The Dark Beneath the Ice

by Amelinda Bérubé

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.

Genres: Horror, Young Adult, Paranormal, Fantasy, LGBT, Thriller, Fiction

336 pages, Paperback

First published August 7, 2018

About the author

I write about ghosts and monsters and other things that go bump in the night. My books tend to include a liberal sprinkling of weird Canadiana and the occasional zombie metaphor.

I am an eternal fangirl for YA and SFF, but any book that makes me laugh, makes me cry, or creeps me out will have my heart forever. My very favorites tend to have a thinky, supernatural flavor and don't explain too much.

In my other lives I'm a public service editor, a mother of two, and a passionate gardener. I live in Ottawa, Canada, in a perpetual whirlwind of unfinished projects and cat hair.

Reviews

[Elle (ellexamines on TT & Substack) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this so quickly what the fuck. I was literally at dinner with my eyes popping out of my skull and my parents, presumably, were feeling completely disappointed in everything about my being

The Dark Beneath the Ice is blurbed as Black Swan meets Paranormal Activity, and honestly, I think that’s about accurate. This a completely-impossible-to-put-down YA thriller about the day being saved by a combination of self care and lesbian love.

Okay, main promo for this book: it’s really scary. Writing truly horrifying scenes takes a a lot of talent, and this book did a wonderful job at scaring me shitless. The paranormal aspects are brilliantly frightening and written with just enough restraint that it’s hard not to feel deeply, deeply scared. Tension builds up slowly and perfectly.

One of my favorite horror movie conflicts is the man vs. self conflict - when we see a character struggling with their inner demons above all else. Here, I adored the main character, Marianne. her arc around self-hatred is very compelling and intriguing. Though the divorced parents storyline at first came off a bit cliche, her complex and somewhat-codependent relationship with her mother soon adds a super intriguing angle to The Dark Beneath the Ice’s paranormal elements.

And I really loved the way the romance was written! It’s sapphic, and though it’s not a huge element of the book, it has a good slow burn - it’s hard not to get invested in the relatively slow build. Marianne and Rhiannon [who both have weirdly long names] make for a really sweet couple in a book that is otherwise pretty damn dark.

Blog | Goodreads | Twitter | Youtube

[megs_bookrack · Rating 4 out of 5]

**3.5-stars rounded up**

Marianne's world is falling apart. She has quit dance, which was once her greatest passion, her parents are separated, again, and her best friend has moved away and ghosted her.

Her parent's separation is for real this time and her mother has recently been checked into a mental health facility following a breakdown.



Now staying with her Aunt, Marianne begins to notice some disturbing occurrences. She is losing time and objects are moving, or breaking around her, seemingly of their own accord.

She feels afraid, but can't explain why. It's like a dark spirit is constantly around her, messing with her mind.



Her fear is so strong, she's not sleeping and soon begins to feel like she is coming apart at the seams. She seeks help from an unlikely source; a girl at school, Rhiannon, whose mother is purported to be a psychic.

Marianne believes the presence after her is some sort of ghost and her hope is that Rhiannon's mom will be able to get rid of it.



As Marianne and Rhiannon, who goes by Ron, begin to get to know one another, a really precious friendship forms. Both ostracized by their peers, the girls find acceptance within one another.

This friendship was one of my favorite aspects of the story, made stronger once you begin to see that something deeper than friendship is developing.



Once it is clear that Ron's mom won't be as much help as they thought, the girls strike out on their own to try to banish the spirit.

Unfortunately, due to their inexperience, their actions actually end up making it worse. A lot worse.



I really enjoyed the majority of this book. At first, the writing style threw me off, but I came to really enjoy it.

It is metaphorical in nature, more so than I tend to enjoy, but very dark and beautiful. Every page drew me in until I was completely absorbed in Marianne's experience.



I thought the paranormal elements were well done. The intensity kept being amped up and it truly had me glued to the pages.

The ending made me a little uncomfortable, but I may be reading too much into it. I just wasn't sold on the ending and revelations behind Marianne's dilemma.



In my opinion, it seemed that the conclusion of the story was, if you found the right person, all would be right. As in, Marianne finding Ron, allowed her to clear up a schism within herself, and because of Ron she was whole.

I don't like the idea of finding the answer for a problem within yourself in another person. Does that make sense?

I don't know. For me, I just don't like that message. I could be way off base on this, but that's how I read it.



Anyway, overall I did really enjoy this. I had a ton of fun reading it and even had moments where I was legitimately creeped out. I think this would make a great movie.

If you enjoy movies with paranormal activity or possession, you should definitely check this one out. Bonus points if you enjoy dark, metaphorical writing.

[Dannii Elle · Rating 2 out of 5]

My original thoughts were: "Black Swan meets Paranormal Activity". Um, YES FUCKING PLEASE!

My final thoughts were: In theory the synopsis was entirely correct in pitching this book as an amalgamation of the two, but it was a far tamer combination than I had been ecpecting and this spoiled my overall enjoyment. No major flaws here, and a solid character and twisted story progression was to be found, this was purely a case of expectations too highly placed and this particular story being not exactly suited for my tastes. I can see this one garnering much high praise from others in the future, however, due to the poetic writing style and intense emotions it exuded.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, Amelinda Bérubé, and the publisher, Sourcebooks Fire, for this opportunity.

[Acqua · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Dark Beneath the Ice is an addicting f/f horror book, and so much more.
I loved it, I can already tell it will be in my list of favorites of 2018, and yet it did not scare me. Reviews, just like what scares a person, are heavily subjective, but it’s especially true for this one - this is an objectively scary book, for YA standards.
This book wasn’t scary to me because my reaction to almost everything the main character did or thought was, basically, “been there, done that”. And that’s also the main reason I loved it.

I tend to hate the “is she insane or is she magic” trope, I find it exploitative, it happens in stories that use the “scary” aspects of mental illnesses for shock value, but with a main character who – usually – turns out to not be mentally ill after all.

This book, however, didn’t feel like that. The Dark Beneath the Ice is a story about mental illness through paranormal lens, not a paranormal story that uses illnesses as a plot device.
Marianne is probably the character I’ve related to the most since I started reading. It’s like someone was looking at my experiences as a mentally ill teenage girl, and writing them using the paranormal as a metaphor. It was almost too much, and I definitely cried a few times. No, I’ve never been haunted, but the way this haunting manifested itself - it was like reading a paranormal version of my panic attacks.
I've read many books with main characters with anxiety disorders, and yet no book ever went there.
Panic attacks in YA books are always the same: the main character is scared, struggles to breathe, is shaking, and they may feel like they’re going to throw up. There’s nothing wrong with this, but there are so many other ways panic attacks can look, and The Dark Beneath the Ice is the first book I've read that seems to recognize this. It's also the only book I've read that seems to really get the feeling of powerlessness that follows an attack.

