The Dark Beneath the Ice: A Spooky YA Horror Novel

I should start this off by saying a big fat THANK YOU to Sourcebooks Fire for providing me with this (and a bunch of other) YA horror/thriller novel.  I was super excited to dive into a creepy novel for October, and THE DARK BENEATH THE ICE by Amelinda Berube didn’t disappoint. 

Marianne is about to discover if nightmares are real.

Something is wrong with Marianne. It's not just that her dad has finally left, or that her life hasn't been the same since she quit dancing. Or even that her mother has checked herself into a hospital.

She's losing time. Doing things she'd never do. And the face in the mirror doesn't look like her own. Marianne's not sure what to believe. Is something after her, or is she following in her mother's footsteps?

Marianne doesn't trust herself, but she does trust the only person in town who's willing to try to help, the daughter of the local physic. But the more the two dig into what's wrong, the more the line between nightmare and reality is blurred. And Marianne has to figure out what's real before she loses everything.

What I liked about THE DARK BENEATH THE ICE:

1. It’s a possession story told in first person. This is fun, because you’re getting to feel/see/experience what it’s like to be possessed, which is quite unique.
2. It’s got a nice element of mystery. You definitely don’t understand what’s happening exactly, nor do you understand why. View Spoiler »And it doesn’t completely get explained, which is what I liked! I like my horror ambiguous 🙂 « Hide Spoiler
3. The relationship between the main character and her parents. Their relationship is rocky, but it felt very authentic. I also appreciated how the main character’s possession affected the family members.
4. It’s actually creepy for a YA novel!! I would get a little freaked out reading it by myself at night, which I didn’t expect for YA. It’s mild horror, but it accomplishes its aim.

Bottom line: if you’re looking for a tame horror novel, this is a great one to pick up. 

A.S. Thornton

A.S. Thornton has evolved from book blogger to author with a particular fondness for writing forbidden love in ancient deserts. When not writing, she’s caring for dogs and cats as a veterinarian. You’ll never find animals at the center of her writing, though, because those fictional worlds don’t have veterinarians and her literal brain can’t accept that the poor critters would be without parasite prevention. Thornton’s debut, DAUGHTER OF THE SALT KING is available wherever books are sold.