Vita Nostra by Marina and Sergey Dyachenko

There is no simple bookshelf to place this unusual book onto. It combines magic, horror, fantasy and certain themes found in Russian literature. Sasha meets a dark strange man who helps her and in return is awarded gold coins which she vomits after completing the task before her. As she meets more and more of these challenges she is told to pack and travel to the remote Institute of Special Technologies. Fear for her family and a morbid curiosity about the school will drive her to this strange campus with its very unusual set of courses. As she progresses in her studies, Sasha gains insight and certain powers but these new impulses cannot be controlled easily and can lead to disastrous results. This is what happens if Harry Potter took a bad acid trip in a darker version of Hogwarts. Russian authors, the Dyachenkos have created a story that is unique and an interesting telling of something powerful and mystic.