As I Descended

Maria had some experiences as a little girl that make her think she may have a special connection to the spirit world, a fact she shared with her roommate and lover, Lily. Lily buys an antique Ouija board and convinces Maria they should try having a seance with their friend Brandon. They choose the old dining hall at their boarding school, a place thought to be haunted. Things go terribly wrong and it seems they have unleashed some powerful evil forces. Maria is in competition with popular girl Delilah for a scholarship, and when Lily suggests drugging Delilah to ruin her reputation, Maria does and starts wishing for other things to help her, but the evil powers kind of take over and terrible things start happening.

VERY loosely based on Macbeth, this modern tragedy has so much going on it is hard to know author Robin Talley’s true intent. Is it a story about being young and gay, an anti-bullying story, or a retelling of one of Shakespeare’s greatest plays? The writing is crisp, the characters engaging, and the darkness intriguing. YA readers who like scary stories will like this one.