Chilling, unsettling, and tense, Amelinda Bérubé’s debut novel The Dark Beneath The Ice relentlessly submerges the reader into the broken, detached world of former dancer Marianne. The lines between crushing mental illness and supernatural possession are blurred, and Marianne’s own attempts to distinguish between the two are in equal parts exasperating and intriguing.

Ambiguity runs deep throughout the story, and plays a significant part in the development of a protagonist who often deliberately avoids learning new information, in fear of shattering her already fragile state of mind. In most cases this would be a frustrating character flaw, but in The Dark Beneath The Ice we are similarly torn between our craving for knowledge, and our desire for Marianne’s safety.

As she loses control, we lose control with her. Each time she learns something new, we use that to desperately try to solve the mystery for her. By the end of the novel, the attachment we form with Marianne is not just one of an outside observer—we become Marianne, slipping into her skin as easily as the ghost.

It is clear on a surface level that Marianne’s possession is a metaphor for her coming of age. Its timing is no coincidence, as it falls directly within that period of life where we realise how little agency we truly have over our world. Parents separating, losing old friends, discovering one’s sexuality, giving up on childhood dreams—for those without an outlet, these frustrations build up and spill out in outbursts of rage. Then when our head clears, we look back and wonder what pushed us to act so out of character. Bérubé effectively applies a paranormal, psychological filter to this common experience, so that when the supernatural happenings start to creep into Marianne’s life they feel all too familiar.

One significant piece of imagery that plague’s Marianne’s mind is the icy, bottomless lake, threatening to crack and pull her under whenever she loses consciousness. At other times, Marianne finds herself watching her possessed body from the outside, with the world around her appearing dark and lifeless. Much like the sunken place from Jordan Peele’s 2017 horror film Get Out, this realm is a place where Marianne is a passive observer, unable to interact with anyone or anything. Here, she is helpless against the force that is taking over her body.

Although this imagery is beautifully effective, The Dark Beneath The Ice unfortunately suffers from inconsistent pacing throughout its narrative. The story barely gives enough time for the reader to adjust to the setting before the supernatural activity is introduced, making its initial appearance not particularly surprising or unsettling. When the ghostly apparition finally manifests, its frequent battles with Marianne’s power of will often crop up at awkward points without sufficient build up, sometimes dragging on for so long that each one feels like the final confrontation. As a result the real, final face-off between Marianne and the ghost, while providing a satisfying resolution, does not feel as intense as those that came before.

Where Bérubé excels, however, is in her ability to imbue each character with a tragic sense of authenticity. Rhiannon, Marianne’s parents, Aunt Jen, and even Ingrid each feel like individuals who, just like Marianne, conceal parts of themselves they are ashamed of. Most of the time we never really get to find out what these are, and yet these hidden secrets further isolate us from the world in which Marianne feels like such an outsider. By gradually cutting off her closest ties, the tension slowly turns up until we too are suffocating, leaving us to grab at any sliver of hope—hope that is often tantalisingly dangled in front of our faces, only for us to see it cruelly snatched away.

The Dark Beneath The Ice is a refreshingly original blend of the paranormal and coming-of-age genres that dispenses with common young adult fiction tropes, and instead deals with adolescent issues in a more serious light. Although the uneven pacing occasionally throws the narrative off course, it rarely lasts long enough to distract from Bérubé’s enthralling characters and eloquent imagery. Her debut as a novelist displays a great deal confidence and intelligence, demonstrating a flair for delving into supernatural and psychological realms that will surely continue to captivate readers.

Title: The Dark Beneath the Ice
Author: Amelinda Berube
Genre: YA, thriller
Rating: 3 out of 5

Marianne’s parents have split up—she doesn’t know why—and her mother won’t stop crying before dropping her off to stay with her aunt. Her aunt won’t say, either. So, Marianne tries to make sense of the world, which hasn’t felt right since she stopped dancing.

But Marianne’s losing time. She does things but doesn’t remember doing them. Her mom is in the hospital because of something that happened on a night Marianna can’t remember. Things break around her, and she’s drawn to the cold, dark, icy river that threatens to overflow its banks.

