My Dearest Darkest by Kayla Cottingham Review

 Title: My Dearest Darkest

Author: Kayla Cottingham

Age Group: Teen/Young Adult

Genre: Horror

Series: Standalone

Star Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

I borrowed this book from my local library and reviewed it.

Happy Halloween, my friends! Horror is one of my favorite genres leading up to Halloween; I love to binge scary books and movies to get into the spooky mood! As soon as I was finished with Hocus Pocus, I picked up My Dearest Darkest, and this creepy, dark debut fit the bill perfectly! This is Kayla Cottingham’s very first novel, and I hope that it’s not her last! Terrifying, dark, and more than a little gory, My Dearest Darkest spins a monster tale unlike any other; I loved every moment of it, even while it scared the pants off of me! I knew I would love this book as soon as I saw the Jennifer’s Body epigraph! I loved this debut novel; I will not soon forget the girls of Ulameme Academy!

Finch Chamberlain is the newest transfer student to the prestigious all-girls academy, Ulameme. But before school started, she and her parents got in a car accident and drowned. Only something dark and ancient saved her life, leaching the color from her skin and hair. Selena St. Clair is the It Girl at the school, and when they are partnered up for a school project, they go into the old tunnels beneath the school. Finch accidentally wakes a creature of ancient, unknowable power, named Nerosi. Nerosi offers Finch and her friends favors in exchange for something gruesome: body parts. Selena and Finch must join forces to stop Nerosi in her quest to consume the entire island. But one of their own betrays them, and not everyone will make it out alive…

I absolutely adored this book! It was so creepy and scary! The pacing was breakneck; even days later, I’m still thinking about this novel. I love horror stories, especially as Halloween creeps closer! I loved Finch and Selena’s narration of the novel; I finished this book in little more than a week. It was creepy, dark, and dare I say gory? I love monster stories, and Nerosi ranks up there as one of the most original I’ve ever encountered. I suspected what was going on, and I was right, but I certainly didn’t want to be! As Nerosi’s demands grow, so does the depravity of one of their own, until the unthinkable happens. During the last half of the book, I was gasping, desperate to know what was going to happen. And that ending! I loved it so much! This book may be one of my favorites of this year; I cannot wait for Kayla Cottingham’s next work! A great new author to watch!