Nathan saw visions of the dead when he was a young child, then not again until his senior year of high school. Insecure, lonely, in love with his best friend, and out as a gay teen, he wonders whether these visions are real or whether or not he’s losing his mind. He seems disconnected from his family, and really had no one to confide in. His life seems to be a mess, and he’s hoping all this will change when he goes to college. But things aren’t much better there as mysterious student disappearances plague the campus, and he sees more “dealers”, as he calls them. Lonely and distraught, he performs a spell and “summons” someone to be his true friend. does meet Theo, a secretive student whom he falls for, but as they become more involved, his visions worsen and his grasp on reality seems to slip.

There are moments of great writing in the book, but also moments where I just wanted to finish the book as scenes just went on and on and on. Nathan recognizes his life is a mess and knows that he may be crazy, but never seeks help. Even his best friend who knows about these visions never suggests he seek psychiatric help, a point that kept nagging at me as I read the book.

I do have to say that the ending of the book caught me by surprise.

Overall, an uneven but interesting debut novel.

My thanks to Inkshares and to Netgalley for providing an ARC of Black Forest. ( )