There are people who claw at their own skin without realizing it until the episodes goes away, there are people who become so scared they get angry and start breaking things, there are people who blurt out things they don’t remember afterwards, who start shouting. A panic attack may also look like a person frozen, unable to move, staring ahead while screaming inside – and many of these aspects are mentioned or happen in this book; some of Marianne’s “paranormal episodes” manifested like this.

And yes, I do consider this representation, because the horror is tied to Marianne’s mental illnesses, but Marianne is ill before and after the paranormal episodes, and also has other symptoms, like spirals of thoughts she can’t escape, or being so critical of herself she can’t see anything but the faults, the flaws, so much that it turns into self-hate. Or the idea that no one ever wants to hear her talk, that no one wants to remember she exists, that she should isolate herself and disappear and everyone will be better if she does that.
[I’m surprised I had never seen this aspect in books about mental illness with female main characters. I suppose it's not uncommon seeing how little women and their opinions are valued.]

Another reason I really liked this representation of MIs is that, while we didn’t go through the same things, Marianne's unhealthy coping mechanisms reminded me of many things I have done. Trying to achieve invisibility, self-drowning to avoid conflict – I’ve been there. The “you can’t harass a ghost” quote made me feel a lot of things. That’s also why I knew the ending from the start, I saw it coming, and I don’t care. I have done this, what happens is in no way a mystery to me, paranormal metaphors or not.

I also loved the nuanced portrayals of family, therapy and medication. Marianne's parents, before the divorce, weren't exactly unsupportive - they were supportive until she wanted to quit something, which I understand more than I'd like to. And this is the first paranormal book involving mental illnesses I've seen that completely avoids the "therapists and psychiatrists are evil" trope. The main character even takes medication (!) and has mixed experiences with it (it helps in some ways, with some side effects).

Also, it's queer horror! With a f/f romance, and a main character who is very much into girls but doesn't label herself! (and it’s not the classic “I don’t want to use the word bisexual”, it’s “I don’t know which label is right for me and it's not important to me right now”, which. Can we stop acting like that’s somehow lesser or incomplete representation?). I also really liked the love interest: Rhiannon is a girl who has another way to shield herself from the outside – she basically built a persona – because high school is cruel, especially to marginalized girls.
[Marhiannon is the worst ship name ever though]

Anyway this book is one of my new favorites ever and I have highlighted and annotated so many parts of it I could go on and on about what I loved about it, but I think this is enough. I don’t know if this book will work as well for people who haven’t had experiences similar to mine; maybe they’ll find this annoying or boring or too weird – but all of this is also true of living with a mental illness. It’s annoying and scary, very ordinary and weird at the same time. It’s you, but it’s not, or maybe it is – and, like Marianne, you don’t always know whether to trust yourself.

[Helen Power · Rating 3 out of 5]

Marianne's life is falling apart. It isn't because her parents are getting divorced, because her mother had a psychotic break, or even because her best friend moved away. It's because strange and terrifying things keep happening whenever she's around. Light bulbs burst. Mirrors crack. Furniture moves. Convinced she's possessed, Marianne tries to communicate with the demon inside of her. This turns out to be a horrible mistake...

A major strength of The Dark Beneath the Ice is the language Bérubé uses as she describes the horrors that Marianne is experiencing.  She describes the world she's created through lyrical prose.  The frequent use of water and ice imagery—which ties back to the title perfectly--is haunting, yet beautiful.

I do have a few criticisms of the story.  The paranormal events escalate too quickly. This novel is marketed as “Paranormal Activity” meets “Black Swan”, but in both of these movies, the mysterious occurrences are subtle at the beginning. So subtle you could almost miss them, and you could easily explain them away as being caused by something based in this reality.  My major issue with this book is that Marianne always suspects she’s possessed.  She does question her sanity for a brief moment at the beginning, but the reader cannot experience this uncertainty with her, because of how quickly the events escalate. In one of the first chapters, Marianne walks down the street and the streetlights blow out.  Immediately the reader is tuned into the fact that this can't be a figment of her imagination and that there is definitely something paranormal going on.  The movie "Black Swan" is beautiful in its simplicity.  Natalie Portman’s character might be going mad. I wanted Bérubé to explore this possibility, if only for the first portion of the book. Instead, we discover right away that it can’t just be in her head.  Something supernatural is definitely taking over Marianne.

I love the exploration of Marianne's relationship with Rhiannon, or “Ron”, an outcast at school. Their interactions and the development of their relationship is definitely one of the highlights of the book.  Marianne has recently lost her best friend, who moved out of the country.  Ron fits perfectly into this gaping hole in her life, and whenever they interact, we get to see parts of Marianne that we wouldn't otherwise.  It isn't quite insta-love, and it's a touch of sweetness in an otherwise dark story line.

For a book about possession, I expected the main character to have more introspection. She’s going through a lot. Her parents are getting divorced, her best friend moved away, her mother just might be insane.  Yet she doesn’t ruminate over it, and while this could be a defense mechanism, she doesn’t even think about not thinking about it. There are some flashbacks in the story, but not enough to fill in the blanks of her past. Whether this is intentional or not is beside the point—if she was intentionally ignoring the pains of her past—then she should have thought about it occasionally to let the reader know why she doesn’t like remembering.

Marianne’s relationship with her mother is fascinating. It’s clearly an unhealthy relationship, which unfortunately doesn’t get explored much, as Marianne spends the majority of the book living with her Aunt Jennifer.  Unhealthy family relationships are often at the centre of a good horror story, with the supernatural plot line mirroring or accentuating distorted relationships and emotions.

This book is beautifully written and very fast-paced, but it doesn’t spend enough time developing the characters. I felt like I understood the love interest, Rhiannon, better than I understood the main character.  I wanted to see more growth and revelations about Marianne’s motivations, fears, and desires as the story unfolded, but unfortunately the plot didn’t turn this way.

The Dark Beneath the Ice is a deliciously atmospheric read set in Ottawa (hometown represent!).  I recommend this book to anyone who’s looking for a light supernatural horror that puts an emphasis on setting, but if you’re looking for a darker take on psychological issues, psychological abuse in family relationships, or other themes that are often explored in possession or haunting books, you might be better off picking up a different book.

*I received a copy of this ARC from Sourcebooks Fire through NetGalley.*

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

*the publisher was kind enough to send me a copy of this book for review*
*3.5 stars*

(yay for lgbtq+ rep!)

I'm a huge fan of horror, unreliable narrators, ghost stories, and spooky stuff. So I was more than a little excited to pick up this book, and overall, it was a great read! I loved the build up at the beginning and there were some great moments in there; however, it had a few issues that dropped my rating down a few stars.

The story had great potential. Our main character Marianne was super interesting, and I loved her background in dance and the details surrounding that part of her life. However, there were several aspects of her character and backstory that never got fleshed out as much as I was hoping.

