Ife knows she should feel privileged to be attending the exclusive Nithercott Academy, with its sprawling grounds, beautiful buildings and high expectations. But attending on the Urban Achievers Program on an art scholarship hasn’t been what she’d expected.

The teachers are tough, the students even tougher, and the art being taught is uninspiring. Fitting in has been hard, so Ife has played it safe and stayed apart from other students as much as possible, feeling the weight of her parents hope in her and the expensive fees they have had to find for her to attend.

She misses her best friend Zanna but keeps in contact by phone – until a teacher confiscates it. Lost without her outside contact, Ife feels even more isolated. But then there’s Bijal, or Bee as she prefers to be called. She’s like a Bee, buzzing round Ife constantly, trying to break her shell. Ife resists, along with getting to know another student named Ben who is even more annoying.

Ife does have one friend at Nithercott. Malika is more like her friends at home than other Nithercott students, and she and Ife click. Malika even helps plan a forbidden night trip to see Zanna, but this is where everything begins to really unravel for Ife.

Malika is suddenly different. The rebellious, friendly girl has gone and she’s now too pliable, suddenly a follower of others, quiet and polite and a keeper of rules – overnight. Ife has heard of the school’s legend – The Changing Man, and she begins to wonder if her friend has been the latest victim.

When Ife puts together other strange things she’s experienced and gets to know Bee and Ben better, she realises something terrible is happening at Nithercott Academy. With Ben’s burning need to find his older brother Leon who has vanished from school, and Bee’s inquisitiveness and research skills, the three begin to piece together something beyond their nightmares. Something definitely not human….

The cover drew me to this book, then the trope of a mystery within a boarding school. It was a slow burn to begin with, as Ife’s world was shared on the page, then as it began to heat up, more characters were introduced along with more questions.

Nithercott wasn’t only tainted by something ‘other’. Its teachers all seemed horrible to their students along with the nasty students themselves. One in particular is spreading gossip via an app just like in Karen McManus ‘One of Us is Lying‘ and others portrayed the elitist attitudes of the very wealthy. A toxic environment for any student, let alone what is going on behind the scenes.

The ending was unexpected and there were some ‘No way!’ moments as we got there. It was page turning stuff as the surprising twist developed.

An enjoyable read.

Author – Tomi Oyemakinde

Age – 12+

(2023, Macmillan UK, Boarding School, Mystery, Privilege, Elitist, Rich, Wealthy, Family, Scholarship Program, Urban Achievers Program, Eerie, Freaky, Twist, Teachers, Monsters, Missing Students, Disappearances, Brothers, Siblings, Gossip App, Friends)