“The Afterdark,” by E. Latimer

This book has an interesting story plot. I liked the boarding school that starts off with the death of her evil twin sister. I liked the spooky horror themes and mystery surrounding the school and people behaviors at the school. What I didn’t vibe with as much is the relationships, they felt forced to create the drama. The characters on their own were good but when they interacted with each other sometimes I just felt like it didn’t match. 3 out of 5 stars. A very beautiful cover too.

-Boarding School
-F/F and F/M
-Mystery
-Cult

Thank you for the ARC, Netgalley.

“I’ve always known, I think. There are no happy endings for girls like me.”

The Afterdark is a book that I was so excited for, I mean, queer Dark Academia with a creepy forest? Sounds like the perfect book. However, this didn’t quite live up to my expectations.

Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoyed it, the first chapter really hooks you and the eerie vibes kept me going, I just didn’t really connect with any of the characters and that hindered my enjoyment a little.

I did really love the ending!

I never gravitate towards the horror genre, but I am happy that the cover drew me in! I think it is safe to say that E. Latimer has made me a horror fan! Calling all things spooky lovers, this book is for you!
This book is a perfect mixture of creepy, fantasy, and just a sprinkle of romance. I was hooked from page one and was as addicted to the story as the characters were to discover what was happening at night after the shutters went down. I truly loved that even though the setting of the entire book was both the school and the forest, my brain could never quite figure out what would be happening next and where the story would take me as a reader.

After reading Don't Let the Forest In and now this, it seems my preferred genre is YA High School Magical Creepy Forest Queer Gothic Horror. And yeah, it slaps.

This book hit the Gothic ground running. We have some dark academia vibes, a secret society, hungry monsters, a murder mystery, MESSY sapphics, evil twins (which one is the replicant?), dark impulses, and obsessive love of all kinds. The sapphic romance is toxic, but almost every relationship in this book is, and they all work. The mystery, the tension, the dread that starts to grow from the very first chapter! I could not stop reading and finished this in one sitting.

There were a couple hiccups with pacing for me, but this is a fast-paced and captivating read. The ending is a little open and I desperately want a sequel, which is often the case for me and standalones, but the resolution is still satisfying. An excellent addition to YA horror.

Wow, what a spooky YA horror!! This was really good and I read it in one very quick sitting. My ONLY disappointment was that there was not enough school vibes. It didn't really feel like it was set at a school.

Other than that though, the beginning where the MC's "evil twin" drowns in front of her was INCREDIBLY compelling and then the main character continued to be really great to read from. I liked the side characters, and the horror imagery was genuinely scary!

I picked up The Afterdark by E. Latimer because the cover was stunning, and after reading it, I’m left with goosebumps.

The novel is a masterclass in creepiness, gothic ambiance, and atmospheric tension. As someone who’s a bit of a wimp when it comes to eerie stories, I was genuinely spooked. Yet, I found myself equally engrossed and unsettled by the book’s allure.

The story follows Evie and Holland, two characters with contrasting personalities and striking appearances—one with red hair and the other with black—who meet at a boarding school. Despite their differences and separate reasons for being there, they share a profound, eerie connection.

Latimer’s tale is a heady mix of dark impulses, romantic tension, intriguing mysteries, and shocking twists. It’s unsettling in a way that’s irresistibly captivating, grabbing your attention from the start and holding it until the very last page.

With Latimer’s atmospheric writing and the unique, creepy plot, The Afterdark is a book that should not be missed. I received an ARC from NetGalley and Penguin Random House Publishing, and I’m grateful for the opportunity. I’m eagerly anticipating the possibility of a sequel!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The portrayal of love was genuine and intense. It's described as a Lovecraftian horror novel, and the main antagonist certainly embodies that kind of villain. Despite being a YA novel, the characters' thought processes seemed quite mature to me. It was a fast read for me, very engaging, and the plot consistently held my interest.

Thank you for NetGalley for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book!! The first chapter pulls you in quickly and you want to learn more about Evie. During the middle it fell a bit flat, with all the relationship drama, but it really picked up near the end, unveiling loads of secrets.

The strongest portion of the book has got to be the relationships that were built, a particular favourite being Stowe and Holland! Their push-pull dynamic is so interesting. Another important one is Holland and Beth, which examines toxic friendships throughout the novel. And of course, the pining for Evie and Holland, which I never got sick of!

This book heavily reminded me of Sawkill Girls, another horror book that has sapphic characters.

