Back of Book: 

The sensational teen paranormal romance featured PEOPLE Magazine!

Hailey Hartley has just enrolled in the world's premier supernatural university. It's a school she's never heard of, located in a town called The Middle of Nowhere, and run by a creature that's not supposed to exist. But at least she got a scholarship...

Hailey's dreams have always been, well...vivid. As in monsters from her nightmares follow her into her waking life vivid. When her big sister goes missing, eighteen-year-old Hailey finds only one place offers her answers--a paranormal university in Alaska. There, she studies the science of the supernatural and must learn to live with a roommate from Hell, survive her otherworldly classes, and hope the only creature who can save her from the evil immortal who took her sister doesn't decide to kill her himself.

"EERIE, full of voice and romance, is a thrilling and beautifully crafted story that had me up late, racing through the pages to get to the end. " - Author Brenda Drake 

Book Number: One

Genre: Young Adult | Fantasy | Romance | Paranormal | Horror

Review: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

A paranormal romance with great dark academia vibes and an intense love triangle. 

Hailey Hartley and her sister, Holly, were inseparable. That is, until Holly disappears and Hailey must learn to deal with her sister's lost. The only clues that she has about Holly's disappearance leads to a mysterious paranormal college, Bear Towne University. With a full scholarship, Hailey sets off to the Middle of Nowhere, Alaska, in the hopes of finding out the truth. But dark entities lurk on campus and if Hailey isn't careful, she may not survive the school year. 

Quick note before I start, I did read the second edition, the one that came out in 2025, so this version of this book is filled to the brim with new and exciting content!

This was such a fun and spooky dark academia novel! I was a bit concerned that this one would take me a while to get through because it is over five hundred pages long, but I flew through this one in only a few sittings over about three days. I thought that the concept and characters in this one were really strong, so let's get into it! 

The beginning of this book follows high school Hailey as she works at her uncle's pub and finishes her senior year. Holly, Hailey's older sister, soon goes missing which launches us into the paranormal story plot that exists through most of the book. Hailey has strange dreams featuring this Envoy, a mythical creature that lives beyond the veil in this place called the Aether. His name is Asher and he is quite the protective little demonic being. He quickly introduces us into the magical politics between the Envoys that are very interesting and heavily involve Hailey. Eventually, Hailey agrees to go to Bear Towne University in Alaska, which pushes us into the next part of the book.

Upon reaching Alaska, Hailey learns that there is more to the world than she ever knew. She encounters book worms that talk and drink tea, dangerous monsters such as earworms, and yetis that lurk in the woods. Hailey's roommate is even a banshee, which is a pretty cool creature to see represented in this series. 

One of the major plot points after Hailey makes it to college is the love triangle between Fin and Asher. Fin is a cursed young lad who is forced to work for the Envoys. Hailey initially met him back home when they worked in the pub together. She feels greatly attracted to both boys, but she struggles to pick one. I must admit, both of these men have some huge red flags, but Asher is a controlling demonic being, so I'm definitely on team Fin if I have to pick between these two. 

The dark academia vibes of this one are great. The school is definitely filled with dangerous creatures and mischievous beings, which gives the book a bit of an eerie feel. Hailey also attends many different classes in which she studies paranormal beings, so the school is quite whimsical despite its dark vibes. 

Something that I found really cool about this book is the illustrations that adorn its pages. The author and illustrator of this book are one and the same, which I think is really cool. People that are willing to write and illustrate their books are just so cool to me. Both of these things take a ton of time, so I love seeing this level of commitment. 

This book is quite lengthy, so it's hard to talk about much of the plot without spoiling different parts of the book, so I think I'm going to mostly leave it at that. I did want to say though, that the ending has me desperate to know what happens next, because some seriously juicy secrets are revealed just before the end of the book. This is a bit frustrating, but I always give kudos to authors who are willing to end their book on a successful cliffhanger. 

Overall, "Eerie" is such a fun paranormal romance that is filled to the brim with dark academia vibes and one of the most intense love triangles I have ever read. I loved the atmosphere of Bear Towne University and enjoyed following all the magical experiences that Hailey goes through. The cliffhanger at the end of this one has me feeling a bit twitchy, but it has me so excited to read book two! I definitely recommend this one if you are a fan of paranormal romance, dark academia, or fantasy stories tinged with spooky vibes! 

Back of Book: 

A broken bond. A dying world. A love that refuses to fade.

The Aether is dying, and it’s taking the Earth with it.

After the catastrophe at Bear Towne University, the Aether is damaged—and so are the souls trapped within it.

