Many thanks to Patricia and FFBC Tours for my spot on this Blog Tour.

What a Gothic wonder this story was, steeped in the tale of Argentinian folk tale, involving a finishing school that was cursed and a girl that was missing but whose spirit did make an appearance.

Set in 1978, Mavi became a teacher in the finishing school to 10 girls. But the tenth one seemed missing. Slowly, over the course of time, Mavi’s colleagues and students started feeling ill, with signs of being possessed by The Others. Along with the headmistress’s son, she decided to investigate and save the tenth girl.

A debut by Sara Faring, I could see how it has set the literary world into a furore. The writing in the first half was so tangential that it was difficult to get into the story. There was an aura of darkness and the prose was haunting to the point I was sure that there was something so dreadfully wrong with all of them.

Written in dual POV of Mavi and another character called Angel, the book was like the swirling winds in a storm. I actually didn’t know what I was reading. The winds pushed and barred me from getting to the secrets of this house. But I was determined. And richly rewarded for that.

Therein lay the clever twist of this writer’s imagination where a single line turned the story upside down. Everything I knew went up like smoke into the clouds. The number of details that were coded into these characters had me plainly astonished at the deft hand of the creator. Sara Faring was all that and more. The confidence in her writing was brilliant to see. It changed the score and the outcome. My nayy went yayy!!

The author knew her book would produce reactions but stayed strong by her convictions. Lots of triggers in the story which was clearly mentioned in the blurb, the book went the way one would go down the river Styx with Charon driving it. A haunting folktale of the ancient tribes and a daunting plot line was all I was left with. SHEER BRILLIANCE was my everlasting thought.

Stick with the book, keep the mind open, the unknown soon becomes an unreal reality. Brilliant in its concept, this book took over my entire day and left me shocked and laughing with glee.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley and publisher, and this is my journey into its pages, straight from the heart!! STRICTLY HONEST AND UNBIASED.

All my reviews can be read here

Born in Los Angeles, Sara Faring is a multi-lingual Argentine-American fascinated by literary puzzles.

After working in investment banking at J.P. Morgan, she worked at Penguin Random House. She holds degrees from the University of Pennsylvania in International Studies and from the Wharton School in Business.

She currently resides in New York City.

At the very southern tip of South America looms an isolated finishing school. Legend has it that the land will curse those who settle there. But for Mavi—a bold Buenos Aires native fleeing the military regime that took her mother—it offers an escape to a new life as a young teacher to Argentina’s elite girls.

Mavi tries to embrace the strangeness of the imposing house—despite warnings not to roam at night, threats from an enigmatic young man, and rumors of mysterious Others. But one of Mavi’s ten students is missing, and when students and teachers alike begin to behave as if possessed, the forces haunting this unholy cliff will no longer be ignored.

One of these spirits holds a secret that could unravel Mavi’s existence. In order to survive she must solve a cosmic mystery—and then fight for her life.

Publication Date: 24th September 2019

Publisher: Imprint