Ummm I hope E. Latimer is writing a part 2🤨🤔 I freaking loved this book. I think all Queer horror fans should read it. Even if you aren’t a fan of horror, you should still read it😂 However, go into it blind pleaseee.

Thank you so much to Penguin Random House Canada & Tundra Books, NetGalley, and of course E. Latimer for this advanced readers copy.

I was fortunate enough to get an ARC copy of this book through NetGalley, and I'm so glad I did! The Afterdark is a wonderful dark and twisty paranormal mystery/thriller with the perfect amount of queer romance. I powered through this book in less than a day in a desperate attempt to learn about the darkness that lives within ourselves and in that damn creepy forest.

My bi girl heart loved routing for our main characters, who are wonderfully complex, morally grey, and well thought out characters.

5/5 stars
Recommended if you like: dual POV, dark academia, sapphic reads, fantasy horror

This review has been posted to Goodreads as of 8/20 and will be posted to my review blog 8/27 and to Instagram on 9/10.

This book was immediately intriguing and I flew through it wanting to figure out how things would play out. I was especially intrigued by Evie, who is more complex than the summary makes it appear.

There are a lot of creepy things going on at Northcroft, from the bizarrely strict curfew to the secret society. The curfew is related to the woods, which we get a hint of almost immediately. As soon as the curfew bell tolls, the windows across campus get shuttered to prevent students from seeing the change from the normal woods to the Afterdark, an alternate, monstrous version of the woods. When the Afterdark descends, the woods stretch and become strange, with unnatural creatures walking among the trees.

Related, the secret society, the Gravesmen, is comprised of founding families, i.e., descendants of the people who created the school and first discovered the Afterdark. The Gravesmen are notorious for letting people rise to positions of power and giving them untold influence. Naturally, things get weird with them and there's a lot of rituals and secrets they keep surrounding the woods and the Afterdark, not all of them benign.

Evie has lived her whole life tormented by her twin, Ada. Ada is cruel and does monstrous things for fun, seeming to give into every dark impulse that Evie does her best to ignore. After Ada dies and Evie is sent to Northcroft in her steed, Evie finds those dark impulses waking up more and more, drawn to the school's mystery and especially to the woods surrounding the campus. Evie really grapples with trying to figure out what's really going on at the school, which at first boils down to puzzling out the weird goings-on, but later becomes about her identity and connection to the school and woods. I liked Evie and definitely sympathized with her throughout the book.

Holland is used to Northcroft and it's weird creepiness. Despite her best friend vanishing in the woods for a few days and coming back different, she's never been particularly interested in finding out why the school is so weird, and so particular. But Holland feels a thread connecting her and Evie, and as Evie dives deeper into things, Holland does as well. While Evie looks into the woods for answers, Holland looks to Northcroft's secret society. Holland definitely makes some questionable decisions over the course of this book. Evie might be the one with the dark impulses, but Holland has her own ways of manipulating things that never really gets addressed.

Evie and Holland are interested in each other from the get-go. It's an odd kind of interest from both sides and the two are quick to light each other's fires. The romance is a little weird though considering there are multiple forces (both internal to them and external) conspiring to keep them apart, so there are gaps where they're separated and/or mad at each other, but then they get back together like nothing happened.

Holland's best friend, Beth, dislikes Evie from the get-go. She's antagonistic toward her, and at first it appears related to her anxieties about the woods, but as the book progresses it becomes clear there's more to the story. Beth is protective of Holland to the point of obsessiveness, and her bizarreness adds to the creepy atmosphere of Northcroft. Of course, it doesn't help that Beth's previous best friend went missing in the woods and then Beth herself vanished into them for a couple of days. She was catatonic for the first week after coming back and, according to Holland, was never the same afterward.

Leta is Evie's roommate and ends up being the more normal of the bunch. She's aware of Northcroft's weirdness (it's impossible not to be), but isn't particularly interested in learning more about it. She goes to classes, has her friends, and that's that. I liked Leta and definitely wish I saw more of her in the book, especially since she and Evie seemed to become close.

As the plot progresses, things get more dangerous for everyone, and the whole group gets roped into a situation that goes from bad to worse. The layers to the mystery converge and overlap in interesting ways and I enjoyed trying to figure out where things would lead. There were definitely some surprises in there, but there were also parts that I found a bit predictable.

Overall I enjoyed this dark, sapphic read and think it would be a perfect October read or a good read if you're in the mood for something spooky.

