I found this book by pure chance. It was a free deal off of Amazon. I knew nothing about the story, nothing about the authors. I got it because the cover was pretty and I liked the title. And because it was free. I like free. 🙂 Here’s my review of Comes the Night by Norah Wilson and Heather Doherty.

This story continues the grand tradition of YA novels set in boarding schools. This time we’re in Canada, although Streep Academy is no Hogwarts. This is a tough school full of kids who are just this side of being delinquents. Or at least most of them are.

Our main characters are three girls who become roommates at Streep’s Harvell House. Each girl has a serious problem that she’s keeping secret.Brooke has a stepfather who rules her house like a dictator. Maryanne is haunted by the death of her baby brother. Alex was raped in the attic of Harvell House when she returned from vacation early. It’s Alex who discovers the diary of Connie Harvell, a troubled young girl from generations ago who lived and died at Harvell House. From the diary, Alex (and soon Maryanne and Brooke) discover a secret power hidden in that attic, a power that will separate them from the rest of their classmates.

I really, really enjoyed this book, so much so that I immediately turned around and bought the next two on Amazon. I liked how the two stories were connected – the modern-day roommates and Connie. This story focused a bit more on Alex, so I’m hoping we get more about Brooke and Maryanne in the next books. I really like all four girls as characters. They are very well written.

The story is complex and deep (very serious subject matter), but there are still touches of humor throughout to keep it from getting too heavy. You can’t help but cheer for these girls and want to find out what they’re hiding. As I said, this was an excellent book and I can’t wait to read the next one.

Categories: Books I've Read

Tags: book reviews, books, casters, comes the night, heather doherty, norah wilson