CALLING ALL LOVERS OF: 
- Gothic Atmosphere 
- Dark Academic Settings 
- Queer Rep in Middle Grade 
- Horror-Mystery Genre Blends 

This gothic middle grade—the first in a newer series—is perfect for those looking for spooky atmospheric reads with the classic boarding school setting! Our protagonist is a nonbinary student named Guinevere “Nev” Tallow. Almost as soon as they arrive at the highly-esteemed, exclusive Deephaven Academy, Nev is warned to steer clear of the boarding school’s forbidden east wing...A dark creature with sharp claws stalks the corridors. And it wants out. 

I loved how casual Nev’s nonbinary identity was for the adults and fellow classmates they interacted with. Nev certainly faces internal and external conflicts within this narrative, but their identity isn’t one of them, and it was so refreshing! I also appreciated Nev’s backstory, taking care of themselves alone and in need of a fresh start. I enjoyed rooting for them to make new friends and find a place for them to call home, all while they investigated the east wing and the creature trapped within it.

My criticisms lie in the inclusion of a romantic coupling between two middle grade-aged characters. It doesn’t take up much space on the page, and the romance is obviously not physical. I just found it unnecessary when deep love between two characters at that age could have been friendship. I imagine the inclusion was to depict additional forms of queer identity, but these kids do not need to be in love to be queer. I also wanted the explanation for the creature in the forbidden corridor to be more in depth, regarding its connection to certain supernatural activities performed by other residents at the academy. I would still 100% recommend this to any middle grade dark academia lover!! 

Actual Rating: 3.5 stars 
Original Pub Date: 5 September 2023 
Reading Format: ebook paired with the audio

Thank you NetGalley and Quill Tree Books for an E-ARC copy in exchange for this honest review!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

For a book distinctly out of my comfort zone, I appreciated the narrative Aldridge put together. Aldridge created one of the best Gothic atmospheres I have ever read. I also appreciated all the nuances that Aldridge gave to Nev. Unfortunately, the overall mystery and horrific/fantastical elements felt shallow and fell short of making sense. Ultimately, I do not think that this is a bad book. In fact, I think it's fairly well-written. it's just not the genre for me.

Deephaven is an intriguing and creepy horror story taking place at an academy. The characters are unique in their own way and interesting. Middle grade readers will enjoy reading this book.

There are not enough books like this one. Dark academia meets children's stories. It was a perfect mix of spooky and fun.

Deephaven was a delightful mix of spooky, friendship, self discovery, and loss. I enjoyed it immensely!

Five stars for some dark academia that I can hand to middle graders! We need more of these books! It checks all my boxes for the smol goths that attend Bookish.

This is a great middle grade historical horror. I thought that all of the elements came together nicely. This is a great option for kids who like to be spooked, but the writing style isn't overly complex and the content is appropriate overall. We have a nonbinary main character as well as other LGBTQ+ representation throughout the book. I enjoyed it and I would recommend it for the age group.

Guinevere Tallow left their difficult life behind for stranger, and hopefully brighter, life at Deephaven academy. But this mysterious school, where the wealthy dump their unwanted children and those abandoned come in search of a new home, is anything but bright. Dark secrets are hidden in the East wing, and Nev and their new friend Danny must unravel them -- willingly or not.

What tropes, vibes, and themes does this book include?
For tropes we have School is murder, Extranormal institute, Dark secrets, and Found family. As far as vibes go, this book gave me "Dark Academia Jr." if that makes sense, and also, in my opinion, is a bit unnerving at times. In the themes category -- Self-discovery, new beginnings, independence/taking control, and abandonment. This book also has non-binary and neurodivergent representation.

Who should read this?
Anyone who likes light, atmospheric horror, and anyone who might want to get into dark academia but isn't ready to dive deep yet. It's a good starting point.

What ages are appropriate?
Compared to the last few MG I have read, this one verges heavily on YA. I'm going to say advanced readers if they are younger, but generally 12+.

Trigger Warnings:Bones/blood, Monsters, Ghosts, and Negligent parents.

Overall:★★★★★
Writing:★★★★☆
Plot:★★★★☆
Characters:★★★★★
World Building: ★★★★★

Review:
I finally found my first five-star read of the year. Ten months in, but better late then never. Let's jump right into it.

I've read many MG books this year, and while they were written well enough for the appropriate age-group, I like to give kids more credit. They can comprehend better than we think, and they can have an appreciation for good writing. This book was wonderfully written and still perfectly comprehendible to our younger humans (maybe not like a six year old, but you get the idea).

Plot-wise, it kept me engaged nearly the entire time. Whenever one question had been answered, two more popped up. Just how it should be. My only qualm might be toward the end, two separate characters give a "and this is how I did it!" speech (or in that vein, at least). But honestly, it hardly matters.

But let me tell you about these perfect little characters. I adored the MC to pieces. They were perfectly layered, interesting and curious, mechanically-minded. On they were wonderful! And the supporting characters? magnifique! The relationships built here made me so happy. Also, these characters have great names. Guinevere Tallow? Patience Sleepwell? Come on. Those are killer.

And, of course, the world building. I'm still a tad confused on when this story takes place (I think they mentioned it being post-depression America), but it is set sometime in the past. The author does well to create very atmospheric scenes, something I see a lack of in even some adult horror books. Cleary, the author has skill.

All in all, this was my favorite read this year. And it took me by surprise, too. It was an arc copy, but I instantly bought the hardcover for my shelf the moment I finished it. 10/10 would recommend.

*Apologies if the MC is not meant to be neurodivergent(autistic, ADHD or similar). They simply display some clear signs of it (difficulty in social situations, difficulty reading body language and facial expression, the need to do something with their hands, etc.)