Something is after her, and now she has its full attention—and its rage. It wants back what she stole from it, but Marianna has no idea what that is.

This book creeped me out a bit—in a bad-horror-movie-way (Why yes, I know something is chasing me, but I think I’ll go out into the night all alone!)—but that was its strong point. I wasn’t too invested in any of the characters, or what was going on. It was a decent read, but not something I’d pick up again. (I don’t really read horror much anymore, though, so my reaction could have been linked to that.)

Amelinda Berube lives and writes in Canada. The Dark Beneath the Ice is her new novel.

(Galley provided by Sourcebooks Fire in exchange for an honest review.)

The Dark Beneath The Ice is a compelling psychological paranormal…ish novel that will get you second guessing the world around you. It shows the emotional turmoil that a person can go through and the mental instability that comes with it. Everyone has their ghosts.

The story follows Marianne, a teenager who felt an unbearable pressure to achieve perfection in dance, whose parents are in the middle of a messy divorce, and her best friend Ingrid that she had a secret crush on moved away leaving her alone. Invisible. With everything piling up and piling up the only way Marianne knew how to deal with things is by drowning it, letting it sink and stay trapped beneath ice.

Freaky thing begin happening. Things get smashed, time disappears, nightmares that really aren’t nightmares. And with time everything gets worse. Soon she doesn’t realize what is even real anymore. Marianne reaches out to a rebellious fellow student, Rhiannon (Ron) who believes she’s possessed and thinks she should speak with her mother who is a supposed psychic. But dapping in the paranormal wasn’t the best option.
Things get twisted and tangled. People get hurt and Marianne has to face her demons.

The storyline was interesting. It was more psychological in the end than paranormal, which was a little disappointing. The hidden message of life and all the obstacles that one can face and how they deal with those obstacles is an empowering message. Within the story you see who is a fighter and who is the one more likely to run away.

The characters are relatable with their very realistic and quite common lives. Divorce, stages of finding out who you are, mental illness and so many more. There were times that it was a little slow paced and didn’t pick up until the last quarter or so of the book. There was a lot of inner voice than interaction with other characters as well. It was still an entertaining read!

I was so excited to receive The Dark Beneath the Ice and loved the idea of a story with supernatural, horror, unreliable narrators, ghost stories ... I loved the beginning of the story, but as the writing became less poetic and the plot became painfully obvious, I just lost interest. It didn't even feel supernatural at all towards the end.

I was disappointed that the story became less of a supernatural / dark story and more of a coming of age type thing that abruptly switched styles. I am trying to avoid spoilers. I feel like the writer had an incredibly creative idea that started out strong, but somewhere towards the end the "point" stared to overwhelm the writing style and flow.

I would definitely read this author again based entirely on the beginning of this book.

I was given this book in exchange for an honest review.

A ghost story that is genuinely spooky is a rarity. This one delivers all the chills. I was immediately engaged in Marianne's life, her typical teenager drama compounded by POSSIBLY BEING POSSESSED!!! At one point I thought I had figured out what was going on and shortly after Marianne herself wonders about the same theory. She questions her mother who quickly puts it to rest. I was so wrong and the story continued to keep me guessing right until the end. I absolutely loved the friendship developing into romance. I was shipping them from early on! I am generally not a big fan of romance in thrillers but in this case it worked for me. It didn't distract at all from the plot and it wasn't overdone and sappy. Quite the opposite actually.

I devoured this book in a few sittings. I was dying to see what would happen next and to figure out the mystery. (The mini cliff hanger where Marianne doesn't listen to the audio tape right away was a killer. You could not have pried the book from my hands at that point!) I'm surprised that this is by a first time author because she nailed it. With YA horror it is difficult not to veer into cliche or campiness. "The Dark Beneath the Ice" is a serious horror novel and I can't wait to see where this author takes us next!

Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire for providing an Electronic Advance Reader Copy via NetGalley for review.

