Their vicious games by Joelle Wellington

In a strangely cruel and violent story that is almost the love child of The Gilded Cage and The Hunger Games this compelling tale weaves through the moneyed USA class system and reveals its underbelly. Adina Walker is an outsider at Edgewater Academy, but she is brilliant and deserves to follow her dream of going to Yale, but an argument with one of the ‘moneyed-class’ has turned nasty and Adina is stripped of her dreams. A lifeline is offered by the wealthy and charismatic Pierce Remington IV, but it comes with a challenge and a competition that has deadly consequences. ‘The Finish’ is an awful combative contest pitting twelve young women against one another to win the affections of the elusive Pierce – a prize that may open doors to wealth and opportunity, if only they can survive the challenge.

This is a powerful piece of creative fiction, revealing classism, sexism and racism and the ways it might manifest itself in East Coast USA. It is also a compelling story with intense violence and moral fissures that make for intriguing contemplation. Should the wealthy be able to do what they like? Who can stand up against their power and twisted view of the world? Is naked ambition as ugly as cruel  exploitation? Much of this story though is the insight into the sexist, classist and racist opinions of those who look down their noses at those who have not inherited their wealth or position. Adina, the feisty protagonist, is fighting to be seen and acknowledged, by both men and women at Edgewater. Unfortunately, she has been swept into the roiling mess of the Remington’s ‘Finish’ challenge and readers will want her to survive, but also want her to leave the competition unscathed.  This is a book for mature readers who have loved The Hunger Games’;  it is violent and confronting and quite compelling, but it is not for the faint-hearted. It would make a powerful M-rated movie script.

Themes: Wealth & Privilege, Power, Ambition, Murder, Class, Racism, Sexism.

Carolyn Hull