The second volume of the wonderfully spooky Deephaven series begins with protagonist Guinevere “Nev” Tallow looking forward to being one of the exclusive boarding school’s only residents during winter break. That will give them time to explore the deep basement of the school and look for clues to the strange happenings that seem to occur there. What they didn’t expect, however, was discovering the skull of the school’s founder, Malachi Haven, with strange symbols carved into each tooth.
Nev, always intrigued by a good puzzle, tries to crack the secret of the symbols, to no avail. But when the rest of the students return for the semester, it seems that each symbol foretells a disaster that befalls the school or its inhabitants. When they try to get rid of the skull, though, it always seems to return. Their best friend Danny wants to help, but Nev’s obsession with the puzzle is driving them apart—while the principal blames Nev for the disasters and an occult-obsessed school prefect tries to make life even more difficult for Nev. Can Nev put an end to the prophecies before someone is seriously hurt?
Nev is a clever and resourceful person, always collecting bits and pieces of things to work into little mechanical objects—a wonderful little character trait. They’re also a bit of a loner, and we see them working through issues of friendship and trust throughout the novel. Their nonbinary identity is completely incidental to the story, though, and seamlessly accepted.
Aldridge is best known for his graphic novels, and as with the first volume of this prose series, they display their artistic skills in the evocative full-page illustrations at chapter ends.
I love the gloomy, gothic vibe of Deephaven, and as with the first volume, I appreciate that author Ethan M. Aldridge has avoided making it into a clone of the wizarding school created by She Who Shall Not Be Named. In fact, the students are not inherently magical. Magical powers do exist in the world, and people can learn to wield them, but the school is not focused on teaching that. It’s also a much smaller institution than that of the other series, without “houses” or the like. In fact, Nev’s love of puzzles, lone-wolf aura, and long coat remind me more of Sherlock Holmes than anything. They’re an intriguing character and I can’t wait for more in this recommended series.
Nev is White; Danny is Black.
