4.5 stars.

I really enjoyed this YA mix of paranormal horror and dark academia. It's a debut novel and definitely shows some great promise for this author. There are strong gothic vibes and the narrative was solid with some well-executed character composition. There's also a good sapphic component. I do wish there was a bit more development to the plot as I think there could have been some stronger exploration of the emotions and relationships, but I still enjoyed what was present.

There's a good mix of the two genre components. There's a dark Mean Girls vibe to the social aspect and the atmosphere is fun. The story also has some fantastic creepy vibes, but stays within what I would consider a YA range for intensity. With what I would consider to be a bit of Lovecraft infleunce, there are definitely a few moments of strong violence and gore, so it's not completely for the lighthearted, but these scenes are limited.

I had a really fun time reading this and devoured it in just a couple of days. It was a good under the covers read and definitely one to contemplate before reading it after dark. I'm looking forward to what else Kayla Cottingham can produce in the future. Her talent for horror writing is one I would definitely love to explore.

* Disclaimer: I received a copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.