I really enjoyed this book! The love in this story felt authentic and all consuming. The summary describes it as a lovecraftian horror novel and I definitely think the main antagonist fits the bill for that type of villain. I also enjoyed that while this is YA, the characters felt pretty mature to me in terms of their thought processes. For me this was a pretty quick read as well. Very compelling and the plot never dragged for me. I hate that NetGalley only allows us to rate with whole stars because this would be a 4.5 stars for me! I think I’m missing a lack of closure weirdly and that stops me from rating it a full five stars. I just don’t think it ended as wrapped up as I normally enjoy but that is personal preference!

This book was INCREDIBLE! So spooky, so atmospheric! Secret societies, monsters, death, creepy forest, obsessive romance. If these sound like your jam, read it! And go in blind and let yourself sink into the story under a cozy blanket in a dim room.

Thank you so much to Penguin House and NetGalley for the ARC!

Read if you like:
Morally gray women
Death of a sibling
Betrayal, secrets & sacrifice
Boarding schools/hidden society
Monsters, of course!

I devoured this book in two straight days

The ending left me mind blown

Evie and Holland were extremely well rounded and I loved their relationship, despite a little toxic and strained. The only character I couldn't stand was Beth, gods she was aggravating at every turn.

I'm still left me with so many unanswered questions but it was a fast read, the atmosphere was sooooo spooky. I hope there's a second book!

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

“The Afterdark” by E. Latimer is a gripping YA queer horror novel that develops an eerie atmosphere of a haunted boarding school with Lovecraftian elements. From the very first chapter, Latimer sets an intense, chilling tone that grips you and refuses to let go. Before getting into the book, I do want to provide some content warnings (standard for a horror story) that includes body horror, some gore, and one (briefly mentioned) animal death. And while this is a queer horror story, it’s definitely not a healthy relationship, though that is clearly demonstrated throughout the book.

The story unfolds at Northcroft, an elite boarding school harboring a deadly secret. Each night, the Afterdark descends, transforming the surrounding forest into a grotesque, nightmarish mirror image of itself—a place crawling with horrors that feel straight out of a dark fairy tale. This macabre setting provides the perfect backdrop for the book's exploration of privilege, elitism, and the legacy students who inhabit Northcroft, subtly critiquing how these factors shape personality and behavior. I could go in depth about the metaphors in the story, but I will mainly just focus on the horror elements, which were at the forefront of the story and were what I enjoyed the most.

Central to the story are Evie Laurent and Holland Morgan, two complex and deeply flawed characters whose attraction to one another quickly spirals into obsession. Evie is haunted by the memory of her sister’s death—a secret she keeps hidden even as her darker impulses threaten to consume her. Holland, on the other hand, is a character riddled with terrible choices and questionable decisions, with her burgeoning relationship with Evie being yet another in her long list of mistakes. The relationship between them, while moving at a rapid pace, serves as a vehicle for the book’s exploration of unhealthy obsessions and the dangerous allure of darkness. It was almost like every person was obsessed with Holland, potentially showing the problems in today’s society with celebrity worship.

Latimer excels at creating an atmosphere dripping with tension and dread. The woods surrounding Northcroft become almost a character in their own right, pulsating with a malevolent life that is both fascinating and terrifying. The slow unraveling of what lurks within these woods is expertly paced, with the eventual reveal being appropriately grotesque and horrifying, delivering a memorable moment of horror that will stay with you long after you’ve finished the book. It definitely made me not want to go into a forest any time soon. There were several twists and turns in the book that I was not expecting, especially in the last 10%. I really enjoyed these twists as well as Latimer’s writing.

While “The Afterdark” is undeniably creepy and unsettling, it does have moments where the pacing falters. The introspective nature of Evie’s character is a bit repetitive especially in the beginning, with her frequent musings on how she’s "different" occasionally bogging down the plot. However, these moments are balanced out by getting Holland’s perspective as well as its gruesome descriptions that will undoubtedly satisfy fans of horror. The book wraps up its many plot threads by the end, offering a sense of closure while leaving the door open for a potential sequel—especially concerning what becomes of Holland. Though the ending is open-ended, it manages to strike a hopeful note amidst the darkness.

Overall, “The Afterdark” is a standout in the YA horror genre, delivering an atmospheric, intensely creepy story that is sure to please fans of the macabre. Its exploration of privilege and obsession makes it a thought-provoking read as well. I can’t wait to read more from Latimer!