The main issue with this book was the reveal at the end and the lack of satisfaction I got when I reached the last page. It wasn't terrible - but it wasn't what I was hoping for. Once we figured out what the "mysterious force" was, the story lost pretty much all tension for me, and just came across as cheesy, especially in the dialogue.

Looking past that, I still really enjoyed the book. I thought it was well-written and paced super well, and I'd definitely try out this author's future work. Good debut. Hoping her next book is even better!

[K.A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this book up and didn't want to put it down for a hot second, because IT WAS SO DARK AND CREEPY AND UTTERLY BEAUTIFUL AND TERRIFYING! I might have growled at my children when they walked in on me reading. The prose was so lovely and visceral--I felt the ice in my bones, the water rising, the slow unhinging of the dark. I felt everything. The world building was careful and purposeful. The word choices, perfect. It was a masterwork of setting and tone. The characters were wonderful, the plot kept me guessing until the very end. I also *might* have been scared to death and come back as a ghost. Maybe. Either way, if you're a fan of creepy, scary, ghost stories and beautiful dark writing, you have to read THE DARK BENEATH THE ICE. God, it was so good.

[Selena · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a free e-copy of The Dark Beneath The Ice by Amelinda Berube from NetGalley for my honest review.

This is an good creepy book. A spirit is haunting Marianne. Her Aunt doesn't believe her and her only friend is on the opposite side of the continent. She has no one to talk to or get help from. Marianne tries to pretend that nothing is wrong, but the more she denies the ghost, the angrier the ghost gets. Marianne needs to figure out a way to save herself but before she can, she has to believe that she's worth saving.

This story will keep you up reading through the night but have you so spooked that you find yourself reading under the covers. The story is written so vividly that you feel like you, yourself are falling through the ice.

[Amelinda Bérubé]

[UPDATE: October 29, 2018] Thank you so much to everyone who has taken the time to leave their thoughts on my spooky book. If you haven't already, I'd super appreciate it if you could copy your review over to Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Chapters to feed the algorithm magic. Can't wait to share more spookiness with you in 2019!

[UPDATE: July 9, 2018] Another trade review from the School Library Journal!



[UPDATE: June 15, 2018] Check out what Booklist and Kirkus had to say about THE DARK BENEATH THE ICE! Full reviews are up on their websites...

[April 6, 2018] Lovely readers! We're only a few months out from August, when I get to share my spooky book with all of you! To hear the latest about THE DARK BENEATH THE ICE and future projects - and for book recs, thoughts on tarot, and answers to your questions - you can sign up for my (very occasional) newsletter at http://www.metuiteme.com/contact.html. I'll be giving away goodies to subscribers every Wednesday in April!

[Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a scary, gorgeous, terrifying gem of an novel that had me reading it with the lights on throughout the night!! I can't even put into words how I felt about this book because I am still processing it...
Thanks to Sourcebooks for the ARC!!

[The Nerd Daily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally published on The Nerd Daily | Review by Declan Green

Chilling, unsettling, and tense, Amelinda Bérubé’s debut novel The Dark Beneath The Ice relentlessly submerges the reader into the broken, detached world of former dancer Marianne. The lines between crushing mental illness and supernatural possession are blurred, and Marianne’s own attempts to distinguish between the two are in equal parts exasperating and intriguing.

Ambiguity runs deep throughout the story, and plays a significant part in the development of a protagonist who often deliberately avoids learning new information, in fear of shattering her already fragile state of mind. In most cases this would be a frustrating character flaw, but in The Dark Beneath The Ice we are similarly torn between our craving for knowledge, and our desire for Marianne’s safety.

As she loses control, we lose control with her. Each time she learns something new, we use that to desperately try to solve the mystery for her. By the end of the novel, the attachment we form with Marianne is not just one of an outside observer—we become Marianne, slipping into her skin as easily as the ghost.

It is clear on a surface level that Marianne’s possession is a metaphor for her coming of age. Its timing is no coincidence, as it falls directly within that period of life where we realise how little agency we truly have over our world. Parents separating, losing old friends, discovering one’s sexuality, giving up on childhood dreams—for those without an outlet, these frustrations build up and spill out in outbursts of rage. Then when our head clears, we look back and wonder what pushed us to act so out of character. Bérubé effectively applies a paranormal, psychological filter to this common experience, so that when the supernatural happenings start to creep into Marianne’s life they feel all too familiar.

One significant piece of imagery that plague’s Marianne’s mind is the icy, bottomless lake, threatening to crack and pull her under whenever she loses consciousness. At other times, Marianne finds herself watching her possessed body from the outside, with the world around her appearing dark and lifeless. Much like the sunken place from Jordan Peele’s 2017 horror film Get Out, this realm is a place where Marianne is a passive observer, unable to interact with anyone or anything. Here, she is helpless against the force that is taking over her body.

Although this imagery is beautifully effective, The Dark Beneath The Ice unfortunately suffers from inconsistent pacing throughout its narrative. The story barely gives enough time for the reader to adjust to the setting before the supernatural activity is introduced, making its initial appearance not particularly surprising or unsettling. When the ghostly apparition finally manifests, its frequent battles with Marianne’s power of will often crop up at awkward points without sufficient build up, sometimes dragging on for so long that each one feels like the final confrontation. As a result the real, final face-off between Marianne and the ghost, while providing a satisfying resolution, does not feel as intense as those that came before.

Where Bérubé excels, however, is in her ability to imbue each character with a tragic sense of authenticity. Rhiannon, Marianne’s parents, Aunt Jen, and even Ingrid each feel like individuals who, just like Marianne, conceal parts of themselves they are ashamed of. Most of the time we never really get to find out what these are, and yet these hidden secrets further isolate us from the world in which Marianne feels like such an outsider. By gradually cutting off her closest ties, the tension slowly turns up until we too are suffocating, leaving us to grab at any sliver of hope—hope that is often tantalisingly dangled in front of our faces, only for us to see it cruelly snatched away.

The Dark Beneath The Ice is a refreshingly original blend of the paranormal and coming-of-age genres that dispenses with common young adult fiction tropes, and instead deals with adolescent issues in a more serious light. Although the uneven pacing occasionally throws the narrative off course, it rarely lasts long enough to distract from Bérubé’s enthralling characters and eloquent imagery. Her debut as a novelist displays a great deal confidence and intelligence, demonstrating a flair for delving into supernatural and psychological realms that will surely continue to captivate readers.

[JenacideByBibliophile · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disclaimer: This book was sent to me by the publisher, Sourcebooks Fire, via NetGalley for an honest review.

Opinion:

“Black Swan meets Paranormal Activity in this compelling ghost story about a former dancer whose grip on reality slips when she begins to think a dark entity is stalking her”
So this was…interesting.

