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Book: “The Silenced” by Diana Rodriguez Wallach
Publishing Info: Delacorte, September 2025
Where Did I Get This Book: I received an ARC from the publisher at ALAAC25
Where You Can Get This Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | Indiebound
Book Description: Welcome To The Farm
Hazel Perez thought her school project on the abandoned Oakwell Farms School for Girls—or “The Farm” as it’s known to locals—would be just another assignment. But when a late-night research trip ends with her falling unconscious, she reawakens with a desire for revenge that isn’t her own. Desperate to free herself from these sudden violent urges, Hazel begins to investigate.
As she delves deeper into Oakwell Farms’ past, Hazel discovers the harrowing experiences of the girls who were once forced to live within its walls—under the eyes of sinister men—and the spirits who still linger.
With the help of some unlikely allies, Hazel must navigate a treacherous path of corruption, history, and the supernatural to bring peace to the restless spirits and uncover the truth about her family’s involvement.
The Silenced delves into the Trouble Teen Industry through a riveting exploration of a reform school’s haunted past colliding with the traumatized present.
Review: Thank you to Delacorte for giving me an ARC of this novel at ALAAC25!
One of the many horrible and tragic topics that has grabbed my attention over the past few years is the Troubled Teen Industry, in which parents send their kids to ‘reform schools’ or programs in hopes of turning their ill behaved ways around… Though ultimately it’s rarely actually a helpful experience, and a terribly abusive an traumatic one (especially since so many kids that have been sent to these programs for being ‘bad’ aren’t actually bad, but behaving in ways that their parents are embarrassed by or don’t approve of). I’m always on board to read books about this, fiction or non-fiction, so when I saw that Diana Rodriguez Wallach had written a horror novel called “The Silenced” that focused on the Troubled Teen Industry as a backdrop I knew that I HAD TO READ IT. I was thrilled to get a copy at ALAAC25, and when I finally jumped into it I found myself fully invested. And fully horrified.
First the supernatural elements. Our protagonist Hazel, after having an accident at the abandoned property of the now closed reform school The Farm, is finding herself haunted by an angry spirit who may or may not be taking over her body. Hazel keeps having images of a ghostly girl hanging on her back, and feels her body being overrun by the rage and anger of this ghost that won’t leave her alone. I really, really liked the creepy imagery of this book, and the building suspense of Hazel becoming more and more unhinged as she investigates what is happening to her, and what the history of The Farm has to do with it. I also loved the strange and suspenseful moments at The Farm and the scary beats. I was unfamiliar with Wallach’s game, but now that I’ve been introduced I need to check out other books she’s written because this one was really fun.
But it’s the far more realistic horrors of the Troubled Teen Industry that really made this read a winner. I’ve mentioned before that I have a dear dear friend who was sent to a wilderness reform school, and as more horrifying stories have come out about these kinds of places in the past few years it has become VERY clear that these so called ‘helpful’ schools have caused so much damage and trauma to children who were sent to such places. And “The Silenced” doesn’t shy away from how awful and abusive these schools and programs could be. Wallach doesn’t shy away from it, and I found myself completely on edge as we see not only Hazel’s investigations, but also the dual perspective of a girl who was sent to The Farm in 1995 and the horrors that she endured all in the name of ‘help’ and ‘healing’. Even though the ghost that has attached herself to Hazel is terrifying, her rage and despair is fully explored and fleshed out in the narrative, and it’s so, so heartbreaking and haunting. I’m so glad that Wallach decided to be frank and honest with the awfulness, even if it made for a very emotional and upsetting read at times.
“The Silenced” was a fantastic and gripping read. I can’t recommend it enough for the upcoming Halloween season. Just steel yourself for the really bleak aspects.
Rating 9: Gripping, haunting, creepy and all too relevant, “The Silenced” may be a supernatural horror tale, but the real life horrors of the Troubled Teen Industry play the biggest part in this novel.
Reader’s Advisory:
“The Silenced” is included on the Goodreads list “YA Novels of 2025”.
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