Things are not going well for Marianne as of late. She is losing chunks of time, doing things that she can’t remember, and alienating friends and family members in the process. When she meets Rhiannon (Ron to her friends), Marianne wonders if maybe she has finally found someone who can help her understand what’s been happening to her. The two girls develop a complex relationship that vacillates between troubled friendship and romantic entanglement. By working together, they search for whatever ghost or supernatural force may be haunting Marianne and everyone around her. The trouble is, without knowing what it is that the entity wants, there seems to be no possibility for a solution. Bérubé’s debut novel is a sinister exploration of self-doubt, internalized hatred, trust, and a romantic awakening. Though the ending wraps up a bit quickly and the explanation for the supernatural elements could have been more deeply explored, the novel is nevertheless well crafted and unsettling, making it ideal for teenage fans of supernatural thrillers.

The Dark Beneath the Ice was one of my most-anticipated releases of 2018, so I had pretty high hopes. And while the story delivered on some aspects for me, there were certainly parts that just kind of fell...flat.

I really enjoyed the whole storyline centering around possession and the weird things that went alongside it, and that definitely added to the atmospheric quality of the book. Bérubé did a phenomenal job with world building and giving readers a dark and moody book, and that was probably my favorite aspect. From the beginning, Marianne notices something is completely off, especially when strange and disturbing things happen only around her. No one else but her seems to notice (or otherwise care), and it quickly becomes the sole focus of her life — figure out why and what is making these things happen and why it’s happening to her.

My main problem with this book is I wanted to be scared. I wanted to be creeped out, I wanted to feel unsettled, disturbed, freaked out, and in the end, I didn’t feel much of any of those things, and I fully expected to being that this is labeled as ‘horror’ (which perhaps isn’t the fault of the book itself, but the fault of myself, the reader, for being well and above the target age group.) I may not have found it all that spooky, but I’m sure there are plenty of teens that will. Unless said teens are similar to me, where they dove straight in to adult horror in their preteens :-)

The characters were another favorite aspect in this book and I loved the fact that the main character, Marianne, wasn’t straight. The relationship between her and Rhiannon was super sweet, realistic, and really quite lovely, and I’d definitely recommend this book on the relationship alone. Slowly but surely, YA is getting more and more books without the typical straight boys and girls, and it’s about time. The Dark Beneath the Ice has fantastic f/f representation, but don’t expect the romance to be front and center. This isn’t a romance book, it’s a book *with* romance.

Bottom line — this was an enjoyable read in the end, even if it left me feeling unfulfilled on the horror front. That can probably be directly chalked up to my age versus the target age, as I’m certainly no longer a teenager. I’m sure there will be plenty of teens that will enjoy this one, and it’s still one I’d recommend for both teens and lovers of horror-lite.

*eARC received via NetGalley.

The Dark Beneath the Ice was truly a spooky story with a well planned plot and driven storyline. I haven't been that creeped out reading a book in a long time, which says a lot because I read a great deal of horror and zombie books. I was captivated by the tale this author has crafted and look forward to reading more of her work.

Sometimes a good horror book comes along that surprises you. The Dark Beneath the Ice was a great horror that was creeptastic.
Marianne is haunted, that much is clear but it takes her a while to figure that out. She moves from home when her parents separate to live with her Aunt. This thing, entity wants to destroy everything in Marianne's life.
Marianne has anxiety, just like me, so it was nice to see her try to deal with that with therapy. But given that she is haunted her anxiety level goes to the extreme. I love that the book delves into that. I also love the supporting character Ron. She was exactly who Marianne needed in such a crisis. Strong, faithful and caring. The connection between the two is on fire!
The ghost story was unique and maybe that was why I liked it. I didn't much care about Marianne's parents drama but that was just more of a backstory to the haunting unfolding. And the haunting is scary with possession and moving objects. Things come together at the end where you are just as surpised to find actually why Marianne was haunted.
Should you read it? Yes! A creeptastic horror book that had me turning every page and keeping the light on at night.

**** Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire for providing me with a copy via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review ****

Trigger Warning: Involuntary Outing of a LGTBQ+ Character

1.5 Stars

I am very disappointed that I have to rate this so low, I was really looking forward to adding another YA Horror to my recommendations lists but unfortunately that won’t be the case. This was just….bad. Usually I can find a few redeeming qualities but this was a tough one, nothing really stuck out to me and overall I was extremely bored with it.