Marianne’s life has never been more out of control. With her parents announcing their divorce despite seeming to be so in love, her mother’s recent hospitalization, and the drama surrounding Marianne’s decision to quit dance; it feels like Marianne is drowning. As she is sent to live with her aunt, strange things begin to happen in Marianne���s quiet world. Losing time, objects being moved without her moving them, strange knocking and banging on the walls, and the never-ending feeling of being watched. After a loss of time happens in one of Marianne’s classes, she attempts to reach out to the goth girl named Ron in hopes that her psychic mother may help her. But when communicating with whatever haunts Marianne only strengthens it, everyone close to Marianne is in danger. Something is coming for Marianne, and its angry at her for being shoved down and drowned. But in the end, Marianne may be the one being dragged beneath the ice.
Intriguing concept and idea, but a bit of a miss for me.

Don’t get me wrong, there were definitely some positives! The story started out great in regards to the writing style. It was so descriptive and beautiful, I felt as if I was reading a more relaxed form of poetry. The writing feels like a well-choreographed dance, and I found myself having to read between the lines to figure out what these characters were hiding. It was constructed well, had an even tone throughout, and was a very quick and easy read. The theme that the author kept with through this story (as you can tell from the title) is a theme of being drowned or shoved down beneath ice. Marianne uses her memories of the river near her aunt’s house as a meditative tool when she begins to feel overwhelmed or scared. She pictures the calming feeling of her being submerged in the water, and the silence and security that comes with hiding under the surface. The water is her safe place, and the ice on top of the water becomes her shield against anything negative. This theme is carried throughout the entire book, but becomes less of a symbolism and more of a….sigh…it honestly just becomes ridiculous.

As I started this read, I was really into it and devouring the words in order to find out WHAT exactly was going on. Is this a ghost story, is it a story of delusions and misconceptions, or is it a fantastical read about demons?! Halfway through the story I had decided that this was a ghost haunting/exorcism story that was about to be twisted and wild, and it was proving to be just that. Marianne would wake up at the piano in her aunt’s house banging on the keys in the middle of the night, or she would find herself up in front of her class at school being scolded by her teacher but having no recollection of what had happened. Things got worse after Ron, the goth/emo girl from school, tries to give Marianne a tame version of an exorcism. But even after enlisting the help of Ron’s mother, the physic, things turn dangerous. Knives floating in the air and being aimed at herself, bruises on her body, and a distinct pulling feeling that tries to drag her into the river and drown her.

However, how this turns out just DOES NOT ADD UP.


*Watch out, there’s a puddle of SPOILERS down there*

Nearing the end of this story I had a thought that MAYBE this was all just a symbolism for Marianne figuratively drowning herself in her hardships and woes and BLAH BLAH BLAH. MAYBE there isn’t actually a ghost or anything haunting her, MAYBE it’s just her.

Well, guess what?

It was literally both of those things.

It was her own “shadow self” trying to drown her because Marianne had pushed her “shadow self” beneath the figurative surface, and the “shadow self” wanted out because the “shadow self” was actually the original Marianne, and the Marianne that is now Marianne isn’t actually the original Marianne. The “shadow self” is actually the first Marianne, but in the end they are actually both Marianne.

Makes total sense right?

-__-



Apart from that complete mess, the character of Marianne that the reader follows during this read proves to be another negative in my eyes. Marianne is, simply put, annoying as all hell. She felt a bit dull, emotionally confusing, and extremely desperate and needy in a way that made me scrunch my face up in a “WTF” sort of way. She has this fabricated idea of friendships in her head that I just didn’t follow. She was so worried about looking needy all the time, but it just made her look doubly needy and a little stalkerish. She just wasn’t my cup of tea. Ron on the other hand, was a more agreeable character for me. This could be because of my tendency to favor the weird gothy kids though. But Ron proves to be a strong character, she is willful and a “take no s**t” kind of gal, and I love her for it.

Also as a heads up, there is a bit of LGBT moments that happen in this story. They are very tame and mild, so if this is your thing or isn't, just a warning in advance.

All in all, that ending really ruined the story for me. It started out promising, I loved the writing style, but the main character and the conclusion just didn’t hit the mark for me. I appreciate where the author was trying to take this story, but I don’t think she was able to take this book to the place it needed to go. The ending just didn’t feel completely thought through, and the delivery was a bit lacking. Of course, this is just my own opinion, and not all readers share my thoughts. If you think this might be a story that interests you, then I would love to hear your thoughts on it.

To see more reviews, head over to my blog: Jenacidebybibliophile.wordpress.com

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

The synopsis was well-pitched enough that I wanted — scratch that — needed to read that book. But the reality is else: while it is spooky, I’ve been asking myself what was wrong with Marianne, caring about what happened to her. It made me think of Stranger Things and the Upside Down, an alternative universe creepy as hell. But that’s about it. The story has its lengths, it didn’t really captivated me by wanting to devour it. I’m sad, I wanted to love that book...

I received an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Page Grey (Editor) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Find more bookish stuffs from me @Lili's Blissful Pages.

Marianne 's life is falling apart. Her parents are getting divorce and her mother checked herself in a hospital. Her bestfriend Ingrid's family moved to different town. And then there's this someone trying to drown her beneath the icy river that all started in her dreams nightmares but then things begun breaking around her and unusual things started happening that she can't even remember a thing about. But then, life had always been different ever since she quit dancing.

The story opens with Marianne's mother taking her to her Aunt Jen's to stay for a while  and right then I'm intrigued. I thought the writing is a little poetic and really mysterious. Though the opening scene is a little cliche, a car ride with our main protagonist obviously having a hard time and reminiscing a once perfect joyous times with her family. It was really eerie specially with Marianne talking about something that happened the night before. I was intrigued and thought this is exactly what I was expecting when I saw that beautiful, spooky cover on Netgalley. In short, the book started really well and very promising.

But as I read through, everything changes. Or at least how I see the story is not as eerie as it was at the beginning. I found myself just reading not really hundred percent interested on what's happening rather just reading to know the ending. It's not really uninteresting, it was just slightly mediocre. Everything was mediocre. The writing became less poetic and mysterious. The plot became a little obvious. The drowning-and-dark thing she experiences became less interesting.

This one is advertised as Black Swan meets Paranormal. BUT Black Swan and Paranormal are such incredible movies, they're too hard to equal. I mean Black Swan is phenomenal and Paranormal  is really spooky. If you're going to read this book thinking you'll get the same experience when you watched those movies, ahm, you'll be disappointed. Sure the vibe is there. The reason why I even said the plot became a little obvious is  because of Black Swan. But the entire experience is really different. Sorry.

I love how unreliable as a narrator Marianne is. I love unreliable narrators in general. They make suspense and mystery more suspenseful and mysterious. hehe. But overall, as a character, she's a little weak.(Okay, she has to be vulnerable because of the plot but till the end she's very needy) I actually like Rhiannon more. Her character is more defined and thankfully she's a big part of the  story.

