Reviews with content warning for Body horror - Their Vicious Games

Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

Their Vicious Games by Joelle Wellington

9 reviews

emilybacher's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.75

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ashylibrarian's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Readers will be left in a state of shock and horror (in all the best ways) after finishing Their Vicious Games by Joelle Wellington. This is a fast-paced novel that is packed with thrills and chills, and readers won’t even begin to imagine the terrors that will unfold within its pages.

There are so many amazing strengths to consider when talking about this book. Two (2) of the biggest things that stood out to me were the brilliant world-building and meticulous character development. All of the characters in this book are used with purpose. Some of the side characters we do not see much of, but when you do read about them, you know they have been placed with thought and intention. Readers will also be able to see the world of this book unfold as they read as if they were watching a movie. The Remington Estate, the clothes, the expressions on the characters' faces. Everything is painted so vividly and clearly through Wellington’s alluring prose.

Another aspect of this book that Wellington handles so well is the impact that classism and racism have on the characters and society that run rampant through the upper-class New England community where the prestigious Edgewater Academy resides. There are many barriers that Adina faces throughout the book - barriers built from the materials of systemic racism and classism. This book is set in a fictional New England world, however, readers will likely be able to see connections to socioeconomic and racial injustices that are happening in our world today. This is definitely a heavy read, but it is also a read that is packed with traditional horror characteristics and creates a modern twist on the “final girl” trope.

It was difficult to pinpoint a weakness in this well-crafted punch of a novel. One thing I would say is that readers might be a bit off-put by the quick-developing attraction from the female characters to the male characters, Pierce and Graham. It’s clear from the beginning of the competition that the money and power the Remington family carries has a lot to do with the motivation for many of the girls’ attraction to Pierce, but the attraction between Adina and Graham seems to develop within a page or two, making more of a quick-combustion attraction that does not have much backing.

Their Vicious Games is a book that I would highly recommend to readers who enjoy fast-paced thrillers that leave them feeling utterly shocked, especially if they like books that intricately weave together themes of race and class with classical horror tropes. I would likely recommend this book to older teen readers due to the fact that some of the content in this book is fairly intense and there is strong language used throughout.

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rachelfayreads's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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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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tinybluepixel's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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ktdakotareads's review

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adventurous dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

tbrplaylist's review

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challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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betweentheshelves's review against another edition

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dark tense fast-paced

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

4.0

Adina Walker had everything going for her: graduating from the prestigious Edgewater academy with acceptance to Yale. At least, until the incident with her ex-best friend Esme. Now, she has nothing to show for her work and no plans for after high school. Except for one thing: the Finish. A competition run by the Remington family, the richest family in New England, to welcome them in their fold.

When Adina is accepted into the Finish, at first she's ecstatic. It's her opportunity to gain back everything she's lost. But when she arrives to the competition, it's different than she expected. More vicious. A fight to the death. In order to win, she has to be the last woman standing.

Thanks to SimonTeen for an advanced copy of Their Vicious Games by Joelle Wellington to review! This book is being pitched as Ace of Spades meets Squid Game with a little bit of The Bachelor. At first, I was skeptical of that combination, but it's actually true to the story. Once you get into the game, this book is difficult to put down!

There is a lot of commentary in this book about class and race and the advantages (and disadvantages) that can come with that. Honestly, the overall tone reminded me of a much darker Selection. There are a lot of twists and turns that keep you guess at every moment in Adina's story. As the Finish gets more and more dangerous towards the end, it also makes you want to keep reading. Despite being 400 pages, you'll fly through this book because you will be desperate to know what happens next.

The ending did feel a little bit rushed to me, but that's the main complaint that I had. Everything else, from the characters to the world building to the pacing, works well to keep you engaged all the way through the story. Are the characters the most likeable? Not necessarily, but they are so interesting to read about. It's kind of like dark academia with a twist.

All in all, if you're looking for an engaging thriller to pick up at the end of the summer, definitely keep this one on your radar!

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literaryintersections's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Holy. Shit. This book is brutal. Whoever did the tagline comparing to Ace of Spades, Squid Game, and The Bachelor is 100% spot on. This book is dripping with themes of race, affirmative action, classism, misogyny, and the impacts of the patriarchy on women. I had a general idea of what this book was about but whew lemme tell you, it’s even better. The violence is horrifying. The subtle (and not so subtle) racism and classism feels like a gut punch at every moment. I had so many highlights because Wellington’s writing is descriptive and sets a clear line between Adina and the rest of the competition. The Remington’s are so blasé in their racism and classism. The twists and turns are mostly unforeseen. And the ending just *mindblown*

Absolutely loved this book - a must read for anyone who loves YA horror.

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