THE DARK BENEATH THE ICE

Stress pushes a former ballet dancer near to the breaking point…but her problems could be more paranormal.

Canadian teen Marianne Vandermere didn’t think she could cut it at her prestigious conservatory, though her mother, for one, disagreed. Marianne quit, and that decision haunts her—but something more supernatural seems to be haunting her now. She’s missing time. Mirrors spontaneously break, and the river seems to call to her through the incessant rain. Rhiannon (aka Ron) is the confident new girl at school, a goth with a mom who is a psychic. While staying at her Aunt Jen’s as her parents separate and her mother is hospitalized for mysterious reasons, Marianne asks Ron for help. The two attempt to communicate with whatever is bothering Marianne even though Ron is a skeptic. A dark entity that appears to be intent on destroying Marianne’s life…or taking it over…begins stalking the girls as their relationship blossoms into more than friendship. Can they free Marianne? Can they survive? Bérubé’s debut survives a few early hiccups (it’s slow to start, there’s excessive water imagery) to deliver a few fun frights and a well-constructed haunting-as-sexual-awakening tale for LGBTQ girls. It offers a realistic depiction of a teen caught up in her parents’ divorce, her struggles complicated by her shyness, sexuality, and perceived failure at ballet. Major characters are white, and there is some diversity in secondary characters.

It’s Black Swan meets Carrie and worth the right teen’s time.