Sometimes, I get asked to jump in on a comic con panel and the preparation leads me to a really fun book. This is one of those times.

Joelle Wellington made her publishing debut with Their Vicious Games [Buy Bookshop Amazon] and it’s now coming out in paperback! The cover on this is amazing in person, so definitely check it out for that shimmery perfume bottle alone!

Their Vicious Games follows Adina as she loses her Ivy League scholarship due to some drama, and decides to join an elite competition to win it back. However, when she signs up for “The Finish”, she doesn’t know that etiquette and brain power are far from the only things this rich family will be watching for. They are also looking for a certain… killer instinct.

Oh, and it’s not just a scholarship on the line. The winner will marry into this rich family and continue the tradition with their future child. This game pits girls against each other to the death to win a husband and a fancy college scholarship, all while simultaneously making statements on race and class.

Think of this like The Hunger Games meets The Bachelor with dark academia vibes.

It’s a fun ride and I think Joelle could’ve gone a little harder on some of the insanity of this situation. There’s some ridiculous situations, but I didn’t always feel the weight of a dying girl. However, it did keep me reading, so I’m not mad about it at all.

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