ARC Review: The Tenth Girl by Sara Faring

Title: The Tenth Girl
Author: Sara Faring
Genre: Historical Fiction, Horror
Source: ARC provided by Author
Publisher: Imprint
Publication Date: September 24th 2019

Summary: 

Simmering in Patagonian myth, The Tenth Girl is a gothic psychological thriller with a haunting twist. At the very southern tip of South America looms an isolated finishing school. Legend has it that the land will curse those who settle there. But for Mavi—a bold Buenos Aires native fleeing the military regime that took her mother—it offers an escape to a new life as a young teacher to Argentina’s elite girls. Mavi tries to embrace the strangeness of the imposing house—despite warnings not to roam at night, threats from an enigmatic young man, and rumors of mysterious Others. But one of Mavi’s ten students is missing, and when students and teachers alike begin to behave as if possessed, the forces haunting this unholy cliff will no longer be ignored. One of these spirits holds a secret that could unravel Mavi's existence. In order to survive she must solve a cosmic mystery—and then fight for her life.

*Thank you so much to Sara and Imprint for the opportunity to read THE TENTH GIRL!*

***I tried to keep this review as spoiler free as possible! But please read at your own risk!***

Hi. Hello. It's been three days and I am still trying to wrap my head around the last 150 pages of The Tenth Girl. I been working with Sara on an interview for The Tenth Girl and I was thrilled when she sent me a copy to read so I could ask more specific book related questions! Jessica and Emily had the opportunity to attend a Fierce Reads event at BookExpo where Sara was a keynote speaker and met her when she was signing ARCs of The Tenth Girl! (I was on another signing line, so Jessica got a copy signed for me and then told Sara how much I loved The Tenth Girl!) I was hoping to meet her another day of BookExpo but I had sadly cut my trip short do to an injury. 

The Tenth Girl is a dark and twisty horror novel set in Argentinian Finishing School in the 1970s, where Mavi becomes a teacher to ten young girls. Only, there is no tenth girl and no one seems to know about her or her whereabouts. Besides the darkness The Tenth Girl is rich in history and myth from Argentina and is written by an Argentine-American author. As Mavi's students and fellow teachers begin to show symptoms of possessions and the headmistress' son suddenly befriends her, Mavi knows she must get to the bottom of what ever is haunting the Vaccaro school. 

I really enjoyed Sara's writing style. It is different then what I am use too and was quite refreshing. It also made her characters more relatable. The Tenth Girl is told from dual point of view. We have Mavi and Angel in alternating chapters. In the first few chapters, I wasn't quite sure what was going on with Angel. Who is he? What is he? Why is he at Vaccaro School? Is he a ghost? These are questions that I know readers are going to long for. But ALL of them get answered in the most brilliant of ways. 

My biggest advice going into this novel: Keep your mind open and take in every single detail. Also, take a look at the aspects of the cover real closely. They don't stand out right away, but look at the fading edges of the cliff and the shading and you'll see them! 

I am completely blind sided by the climax and the plot twist in The Tenth Girl. What. The. Hell. My mind was completely blown. With the pieces you are given in the novel, you come to your own conclusion on how you believe that this novel is going to end and then suddenly BAM! Everything is revealed and you are flipping through the pages to see what is going to happen next. You also might look like me who according to my sister, "Looked like a fish out of water."

I really loved The Tenth Girl and I can't wait to read more by Sara in the future. She has a unique writing style that is going to suck you in at the first page and spit you stuttering and in shock at the last page!