A deeply unsettling and engrossing mystery horror, perfect for fans of THE SECRET HISTORY and NINTH HOUSE

When Addie Velde receives an invitation to attend an early orientation program at the University of the Arches, she eagerly accepts. After all, the Arches―with its idyllic beachside campus―is her mom’s beloved alma mater, and there’s nothing Addie wants more than to leave her own mark. But from the moment she arrives on campus and moves into her gloomy dorm, nicknamed The Crypt, Addie realizes there are more sinister secrets to uncover than sandy days in her future.

Addie's search for answers launches her straight into the heart of an old campus mystery which to this day keeps students and faculty wary of the shadowy “Buried Ones”, believed to be the omens of death. A vanished professor, an occult society, and the chance her family was involved pushes her investigation into dangerous territory.

Will she lose herself to the Buried Ones or end their sinister reign once and for all?

Rights Sold:

USA: Page Street Teen (World English)

Reviews:

"de Becerra deftly evokes the dark academia aesthetic by leaning into the creepy shadows and cult-like reveal of the campus’s secret [in They Watch From Below]." ―BCCB

"Part horror novel, part mystery, all wrapped up in the lush and treacherous trappings of dark academia, They Watch From Below is every bit as tense, eerie, and genuinely frightening as I had hoped. An absorbing story of old gods, family secrets, and irresistible powers." ―Erica Waters, author of The River Has Teeth and All That Consumes Us

"Unsettling vibes and moodiness abound [...]" ―SLJ