Review: The Tenth Girl by Sara Faring

Synopsis:

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.

My Review:

2/5 ⭐️

I DNFed this book at about 120 or so pages. I was very confused especially with the time skipping. I didn’t understand where the ‘thriller myth’ was supposed to come in. I did skip to the ending and read the last three chapters which honestly angered me. My thoughts for that are below.

Accurate depiction of how this book did me dirty

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SPOILERS:

So in the last chapter you find out that the whole thing was fake and part of a Virtual Reality game. This felt so cheap to me and disheartening. Don’t try to explain that away without throwing waaaay more hints in that this is a game. Honestly, it seems like a lot of newer authors are taking ques from anime. This one, after I found out it was a game, gave me such cheap Sword Art Online and .Hack vibes. At first I thought this would be like Another, because it has a similar premise only The Tenth Girl is from the perspective of a teacher and another character (who is a boy apparently??? I thought they were a girl but whatever). I was excited to see this take on a story like Another… But was sadly disappointed.

About the Author:

Born in Los Angeles, Sara Faring is a multi-lingual Argentine-American fascinated by literary puzzles.

After working in investment banking at J.P. Morgan, she worked at Penguin Random House. She holds degrees from the University of Pennsylvania in International Studies and from the Wharton School in Business.

She currently resides in New York City.