Delaney is a deaf teenager, desperate to prove to the world that she isn’t fragile. Colton is a handsome professor’s assistant with a dark and deadly secret. Their childhoods are entwined with their death and stunning return to life. Delaney is admitted into a special, supernatural program at Godbole University where she learns to step into parallel worlds. When she stumbles into the mysterious death of a student, she becomes determined to get answers. The questions lead to Colton. Despite his earnest efforts to turn Delaney away, he finds her irresistible. They run full speed toward a messy ending.
I appreciate the treatment of Delaney’s deafness. While it was an intricate part of the story, it feels genuine. The book is well-paced, but it stutters occasionally when the author is revealing their death experiences. Relationships with characters outside of Colton and Delaney are not developed so it doesn’t make sense when they get involved. It’s clear something dark is going on, and the revelations are controlled bursts of recurring chaos.
This is a standalone book, which is good because I probably would not have read a sequel. Despite the weaknesses, I did like the overall story. I recommend it to readers that enjoy atmospheric fantasies like Belladonna and The Luminaries.