The Girl in the Castle

by James Patterson

Beloved #1 bestselling authors James Patterson and Emily Raymond deliver a thrilling novel about a teen caught between two worlds and the truths that could set her free—or trap her forever.My name is Hannah Dory and I need you to believe meHannah is brought to Belman Psych, told she is suffering from hallucinations and delusions. Hannah knows the she must return to the past and save her sister. Could Jordan, the abnormal psych student who seems to truly care, be the answer she’s looking for?1347: Hannah and her village are starving to death in a brutal winter. Hannah seeks out food and salvation in the baron’s castle. If she is caught stealing, she will surely hang. But if she and her friends succeed, she’ll save everyone she holds dear.Jordan isn’t sure what to believe, and Hannah has even bigger if she doesn’t make it back, her sister will die, but if she keeps going back, she might never escape.

Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Fiction, Young Adult, Fantasy, Audiobook, Historical Fiction

Paperback

First published September 19, 2022

About the author

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JIMMY Patterson Books
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James Patterson is the most popular storyteller of our time and the creator of such unforgettable characters and series as Alex Cross, the Women’s Murder Club, Jane Smith, and Maximum Ride. He has coauthored #1 bestselling novels with Bill Clinton, Dolly Parton, and Michael Crichton, as well as collaborated on #1 bestselling nonfiction, including The Idaho Four, Walk in My Combat Boots, and Filthy Rich. Patterson has told the story of his own life in the #1 bestselling autobiography James Patterson by James Patterson. He is the recipient of an Edgar Award, ten Emmy Awards, the Literarian Award from the National Book Foundation, and the National Humanities Medal.

Reviews

[Nilufer Ozmekik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes! This book is pure addiction! Once you start, you can not put it down! It’s thrilling, exciting, thought provoking, heart wrenching, shocking! The big twist was perfection! And ending was also powerful! I loved it!

The book’s main character name is Hannah Dory, eighteen years old, lives in two timelines. She’s called Blackbird, a starving, poor village girl living in 1347, trying to save her family and in the meantime she’s patient in Belman Psych, diagnosed with schizophrenia.

The things she’s talking about her past time line are so detailed, consisted and vivid. It’s so real! Could she time travel? Could she tell the truth from the beginning? She only needs someone to believe in her.

She’s found near Times Square, screaming at people to help her save her sister Mary as she wears only t-shirt and boots in the middle of winter. The police officers barely put her in an ambulance as she keeps attacking them.

Now she returns back to Belman Psych to be observed. She was only little child when she’s brought to there at the first time. Nobody knows about her past and it seems like she does not any family. She rejects to talk about the people she’s connected in this timeline and she insists that her real family lives at the village near the castle, suffering from poverty and hunger. Only the cold hearted Baron Joachim can help them.

Jordan Hassan is a new intern, needing extra credit to graduate from Columbia University. From the beginning he find himself drawn into Hannah. The attraction between them are undeniable and Jordan may be the first person who really wants to help her and try to find out about her past.

But he has a little time because at each second Hannah is drawn into the castle and her connection with this time line slowly fades away. He can lose her to her beloved castle forever!

Time is ticking! He needs to hurry to save her!

Well: this book great mash up of different genres including fantasy- psychological thriller- young adult romance.

I devoured in one sitting. I easily resonated with Hannah and other memorable patients of Belman Psych: Indy/ Adam and Michelle are obviously my favorites.

Overall: I loved this powerful, surprising story a lot! Don’t forget to read James Peterson’s note at the end. He gives important information about how he inspired to develop the plot of the book.

I’m adding extra half star because of brilliant unfolding of mystery and meaningful ending and rounding up my 4.5 star to 5 great mystery, great approach to mental health issues stars!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Little Brown Books for Young Readers for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.

