Title: Their Vicious Games
Author: Joelle Wellington
Genre: YA Thriller
Publisher: Penguin UK
Pages: 416
Release Date: 27 July 2023
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Hello fellow Booklovers! Today I wanted to share my review of Their Vicious Games by Joelle Wellington which I was lucky enough to read as part of Tandem Collective's TikTok readalong. This dark, satirical and utterly addictive debut was Squid Game meets The Selection—if the competition comprised mostly of uber rich Mean Girls willing to do literally anything to win.
Synopsis
Twelve girls. Three rounds. One ultimate prize . . . for the last one left alive.
Edgewater Academy is a school for the very rich and very powerful.
Adina Walker is neither of those things. Alone and outcast, when she gets into a fight with a fellow student (and former friend), her scholarship to a top college is revoked, and her world falls apart.
Until she's invited to The Finish.
Annual games for the brightest and the best, hosted by power-family The Remingtons, the winning prize for The Finish is everything Adina wants. This is her chance at the life she's dreamed of.
Then the contestants start to die.
Love, revenge, pride - all are on the line. This isn't a game any more . . .
Review
It’s brutal, bloody and diabolically back-stabby and I was utterly hooked! (though I do suggest checking the TWs before hand.)
The writing was incredible, and the pacing superb (it’s one of the best paced books I’ve read all year, in fact.) But the exploration into themes such as privilege, racism and class is what really intrigued me, as it show us (in a rather dark, satirical kind of way) just how easily extreme wealth (and the power that comes with it) can create an environment where only the less empathetic, narcissistic or most entitled can survive.
Adina, is thankfully far from any of those things which was why I loved her soo much. She’s driven, determined and not afraid to tell people what she thinks—especially when they hurt the people she lives most. But she’s also deeply compassionate, which becomes her biggest dilemma when she realises what the competition entails (and what she’ll have to do) in order to survive.
The constant racism and open contempt Adina is forced to endure from the other contestants (and adults) was soo rage inducing, but it did highlight just how common such experiences are for People of colour, but women of colour especially.
In fact rage, and female rage in particular plays quite a large role in the narrative. With every female character (from the morally grey to the outright sociopathic) bearing some form of anger towards the society (and male governed system) they so desperately want to fit into.
I also wanted to mention that though there’s a hint of romance, it does mainly centre around Adina’s personal journey and efforts in fighting against the barbaric and oppressive system—so do bear this in mind if you’re looking for something a little more romance based.
Overall, this was a plot twisty, and unputdownable read that had me second guessing literally everyone! Fans of YA Thrillers, OG Gossip Girl, Ace of Spades or the Final Girl trope definitely need to add this to your TBRs this summer!
Also, a huge thank you to Tandem Collective UK and Penguin UK for the proof (and for including me on the TikTok Readalong, it was soo much fun.)
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
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