THE AFTERDARK is a sapphic horror novel set in a centuries-old boarding school on a remote island, nestled within a cursed forest and that’s ALL i want you to know before going into it! i mean, do you really need to hear more?

this book hooked me from the very start, and i loved watching the story unfold as I got deeper into it. i was completely satisfied with each reveal, and just when i thought i had it all figured out, e. latimer would throw in another twist that left me shocked.

read this for:

🌲 secret societies
🖤 dark impulses
🌲 creepy forests
🖤 tense atmospheres
🌲 themes of privilege and elitism
🖤 flawed characters

thank you so much @coloredpagesbt @tundrabooks and @elatimerwrites for this BEAUTIFUL #gifted copy

I love queer horror books so much and The Afterdark did not disappoint! The dark academia vibes were immaculate. Thanks to NetGalley and Tundra Books for the advance copy!

“That’s the thing about this school… it’s so busy keeping its unbelievable horror movie a secret that it doesn’t think about simple things. Equally deadly things.”

Oh my gooooodness, this was SOOO good.
Thank you, NetGalley and E. Latimer for this early copy. I just know that people are going to enjoy this, especially those who love queer stories and stories about evil forests or the dark academia vibe.

“i can feel the darkness responding. It makes my boood hum in false anticipation. Some small part of me wants to be out there. Hurtling through the trees, bare feet on the forest floor, heart beating hard in my ears.”

The Afterdark gives big Evil Dead vibes and this story feels like it may have been left in a basement of an abandoned cabin to be experienced and live on at an eerie boarding school. Evie has always had darkness in her; so as her twin, Ada. When Ada dies, it’s up to Evie to take her place at the boarding school where their father is the the principal. Northcroft is eerie in its own standing, but something sinister lurks the grounds at night. Enter Holland, she may have been in love with Ada, but Evie is different. The darkness calls to both of them, and the game they are willing to play is dangerous. The question is always: how does this love story end?

Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. The Afterdark was a beautifully creepy, atmospheric read that I couldn't tear my eyes from. I actually loved the characters and their unique dynamic, and the setting for the story was so well described. Book tour review coming on 12/16 on my TikTok and IG.

Thank you to NetGalley as well as my tour group for giving me an early copy in exchange for my honest review.

I love some good doomed yuri. I also just love stories about evil forests. This one had annoying moments where I was tired of Evie and Holland breaking up and making up every few minutes, but I loved the look of their obsession with each other. The mysteries and suspense were great and I was completely thrown off at the end. After reading Don’t Let The Forest in right before this one, I can say with certainty that I just love these types of books.

"Queer horror at a boarding school with a Lovecraftian twist in this new YA novel from E. Latimer, author of the acclaimed The Strange and Deadly Portraits of Bryony Gray.

Northcroft is an elite boarding school with a deadly secret. Each night as the bell tolls and the shutters slam down, cutting off the outside world, the Afterdark descends, turning the surrounding old growth forest into a macabre copy of itself. A negative photograph crawling with horrors.

Evie Laurent is certain of one thing from the moment she sees Holland Morgan on the front steps of Northcroft: she wants to know everything there is to know about her. But there are some things about Evie herself that are better kept secret. Especially the fact that she let her sister drown. And that it's getting harder to ignore her dark impulses...

Holland Morgan knows falling for Evie is just one more terrible choice in her long history of terrible choices. The problem is, she's not sure she cares.

As attraction turns slowly to obsession, they find themselves playing a dangerous game. Something out there is calling to each of them. Beckoning to the shadows within.

Do they fight the call and protect one another, or answer and embrace the darkness?"

Can't they be villains together?

I enjoyed the beginning of the book, especially as we were getting into the horror/mystery part. The tension was well-built and the sprinkling of clues piqued my interest as to what was going on. Evie and Ada were cute together. I think that the actual mystery/truth about the horror was intriguing; however, I think that having Evie and Ada not work together to investigate the mystery made it confusing and hard for me to keep track of what was going on. My preference would’ve been if they went through the sleuthing together because it would’ve made it easy to understand and more entertaining in my opinion. The ending also fell flat for me because I would’ve liked more action that gave me goosebumps. Finally, I feel like there should’ve been a scene before Ada’s drowning to establish her cruelty because when it is first, reading her death scene makes Evie seem heartless.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the ARC!

This was such a fun, creepy time! The Pacific Northwest boarding school setting, the eerie forest that's looming in the background, a mysterious masked leader of a secret society all make for a great rainy day read.
The story started and ended really strong but it lagged just a bit in the middle for me.

[arc review]
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
The Afterdark releases January 7, 2025

Sapphic dark academia set in the Pacific Northwest, with a spine-chilling forest, secret societies, and all the dark impulses.

The death of Evie’s twin sister is the catalyst to her attending Northcroft — a boarding school in which she is a descendant of its founders.
I really enjoyed the path to unearthing Evie’s legacy and the decaying setting that surrounded her and the other students.

<i>The Afterdark</I> is the perfect read to add to your tbr in preparation for next fall.

The Afterdark is a YA sapphic Dark Academia horror book about Evie, a young woman with a few anger issues that watches her twin sister drown and then takes her spot at an exclusive boarding school.
Thank you to NetGalley and Tundra for the opportunity to read and review this book which I am giving 3 stars.
This book was OK for a mostly fast paced read but none of the characters were particularly strong and the plot felt like a mashup of Wednesday x Stranger Things. I think this book would be better off released during the fall, but it wasn't strong enough to be more than just another average YA book.

This was like really quite scary and E. Latimer does an amazing job balancing horror and romance. Holland Evie had such amazing chemistry and you want to root for them to survive and it was just a thrill ride.

I loved both of the FMCs, Holland and Evie. Evie's history is so interesting and I loved how the mysteries played out. All of the reveals were pretty satisfying and I found myself thinking about the horror and mystery aspects long after I finished reading. I truly love horror lead by young female characters, and this new novel is a great addition to the genre.

I LOVE THE SPOOKY! I am a sucker for a Halloween book (it is Halloween time, so it fits well). I love the world building and the fact that I could just lose myself in this book and imagine myself in this book. I can say I was generally scared at some points, and I felt all the feeling. Overall, I just recommend

thank you to netgalley and the author for providing me with an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review. this book took me a really long time to get into but once i did it was soooo good. the two main characters were really likable and their romance was a nice part of it aswell. in my opinion though the best part of this was not the romance but instead the complex plot. i don’t want to give away too much so im going to leave it at that but it definitely kept me hooked. this is perfect for spooky szn and i really recommend.

* Thank you NetGalley & Tundra Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. *

The Afterdark is a Lovecraftian gothic horror set at an elite boarding school with a deadly secret hiding in the forest. I don't want to give to much away because this story definitely does not go in the direction I naively assumed it would go (I haven't ever actually read Lovecraft, so maybe it goes in exactly the direction a Lovecrafter would assume), but I will give you this:

The Afterdark is a creepy, crawly story about Eve and Holland who are both drawn to each other and to the forest surrounding their school. As their attraction turns slowly to obsession, they find themselves playing a dangerous game of cat and mouse. The forest is calling to them. Will they answer?

I do feel like the story was buttoned up, but that the ending was left open for the possibility of a book 2. If that's the case, I'd definitely be interested in seeing where this story goes!

Queer boarding school horror? Yes please! I love a good boarding school book, and this one had the perfect combo of mystery, horror, and romance. This is the type of book that grips you immediately and sucks you in until the end. So good.

“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.