WHITE MOUNTAIN

More mysteries arise and new romances bloom among the teens first featured in Black River (2026).

It’s been several months since Opi Silver went through the change that her older sister, Dusty, experienced: A mysterious phenomenon on White Mountain altered their bodies’ chemistry, heightening their senses and making them crave blood. While Dusty and her friend Eli Blake (whom Opi is drawn to despite herself) acquired special abilities with their changes, Opi hasn’t—and she mourns the girl she was before. Once passionate about gardening and being an herbalist, now she desires only the smell and taste of blood—a hunger that’s never satiated. When Dusty has a premonition that Opi is in danger, a detective starts sniffing around, and a menacing shadow appears, it becomes more imperative than ever to learn how everything is connected and what it all means. While the series opener focused on Dusty, Opi gets the spotlight in this lush, wintry sequel, which is a close character study with a similarly intimate feel. Opi and Eli’s slow-burn romance is delicious and sensual, and its development complements Opi’s personal growth. The broader plot advances as more questions arise and danger looms; just when it starts to feel impossible that all these threads can be wrapped up, Cottle throws in unexpected twists and ties a neat, deeply satisfying bow around the story. The leads are cued white; there’s some racial diversity among secondary characters.

A rewarding finish to an inventive, emotionally charged duology.