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[Taury · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Girl in the Castle by James Patterson and Emily Raymond is not my usual genre. But it is obvious to me it is time to branch out. I dove into this HF time travel novel. Hannah keeps going in and out of 2023 and the 1347 in a castle. Hannah appears to suffer from Schizophrenia. As Jordan delves into Hannah’s past he is able to uncover a horror in order for Hannah to survive she had to make up an alter reality.
Wonderful writing. Amazing idea and research into mental health and mental survival brought to a reality only Hannah can understand

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Girl In The Castle by James Patterson was given to me as a Christmas gift from a dear friend. I must make mention that my friend is not a reader, so this book was chosen with no idea about the book or the author and nor did she know if I’d read it.

I’m happy to say this book turned out to be a complete surprise for me as I wasn’t expecting to enjoy it as much as I did. I was intrigued from the start and as I got more involved with the characters and the storyline I was eager to find out how this was all going to end.

Knowing that this book was time travel/fantasy genres which I don’t normally read as I don’t enjoy them like other genres I put off reading this for many weeks. That is the beauty of reading you never really know if you are going to enjoy a book by looking at the cover you really do need to read the pages inside and in this instance this book was well worth reading and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Recommended.

[Jenny D · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book throughout and was instantly absorbed, until the lacking ending.
This story is told in two different timelines both about the main character Hannah. Present day Hannah has been picked up off the streets for having a breakdown in public and is currently receiving treatment at a mental hospital that she has been a patient in several times before. Past Hannah is living in the 1300s as a starving peasant surrounded by poverty and death. This book had short exciting chapters going back and forth, making you wonder if Hannah really is time traveling, or is she totally insane, or is there something more she doesn't want to remember.
This book kept me intrigued through the entire story and I couldn't stop listening. The narrator was amazing and sucked me right in. I found this book description very interesting and I was excited to read this. It touches on some sensitive subjects involved with mental illness today and how people with mental illness are treated and perceived. I loved getting to know Hannah and was in suspense the entire ride wanting to know what was really going on. But then we find out what is going on. After all the buildup and suspense, the resolution just didn't do it for me. I expected so much more but it just fell flat. This definitely had the potential to be a 5 star read for me but the ending wasn't near as good as it could have been.

[Alik · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh god. Please, make it stop.

When it comes to books I finish I almost always automatically rate at 2 stars, this is the rare case where despite finishing it still deserves a 1.

Going into this the premise of the book reminded me a lot of Labyrinth by Kate Mosse. A female character from the past being brought to the future and living two lives in each. This was done tremendously well in Labyrinth, but in contrast this was done absolutely terribly in this book.

First off, the story reads like a really bad, high school-y type of novel. A whole lot of the substance is superficial and the majority of the characters and how they think and perceive the things around them is insanely simple. The whole 'the only person who sees who I am and believes me is this super, mega hot guy who just happens to now work temporarily at this hospital OMG' thing is so, so bad.

And even worse there is no explanation or even a thought at provoking a reason why or how the main character gained the ability to travel through time. And EVEN worse, the main character has the decision making of a really bad scripted character from a poorly designed video game.

There's a lot of things that just seem overlooked. Even other things like how the main character in the past was located somewhere in Britania but magically travels through time to New York City every time. Also how she speaks perfect modern day English and slang and has no issue going between that and 10th century English. And how apparently she remembers things that happen in both times, but whenever transported back to the past she is unable to use any of her gained intelligence. Instead being the same person in the same situation being useless. So much of everything just does not make any sense and so much of everything is thick-headed and clumsy. Perplexing. Embarrassingly thin.

Overall really not worth your time. A tragedy of errors and nonsense with little logic.

[Shawnaci Schroeder · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5 ⭐️

- This was my first book by James Patterson and it felt more like a mystery than a thriller. I’m not sure which it was but it definitely was giving mystery vibes. The entire story was so intriguing because I had absolutely no idea where it was going to go.
- I really loved how this book portrayed mental health and how accurate it is to how people can be treated that are needing help.
- So many of the reviews said that there is time travel in this book, but once you get to the ending everything makes sense so if you don’t read books about time travel don’t let that deter you!

[Karen Rayne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing

Patterson wimped out on this one. Too many unanswered questions, too little character development. Interesting idea that just wasn't developed. Totally disappointed with the rushed ending (twice--the end of the medieval plot and the end of the book).