Plot

First of all I felt there wasn’t much of a plot going on, the main character starts seeing and hearing things and believes she is possessed. And thaaaat’s pretty much it. Her parents are separating and she’s dealing with that along with maybe being possessed, there wasn’t a whole hell of a lot left happening and thus lead to my extreme boredom while reading. There’s almost no action, creepiness, or plot twists it just felt like reading a book about nothing. I had zero interest in this book by the end and skimmed the last little bit because I just wanted it to be over. Nothing even remotely related to the original synopsis (i.e. the haunting/possession) happened until 30%! Come on! However, I gave this 1.5 stars because it did deserve that extra half just for me finishing it and not DNFing.

This had so much potential to be a creepy YA horror, it’s about an unknown entity haunting a girl. How do you make this boring and un-creepy? One of the biggest reasons I get scared in movies/books is when creepy things happen and it’s “unknown”! However, I feel the author really dropped the ball here as I found it to be very un-horror like. Sure things would move or make noise but it never felt urgent or scary. This ended up feeling more like a psychological thriller than a horror, which was even more disappointing, especially since I found it to be predictable on top of that.

It also just felt like the story didn’t make much sense and I felt myself asking “why?” a lot. Things would happen but, why? Nothing made sense and not in a “this is a ghost story” kind of way. Fortunately the pacing was relatively fast otherwise I definitely would have ended up DNFing this one.

There was also a ton of extra stuff being mentioned such as Marianne’s past with her parents and dance classes. I do get why this ended up being sort of important but at the same time it felt like too much unnecessary information. I would quite literally dread the moments in the story that would go on, and on, and on, and on about her past because they were just way too long and tedious.

And that ending. The ending was the most disappointing part of this book because it was predictable, not creepy in the least bit, and overall just felt really unsatisfying.

Characters

Marianne, the MC, was just sort of okay, I didn’t love her and I didn’t hate her. She was just there. I felt that Marianne was pretty judgemental of others though, she wasn’t always the nicest person. However, I did really like Ron (Rhiannon) though she was a great character with a devil may care attitude and (in my opinion) great fashion sense. Ron was just a good person too, she was misunderstood and judged for her appearance but really has a heart of gold. However, I felt that everyone could have used a lot more development.

It’s also revealed that both Marianne and Ron are lesbians so there is some LGTBQ+ rep, but I can’t personally speak for how well it is represented. However, there is a brief scene where the MC is outed against their will by the “entity”. Of course the MC is very distressed by this especially since this was to a character she had a crush on. I didn’t really care for that scene since it’s pretty insensitive and I don’t understand why it needed to be included. If you want to introduce your character as being gay then do it, don’t do it by outing them in such a distressing manner.

As for any other characters there were a few shown but honestly felt so one dimensional that they aren’t even worth mentioning.

Romance

There is a bit of romance between Marianne and Ron, thus the F/F romance I mentioned earlier. I liked the pairing but as I said I can’t really speak for the rep.

In Conclusion

What I Loved:

Ron’s character
LGTBQ+ presence

What I Didn’t Love:

Un-horror like atmosphere and events (felt more like a psychological thriller)
Boring plot
No action, no twists
Lots of focus on past experiences that felt long, tedious, and at times unnecessary
The ending was unsatisfying and predictable
Underdeveloped characters
Outing of the MC in a distressing manner

Recommend?

Overall I really didn’t enjoy my time reading this book, there’s nothing I dislike more than going into a YA horror book and walking away with something that feel flat on all fronts especially the spook factor! I cannot say I recommend this one, in fact I recommend not wasting your time and passing on it.
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This book is definitely a HORROR one!

At first, I thought this was going to be a contemporary novel with the YA struggles of the teenaged life, but then about 1/3 of the way through, you could tell the paranormal elements were seeping through. But this story had me freaked out with a hint of spine-tingling moments.

