  | Their vicious games Author: Wellington, Joelle | |
| Price: $23.98 | ||
Summary:
Eighteen-year-old Adina Walker, a scholarship student at a prestigious academy, faces the consequences of a single mistake and competes in a high-stakes contest hosted by the wealthy Remington family, where she uncovers unsettling truths about the sponsors and the contest's high stakes.
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (05/15/23)
School Library Journal (+) (09/01/23)
Booklist (07/23/23)
Full Text Reviews:
School Library Journal - 09/01/2023 Gr 10 Up—As one of the few Black students (and, by far, the poorest) at her prestigious prep school, Adina has always had to work twice as hard to achieve success. So when a bathroom brawl with one of her classmates results in her acceptance to Yale being rescinded, Adina seemingly has no options after graduation. Her only opportunity to restore the future that she had dreamed of is to win the Finish, an annual competition for young ladies of quality given by the incredibly wealthy and powerful Remington family. But when Adina arrives at the Finish and realizes it is actually a viciously deadly battle for a Remington son's hand in marriage, she discovers that she is fighting not just for her academic dreams, but for her very life. Wellington's debut novel is a scathing satire against the uber rich. A genre-bender that is part thriller, part horror, and part contemporary fiction with a splash of romance, this is a truly unique and creative story that teens will be unable to put down. The characters are nuanced and grow throughout the story, and the fast-paced action will keep teens guessing at what new horror might be just around the corner. But it's the commentary on extreme wealth alongside subtle and outright racism and classism, that ensure that this story is not only relevant and timely but also one that will stick with readers long after the book's dramatic final confrontation. VERDICT Unhinged violence abounds, so this is recommended for high school collections.—Chelsey Masterson - Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.
Booklist - 07/23/2023 Wellington doesn’t hold back in this explosive debut novel. After a falling-out with the school’s resident mean girl, Adina loses everything: her offer to Yale is rescinded, and she quickly becomes the school’s pariah. In a last-ditch effort to get her life back on track, Adina corners Pierce Remington IV, the youngest son of a wealthy and powerful family, for an invite to the family’s annual competition for young women. The Finish pits girls against one another for a chance to advance socially and move in circles that once were closed to them. Adina enters the competition assuming that she’ll spend time learning how to properly hold a fork and be a good hostess, but she quickly learns that Finishes are more desperate—and bloodier—when a Remington boy is looking for a bride. While Adina’s plight will keep readers breathless, readers sensitive to intense violence might want to take care. Wellington humanizes each girl, even the ones who seem irredeemable, which makes the stakes even higher. Anyone desperate for a Hunger Games–esque adventure will devour this debut. - Copyright 2023 Booklist.
