Book: She Haunts Me Still by De Elizabeth
Reviewed by Weird | weird.reads.books
Rating: 5/5
I would like to thank De Elizabeth for restoring my faith in the dark academia genre. Dark academia and I have a bit of a situationship at the moment. I desperately want stories that are unsettling and shrouded in mystery, but too often, stories simply slap a school setting onto a creepy trope without the necessary nuance. She Haunts Me Still actually delivers.
Pitched as a dark academia horrormance, this book features a star-crossed love triangle, bisexual representation, a tragic curse, and a doomed production of Romeo & Juliet . That is a massive checklist to tackle, but De Elizabeth handles these themes masterfully. While the romances are fast-paced, it feels entirely authentic to the nineteen-year-old college experience. Especially within the horror genre, where the urgency of the haunting often accelerates the emotions.
The atmosphere is immediate and visceral. It reminded me of The Haunting of Hill House or The Haunting of Bly Manor , where an undercurrent of uncertainty and grief is woven into every page. Our protagonist, Mallory, is a complex lead whose drive to uncover the truth behind her mother’s death, and the curse that plagued her family, is what truly drives the narrative forward.
The love interests are equally compelling. Ezra is a dark, mysterious MMC who gives off major Phantom of the Opera vibes. He would burn the world down consume Mallory. Saskia feels like his literal opposite, yet she is just as committed. The visual descriptions alone perfectly illustrate the yin-and-yang dynamic between Mallory’s lovers. However, as much as I enjoyed the spice, the mystery is what truly sucked me in. The imagery of flickering lights, appearing entities, and seances was incredibly vivid. I could easily see this being adapted for the screen (though I’d be protective of it being a true adaptation!).
This is easily one of my top reads of 2026. If you love horror, romance, obsession, and genuine dark academia, you need to pick this up. 100% recommended.
Thank you to NetGalley and Dutton for the eARC. All opinions are my own.