The ending is okay, I guess. But it's not as grand as I wanted it to be. I guess I wanted it to be more than it was. Though I really like  what the author wanted to show. It was an amazing concept and really interesting. And because of that, I look forward to this author's works. This is her debut novel, btw.

Tell me what you think about this novel if you've read it. Or is it on your TBR?

Let's chat...


Find Me:
| Bookstagram | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Blog |

[Derek Milman · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the tradition of Henry James and Sarah Waters, and for fans of Maggie Stiefvater, THE DARK BENEATH THE ICE is a spookily elegant YA horror debut that's not to be missed.

Whatever terrifying entity that's haunting Marianne seems both insidious and unexpectedly vulnerable, an original concept for a ghost story. The family conflict Marianne is experiencing is tremendously immediate, and the characters--and their relationships--are beautifully rendered. The writing is exquisite, and the book celebrates strong women, and their friendships, without resorting to tropes; the story isn't afraid to put them in danger either, and I adored how smoothly and sensitively the LGBTQ themes coursed through the action.

At the core of young adulthood is an innate wrestling with one's self, and one's identity. Kudos to Amelinda Bérubé for exploring those ideas in the context of a mysterious, pernicious haunting.

A riveting read.

[Amy Risner · Rating 2 out of 5]

ARC provided by Sourcebooks Fire via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Oh gosh, this review is not going to be pretty. I’m sorry! I think I am getting pickier when it comes to the horror genre. Throw in an unreliable narrator, and I’m probably going to knock one star off automatically. I’m really sad I did not love this book. It just wasn’t for me. But I really do think that it would be the perfect read for Halloween time.

The Dark Beneath the Ice follows Marianne, a high schooler whose parents are separating. Once her mother commits herself to a hospital, Marianne temporarily goes to live with her aunt. While with her aunt, Marianne begins to see and hear horrific things. Of course, no one believes her, and Marianne also questions her own sanity.

The things I liked were short lived: The creep-factor really slowed down for me once I got to the last 20% of the book, and by that point I was forcing myself to finish. I really liked Rhiannon (Ron), but her character started to annoy me by the end as well. I also didn’t understand the purpose of Ron’s psychic mother at all. She was so pointless. And while mental health is a huge theme, I felt like it was only touched in the beginning (doctor visits). There wasn’t a clear explanation about what was triggering Marianne’s visions/hauntings.

Then there’s the ending, which just felt so rushed, lackluster, and confusing. I don’t really understand the point of anything that happened.

The Dark Beneath the Ice is being marketed as Black Swan meets The Exorcist meets Paranormal Activity. The overall concept sounds like my jam, but in truth, I cannot get past a dull, whiny, unreliable narrator. I’ve read enough of those and wish it was a trope that would die.

I’m sorry, I know this review is harsh and I really don’t like writing negative reviews because I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. But I was left feeling very let down after finishing this book. I think I’m partly to blame. I shouldn’t have requested this ARC because I’m starting to lose interest in YA horror. But I so appreciate Sourcebooks Fire for approving this copy for me, and I always look forward to writing reviews for them!

Overall I think that if you’re a fan of YA psychological/paranormal horror with an unreliable narrator, then you may like this one! And it would be perfect to read in October!

Blog | Instagram | Twitter

[Scarllet ✦ iamlitandwit · Rating 4 out of 5]

I zoomed through this one so quickly and it was exactly what I needed.

The Dark Beneath The Ice had a lot creepy, eerie vibes radiating its pages and I loved those parts so much. I had to stop at certain parts and just say to myself "okay, this is scary", especially when I read this all alone at home. Whose bright idea was that??

I thought the inclusion of Marianne's anxiety was so relatable to read and had me wishing I could give her a hug or two!! Speaking of Marianne, I thought she was a great character to read. I kept stopping to respond back to her anxious thoughts that told her nobody cared about what she had to say, like people care! I saw a bit of my high school self through her and it kinda hurt to see but it helped that she actually had people who cared for her and went to hell and back for her *ahem* Rhiannon, please step right up, or Ron as she prefers it. They melted my heart, okay!!! How soft they were to each other, how Ron saw her even before they started to talk, how Ron tried to help Marianne (it was the thought that counts), all of it.

It's definitely a great spooky read for the season.

[CaseyTheCanadianLesbrarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a bit disappointing unfortunately. I was hoping it would be as scary as it was promised to be, but I wasn't scared at all! And I think the author was going for some ambiguity about whether the haunting was real or just in Marianne's head (which I think would have been the most interesting and spooky route), but it didn't succeed at that at all for me. It also felt like one of those books where the main character doesn't take much action and the aimless plot just kind of happens to her. But, cute lesbian romance side plot! Plus, set in Ottawa with a lot of river scenes, so that was kinda cool. I can see this appealing to teens more than it did to me. Full review on my blog!.

[Emma Berquist · Rating 5 out of 5]

Creeping dread, lush writing, and a clever take on a ghost story! Loved it.

[Jamie (Books and Ladders) · Rating 4 out of 5]

See this review and more on Books and Ladders!

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book and chose to review it. This in no way impacts my opinion.

This was super creepy and super good and also gay. So all things you want in a book, really. I think it handled mental health really well and it’s set in the best place I ever lived: Ottawa.

[Rachel (TheShadesofOrange) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.0 Stars
There was so much about this book that I should have loved. I typically love potential possession stories featuring unreliable narrators, yet this one just fell flat for me. I found the writing style overly descriptive, which made me feel quite detached from the characters and plot. I did, however, really like the LGBTA+ aspects in this book, depicting a female female relationship as well a young person coming out to one of her parents. I would recommend this one to readers looking for positive queer representation in the horror genre.

[Fidan Lurin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an ARC copy of The Dark Beneath the Ice by Amelinda Bérubé in exchange for an honest review. Thanks goes to NetGalley, as well as the publisher, Sourcebooks Fire for this advanced copy which was recently released on August 7, 2018.

I’ve read very few ARCs in the last few months as I have devoted my time and energy to traveling, relocating to New York and focusing on personal physical and mental wellness. I’ve mainly kept my reading schedule close to my most beloved authors along with some rereads here and there. However, reading the Goodreads blurb of this new title, now one of the most trending amongst the Young Adult reader community I just couldn’t help myself. This short teaser offered by Goodreads gave me oh such high hopes for an epically thrilling read. I was sadly disappointed with no greater sinking feeling than being misled and sadly disappointed. A book of such great potential but has been executed in such a way that the horror is nothing more than banal mockery, attempting to match up to Paranormal Activity or Black Swann.