[Cris · Rating 4 out of 5]

TRIGGER WARNING!! This book is about Mental Illness. It discusses staying in a mental hospital, living with a mental illness and suicide.

We have a young man, Jordan, whose is interning at a mental hospital for the summer. The first day he connects with a patient, Hannah, who is diagnosed with schizophrenia. She believes she is living one life hundreds of years earlier as a starving peasant, Hannah Dory. Then she has another life here now in New York. Whenever she has a “break” she is always brought to the same hospital and she discusses her “other” life and what is going on at the castle. It seems her trips to the castle are lasting longer and Jordan is fearing he may not be able to save her.

I will admit this book was exciting and such a great storyline until the last chapter or two. It’s like the author couldn’t figure out how to end it. (In my opinion.) it really ruined the book!

[Noah · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book honestly disgusted me in multiple ways. I am afraid of any young people who will come away from this book thinking that this is the correct way to help people with severe mental illness. And I'm not sure why an intern at a psych hospital falling in love with a patient under his care is anything less than creepy.

The only redeeming factor is that this book is fast paced and keeps you hooked. Means it was out of my life faster.

Funny how I've read two books this year from authors who have previously worked in psych hospitals, and both of them had the least realistic portrayals of mental illness I've ever read.

[Patty (IheartYA311) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Intriguing concept. The writing and pacing were OK. There were a few parts if the plot that could have been tightened up. It felt like the ending was rushed which was a bit disappointing. I definitely did not need to know how to skin a rabbit, thank you. And why SO many chapters?

[traumatized man · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted this book to be better than it was and I really wanted to start reading James Patterson. Obviously I still will read his books but I just don't think this was the one I should have started with.

This book is about a girl named Hannah and basically I hope she would be a true time traveler she's not she's just mentally ill that honestly kind of made me mad cuz I wanted her to be a time traveler and like in need Jordan to really believe her and then they travel in time together. I wish that would have happened but it didn't.

This book had no plot at all. None whatsoever whatsoever and that kind of made me mad, I just didn't see the point of it.

Plus the characters were really boring, I didn't even like the main character because she was so annoying. Her character development was frozen and just didn't move on as well

Aslooo I don't really like or care for the 1300s at all so this was not my cup of tea at all, I don't even like tea that much.

The worst part of this book is that you want it to be what it's marketed as and it's just not that.

- anyway, this sucks, from the illiterate child that somehow knows how to read, I blame the baron who took away my food.

[Sally · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dreadful. Immature childish thin plot which was so bad I thought I was in a Disney Movie and at any moment the Baron would turn into a beast and the teapot would start singing. Even the stuff in the psychiatric unit was dire and went nowhere. The narration for Hannah made her sound like she was on the west end stage projecting and about to break into a tap routine. I hoped there might be a dramatic dark plot twist to make it even half bearable, but after listening to it for over two hours even that wouldn’t save it for me. It’s the first James Patterson I’ve ever read and while it may be aimed at YA (please say it is) I think it even misses that mark. DNF, not for me at all. They can’t all be this bad, surely?

[Kai · Rating 5 out of 5]

⚠️ 📢 🚨 TRIGGER WARNING: self-harm, psych hospital.

I love this book!! To begin with, I'm fascinated with stories that include psych hospitals and their patients. I have many personal experiences being in them, so maybe that's why. I'm glad self-harm is being more and more understood. Although you can't 100% get it if you don't have that problem. The staff in this hospital really cared about the patients. These types of hospitals have come a long way from how they used to be, thankfully. It was so cool how this story was part of fantasy. The mixture of genres worked really well! Perfectly executed, in my opinion. I loved the contrast between the different time periods. And, of course, the MC Hannah was amazing! I couldn't even imagine experiencing what she did. This was such a great book! HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!

[Maggie Hundshamer-Moshier · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! As a person who personally struggles with bipolar disorder and horrible mania I can relate to these characters on many levels. Hannah’s experience was so unique and beautifully written that I wish the story would have lasted forever. It’s an honest portrayal of what an adolescent psych ward truly feels like to the patients as well. I think I will be recommending this one for years to come!