Asher’s sacrifice saved Hailey’s life, but it cost him his freedom, and his love for Hailey has created a rift that’s spreading through the emotionless Aether and onto the Earth like rot. Trapped in the realm between life and death, Asher’s slipping away—his power fracturing, his soul fading, and he’s becoming something the Aether itself can’t contain. His presence is a sickness, and if Hailey can’t find a way to bring him back, it will consume both Aether and Earth.

Fin, buried alive, must fight his way out with a device powered by Aetherinum—an unstable element that burns as fiercely as the soul that fuels it. But a power that intense exacts a price, and Fin must decide what he’s willing to surrender in exchange for survival.

Meanwhile, Holly is held captive by an Envoy who mistakes his obsession for love. To survive him, she’ll have to think like a monster… and maybe become one.

As light turns against shadow and loyalty against love, unlikely alliances form in the chaos. Because if Hailey, Fin, Holly—and even Cobon—can’t find a way to bring Asher back, the Aether will consume them all.

Love brought them together.
The Aether might tear them apart.
But some bonds—no matter how forbidden—can’t be broken.

Book Number: Two

Genre: Young Adult | Fantasy | Romance | Paranormal | Horror

Review: ? 

Back of Book: 

Think you could survive the world’s most dangerous university?

WELCOME TO BEAR TOWNE UNIVERSITY

Hidden deep in the Alaska wilderness, Bear Towne University is the world’s leading institution of ParaScience—where the supernatural is studied, the impossible is routine, and campus safety guidelines exist for a reason.

This official student handbook contains everything you need to survive life at BTU, from academic expectations and campus resources to emergency procedures for dimensional anomalies, hostile creatures, and the occasional forest uprising. Whether you're navigating dorm life, the underground tunnel system, or a tear in space-time, one thing is certain:

College was never meant to be this dangerous.

Inside, you’ll find:
• Rules for entering the White Forest
• Field guide to the region’s lethal creatures
• How to survive dorm life, paranormal incidents, and hockey season
• Catalog of Indispensable™ student survival gear
• Campus lore, hazard reports, and classified safety warnings

Set in the world of EERIE by C. M. McCoy, this in-universe handbook reveals the secrets of Bear Towne University through official records, faculty notes, historical documents, and the occasionally questionable advice of faculty who have seen far too much.

Memorize the rules.
Trust your instincts.
Stay out of the dark tunnels.

Enrollment is open. Survival is not guaranteed.

Book Number: Guide

Genre: Young Adult | Fantasy | Paranormal | Horror

Review: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

A stunning guide that is filled to the brim with beautiful illustrations, spooky stories, and information that obtains to the world of "Eerie." 

I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to proofread this book, so I saw several versions of this guide before I got my hands on the final version. Being a big part of creating this book was such a joy, and I hope that "Eerie" readers new and old will love it! 

The top two things that stand out to me about this one are the illustrations and the short stories. McCoy's illustrations are absolutely beautiful. They are so detail orientated and brimming with warmth. I love seeing all the mythical creatures brought to life on the page; it's always fun to see characters in a new format. 

The short stories throughout this one are another highlight for me. I was a huge fan of the story about Ava Spitz, the librarian, as well as the one that features Jodi and Audrey and warns against messing with creatures in the White Woods. I love how all the different stories are told in different ways. Some of them are cautionary tales, some are told in second person (which makes it feel as though all the events are happening to you personally), and others are done in mixed-media formats (including interviews and poetry). The wide variety of narrative storytelling in this one makes for an enjoyable and enlightening reading experience that isn't often found in many guides. 

For a series guide, this has got to be one of the best I've read. Much of the time, these books drone on and on about the same information that the reader already knows from reading the series, which makes many guides a boring (or at least slow-going) reading experience. This is not the case at all with McCoy's book! It is filled with new facts and tidbits about the world of "Eerie" and even alludes to some things that will come into play in future installments! 

This guide is seriously funny. There are many comical graphics, unhelpful pieces of advice, and information that is revealed a little too late for the students at Bear Towne University to truly benefit from it. I absolutely adore how this handbook withholds a ton of useful information and only goes over the most surface level things. Bear Towne University is such a unique school that sees student safety as something that isn't really worth thinking about. This adds a layer of humor to the handbook in general, because the people who wrote it don't really care if it is helpful or not. 

Overall, the "Bear Towne University Student Handbook" is one of the best companion guides I've ever read. The world of "Eerie" is so unique that it is no surprise that the handbook is filled with exciting tidbits about the world. The illustrations that adorn almost every page are also stunning and deserve to be examined in great detail. The humorous nature of this guide was another thing that I absolutely adore about it. Reading this companion book has me really excited to dive back into this series again and see what else happens to Hailey and her companions. I can't wait to read "Unearthly" when it is ready!