It all begins with Marianne, recently having quit her youthful dancing career. Her parents, like all too many in today’s day and age, are on the road to divorce. The fighting, tears, confusion escalate between her parents as Marianne finds herself caught, feeling alone and defeated between her parents’ marriage battle. Her father walks out on her and her mother. Marianne’s mother leaves Marianne with her Aunt Jen and checks herself into the mental hospital. With no where to turn, no pretty little dance shoes to whisk her away Marianne sinks deeper and deeper into this endless puddle, unable to stop herself from drowning. This is where it all begins…

Inexplicable and tantalizing events begin to unfold around Marianne. Things that leave her paranoid, helpless and desperately in search of whatever it was her life was like before, even if that means cleaning up the mess her parents left behind in her quiet bubble of a world. Mirrors shatter, chalk breaks, doors begin to adopt minds of their own. These peculiarities follow Marianne to school, gaining greater strength as Marianne finds herself losing control of everything, including herself.

One thing leads to another. The novel starts off dull and pretty slow with no great sort of foundation picks up speed quickly. There does not seem to be much foundation that a lot of events are built onto – they just sort of happen, and happen fast. And when they end, they’re sort of left and forgotten, playing no further role in the rest of the story.

Witness to one of Marianne’s peculiar, completely uncontrolled, outburst an unlikely classmate steps into Marianne’s world. Ron is the tough goth girl of the school with a somewhat sketch past and daughter of a psychic mom. She, until now, keeps to herself in class, does what she does and lets no one tempt her to lose her footing. Well aware of this of Ron, Marianne reaches out in a solemn attempt for help which, surprisingly, Ron willingly yields.

Initially suspecting that Marianne may be possessed Ron attempts to initiate an exorcism and communicate with Marianne’s demon. This effort results in Ron becoming just as endangered as Marianne itself, feeding Marianne’s demon, rendering it stronger than ever. The demon invades each and every part of Marianne’s life leading her to question her own sanity and become fearful of letting those she love near her.

Our narrator, Marianne is extremely troubled. Her thoughts are fuzzy and her memories all lead back to her short lived dancing career, not to mention her dream of the “little red shoes.” It’s this choice of voice that really led to my rating of the book. To be told in the first person by a high school girl undergoing several psychological and disturbing issues she sure does seem to speak and think poetically. The writing style itself flows to a certain rhythm and reflects the storyline that should be left to a third person, omniscient narrator. Also, there are huge chunks of the novel where Marianne’s mom, a very important feature of the plot conflict is seemingly forgotten. We learn from Aunt Jen that Marianne’s mom is in the hospital and not doing so well but there are many gaps simply left out. As readers we must constantly rely of Marianne’s eyewitness accounts of events even though there are other going ons crucial to the plot unfolding behind her, all which could be made available if only for an omniscient narrator. Half the time Marianne finds herself being possessed, thinking that she is hallucinating, and panicking about the creepy happenings around her. Because of these characteristics I often found it difficult to trust Marianne in her narration of the story, even if it is her own. She often flashes back to her dancing days and relies on the calmness and tranquility the water near her home could bring her. Marianne’s memories are scattered, incomprehensible and, while they were a major part of understanding the existence of her demon did not clearly enough connect the most prevalent conflicts – Marianne’s parents’ divorce, the demon torturing Marianne’s life, and Marianne’s relationship with Ron – of the novel together.

Marianne’s character, emotionally shattered and to put it frankly, over the top annoying along with her narration of her own story throughout the entire novel led to a flat and undeveloped conclusion. Being possessed for days by a demon claiming to be the real you, getting tortured and psychologically abused is usually what people would consider a straight up trauma and result in some serious damage to the victim and their loved ones. The ending was just basically a “picking up where we left off and forgetting this ever happened.” This bizarre ending is what leads me to assume the author was tired, lazy or suffering a mad case of writers block: the conclusion simply just did not match the aftermath of a horror story which The Dark Beneath the Ice claims to be.

For readers looking for a thrilling horror story, something that will be match to Black Swann and Paranormal Activity, you will certainly be disappointed. The Dark Beneath The Ice was not as eerie as it could have been. It was not as polished as it should have been. It remains a disheartening title that, with some brushing up and proper editing, could have been so much more than a 2.5 star read.

[Cee · Rating 2 out of 5]

*I received a copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

I can't remember the last time I gave a book a 1 star review, but I feel so close to doing it for this book. And I actually got all the way through it, so I feel like that should count for something.

Let's start with the good first:
-> There are parts of this book that feel creepy, especially once we know there is something "possessing" Marianne. Ghost stories and possession just creep me out, but in a good way when I'm looking for them! So, there parts that really interested me.

-> We have some lesbian rep... kinda. It is there, but I have complicated feelings about it which I will bring up later.

-> It is a quick, easy read that I sped through in just a few hours.

-> Ron is AMAZING. She is the saving grace of this book. I disliked when Marianne referred to her as Emo Ron (just rubbed me wrong), but Ron totally puts people in their place when they deserve it. LOVE.

-> I will admit that I wanted to know what it was that was following Marianne around-- it is seriously the reason why I continued the book to the end. So, I think it is decently suspenseful/mysterious.

Now, for the parts that disappointed me:
-> First up, there was a point when I almost dropped the book. It 8% in there is a part where Marianne is talking about how since she is invisible, people talk around her without worry-- but there is a point where I can't tell anymore if she is repeating what people have said or sharing her own thoughts. It is about a gay classmate that this line comes up:
"And guys like that, what they were into? That was just gross. No offense or anything."
??????????????
Not okay and then we find out later Marianne is a lesbian, so wtf? So, not cool.
Then comes the part when we are introduced fully to Ron who dresses emo, which I'm cool with, but Marianne judges her for. There is sooooo much judgement in the first 10%.

-> This one feels like a slow start. In the beginning Marianne doesn't know what is going on, therefore we don't know, so the beginning when she isn't sure if she is possessed or haunted or whatever isn't thrilling, just felt like waiting. Then again, I might have just been too eager.

-> I'm so disappointed with the ending. It is better than what I thought it was going to be, but still just *shrug*. I really really want to talk about my thoughts so I'll be putting it under the spoiler AND YES IT WILL SPOIL THE ENDING AND EXPLAIN WHAT WAS WRONG. I had guessed that the dark entity was a part of Marianne, but I was worried that it was her romantic feels only that she was locking up-- that is what it felt like was going on which irritated me. And this whole thing seems to have started because she was being over the top stupidly emotional and then reigned it back to appease her father, who then left her. I just don't see how your emotions could become a separate entity that could do all that it did. And Ron's mom didn't realize it wasn't technically a ghost??? So, weird... If I have misunderstood the ending please comment and let me know!!

->There is a slight romance angle to this book. I did say I liked the lesbian angle AND I STILL DO, but I really dislike how it got involved in the ending and helped push the ending. It felt like a cop out.


In the end, I think the book is worth 2 stars-- perhaps 2.5 or 3 if that whole gay-bashing part wasn't included. Will I recommend this to people? Perhaps to friends so I can find out what they think about it and we can talk about it. Depending on what they say, then maybe???

[Vicky Again · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

I was really surprised by this one!

