Amelinda Bérubé

The Dark Beneath the Ice by Amelinda Bérubé The Dark Beneath the Ice is blurbed as Black Swan meets Paranormal Activity, and honestly, I think that’s about accurate. I have to do a full disclaimer I do not often read young adult books and found that the cover really caught my attention that I had to give it a chance, I found the writing style rather poetic and it made it easy to follow. This is one of those spooky stories you should pick up on Halloween. While the blurb is correct in the two-movie comparison it is on a much tamer scale then I expected. Like I stayed in the beginning this was just not my cup of tea. I have recommended it to a few people that have found it enjoyable. Not bad for my first read by this author may continue with her work in the future.… (more)

Received via NetGalley for review.

Skye and her family move to a new town, and Skye sees this as an opportunity to truly start over. She's tired of protecting her weird sister, Deirdre, who doesn't even try to be normal. But while the move is good for Skye, Deidre retreats into herself and becomes ever more angry and isolated, eventually going missing. Skye realizes that she would do anything to get her sister back. Bérubé could have spent a little more time showing the depth of that relationship between the two of them, instead of relying on the fact that they're sisters to carry Skye's devotion to Deidre. There are some memories presented, but they're so emotionally complex (and Skye's more recent relationship with her is so complex) that it muddies it a little bit.

A beautifully atmospheric and creepy book with a nice twist at the end. I love stories that portray fairies as as mischievous and cruel, and, boy, does this book deliver (I guess the book never technically calls them fairies or anything else, but they sure seem to fit the bill). Skye is truly tested in her devotion to her sister, and succumbs to the darkness inside without really much protestation.

There's darkness in all of us, and a willingness to use our power for what are really selfish reasons, and that's something that needs to be acknowledged. Certainly, Skye struggles with it, and there could have been more exploration of Kevin's struggle with it, to really tie it all together.… (more)