by Noelle Monét
First published 2026
Harper always dismissed her grandmother Gigi's tales about magical brown girls as mere stories. Then Gigi dies suddenly and Harper feels dangerous power stirring under her skin. She enrolls at Black Mountain Academy in the Appalachian Mountains, the same elite boarding school Gigi attended decades ago. Harper wants answers about her awakening abilities, but the campus holds dark secrets. Her former best friend Kai tries to drive her away while his cousin Lucas reminds her of their interrupted romance from the previous summer. Harper uncovers a local legend about twelve witches who died violently on campus grounds. She feels strangely connected to these dead women. As Harper digs deeper into the school's buried past, someone decides she knows too much. When threats turn deadly, Harper must choose between abandoning her quest for truth or risking her life to understand who she really is.
Genres: mystery, fantasy, young-adult, paranormal, dark-fantasy, dark-academia
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, emotional, mysterious, suspenseful
Tropes: chosen-one, enemies-to-lovers, found-family, second-chance-romance
Setting: Black Mountain Academy, Appalachian Mountains
496 pages · Hardcover · Margaret K. McElderry Books
Content warnings: death, violence