Book Review: "Dark Companion"

Dark Companion
by Marta Acosta

Goodreads Summary: When foster teen Jane Williams is invited to attend elite Birch Grove Academy for Girls and escape her violent urban neighborhood, she thinks the offer is too good to be true. She's even offered her own living quarters, the groundskeeper's cottage in the center of the birch grove.

Something's not quite right about the school -- or is it Jane? She thinks she sees things in the birch grove at night. She's also beginning to suspect that the elegant headmistress and her sons are hiding secrets. Lucky is the gorgeous, golden son who is especially attentive to Jane, and Jack is the sardonic puzzling brother.

The school with its talented teachers and bright students is a dream for a science and math geek like Jane. She also loves her new friends, including hilarious poetry-spouting rich girl, Mary Violet. But the longer Jane stays at Birch Grove, the more questions she has about the disappearance of another scholarship girl and a missing faculty member.

Jane discovers one secret about Birch Grove, which only leads to more mysteries. What is she willing to sacrifice in order to stay at this school...and be bound to Birch Grove forever?

Review: Dark Companion is an interesting re-telling of Jane Eyre that combines Gothic elements with subtle magical undertones. Acosta brilliantly develops the eery atmosphere of Birch Grove Academy, as well as the strangeness of the Radcliffe family. The book had a lot of surprising twists and turns, and wasn't as predictable as I originally thought it would be. I enjoyed the character of Jane, who was intelligent and steady, but not naïve at all. Her bluntness was refreshing to see in a character. The side characters were wonderful as well, most notably the flamboyant Mary Violet and her fabulous poems. While it lagged somewhat during the middle and the magic was a bit out of place, the clever humor, witty dialogue, and creepy mystery held my interest to the end.

Overall Rating: 3/5

This book was obtained as an eGalley from Tor/MacMillian Publishers.  It's expected publication date is July 3, 2012.