A Good Morning America YA Book Club Pick
Six students at Blackwood Academy, an enigmatic boarding school located at the edge of the afterlife, must compete for the once-in-eternity chance to change their fate-or risk remaining stuck in purgatory forever. An unputdownable debut full of hairpin twists, shock betrayals and world-defying love, for fans of The Atlas Six.
Welcome to Blackwood Academy: the legendary school located at the fringes of the afterlife, where students are fated to spend rest of eternity shepherding lost souls. Once a pupil enters the school's arched gates, there is no way out…except for the Decennial, a once-in-a-decade celebration that rewards nominees who pass its trials with a choice: formally graduate and join Blackwood's magical elite, or venture into the unknown and cross over to the mysterious Other Side.
Wren Loughty is certain that this Decennial, she has what it takes to earn the nomination-unless, that is, her academic archrival Augustine Hughes steals her spot.
Irene Bamford has never cared about playing by the rules. She's willing to break whatever (and whoever) stands between her and getting the hell out of Blackwood, including her best and only friend, Masika Sallow.
Olivier Dupont gave up on securing the nomination ages ago. But after he meets Blackwood's newest student, Emilio Córdova, he'll do anything to keep Emilio from leaving him and crossing over to the other side-even if it means claiming the victory for himself.
All of them are determined to be Blackwood's chosen candidate--and all of them would do anything to win. But none of them are prepared for what's to come. Because this Decennial will be different. This time, the Decennial isn't a celebration...it's a competition. And there can only be one victor.
Six nominees. Four trials. Untold danger. Wren, August, Irene, Masika, Olivier and Emilio are about to learn: there are some fates worse than death. I.V. Marie was born and raised in Miami to a Peruvian mother and Chilean father, where she acquired a penchant for afternoon cafecitos and developed an all-consuming obsession with books. Her writing ambitions began behind her grandparent's computer, where she spent her childhood crafting spooky and fantastical short stories. When she is not writing, you can find her rock climbing or watching atmospheric YouTube videos with her dog, Mr. Darcy. 1
WREN
Wren Loughty hadn't bothered to lock her bedroom door. She had come to accept that it was rather pointless to pretend that secured locks and protective wards would make a difference. There was simply no avoiding the inevitable. So when she awoke to a set of hands clamped over her mouth, the familiar scent of peppermint and sandalwood wafting up her nose, she wasn't all that surprised.
In fact, she'd been expecting it.
What disconcerted her was the strange dream of her mother she'd been having only moments earlier. She always found it odd that they still held the ability to sleep and dream. The dead weren't meant to dream. Though she supposed they weren't dead-not really. They existed in the place between. The place parallel to life and death, the one right on the cusp of birth and the dawn of the afterlife.
Whatever that meant.
She tried not to give the transitory nature of purgatory too much thought.
Pale light pooled in through the sheer drapes, illuminating the ivy-speckled ceiling in a crescent shape. Wren blinked, her vision adjusting to the darkness, and refocused her attention on her intruder.
Augustine Hughes's familiar slate-gray eyes hovered above her with smug amusement, the right side of his mouth curled into a smirk.
"I hope you'll forgive me for the rude awakening, Loughty." His gaze snaked over her face with careful precision. "Had to be sure you wouldn't scream and blow my cover. You know . . . given your track record."
