Into the Sublime
Kate A. Boorman
Genre: Young Adult Horror
Publishing Date: July 26, 2022
Synopsis:
"Gripping and breathless, Into the Sublime is equal parts terrifying, claustrophobic, psychological,
and cunning."
-Wendy Heard, author of She's Too Pretty to Burn and Dead End Girls
A new YA psychological thrillerfrom the author of What We Buried about four teenage girls who
descend into a dangerous underground cave system in search of a lake of local legend, said to
reveal your deepest fears.
When the cops arrive, only a few things are clear:
- Four girls entered a dangerous cave.
- Three of them came out alive.
- Two of them were rushed to the hospital.
- And one is soaked in blood and ready to talk.
Amelie Desmarais' story begins believably enough: Four girls from a now-defunct thrill-seeking
group planned an epic adventure to find a lake that Colorado locals call "The Sublime." Legend has it
that the lake has the power to change things for those who risk-and survive- its cavernous depths.
They each had their reasons for going. For Amelie, it was a promise kept to her beloved cousin, who
recently suffered a tragic accident during one of the group's dares.
But as her account unwinds, and the girls' personalities and motives are drawn, things get
complicated. Amelie is hardly the thrill-seeking type, and it appears she's not the only one with the
ability to deceive. Worse yet, Amelie is covered in someone's blood, but whose exactly? And where's
the fourth girl?
Is Amelie spinning a tale to cover her guilt? Or was something inexplicable waiting for the girls down
there? Amelie's the only one with answers, and she's insisting on an explanation that is more horror-
fantasy than reality. Maybe the truth lies somewhere in between?
After all, strange things inhabit dark places. And sometimes we bring the dark with us.
Content Warning: claustrophobic/risky situations, violence, discussion of pet death, panic attacks,
dysfunctional family
Book Links:
REVIEW
This was a very intriguing story from the start. Four girls, with no prior ties other than a now disbanded thrill-seekers group, sneaking off to visit a mysterious cave with supposed mysterious powers to provide a great “change”. Immediately there are so many questions because we don’t know who is dead, who is injured or why one of the girls is covered in blood. We don’t even know the real reason they are all willing to go on such a trip. I really loved that everything was a mystery we had to unravel through the police “interrogation” afterwards. It was like Boorman thought, “okay let me give the readers the ending first with absolutely no context” and she was so right for that!
The characters had such different motivations that created a fun dynamic of tensions and secrets from the start. I think Boorman had a really interesting way of revealing details about each of the characters personalities. Since they were all strangers to each other we got to know them alongside the narration which was really unique but sometimes failed to deliver the full developed characters I desired. I mean I think it was intended for them to be unknown in and uneasy way but I was hoping to learn more if that makes sense! For example, one character is known to always be carrying candy and offering it and that was one of their main traits for most of the book, but that didn’t really reveal anything substantial in my opinion. Each character was definitely flawed, such as the egotistical leader, or the one hiding things, and I feel like one could even call our narrator quite unreliable which is always a bonus in my book. I really was so determined to figure out what went wrong in the cave and what really happened but the ending could have had more power for me. The main problem I had is a slight spoiler but I will just say I do not like horror that leans into poor representation of mental illness.
I personally read a lot of ya mystery and horrors so I feel like it takes a lot to really surprise me. I know a lot of readers will still enjoy the reveals and I wouldn’t exactly call them predictable either! I think the narration style was very unique but was confusing to the overall flow as a reader, and the atmospheric setting was something I had never encountered, especially if claustrophobia gets to you. I almost wish there was more time spent for the reader to see the characters interact and less repetitive set up. While it’s not my favorite YA Horror of all time (that’s a hard standard to meet) it was definitely worth the read for the atmospheric plot! I would recommend this if you enjoy YA Horror but I don’t think it would be a good starting off point in the genre.
MOOD BOARD
About the Author:
Kate A Boorman is an award-winning author from the Canadian prairies. She was born in Nepal and
grew up in the small town of Rimbey. She writes speculative fiction and has a mild obsession with
abandoned places, memory, and the darkest parts of the forest.
Kate holds a MA in Dramatic Critical theory and a resume full of a bizarre assortment of jobs, from
florist to accordion accompanist to "person-who-held-the-drywall-sheet-in-place". She has
participated as a guest and presenter at a variety of Festivals and Conferences in Western Canada.
Kate usually lives in Edmonton, Alberta, with her family. She has recently returned from living in a
faraway land, where there are many baguettes.
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