[Kerryrosalia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I usually love a JP book but this one took me ages to get through. The story line was odd. Hannah is mentally unwell and in her delusions she goes back in time to a different Hannah… it makes little sense and it isn’t even very intriguing. The ending was a disappointment too ☹️

[Spiri Skye · Rating 3 out of 5]

W h a t

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many thanks to EdelweissPlus and the publisher for providing me with a DRC of this title. All opinions are my own.

This might be a minor spoiler (although, I don't think so?) but this book isn't really about time travel. If you are looking for a fantasy read, about a girl who is living in the Middle Ages and also traveling through time, this isn't it. Rather, it is a look at mental illness, the resources that these diagnoses require, the lasting effects of trauma, and how the moral laws of our lives aren't always the same as the government laws, and making those choices can be tricky.

Hannah believes herself to be 18 in the 1300s. But she's also 18 today. In the Middle Ages, she lives in The Bend, a tragedy-stricken village that is besieged by poverty and death. Today, she is a patient at an upscale mental hospital, with locked doors, 24 hour surveillance, and a team of doctors that don't know what to do with her when she "goes to the castle." Because she does. She leaves, and travels to the Middle Ages to save her village, to save her sister, to save her world. But in doing so, she is losing her grip on today's world.

Jordan is an intern at the hospital and he thinks he knows a way to help Hannah. But those with white knight syndromes aren't always correct, and dealing with mental illness isn't the same as tossing a cup of water to a thirsty traveler. You can't just help someone. They have to also realize and want to help themselves.

Overall, I liked this book. BUT, as with most books that deal with mental illness, it wasn't perfect. There were some moments that felt a bit "preachy" but the conclusion dealt with that and Jordan's savior complex well. Recommended for grades 9 and up.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have never read a James Patterson novel until now. But since it was gifted to me, I tried it out. The synopsis is intriguing.

Hannah Dory seems to live in two different realities. One the present and one in the medieval times. In the present, she's in a ward and has been diagnosed with schizophrenia. This is because she loses all grips of reality very suddenly, and slips into a status that no one is able to reach her in. In her head, she's back in the medieval ages trying to figure out how to feed her starving family.

This raises a lot of questions. Which reality is the real one? How do the two realities relate? How will Hannah get through this? Well, by the end, there's not a lot of certain answers.

While the story was engaging up until the ending, I felt like the ending was missing depth. It seemed to be rushed and not a lot of conclusive answers were given. It was disappointing for me because of how much the novel seemed to be building up to a big ending.

The relationship between Hannah and Jordan was a little odd to me. Their attraction to each other didn't feel okay because he was an intern and she was a patient. It felt like there could have been potentially some power dynamic there. They don't hook up in the novel, however, but there is definitely attraction and Hannah does get jealous of seeing him with another woman. She does, however, hook up with the baron in her other reality who has sharable attributes to Jordan.

This was an okay read. I read it VERY fast and felt engaged throughout the whole thing. However, because of the ending and the odd romance I cannot rate it highly.

[Living My Best Book Life · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything is not as it seems in James Patterson's The Girl in the Castle . A young eighteen-year-old girl is living in two different times, the past (1347) and the present (2023), and has to find her way to the truth. It's riveting from start to finish!

Hannah Doe finds herself in Belman Psych at eighteen. How did she get here? According to her evaluation report, she was screaming and yelling about saving her sister and 'going to the castle'. But Hannah knows the truth. She is living two lives at different times. It may be easy to say she is crazy but it's harder to admit that she may be telling the truth.

When an intern named Jordan starts to work at Belman Psych, he is drawn to Hannah. He is just starting out and wants to follow the advice of his colleagues, but something about Hannah makes him want to figure her out. Jordan begins to pay close attention to Hannah and notices that she seems like a sane individual but does have outbursts or episodes. He begins to ask her more about what is going on which is refreshing for Hannah. Is Jordan going to be the one to actually believe her and help her save her family?

