In order to escape the men who took her mother, Argentinian Mavi has fled to the elite Vaccaro School, rumored to be cursed because of its location on indigenous Zapuche lands. From the moment she arrives in icy Patagonia, there's something ominous surrounding the campus, and as she takes on her role as English instructor, Mavi finds that one of her ten students is missing. The more she discovers about the school, the closer she comes to finding out what haunts it and solving a mystery much larger than she could have imagined. A number of surprises culminates in a shocking twist of an ending and will have readers rethinking the entire book and grappling with questions of morality. Readers should be cautioned about depictions of suicide and abuse, but those in search of classic Gothic horror will be drawn in by the elegant writing and eerie atmosphere fore it changes into something unexpected.

Gr 10 Up--Faring's impressive debut brings readers to a school for only the most elite girls in a remote corner of Argentina, where death, ghosts, and dangerous secrets lurk in the forbidden hallways at night. At the isolated and prestigious Vaccaro School, the young English teacher Mavi has found refuge from a life on the run following the disappearance of her political activist mother. In exchange for room and board, she must take on the challenge of educating privileged girls barely younger than herself, resisting her attraction to the handsome and unpredictable son of the headmaster, and secretly investigating the ancient curse that is sweeping the school in the form of a mysterious illness. Unbeknownst to her, a ghost by the name of Angel aids in her investigation of the school's dark past and the encroaching Others but at the Vaccaro School, no one is who they seem. An undertaking in terms of length and concept, Faring has crafted an evocative novel narrated in alternating chapters, which may prove difficult for some readers to easily and fully immerse themselves in, but is ultimately worth the time and effort. VERDICT Recommended for older readers of prep-school stories who want to sink their teeth into something more sinister and paranormal.-Emily Grace Le May, Cross' Mills Public Library, Charlestown, RI