Orphan Jane Williams has lived her entire life in the foster care system. This has given her a particularly hard outlook on life, but her determination to better her surroundings makes Jane work hard for what she has earned. Jane manages to win a scholarship to the prestigious Birch Grove Academy, where she is able to fit in for the first time in her life and find people who are like-minded to herself. However, as time progresses, Jane comes to realize that not all is at it seems at Birch Grove Academy. People are dying and others are acting especially malicious towards her for no reason. Jane feels a pull to investigate the strange happenings at Birch Grove, and what she finds is not at all what she expects.
In Dark Companion, Marta Acosta weaves together a dark modern gothic mystery. There are numerous plot twists that keep the readers on their feet, so that nothing is predictable about this novel. The characters are wonderfully developed and the readers begin to care for not only Jane’s adventure, but also the background characters as well. Overall, it is a great read, especially for someone who wants a spooky night in.