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Article  •  31 August 2026

 

Our Dark Unravelling: the gothic revival is upon us

Margot McGovern’s Our Dark Unravelling is the must-read YA horror thriller for 2026.

Did you watch Obsession or Wuthering Heights in cinemas? Gasp excitedly when Jonathan Bailey was announced as the new voice of Dracula?

It’s official: Gothic novels are back and we’re LOVING it.

Readers can’t get enough of atmospheric adaptations and dark academia aesthetics. If you’re lovingly crafting your Halloween-night-in Pinterest board, or watching for the Practical Magic 2 ticket drop, you’re not alone.

So we have big news for the Gothic horror community: Margot McGovern’s thrilling new YA horror, Our Dark Unravelling, is coming in September. One of the most anticipated thriller books of the year, readers are already screaming (with joy) about this brilliantly clever novel.

But don’t just take our word for it. Readers who live for Gothic horror, dark academia and a seriously twisty thriller have already been reading Our Dark Unravelling. Here are some of the early reviews . . .

 

Image: @estherrslibrary

'Our dark unravelling is a modern YA thriller inspired by Jane Eyre with a sprinkle of gothic vibes!! super excited to get into it, the blurb caught my eye immediately on this one👀'
- @estherrslibrary on Instagram

 

Image: @beebookish

'calling all horror and ya fans 👀✨@margot.mcgovern's new ya horror book our dark unravelling releases september 8th and IM SO EXCITED!!! it is a mix of dark academia, gothic and horror (my faves) and i cannot wait to read this one 👀📖'
- @beebookish on Instagram

 

Image: @catsandpaperbacks

'Gorgeous😻 just you read the synopsis! It gave me goosebumps 😝 I really enjoyed Margot McGovern’s book, “This Stays Between Us,” so I am very excited to read this one😍'
- @catsandpaperbacks on Instagram

 

@the.library.of.sp

'I read and loved This Stays Between Us last year so you know I needed to get my hands on the latest by @margot.mcgovern ! And it’s a DARK ACADEMIA HORROR - hello. Yes.'
- @the.library.of.sp on Instagram

 

Image: @shesbooked_

'I’m so so grateful to have received a beautiful delivery for the upcoming YA dark academia horror OUR DARK UNRAVELLING by Aussie author @margot.mcgovern who is a new-to-me author that I’m very excited to explore!! 🤩'
- @shesbooked_ on Instagram

 

Image: @devoured_pages

'I binge read the heck out of this book from @margot.mcgovern yesterday! . . . This book is a dark and twisty path into unravelling who the characters are, How they interconnect, And definitely can see all the nods towards Daphne De Maurier’s “Rebecca”, and Brontë’s Jane Eyre. . . if you’re looking for a modern entry point into dark gothic horror, this one will be for you!'
- @devoured_pages on Instagram

 

What are you waiting for? Take this as a sign. . . 

Feature Title

Our Dark Unravelling

A thrilling modern gothic tale of control and manipulation that will keep you thinking long after the last page has been turned. Margot McGovern is fast becoming a name to watch in the horror genre.
‘Darkly haunting, Our Dark Unravelling is a perfect blend of gothic, dark academia and horror, where the ghosts of the past become entangled with the complexity of grief.’

Lyndall Clipstone, critically acclaimed author of Tenderly, I am Devoured

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