Thursday Tea: Dark Companion by Marta Acosta

The Book: I'm currently reading Marta Acosta's Dark Companion. All I knew about the book before I opened it was that the novel had some paranormal elements. I'm on page 109 (of 356), just starting Chapter 11, and I haven't met any vampires or ghosts yet. The Prologue, however, contains strong signs of some kind of otherworldly beings.

The story is about Jane Williams, who was orphaned at age six and put into the American foster care system. She had a rough childhood in group homes located on the wrong side of the tracks. Through hard work and some luck, she scores a full scholarship to the local private high school for girls from well-off families.

As you can imagine, Jane is worried about fitting in at her new school. So far her junior year is about a week into the term. The good news is she has met some nice classmates; the bad news is there are some mean girls at the school. Her class schedule includes journalism, a class called "Night Terrors," and honors chemistry. Jane is trying her best to keep up with the other students.

As part of her scholarship, she lives alone in the old caretaker's cottage on the edge of a spooky birch wood. She's been warned to lock her doors at night, and she hears enough strange noises outside to obey. Of course, there are boys; in this case, there is a cute guy and his creepy brother, both of whom have indicated an interest in the new girl.

Marta Acosta's writing and the plot have captured my interest. There is a definite Jane Eyre feeling about Dark Companion (and the publicity documents mention this too). It's not so much the storyline as the atmosphere and, obviously, Jane's name and status. As I mentioned, Acosta has hinted at Gothic elements, and I'm curious about what kinds of paranormal happenings will go on at the school or perhaps in the woods. At this point, I'm clueless, but I'm hooked.

The Tea: This week's iced tea is Adagio Tea's Orange black tea. Here's the description: "Our Orange Black tea combines fresh and brisk Ceylon black tea with the flavor of juicy, ripe Florida oranges, playfully accented with orange peel." The orange flavor isn't very powerful, but it makes a great summer drink over ice.

The Assessment: Jane Williams has probably never had a good-quality tea in her life. Her classmates, however, are probably very familiar with fruit-flavored teas, and I bet they'd like this one. I have a feeling that Jane will soon be learning how the better half lives, and she may even stock her small kitchen with some decent tea.

What About You? Have you read Dark Companion? If so, will it hold up to my expectations? Are you drinking anything interesting these days? And what are you reading this week?

This post will be linked to Kid Konnection, hosted by Julie at Booking Mama.

Buy Dark Companion at an Indie, Powell's, Book Depository, or a bookstore near you. These links lead to affiliate programs.
Thursday Tea was the brainchild of Anastasia at Birdbrain(ed) Book Blog.
Published by Macmillan / Starscape, Tor Teen 2012
ISBN-13: 9780765329646
Source: Review (see review policy)
Copyright © cbl for Beth Fish Reads, all rights reserved (see review policy)
FTC: I buy all teas myself, I am not a tea reviewer.