Review Detail
The Afterdark
Featured
Young Adult Fiction
374
Dark YA Novel Tinged with Secrets and Romance
(Updated: July 12, 2026)
Overall rating
4.7
Plot
5.0
Characters
4.0
Writing Style
5.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
N/A
THE AFTERDARK is a young adult horror novel set in a boarding school. After the death of her sister, Evie is sent to the school that her father works at. She’s got plenty of secrets she’s trying to hide, but it becomes harder when she sees Holland Morgan, her crush of years. Holland knows that spending time with Evie is dangerous, but she can’t help herself.
E. Latimer writes both Holland and Evie as very complex characters. Both are haunted by their pasts and putting them together is a recipe for disaster, but something keeps drawing them together. Their relationship turns from attraction to something darker and more dangerous. Depending on your definition, it may be considered a toxic relationship. I thought it was obsessive, but not quite to the point of toxicity.
The book is told from both Evie and Holland’s POV. This gives readers a better look at their emotions as well as what is going on at Northcroft. Evie is a newcomer, but Holland isn’t; so, the two of them aren’t experiencing Northcroft in the same way. It’s fun to get to see how both of them approach the mysteries of Northcroft.
Northcroft manages to be a perfectly gothic atmosphere for this book. It seems like a regular boarding school by day, but at night it becomes something twisted. Drowned in darkness and secrets, it feels grotesque and haunting. The woods add to the creepiness of the setting as well. The entire thing provides a perfect backdrop to the story; adding to the tension and suspense of the book.
The pacing of this book is fairly solid, with a couple of moments that don’t quite seem to match. The first chapter alone had me pulled into the story and the deeper they explored into the mysteries, the more I was drawn in. There’s a sense of urgency and danger in the pacing, a present threat that drives the plot and the characters forward.
THE AFTERDARK is a dark and haunting YA horror with a side of romance. The setting creates a gothic atmosphere that perfectly reflects the dark secrets that both the school and the characters are hiding.
E. Latimer writes both Holland and Evie as very complex characters. Both are haunted by their pasts and putting them together is a recipe for disaster, but something keeps drawing them together. Their relationship turns from attraction to something darker and more dangerous. Depending on your definition, it may be considered a toxic relationship. I thought it was obsessive, but not quite to the point of toxicity.
The book is told from both Evie and Holland’s POV. This gives readers a better look at their emotions as well as what is going on at Northcroft. Evie is a newcomer, but Holland isn’t; so, the two of them aren’t experiencing Northcroft in the same way. It’s fun to get to see how both of them approach the mysteries of Northcroft.
Northcroft manages to be a perfectly gothic atmosphere for this book. It seems like a regular boarding school by day, but at night it becomes something twisted. Drowned in darkness and secrets, it feels grotesque and haunting. The woods add to the creepiness of the setting as well. The entire thing provides a perfect backdrop to the story; adding to the tension and suspense of the book.
The pacing of this book is fairly solid, with a couple of moments that don’t quite seem to match. The first chapter alone had me pulled into the story and the deeper they explored into the mysteries, the more I was drawn in. There’s a sense of urgency and danger in the pacing, a present threat that drives the plot and the characters forward.
THE AFTERDARK is a dark and haunting YA horror with a side of romance. The setting creates a gothic atmosphere that perfectly reflects the dark secrets that both the school and the characters are hiding.
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