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.
Audiobook, Unabridged
Published September 24th 2019
Source: Publisher
Two stars: A book that reads like a train wreck until it gets to a strange twist, and then it leaves you wondering what you just read.
Mavi is desperate for a place to hide after her mother is caught and murdered by the Buenos Aires military regime. A second chance is dropped in her lap, and Mavi snatches it up. She is offered a position as a teacher in an elite Argentina boarding school. The catch is that the school is in an isolated house in the mountains, a house that is rumored to be haunted. Once Mavi arrives at the school, she finds an unsettling atmosphere and a dominating mistress. She is warned not to roam at night and to stay away from the mistress’s son at all costs. There are supposed to be ten girls at the school, but the tenth girl is mysteriously missing. As the days pass by, Mavi begins to feel that there is something sinister going on at the school. The staff and students are acting weird, a strange sickness grips the school, and something seems to be haunting the night. What is really going on?
What I Liked:
- The Tenth Girl is an extremely hard book for me to review. I honestly don’t know where to start with this one. I will say that this book drew me in with its strange, creepy atmospheric setting. I kept reading this one even though I was tempted to stop, but then there is this twist that is so unexpected. If the twist were better executed, this would be a brilliant book.
- The setting makes the book. Think an isolated old, creepy mansion in the mountains. Supplies only come in via ferry boat. The house has a dark past, and it is rumored to be haunted. It becomes apparent very quickly that something is not right at the house at all. There are spirits haunting the halls and something just wrong is happening. Then a terrible storm cuts the school off from outside help, which provides the perfect creepy backdrop.
- Mavi, thank goodness, was a character I liked. She presents a sympathetic front when here sad history is revealed. At the school, she tries to make friends and do what is right of the girls. She is kind, devoted and has a good heart. She was what kept me reading.
- The book builds and builds and gets more strange and creepy as the chapters progress. At one point, I had no idea what to expect as it appeared the story was completely derailing. Strange things were happening that weren’t explained, the story seemed to have two time lines and lots of plot holes, and just when I thought I couldn’t take anymore, the author throws in this twist. The twist is so unexpected and it comes out of nowhere. I did not see that coming at all. It was unlike anything I have read before. It was smart and shocking and a total mind blower. I wish I could say more, but I won’t in case you want to take this one on. I would say read this one for the twist because it is game changer.
And The Not So Much:
- There were so many things that went wrong with this book. First, there are two view points, that of Mavi, the likable school teacher and then Angel, a ghost. I struggled mightily with Angel’s view point. I never felt a connection to him and I couldn’t grasp his character. It was just so weird.
- The time line was bothering me. Mavi’s point of view took place in 1978 and then Angel’s appeared to be in the present. It frustrated me as I had no concrete sense of time.
- The story gets more disturbing and sinister as it goes along. There were many unpleasant scenes and hints of pedophiles and rape and abuse. Ugh...I was so tempted to put this one down more than a time or two as I was not liking it at all.
- There is a little bit of a romance, but I hated it. It involves a ghost possessing another’s body. It just was too weird and it didn’t work, even after the twist, it was still a mess.
- Just before I quit, the twist is revealed. The twist was mind blowing, but even with the twist, the book still doesn’t really make sense. The end was so far fetched and unrealistic. I finished thinking, what did I just read???
The Tenth Girl was a book I went into with high expectations. A creepy setting, rumors of a haunting and a curse. Unfortunately, the story had too many perverse occurrences that put me off. Furthermore, I never liked the ghost point of view nor the supposed romance. The book gets more strange and unreal as it goes on, so much so that I wanted to quit. The twist is brilliant, but it isn’t enough to save this train wreck. This is a book that I wanted to like, but I just couldn’t. Skip this one.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own, and I was not compensated for this review.