I think this book will shock readers because you don't know what is fact and what is fiction. Hannah Dory is an 18-year-old living in 1347 wanting to help her whole family and village survive from starvation and Hannah Doe is stuck in a mental institution trying to convince everyone that she can travel back and forth in time for the purpose of saving her sister. It's just always up in the air especially when everything makes sense. I was absorbed the entire time because of the thrilling writing and character development.

TW: the author does tackle some subjects like suicide and mental illness but I believe they do it in a proper way. One of my favorite parts of the book is meeting Jordan. His curiosity and kind nature allow him to see Hannah as a person and not as another patient that needs to always be put on medication. Sure there can be a balance but I believe without Jordan, Hannah would have had a harder time along the way.

I give The Girl in the Castle 5 stars. I couldn't put the book down! You won't want to either as soon as you start reading because it's a thrilling ride. Hannah is such an interesting character and her story is gripping. One of my favorite reads this year!

[Sarah Canfield · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 - This was a good book. I loved the writing style and the fast chapters to keep the reader engaged. I also enjoyed the constant switching between centuries, and before I started to come up with some theories, I had no idea what was coming next in the 1347 world.

The discourse around mental health was very good. Many books that include topics of mental health either use derogatory language, or avoid going into the severity of what bad mental illness can do to someone. However, it was evident that the author had done their research and had experience with mental health organisations.

That being said, I do wish there was further character development for some of the other characters, such as Michaela’s eating disorder and Sophie’s suicidal thoughts. Also, the ending was a little disappointing to me, it left me with too many questions and I thought their could have been a more ‘twisted’ ending such as a conspiracy with either the hospital or Jordan himself. In general, however, the ending did make logical sense and I was glad to read that Hannah had mostly recovered.

Personally, the romantic hints between Hannah and Jordan felt a bit off for this book, and his obsession with her annoyed me a little. BUT, I do understand why he was gathering the information in the end, and it seemed like if he didn’t do it, then no one was ever going to try. I was concerned that the book was going to end with a romance between Hannah and Jordan, but I was glad when it didn’t.

I deeply wish that we got to discover more about what happened within those 7 years. How did she go from having a huge mental breakdown to then seeming a lot better when her a Jordan reunited in the end… did she stay at the hospital and work through the trauma or did she take another route? I also wish we got to find out the timeline between her father killing her family and her ending up homeless and then into the hospital - I think this would’ve added to her story and allowed the reader to fully understand why her mental illness took her to the 1300’s to escape her reality.

Overall, I think this is a really well-written book that engages the reader with fast chapters and interesting discourse.

[Tammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great read. I was so engrossed in the stories of Hannah Doh / Hannah Dory, and psych student intern Jordan Hassan, that I didn’t do my usually analysing of the plot, trying to divulge what, who , why, where, how….
The Girl in the Castle is a wonderfully written blend of first (Hannah) and third (Jordan) narrative that looks at the lengths one’s mind goes to to protect us from the unthinkable, from things we wish to forget, even from ourselves.
Jordan is reminded several time that he isn’t a detective, I disagree, I think maybe he is in a way. Doctors, psychiatrists, therapists are searching, digging, delving into the psyche in order to find ways to help their patients. Is it really about helping those with mental health issues to just function in the world or should it be more?
While Paterson does suggest that “the thing about struggling with mental illness is that you have to be part of saving yourself”. This is where it can fall a little short, the “epilogue” takes place seven year latter, where Jordan surprising finds himself in a bookshop were Hannah, now an author, is giving a book reading. And like Jordan, we are left wondering how Hannah was able to come back from the “Castle” in which she imprisoned herself.
Once again, a really good read that will draw you into Hannah’s world wanting to know what happens next…

[Leanne Olson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m feeling torn on how to rate this book. I went in expecting a fantasy/sci-fi (the concept is Hannah is a girl in a modern psychiatric institution for teenagers, who is living a second life as a peasant in the 1300s) and it turned out to be quite different.

I loved that about it: I enjoy a good surprise.

The book was addictive and propulsive, with very short chapters of a few pages each. That’s not normally my style, but I got into the rhythm of it quickly.

It was an easy read with some difficult content: Patterson and Raymond look at teen suicide, mental illness, class issues, and the way our society treats people who need help.