First, there is mystery with the main character's mother who is struggling with a 'mental' problem, and then you have the main character who is slowly showing similar signs. It made you wonder what was real and what was all in their head. But as she thinks she's going crazy, she meets the unlikely friend who may be making the situation worse. The character development drives the horror effect into the tipping point between insanity and possession.

I will say that this YA book is higher on the scary scale than most 'horror' novels. There were moments when you could feel the icy, cold moments along with the characters. The writing is just the right amount of spooky while also bringing in mental health elements and a unique, friendship twist.

I don't want to spoil anything, but there is a diverse relationship that was semi-hinted throughout the book. But, you'll have to read the book for more information..

I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. I highly recommend this read during the fall/Halloween season as this is perfect to read with a cup of warm, pumpkin spiced hot chocolate and a warm blanket (cause this story is a cold one).

Marianne 's life is falling apart. Her parents are getting divorce and her mother checked herself in a hospital. Her bestfriend Ingrid's family moved to different town. And then there's this someone trying to drown her beneath the icy river that all started in her dreams nightmares but then things begun breaking around her and unusual things started happening that she can't even remember a thing about. But then, life had always been different ever since she quit dancing.

The story opens with Marianne's mother taking her to her Aunt Jen's to stay for a while and right then I'm intrigued. I thought the writing is a little poetic and really mysterious. Though the opening scene is a little cliche, a car ride with our main protagonist obviously having a hard time and reminiscing a once perfect joyous times with her family. It was really eerie specially with Marianne talking about something that happened the night before. I was intrigued and thought this is exactly what I was expecting when I saw that beautiful, spooky cover on Netgalley. In short, the book started really well and very promising.

But as I read through, everything changes. Or at least how I see the story is not as eerie as it was at the beginning. I found myself just reading not really hundred percent interested on what's happening rather just reading to know the ending. It's not really uninteresting, it was just slightly mediocre. Everything was mediocre. The writing became less poetic and mysterious. The plot became a little obvious. The drowning-and-dark thing she experiences became less interesting.

This one is advertised as Black Swan meets Paranormal. BUT Black Swan and Paranormal are such incredible movies, they're too hard to equal. I mean Black Swan is phenomenal and Paranormal is really spooky. If you're going to read this book thinking you'll get the same experience when you watched those movies, ahm, you'll be disappointed. Sure the vibe is there. The reason why I even said the plot became a little obvious is because of Black Swan. But the entire experience is really different. Sorry.

I love how unreliable as a narrator Marianne is. I love unreliable narrators in general. They make suspense and mystery more suspenseful and mysterious. hehe. But overall, as a character, she's a little weak.(Okay, she has to be vulnerable because of the plot but till the end she's very needy) I actually like Rhiannon more. Her character is more defined and thankfully she's a big part of the story.

The ending is okay, I guess. But it's not as grand as I wanted it to be. I guess I wanted it to be more than it was. Though I really like what the author wanted to show. It was an amazing concept and really interesting. And because of that, I look forward to this author's works. This is her debut novel, btw.

Wow, what a great psychological horror novel! Reading a blurb stating "Black Swan meets Paranormal Activity" how can you not be immediately intrigued? And being a huge fan of horror and anything that has the power to evoke the feeling of uneasiness I couldn't resist wanting to dive into this title! Bérubé's writing style kept me reading, and she definitely knows how to write creepy!

Though I enjoyed <i>The Darkness Beneath the Ice</i> quite a bit, it was a slow burn for me; but once things started intensifying I couldn't put it down - this happened maybe at/around the 2/3 mark. Bérubé introduced a LGBTQ aspect that I found to be a nice addition. However, there was a lack of satisfaction when I realized I read the last page. The ending wasn't "bad," it just wasn't what I hoped for. All-in-all, this was a great summer read, and I would read more from Bérubé!

Was a good read but not my usual cup of tea, confusing in parts, good storyline. Would like more of a wrap up for the family at the end. Spooky and gripping though kept me till the end. Well Written

I received a free e-copy of The Dark Beneath The Ice by Amelinda Berube from NetGalley for my honest review.

