Dark academia, eldritch forests, and a romance you can’t escape
5 out of 5 stars
If you’re looking for your next eerie, romantic, can’t-stop-listening kind of audiobook, The Afterdark by E. Latimer might just be it. With incredible narration and some seriously vivid atmosphere, this dark academia fantasy is packed with creepy forests, secret societies, and a romance that’s as fated as it is doomed. Think Gothic boarding school + eldritch horror + lesbians + generation-kept secrets that shouldn’t be uncovered and you’re in the right realm.
The story follows Evie Laurent, who’s still reeling from the death of her twin sister—something she feels responsible for. After taking her sister’s spot at the elite Northcroft boarding school (because her parents won’t even look at her), she’s pulled into the strange, mysterious world of the school and the dark forest that surrounds it. Every night, the school locks down, the forest shifts into something wrong, and Evie starts dreaming about being swallowed by the trees. At the same time, she meets Holland Morgan—a fellow student and famous actress (who just so happened to be buddy-buddy and possibly more with her late twin sister)—and sparks fly. But what starts as a crush quickly grows into an all-consuming obsession.
Latimer’s writing is stunningly atmospheric. You feel the creaking floorboards, the cold stone walls, and the eerie silence of the forest after dark. Evie sees the world like a photographer, and that lens makes everything feel intimate, visual, and just a little bit haunted. And the forest? Honestly, it’s a whole character on its own—ominous, seductive, and just waiting for someone to let it in. The pacing builds slowly at first, but once you’re in, you’re in. There’s secret societies, unsettling visions, and that creeping dread that maybe nothing is as it seems. It’s giving serious Lovecraftian vibes—where the horror isn’t just in what’s happening, but in how it warps your mind, how it prods at the edges of your brain until you let it in and it absolutely wreaks havoc.
Evie and Holland’s relationship is another huge highlight. It’s intense and messy in the best way. There’s chemistry, sure, but also this looming sense that whatever draws them together might not be entirely human—or safe. Still, there’s something beautiful in how they care for each other, even when the darkness is closing in.
The narration? Genuinely chilling. Amanda Cordner, Emily Nixon, and Thom Nyhuus each bring something unique to the table, and their performances elevate the entire story. Cordner especially nails Evie’s descent into something darker—her delivery gets eerier as Evie begins to unravel, and it gave me literal goosebumps. The pacing, the emotion, the tension… it’s all there, and it makes this audiobook such an immersive experience.
Final thoughts? The Afterdark is everything I wanted and more—dark, romantic, mysterious, and just the right amount of terrifying. If you’re into lesbians solving ancient forest secrets, dark academia drama, and stories that leave a little chill in your bones… this one’s for you.
Book Description:
Queer horror at a boarding school with a Lovecraftian twist in this new YA novel from E. Latimer, author of the acclaimed The Strange and Deadly Portraits of Bryony Gray.
Northcroft is an elite boarding school with a deadly secret. Each night as the bell tolls and the shutters slam down, cutting off the outside world, the Afterdark descends, turning the surrounding old growth forest into a macabre copy of itself. A negative photograph crawling with horrors.
Evie Laurent is certain of one thing from the moment she sees Holland Morgan on the front steps of Northcroft: she wants to know everything there is to know about her. But there are some things about Evie herself that are better kept secret. Especially the fact that she let her sister drown. And that it’s getting harder to ignore her dark impulses . . .
Holland Morgan knows falling for Evie is just one more terrible choice in her long history of terrible choices. The problem is, she’s not sure she cares.
As attraction turns slowly to obsession, they find themselves playing a dangerous game. Something out there is calling to each of them. Beckoning to the shadows within.
Do they fight the call and protect one another, or answer and embrace the darkness?
The Afterdark by E. Latimer
Narrator: Amanda Cordner, Emily Nixon, Thom Nyhuus
Length: 10 hrs and 48 mins
Published by Tundra Books on January 6th 2025
Genres: Horror
Format: Audiobook
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