As I Descended

Reviewed by: Jill O'Connor - North Yarmouth Academy, Yarmouth, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: May 9, 2017

Review

This supernatural thriller is a solid read - a Macbeth retelling with ghosts and gay protagonists. Set in a boarding school, Lily, Brandon, and Maria acquire a Ouija board and, unbeknownst to them, open a portal to a dark spirit who has haunted the school off and on in the past leaving a trail of tragedy in its wake. Maria is attuned to the spirit and tries to fight it, but her need to be the best is too much and she is sucked into the darkness. Talley doesn't hold anything back in the book and by the end, Maria has lost everything and the reader is left wondering if wanting to be the best is worth it, worth losing friends, integrity, even your life. A thoughtful, engaging read.

Overall Book Score: very good