Thanks to Harper Collins Children’s Books, Quill Tree Books, NetGalley, and author Ethan M. Aldridge for an advance copy of Deephaven. This was an excellent gothic read about a young middle school student who gets swept up her new boarding school. There’s strange and mysterious things happening in the closed off east wing and it’s up to Nev and her new friends to find out what really happened to the missing student from last year. It’s a great story for reading at this time of year when you are looking for some dark academia to introduce your middle school readers to.

Guinevere “Nev” Tallow is ready for a new start and when a mysterious acceptance letter to Deephaven Academy arrives it couldn’t have better timing. Once there Nev finds out that Deephaven’s mysteries don’t end after their arrival, the off-limits east wing has plenty of questions that need to be answered.
This book had everything I wanted and so much more, it was the perfect queer, gothic, dark academia mystery great for both middle grade readers and adults alike. Nev was a fantastic main character who had a rich back story, all the smarts needed to solve the mystery, as well as a big heart which helped them bring the necessary empathy also needed. Not only did the prose paint a fantastic picture of Nev’s world but the accompanying illustrations helped create the beautifully gothic Deephaven environment. Overall, a wonderful read for spooky season and I can only hope the start of a new middle grade series.
Thank you NetGalley and Quill Tree Books for early access to this title in exchange for an honest review.

I picked up this book because I follow the cover artist on Instagram and saw they did the art for this book.
I love scary gothic stories, so this book looked enticing.
I like that the main character is genderfluid/nonbinary.
I think this brought a lot of nuance to the story, although sometimes the use of "they" was confusing since it's both the main characters pronouns and also a plural. It's entirely on me to sometimes check if 'they' was singular or plural. It just made me read the book more slowly. It's a personal problem for sure, not a criticism.

The book does a good job maintaining a mysterious and dark atmosphere. I liked it very much!

Since I’ve read everything I can find that Ethan Aldridge has ever written, I knew I would read DEEPHAVEN. I didn’t realize at first that it was a prose novel, so I was a little surprised when I started the first page. But the story of Nev and the strange school they were going to attend pretty quickly drew me in.

Nev, especially, is such a cool character. They are always picking up bits of things– screws, bobbins, stuff like that– which they save and use to create mechanical toys. I loved the descriptions of them working on the toys. The author describes Nev as having a magpie mind, and I loved that.

The story contains black and white illustrations spaced throughout, usually one toward the end of each chapter. I thought the author made really great choices as to which moments of the story to illustrate. It really helped me grasp the characters and reinforced the creepy setting of the boarding school.

The book is under 300 pages, so it’s a pretty quick read. I enjoyed it. I think readers who prefer graphic novels but maybe want to branch out into prose should give this one a try. Definitely, other fans of the author’s work will want to add DEEPHAVEN to their collections.

What a clever and creepy story! This was a creepy, gothic, inclusive horror/mystery appropriate for middle grade or older. I’m an adult and very much enjoyed it. Will be featured on an upcoming episode of Your Rainbow Reads podcast.

Free e-ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher!

Now this was really lovely. A bit of a quick read, and the mystery was fairly simple (for me) to figure out, but as the target audience is middle grade, I won't fault it for that. This fun, queer, dark academia mystery is sufficiently creepy (even for adult readers) and mood-setting for the cooler months. I enjoyed the story and the characters and I'll definitely be on the look out for any follow up books!

My students can't get enough of scary/horror books, so I'm always on the lookout for more. I'll be honest that I grabbed this one because I loved [book:Estranged|31193404] and initially thought this was a similar graphic novel.

I decided to read it anyway and am glad I did. Though the premise seems often-done (new kid at a strange boarding school), the story itself feels fresh and the creep factor is definitely high. I adore Nev and their curiosity, and it's pretty clear that Deephaven holds more secrets than what we see here.

I'm hoping that the ending means there might be more in the series.

This is an excellent creepy story to start off the spooky months! A boarding school with a sinister past, magic gone wrong, hauntings, students up to no good, dark academia vibes -- Deephaven has it all. I honestly wasn't expecting to be scared but the horror is pitched just right and had me frantically reading and worrying about the characters. I think what set this story apart from others that I've read is that it felt truly terrifying and unpredictable. There's enough detail and backstory to intrigue, but it's still very mysterious and uncanny. I felt just like Nev, tiptoeing through this hazardous new school and facing down monsters and villains. The adults aren't the kind one can turn to when there are real problems, so it falls on Nev and their friend Danny to unravel the mysteries of Deephaven.

I really enjoyed the characters! Nev is the epitome of independent and street smarts due to their unstable home life and upbringing. They have a mind suited to solving puzzles and creating, and they're willing to do whatever it takes to survive. Danny is a great ride or die friend, and bonds with Nev over their shared trauma at Deephaven, their desire to find answers, and tumultuous childhoods. Overall, this is a compact, spine-tingling tale I would recommend to fans of horror, monsters, boarding school settings, and dark academia. The illustrations are also delightfully creepy and atmospheric!

Thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins Children’s for this MG dark academia!

Following a non-binary MC, Nev, into a weird school that seems to have a scary problem, this was easy to read. I loved the illustrations, they helped add to the spooky vibe. The magic system was confusing for me, I would’ve liked it to either be more explained or less (poof, we found a spell!), but otherwise I really enjoyed it.

I liked this book overall. It was an interesting concept. I just wish it was longer and had more details. I think everything was rushed and the story would have been more believable if there had been more details. I would read the next book in the series if this book is made into a series.

I loved this queer creepy middle grade book! The story was awesome. I loved the spooky strangeness of it all! I would love to read more in this world. Nev was everything! They are such a great character. I loved the illustrations that were in the book. Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins Children's Books for the arc in exchange for my honest review.