Reviews

This is dark, gauzy and filled with watery depths.

Eden is finally back at her haven, Atwood School, but this year is different. She has even more secrets to hide from her best friends. She cannot fathom telling them what happened over the summer, but it haunts her…

When she finds out that her tuition hasn’t been paid this year, she is terrified that this is it… she will have to leave, go back home, to the place she refuses to go back to. An opportunity presents itself, though. Every year, one student gets their tuition paid for in exchange for being a companion to Delphine, a very sick girl who lives in isolation.

Six years ago Eden first met Delphine. She followed Eden and her best friend to the Narrow, a time honored tradition of students, one incredibly dangerous due to the intense currents of the water, and fell in… They watched Delphine die that night, but upon returning to school, she was already there… remembering nothing, but forever changed.

Now, Eden finds herself drawn to this strange girl. Along with learning more about the strange accident Delphine’s previous companion endured, Eden is plagued by visions of The Drowned Girl… but the final warning from Delphine’s previous companion warns her NOT to let her in.

This was so immersive. Not only is there that fantastic dark academia aspect, the haunting Narrow is always there, calling. This is equal parts ghost story, equal parts sapphic romance and I enjoyed it so much!

kalypsowolf's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense

Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

4.5

Leave me alone while I go cry my eyes out, thanks. I went into this knowing very little and thinking I was just gonna get a fun little ghost story in an academic setting but this is so much more than that. The ending was simultaneously the most heartbreaking and probably best sendoff for a story like this one.

You do find out pretty early that this is going to touch on some pretty heavy topics and while I think it handles them pretty well (though certainly not perfectly), I would highly encourage anyone who is triggered by domestic violence and drugging to proceed with caution.