This is an good creepy book. A spirit is haunting Marianne. Her Aunt doesn't believe her and her only friend is on the opposite side of the continent. She has no one to talk to or get help from. Marianne tries to pretend that nothing is wrong, but the more she denies the ghost, the angrier the ghost gets. Marianne needs to figure out a way to save herself but before she can, she has to believe that she's worth saving.

This story will keep you up reading through the night but have you so spooked that you find yourself reading under the covers. The story is written so vividly that you feel like you, yourself are falling through the ice.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

2.5 Stars.


This was pitched as “dark swan meets paranormal activity”, and that was correct. I was in the mood for something creepy and fast paced, but hate to admit this one let me down.

The writing style was a little choppy for me, and abrupt. I would find myself asking, “wait, what?” and had to reread a page or two to figure out how we got from point A to point B. Very fast paced, and didn’t slow down much at all, but I couldn’t get into the writing style. It was a struggle for me to get through.

As for the main character, Marianne, I couldn’t stand her. I couldn’t make a connection to any of the characters to be honest. Marianne annoyed me the most. She is very needy, and cares too much about what everybody else thinks.

I am not sure I will be reading anything else from this author, but this is just my opinion. I hope that others do enjoy this book.

I must admit, the YA genre isn’t usually my first choice when i’m browsing for a book to read but i’m not sure why! This book has proved yet again that you don’t necessarily have to be a ‘young adult’ to enjoy the YA genre!

The main character Marianne starts off having a tough time of it to say the least. Her parents are in the process of getting divorced, her mothers had a nervous breakdown, her best friend has moved away and she is dealing with the normal teenage emotions of feeling like she doesn’t fit in. This, however, is not the worst of her problems.

Strange things happen around Marianne and she becomes convinced she is possessed by a ghost. Determined to try and take control of the situation she attempts to communicate with the ghost which needless to say, does not go according to plan.

I wasn’t entirely sure where this book was going at one point. This isn’t necessarily a criticism, in fact, in this instance it was actually a positive because as a reader I felt compelled to read to the end to find out what was actually going on.

I liked how the author wrote about the relationship between Marianne and her mother. The breakdown of her parents relationship has clearly affected Marianne but she’s trying desperately to hold it together for the sake of her mother who is also not coping.

My only real criticism of this book is that for me personally I felt the plot could have been slowed down slightly to leave the reader with the element of guess work and surprise. Having said that though, I did really enjoy this book and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to anyone who likes their books with a supernatural theme.

I was definitely in the wrong demographic to read this book.. I think it would be a great YA horror/suspense selection but for me it just lasted too long and I skimmed over a lot of the dramatic scenes where Marianne fights with her demon.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review.

Advanced copy received for review purposes.

The Dark Beneath the Ice is a deeply moving, often terrifying journey. Our narrator, Marianne, finds herself in shambles as her parents divorce...and what emerges through her is dark and alien. She see herself slipping beneath the ice, sliding into the darkness, only to snap back to reality and discover she has acted bizarrely, destructively without her own awareness. I will warn readers- as the novel develops, Marianne's visions become legitimately scary and not for the faint of heart.

This novel brought back a lot of memories for me. For several awful years as a teen I had debilitating dissociative episodes. I have never read anything so similar to my own teen experience. Marianne's feelings- her shame, her fear, her anger, her love- echo mine 25 years ago. Even the steps her parents and doctors take, the language they use, is spot-on. I'll be honest, I wept numerous times reading this novel.

I am so thankful to Amelinda Berube for writing this extraordinary novel. It has helped me exorcise my own old, lonely emotions. But more importantly, it will give teens experiencing something very painful some hope that someone out there understands them, and knows that they are wonderful.

“Black Swan meets Paranormal Activity in this compelling ghost story about a former dancer whose grip on reality slips when she begins to think a dark entity is stalking her”

So this was…interesting.

