Reviews with content warning for Racism - Their Vicious Games

Their Vicous Games is an amazing book following Adina Walker. Adina's future was stolen from her and she must participate in The Finish; a series of games hosted by the Remingtons. As Adina participates in the games, she realizes that the stakes are higher than they seem. The book is a masterful social commentary on class. I absolutely loved it.

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sarahsbookstacks's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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honestlyyours77's review

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This was a great read! It took a bit to get into the story as the beginning was a bit unpolished and repetitive. However, about 1/8th into the book it picked up a bit and swelled to where you didn’t want to put it down.

I love the twists as the story played out and the strength of the protagonist. Giving anything more would give spoilers which I do not care to do.

While this is YA fiction it is definitely fit for any reader who enjoys suspense.

*a note on diversity. While the book isn’t filled with diverse characters with the exception of the protagonist and a few others, it is intentional. It is a glimpse of the real world impacts on people of color. So while the story is thankfully fictional, the real world
Message and impact is not.

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sarahmcg's review

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challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Their Vicious Games

4.5 ⭐️

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for the free copy for review

This book is described as “Ace of Spades meets Squid Games with a sprinkling of the Bachelor…” I haven’t watched Squid Games, but I agree with the rest, and also add that this book gave me Hunger Games vibes.

The FMC, Adina Walker, is a black teen girl who attended the prestigious Edgewater Academy on scholarship. She gained acceptance to Yale, only to have her offer rescinded over one moment of lost control. She is hoping to regain her acceptance to Yale and the path forward in life she feels she has lost by participating in the Finish - a contest put on by Edgewater’s founding family, the Remingtons. She just needs to make it through the high-stakes competition, and when she wins, she will have the favor of the Remington family and their power and wealth will open doors for her that have been otherwise closed.

However, upon arriving at the Remington estate, Adina realizes she has been in the dark about how deadly the Finish is, and what the expectations truly are.

This book had me on the edge of my seat. It moves quickly, is propulsive, and violent. It had me gasping, and gave me goosebumps. The underlying commentary on racism, classism, the patriarchy, and performative allyship was so smartly crafted. This is why people should not underestimate YA novels! This is a horror novel, and satirical at that.

One of my favorite parts of this novel was the friendship between Adina and her roommate, Saint. Also, the ending had me like 🤯

I highly recommend this to those who love YA horror and satire/social commentary, final girls, and fast-moving, high-stakes competitions.

CW/TW: violence including murder, gun violence, blood, injury detail; sexism, classism, racism, misogyny (overt & micro aggressions), and emotional abuse.

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