We Ate the Dark by Mallory Pearson weaves an evocative southern gothic mystery with chilling supernatural themes and lyrical prose. When Sofia’s remains are discovered in her small town of Loring, North Carolina, her twin sister Frankie is left reeling. The discovery brings together Frankie’s estranged friends Cass and Poppy, and together, they seek answers to Sofia’s death with the help of Marya, who has a ghost-seeing gift no one quite understands. Their journey unveils Sofia’s dangerous dabbling in mirror magic and the Fissure, a purgatorial realm that adds an eerie, otherworldly depth. As they uncover Sofia’s hidden encounters with a mysterious girl named Finder and an unsettling love spell, they are pulled into a dark confrontation with a demonic entity that Sofia once made a deal with. 

The novel's strength lies in Pearson’s writing: haunting and darkly lyrical, each page pulls readers into a world both painfully real and otherworldly. Pearson creates an eerie, atmospheric setting that envelops Loring in a near-mythic haze of past trauma, lost dreams, and restless spirits. Themes of loyalty, unresolved grief, and sisterhood resonate strongly throughout, and the bond between Frankie, Poppy, and Cass feels raw and touching, grounding the supernatural elements in genuine emotion. Pearson beautifully captures the grief and fierce loyalty among the friends, showing how they each process Sofia’s death—and the tangled emotions that come with it. However, while the prose shines, the pacing stumbles; the story moves slowly for most of the book, only to rush through significant reveals in the last 20%. This abrupt shift leaves important plot points around the Fissure and Sofia’s mother’s coven underdeveloped, making the ending feel ambiguous and unresolved rather than climactic. Though there’s a sense that the ending gestures toward a sequel, the lack of clarity or closure may leave readers yearning for answers. 

Despite its flaws, Pearson’s deft handling of themes such as grief, loyalty, and the quest for closure is memorable, and the prose itself is spellbinding. Fans of atmospheric horror with rich character studies and supernatural elements will find the story’s haunting tone and interpersonal depth compelling. We Ate the Dark is a gripping, emotional read with a cast of well-crafted characters and a chilling narrative that explores how loss, love, and memory haunt us - one I will be thinking about for many weeks to come.

📖 Recommended For: Fans of Southern Gothic tales with a supernatural twist, readers drawn to lyrical and evocative prose, those who enjoy exploring themes of grief and trauma through a lens of friendship and chosen family, and anyone captivated by eerie, atmospheric mysteries.

🔑 Key Themes: Grief and Loss, Chosen Family, Supernatural Forces, Trauma and Healing, Loyalty and Betrayal, The Haunting Power of the Past.