I don't know what I was really expecting, but mystery thrillers still aren't my favorite genre because they just feel a little drab sometimes.

But this was very much Not Drab™.

The first big plus was how atmospheric it was. I just loved reading the chilly spookiness of the "ghost's" doings--the blanks in Marianne's memory where she unexpectedly does something out of character, the spooky voice, and the paranormal occurrences.

It all felt very chilly and haunting, but not enough to scare me away, just enough to put me on edge (which I very much appreciated). I was intrigued by the paranormal activity and wanted to find out why and how and the omg askdjfl.

The cover really does a good job of demonstrating the atmosphere, and if that looks like something you'd like, totally check this one out!

Plus, the "ghost" went from spooky to straight-out creepy, and I loved its progression and how it played tricks on Marianne. This book really makes you question the narrator and wonder if Marianne is accurate about what she's telling you, or not.

It was definitely cool to see this, because we don't get very many unreliable narrators in YA.

But, the next thing that was just wonderful was THERE'S A GIRLxGIRL ROMANCE IN THIS BUT NOBODY IS TALKING ABOUT IT??? Hello? Marianne literally falls for another girl, and I have no idea why nobody is talking about this and lauding it as the Next Sapphic Big Thing™? So yeah, now you know.

The romance is honestly super low key (probably why it's not the Next Sapphic Big Thing™) and very much not the focus of the story, but I found it to be a lovely side plot. I totally ship it.

Plus, the subtext of Marianne's own personal struggles and how it mimicked the "ghost's" actions was so on point. Like, the red slipper metaphor that showed up throughout the book was really nice to read about, and I enjoyed the meaning behind it. And just the intensity throughout really grew in a way that I enjoyed. The way the pacing moved did a great job of keeping me entertained.

So, if I loved so many things about it, why is it a 4 star?

I honestly don't know. As much as I was entertained reading it--I totally devoured it in a couple hours--it just didn't completely click with me. Maybe it's still the genre that's holding me back, but I wasn't 100% obsessed with it. Sometimes I feel like it could have been tweaked a bit to be better.

Also, I wish that Marianne's past was a bit clearer. Some of the background of what happened that led her to her aunt's house was a bit unclear for me, and I wanted more solid of a basis for the background.

Overall, I still really loved reading and it was such a good get-out-of-your-skin sort of experience that was deliciously ghostly and spooky! I definitely recommend it if you feel like this spooky, Black Swan x Paranormal Activity pitch sounds like something you'd like! And if you're scared it's too horror for you, don't be! Chilly, but not intended to make you run away screaming.

Thank you so much to Sourcebooks FIRE for the digital and physical copy in exchange for an honest review!

Blog | Instagram | Twitter

[☠Kayla☠ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly I wasn't really into this book, I felt like it was missing something and I couldn't get into it like I thought I would. Usually I'd get sucked into a ghost story so far that I couldn't put it down, but honestly I forced myself through this. It had a very melancholy feel through out it that really pushed me away. Not saying it was a bad book by any means! It just wasn't for me.

[Giulia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was definitely in the wrong demographic to read this book.. I think it would be a great YA horror/suspense selection but for me it just lasted too long and I skimmed over a lot of the dramatic scenes where Marianne fights with her demon.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review.

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

To say Marianne's world has fallen apart would be an understatement. She quit dance at a prestigious school, her parents are splitting, her mother checked herself into the hospital for mental reasons, and Marianne is sent to live with her aunt all while failing apart emotionally. Oh yeah, and there's weird ghost stuff happening around her lately.

I will say, the ambiance of this book was fantastic. The way Bérubé described Marianne's "dream world" was cinematic. I could feel her terror while she was trapped here. There were also some nail biting scenes where the spirit was attacking Marianne and the people around her. Not gonna lie, I got a little wigged at a few. Especially when this presence started talking to her. Like um what?



The loneliness that Marianne felt was palpable. She felt abandoned by her father, felt the need to take care of her mother, and the one person she thought was her best friend pretty much wasn't. She had no one she could talk to and being in high school surrounded by cliques was wearing her down. Enter Rhiannon, Ron, an outcast at school who befriends our heroine and decides to help her out. They try to tackle the problem head on and while they ultimately make it worse, it was nice to see that Marianne wasn't alone. There was one scene that gave me straight I Know What You Did Last Summer vibes.



However, despite the excellent build up, I felt a little confused and let down by the ending. Confused because it didn't really seem clear what was going on the first time I read it and I had to go back and reread a few paragraphs to get the gist. And let down because it was like, huh that was really it? So I don't know, really mixed feelings about this one but it had promise.

[Heather (The Sassy Book Geek) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Review Originally Posted On The Sassy Book Geek

**** Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire for providing me with a copy via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review ****

Trigger Warning: Involuntary Outing of a LGTBQ+ Character

1.5 Stars

I am very disappointed that I have to rate this so low, I was really looking forward to adding another YA Horror to my recommendations lists but unfortunately that won’t be the case. This was just….bad. Usually I can find a few redeeming qualities but this was a tough one, nothing really stuck out to me and overall I was extremely bored with it.

Plot

First of all I felt there wasn’t much of a plot going on, the main character starts seeing and hearing things and believes she is possessed. And thaaaat’s pretty much it. Her parents are separating and she’s dealing with that along with maybe being possessed, there wasn’t a whole hell of a lot left happening and thus lead to my extreme boredom while reading. There’s almost no action, creepiness, or plot twists it just felt like reading a book about nothing. I had zero interest in this book by the end and skimmed the last little bit because I just wanted it to be over. Nothing even remotely related to the original synopsis (i.e. the haunting/possession) happened until 30%! Come on! However, I gave this 1.5 stars because it did deserve that extra half just for me finishing it and not DNFing.

This had so much potential to be a creepy YA horror, it’s about an unknown entity haunting a girl. How do you make this boring and un-creepy? One of the biggest reasons I get scared in movies/books is when creepy things happen and it’s “unknown”! However, I feel the author really dropped the ball here as I found it to be very un-horror like. Sure things would move or make noise but it never felt urgent or scary. This ended up feeling more like a psychological thriller than a horror, which was even more disappointing, especially since I found it to be predictable on top of that.

It also just felt like the story didn’t make much sense and I felt myself asking “why?” a lot. Things would happen but, why? Nothing made sense and not in a “this is a ghost story” kind of way. Fortunately the pacing was relatively fast otherwise I definitely would have ended up DNFing this one.

There was also a ton of extra stuff being mentioned such as Marianne’s past with her parents and dance classes. I do get why this ended up being sort of important but at the same time it felt like too much unnecessary information. I would quite literally dread the moments in the story that would go on, and on, and on, and on about her past because they were just way too long and tedious.

And that ending. The ending was the most disappointing part of this book because it was predictable, not creepy in the least bit, and overall just felt really unsatisfying.

