The Castle (for Troubled Girls) is a psychological contemporary novel by Alyssa Sheinmel.
So this book isn't a typical mystrey novel like I was expecting but it is primarily focused on bringing to light the issues young adults face when it comes to mental health. Though it's something that's talked about a lot in the present day, it's still considered a sensitive topic and the author does a brilliant job of creating a balance between real world issues in a fictional setting.
We meet different girls who each suffer from issues ranging from kleptomania to self harm and we get to deep dive into what lead each of them to be enrolled at the school/castle. It's sad to hear their stories but what makes it even more real is that there are people going through these issues on a daily basis in the real world.
The mystrey element come from Moira's doubts about Dr. Prince's practices in the castle and that it feels more like a jail to her which in its own way was interesting as we get to learn a LOT more than I expected about him and why the Castle exists.
But the ending takes the cake as Moira's struggles finally unravel as she learns why her parents sent her to the Castle and it runs way deeper than just "skipping class".
It brings into question why we do the things we do because even when we don't realise it, subconsciously we all have our reasons.
Overall, I loved this book!