Synopsis:
An ambitious teen enrolls at an elite science institute in Morbid Curiosities, a young adult thriller from author S. Hati.
When the Institute’s invitation arrived at my doorstep, it felt like it had been inked in my blood, sweat, and tears.
Aarya’s life plan has been set for as long as she can remember: finish high school with a bang, attend the best college she can get into, then land a prestigious biology research job. Her ticket to this dream is a one-year program at the Elizabethan Institute, the preeminent organization for life sciences in the United States, currently on the cusp of revealing a major project that could transform the worlds of biology and medicine.
But as Aarya tries to settle into a school with sky-high academic expectations and research cloaked in mystery, it becomes clear that someone doesn’t want her there. As the scholarship student surrounded by rich, cutthroat peers who seem all too willing to torment her, she never expected to make friends, but the notes warning her to run rattle her to her core. She finds an ally in Sofia, a mysterious girl who claims to be the subject of closed-door experiments at the Institute and begs for Aarya’s help in figuring out what the Institute is really working on.
As rumors of mutated flora and fauna in the nearby city circulate and a murder investigation rocks the Institute, Aarya will have to navigate Sofia’s growing paranoia and her own increasingly unreliable memory to determine which classmates she can trust―and which would rather see her dead.
Review:
There is plenty to like about Morbid Curiosities by S. Hati, but the young adult thriller landed its big ideas a little too late for me to really love it. The hallmarks of a dark academia tale are there — a super elite academic institution coupled with high stakes for our students, leading to threats, violence, and high mystery. I moved right along with the story, but often it felt like something was missing and I couldn’t quite put my finger on what that was. Eventually, it became clear what was really happening. I went back over the book to see what clues I’d missed along the way, and I really don’t think I did. There were a few mysterious moments that became an “aha!” moment once we got to the final twists and turns, but overall, I just felt like too much was concealed and hidden, not only from our main character, but also from the audience.
So we’re introduced to Aarya, who is a prospective student at the Elizabethan Institute. Early on we get the sense that she’s alienated from her family, and she has some chronic disease, but the details on both of those fronts are notably lacking. She’s an underdog compared to the wealthy classmates she’s competing with and at nearly every turn she struggles while they all succeed. Why then does she stay on when others in her position would be kicked out of the prestigious program? As the story moves towards its climax, there aren’t really a lot of answers to be found until…they are. I do love a good mystery and there is a lot surrounding both Aarya and another character, but unfortunately S. Hati doesn’t drop a lot of clues. The actual eventual reveal is pretty cool, but feels a little unearned in a way. For example — there is a book that Aarya finds in the library with some key information. It isn’t until the very end portion of the Morbid Curiosities when we see what book that was. The title itself would have been a cool little Easter Egg for the eventual twist, but I don’t think it would have given too much away.
For a Young Adult novel, it works pretty well. Characters are motivated often by emotion, even as their position at the Institute mandates reason and logic. The book is not too long, even though maybe a little more backstory would have benefitted the overall narrative.
I can’t say I disliked the book. The final turn made it very interesting and gave me a lot to think about, but it didn’t always feel like the book earned it.
For the audio portion of the novel, Isuri Wijesundara does a fantastic job, providing a depth of emotion for Aarya, especially in the final chapters of the novel when everything is made clear.
Thank you to Macmillan Children’ Publishing Group and Macmillan Audio for providing this book and audiobook for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
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