Characters

Marianne, the MC, was just sort of okay, I didn’t love her and I didn’t hate her. She was just there. I felt that Marianne was pretty judgemental of others though, she wasn’t always the nicest person. However, I did really like Ron (Rhiannon) though she was a great character with a devil may care attitude and (in my opinion) great fashion sense. Ron was just a good person too, she was misunderstood and judged for her appearance but really has a heart of gold. However, I felt that everyone could have used a lot more development.

It’s also revealed that both Marianne and Ron are lesbians so there is some LGTBQ+ rep, but I can’t personally speak for how well it is represented. However, there is a brief scene where the MC is outed against their will by the “entity”. Of course the MC is very distressed by this especially since this was to a character she had a crush on. I didn’t really care for that scene since it’s pretty insensitive and I don’t understand why it needed to be included. If you want to introduce your character as being gay then do it, don’t do it by outing them in such a distressing manner.

As for any other characters there were a few shown but honestly felt so one dimensional that they aren’t even worth mentioning.

Romance

There is a bit of romance between Marianne and Ron, thus the F/F romance I mentioned earlier. I liked the pairing but as I said I can’t really speak for the rep.

In Conclusion

What I Loved:

Ron’s character
LGTBQ+ presence

What I Didn’t Love:

Un-horror like atmosphere and events (felt more like a psychological thriller)
Boring plot
No action, no twists
Lots of focus on past experiences that felt long, tedious, and at times unnecessary
The ending was unsatisfying and predictable
Underdeveloped characters
Outing of the MC in a distressing manner

Recommend?

Overall I really didn’t enjoy my time reading this book, there’s nothing I dislike more than going into a YA horror book and walking away with something that feel flat on all fronts especially the spook factor! I cannot say I recommend this one, in fact I recommend not wasting your time and passing on it.

[Carrie (brightbeautifulthings) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free e-ARC through NetGalley from the publishers at Sourcebooks Fire. I have a love for horror and an impulse-control problem when it comes to books, but you’re probably well familiar with that by now. Trigger warnings: horror, mental illness, drowning.

When her parents split up and her mother has a breakdown, Marianne goes to stay with her Aunt Jen for a few days. Then she starts losing time and strange things start happening around her, things Marianne couldn’t possibly be responsible for. Objects break when she enters a room, there’s a mysterious knocking in the walls, and the nearby river haunts her imagination. When she tries to confront it, it gets worse. Whatever is haunting her is angry. It wants something that Marianne took from it, and it will make her life unlivable unless she gives it back.

The Dark Beneath The Ice is an original and surprisingly frightening horror novel and one of the best in YA horror that I’ve read. It’s a better haunting story than Bad Girls Don’t Die, and it has the deliciously spooky atmosphere of a Nova Ren Suma novel (although not quite on that level, but let’s be real, nothing is). With its water imagery and all-girl cast, I was drawing comparisons to Imaginary Girls for the first half of the novel. All comparisons aside, The Dark Beneath The Ice is entirely its own thing, and I enjoyed it from beginning to end.

Out of a lot of things to like about this book, I think my favorite is how creepy it is, and that’s a big deal for me. I have a maddeningly high tolerance for horror. (At a scary movie, an ex-boyfriend once asked me if I could at least pretend to be scared. …No? I’m not good at faking things.) Bérubé incorporates poltergeist mythology to excellent effect, and I enjoyed seeing some of the classics–water flooding the room from nowhere, knocking in the walls, writing on the mirrors–as well as her original twists on the subject matter. The writing is incredibly atmospheric, to the point where it’s even a little overwhelming at first. The water motif is constant throughout the book, and whatever is happening with Marianne, we know it begins and ends with the river.

I like the characters a lot. We’re not just told that Marianne is timid and compliant; we see it in almost every interaction. She’s handling a number of heavy issues, from her parents’ divorce and her mother’s mental illness to her own uncertainty about her mental health and her sexuality–and it all feels very realistic. She reacts like a teenager (or even, probably, an adult) would in these situations; she’s worried and frightened and, most of all, she doesn’t want anyone else to get hurt. Her love interest, Ron (short for Rhiannon) is a lovely complement. She has a take-no-shit attitude that doesn’t detract from her compassion. I very much enjoy a novel where the women are the most complex, flawed, and delightful characters on the page, and the male characters are relegated to the margins. I didn’t even mind the romantic subplot. Despite all the horror, it’s a very cute wlw relationship.

The other major pull of the novel is the direction Bérubé takes with her “haunting.” It’s not clear whether it’s a demon, a ghost, or something else entirely that’s tormenting Marianne, and without giving anything away, let’s just say that I love where she went with it. It’s fresh and original, and it’s eerily relevant in a world where women are encouraged not to use their voices. It also takes an interesting look at the relationship between mental illness and the paranormal, and how quick we are to assume a woman is “hysterical” rather than actually experiencing something out of the ordinary. I highly recommend it for fans of the genre, and I’m eagerly awaiting my own copy for re-reading.

I review regularly at brightbeautifulthings.tumblr.com.

[Roberta R. (Offbeat YA) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rated 3.5 really.

Excerpt from my review - originally published at Offbeat YA.

Pros: Frantic, creepy ride, with a twist you won't see coming. Sensitive handling of the coming-into-one's-sexuality theme. Provides an all-too-real social commentary about girls/women.
Cons: Most of the supernatural incidents give off a déjà-vu vibe. The family drama is a bit over the top. A character gets accidentally outed.
WARNING! Mental illness; drowning.
Will appeal to: Fans of classic spooks with an unexpected edge. Unlikely-friends/allies-to-lovers enthusiasts.

I actually enjoyed this book a tad more when reading it for the second time, hence the added half star. I found that knowing what it was doing actually enhanced my reading experience. That's one of the reasons why I try to read my books at least twice until I write a full review...first impressions are important, but since I'm a strong advocate for rereading, I do my best in order to give a book a second chance at getting the best rating/review I can give it 🙂.

UNCONVENTIONAL BEAUTY

The best thing about TDBTI is that, classic spooks notwithstanding, it ultimately goes in a completely unexpected direction when it comes to both the entity and the reason behind them, and it has something to say about what society (and even family) expects girls to be/act like - not to mention, the harm such expectations can cause. Marianne is trapped into a vicious circle, with an unhappy, mentally strained mother who - despite being unable to cope anymore with the role she's expected to play in her family - doesn't know how to let her daughter choose her own happiness. Add to that a workaholic father (who just left home for good) and a well-meaning but clueless aunt who both still see Marianne as a little girl, not a young woman, and her lack of a social life. So, one wonders, why should the nameless entity who's after her be convinced that Marianne stole something from it and has to give it back? A few answers are on the table, but one by one they get discarded, until the (articulated) reveal that ties in the paranormal and the mundane and doubles as a cautionary tale/social commentary. [...]

Whole review here.