My Dearest Darkest by Kayla Cottingham
When Finch Chamberlin auditioned in hopes of gaining a place at Ulalume Academy, she never expected that merely traveling there would change her life forever. Now the very stag that caused her family’s deadly accident haunts her while she feels a supernatural pull to the tunnels under Ulalume Academy. Finch is suspicious of the ghost waiting for her in the tunnels, and is shocked to learn that this ghost is granting wishes to the most popular girls at the school. It’s all fun and games until everyone learns that nothing is free. There’s a steep cost for the wishes being granted, and Nerosi doesn’t tolerate anyone questioning her fees.
I read a different book from the author and liked it, so I decided to check out what else they had out and here we are. We follow Finch, a teenager who is still reeling from a recent accident that left her orphaned. Not only that, but she died in the accident and made a miraculous recovery with a few notable changes: white hair, a very slow heartbeat, and a complexion that has seemingly never seen the sun. We also follow one of her classmates, Selena St. Clair, who is the most popular girl in school in addition to being Ulalume Academy’s resident mean girl.
I have to say that I enjoyed this much more than the author’s zombie book. It didn’t start off strong with the characters being very superficial and the story trying too hard to sell that Selena and her friends are oh-so-cool. Rather than actually being cool, it was more like a group of people trying way too hard to be a classic superficial movie version of very cool mean girls. Once the story was in full swing and wasn’t trying hard to sell them as “cool,” the four characters were actually really interesting to follow as they slowly got in way too deep with Nerosi. It was fun to see their dynamic and how some of their friendships were holding on by a thread, but also how their relationship with Nerosi brings them together, tears them apart, and then brings them back together all over again.
Speaking of Nerosi, she’s a really compelling character. It was easy to see how different generations got fooled by her. She appears to be a ghost at first, but it was clear she was something much more by the second time Finch meets with her. The fact that she’s offering to grant wishes, or favors as she calls them, sounds the alarm. I was so sure she was a demon of some sort that had been trapped in the tunnels, but it turns out that she’s much more than that. In fact, we find out who and what she is for sure and I wish that was fleshed out more. I think that not expanding on how Nerosi got to Rainwater and why she was trapped in the tunnels under the school was a missed opportunity. Instead, there are some major questions left unanswered, especially because of how powerful she is.
Finch sounds like she would be boring compared to the other characters, but she’s got a lot going on in her own regard. She’s newly orphaned and reeling from the loss of her parents as she starts her life over at a private school. Finch was previously homeschooled and always struggled making friends, so she’s feeling very alone and awkward, especially around Selena. In fact, Selena lights up her life in ways she never knew friends could until she realizes it’s because she’s attracted to her. Finch has a very interesting character arc because she’s figuring out friendships and realizing she’s a lesbian all while dealing with Nerosi, who is expecting payment for bringing her back to life in the lake. Unlike the other characters, Finch has a special connection to Nerosi due to this, and it opens her eyes to other supernatural happenings in Rainwater.
All in all, this was a great read. I do think the dialogue was strange at times, and I wish Nerosi’s backstory was expanded on because it impacts the overall story, but it was still a great read. It was such a page turner and something that I could see making an excellent movie someday. This is the book that makes me excited about the author’s future publications.
No comments:
Post a Comment