I’m not sure how I felt about elements of the ending. One character behaves throughout in a way that made me very uncomfortable from a medical ethics perspective, and I wish that had been addressed a bit more.

However, overall I really liked the book’s themes, and Hannah as a character. So I think I’ll give this book four stars today, and keep thinking about it — I think this will spur some really interesting discussions amongst its teen audience.

Thank you to NetGalley and Jimmy Patterson Books for my review copy of The Girl in the Castle.

[Courtney Niederer · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Girl in the Castle is the story of a young girl who lives in the present and in 1347. In the present, she’s picked up on the streets of NYC and taken to a mental hospital she has frequented before. In 1347, she’s a young girl, living in a starving village, trying to find a way to get food for her family. This book is so good and kept me on the edge of my seat for what would happen next. I loved the characters! This delves into the world of the mentally ill and those who work with them to help them as much as they can. Loved it (and I’m not a James Patterson fan, typically)! 5 stars!
Release date - 9/22

[Makayla Drown · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I didn’t have to work, I would of finished this book in one day. What an addictive read! I’m genuinely sad I finished it. I wanted it to keep going. I wanted to see how everything played out regardless of loving the ending.

Hannah is such a captivating character that you want nothing but happiness for. I really loved the flawless switch between the modern day and medieval times.

My boyfriend randomly came home with this book. I had never read James Paterson before but this definitely will not be the last book of his I read. What a phenomenal author!

[Dan Banana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started slow, picked up and is a decent book. Slightly intense, slightly stupid and slightly over a 2.5/5. A fantasy laced in a fantasy from start to end. Mental health is the main subject and covered adequately yet inadequately.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

James Patterson and Emily Raymond delivered an alluring fantasy thriller about a girl living in two times. As The Girl in the Castle opens, a teen psychiatric patient known as Hannah Doe was found half-naked and screaming on the street. She was taken to a hospital for observation and insisted that she also lived as a peasant in 1397. A compassionate medical student, Jordan Assan, took a special interest in her case, unearthing clues that held the key to her sanity.

In true Patterson style, all the chapters were short making the pacing fast; and most of the chapters were written with a cliffhanger at the end-leaving me feeling compelled to continue reading. That said, I found this an unputdownable read that left me guessing up to the very end.

I was fascinated by Patterson’s inspiration to write this novel. He used his experience from his teenage years working in a psychiatric hospital to guide him in generating this story in collaboration with Raymond, who have written previous novels together.

My only criticism is the ending, or rather endings. They felt rushed and underwhelming. I felt as if Raymond and Patterson wrote themselves in too deep and didn’t have much of an idea of how to bring themselves out of it.

Overall, I appreciated how the narrative thoughtfully centered on mental illness and touched on complex topics like suicide. The resources Patterson and Raymond provided were sensitive for those batting mental illness. I recommend this to the James Patterson fans who also enjoy an intriguing and consuming young adult story. (Audio)

[Alyssa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wowowowow. Amazing read. This book takes you into the mind of a patient living with schizophrenia in current times, and into her “other world” in the medieval times. It gives an unfortunate yet realistic look at mental illnesses in young adults and their experience in a psych ward. It was fast paced, intriguing, and captivating. 5 stars, I almost feel like this is a book I would eventually want to read again.

[✿Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some describe this book as a thriller; I thought of it as more a mystery and wondered which world Hannah would end up in, Belman Psychiatric Hospital or the castle. The mind is very complex and finds it’s own way to deal with tragic events. I picked this book up on a whim, and I’m not sorry I did.

[Daniel Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

A magical story about a young woman living 2 lives. One life is in the 14th century, where starvation and disease are common. The other life is now and she’s in a mental health facility, where she’s considered delusional. But what about the supernatural? Or even reincarnation? Lots of possibilities. But the ending, while realistic, was a let down. I was hoping for more creativity.

[Deacon Tom (Feeling Better) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Strange

This book was very cumbersome for me. It starts out incredibly slow. And I don’t see a spot where increases its pace.

I basically did not agree with the overall concept and therefore continue to struggle and struggle and struggle.