Marianne’s life has never been more out of control. With her parents announcing their divorce despite seeming to be so in love, her mother’s recent hospitalization, and the drama surrounding Marianne’s decision to quit dance; it feels like Marianne is drowning. As she is sent to live with her aunt, strange things begin to happen in Marianne’s quiet world. Losing time, objects being moved without her moving them, strange knocking and banging on the walls, and the never-ending feeling of being watched. After a loss of time happens in one of Marianne’s classes, she attempts to reach out to the goth girl named Ron in hopes that her psychic mother may help her. But when communicating with whatever haunts Marianne only strengthens it, everyone close to Marianne is in danger. Something is coming for Marianne, and its angry at her for being shoved down and drowned. But in the end, Marianne may be the one being dragged beneath the ice.
Intriguing concept and idea, but a bit of a miss for me.

Don’t get me wrong, there were definitely some positives! The story started out great in regards to the writing style. It was so descriptive and beautiful, I felt as if I was reading a more relaxed form of poetry. The writing feels like a well-choreographed dance, and I found myself having to read between the lines to figure out what these characters were hiding. It was constructed well, had an even tone throughout, and was a very quick and easy read. The theme that the author kept with through this story (as you can tell from the title) is a theme of being drowned or shoved down beneath ice. Marianne uses her memories of the river near her aunt’s house as a meditative tool when she begins to feel overwhelmed or scared. She pictures the calming feeling of her being submerged in the water, and the silence and security that comes with hiding under the surface. The water is her safe place, and the ice on top of the water becomes her shield against anything negative. This theme is carried throughout the entire book, but becomes less of a symbolism and more of a….sigh…it honestly just becomes ridiculous.

As I started this read, I was really into it and devouring the words in order to find out WHAT exactly was going on. Is this a ghost story, is it a story of delusions and misconceptions, or is it a fantastical read about demons?! Halfway through the story I had decided that this was a ghost haunting/exorcism story that was about to be twisted and wild, and it was proving to be just that. Marianne would wake up at the piano in her aunt’s house banging on the keys in the middle of the night, or she would find herself up in front of her class at school being scolded by her teacher but having no recollection of what had happened. Things got worse after Ron, the goth/emo girl from school, tries to give Marianne a tame version of an exorcism. But even after enlisting the help of Ron’s mother, the physic, things turn dangerous. Knives floating in the air and being aimed at herself, bruises on her body, and a distinct pulling feeling that tries to drag her into the river and drown her.

However, how this turns out just DOES NOT ADD UP.

*Watch out, there’s a puddle of SPOILERS down there*

Nearing the end of this story I had a thought that MAYBE this was all just a symbolism for Marianne figuratively drowning herself in her hardships and woes and BLAH BLAH BLAH. MAYBE there isn’t actually a ghost or anything haunting her, MAYBE it’s just her.

Well, guess what?

It was literally both of those things.

It was her own “shadow self” trying to drown her because Marianne had pushed her “shadow self” beneath the figurative surface, and the “shadow self” wanted out because the “shadow self” was actually the original Marianne, and the Marianne that is now Marianne isn’t actually the original Marianne. The “shadow self” is actually the first Marianne, but in the end they are actually both Marianne.

Makes total sense right?

-__-

Apart from that complete mess, the character of Marianne that the reader follows during this read proves to be another negative in my eyes. Marianne is, simply put, annoying as all hell. She felt a bit dull, emotionally confusing, and extremely desperate and needy in a way that made me scrunch my face up in a “WTF” sort of way. She has this fabricated idea of friendships in her head that I just didn’t follow. She was so worried about looking needy all the time, but it just made her look doubly needy and a little stalkerish. She just wasn’t my cup of tea. Ron on the other hand, was a more agreeable character for me. This could be because of my tendency to favor the weird gothy kids though. But Ron proves to be a strong character, she is willful and a “take no s**t” kind of gal, and I love her for it.

Also as a heads up, there is a bit of LGBT moments that happen in this story. They are very tame and mild, so if this is your thing or isn't, just a warning in advance.

All in all, that ending really ruined the story for me. It started out promising, I loved the writing style, but the main character and the conclusion just didn’t hit the mark for me. I appreciate where the author was trying to take this story, but I don’t think she was able to take this book to the place it needed to go. The ending just didn’t feel completely thought through, and the delivery was a bit lacking. Of course, this is just my own opinion, and not all readers share my thoughts. If you think this might be a story that interests you, then I would love to hear your thoughts on it.