there is something much darker at play and when Gwen finds a note from her sister everything changes.

"The Library of Lost Girls" by Kristen Pipps is a twisting, dark academia story full of corruption and sisterhood. While Gwen feels isolated in the beginning she meets a tight group of girls that really portray a sisterhood. I loved Pipps' way of cueing the reader into things the main characters were forgetting and having a deeper understanding of the overall story. This book will be published just in time for Halloween and it's the perfect haunting read.

I was hooked from the beginning! Gwen ends up at the mysterious girls' school her sister attended to learn what happened to her. Isolated island. Dark halls, only lit by lanterns and candles. Girls with strange powers. A room where no one can remember what happened after leaving. Secret notes. Shadows that seem alive. Books from decades past that make no sense. Pipps excellently builds the mysterious school world and creates characters that make the reader feel the chill of walking down the hallways in the dark. Everything about this book makes it an awesome selection for young adults and adults alike.

The Library of Lost Girls by Kristen Pipps is meticulously crafted gothic fiction that deftly intertwines elements of horror and suspense. The narrative unfolds within the eerie confines of the Delphi School for Girls, where Gwen Donovan sets out to uncover the strange transformation in her sister Izzy, after she returns from school. The novel's complex plot and suspenseful unfolding captivate readers as they move along dark corridors and forbidden libraries filled with cryptic books bearing the names of former students. While its spooky atmosphere and chilling shocks may not be to every reader's taste, readers who appreciate a well-written gothic mystery will find it engrossing and unforgettable. It's a book that stays with you, prompting readers to ponder long after the final page is read.