Their Vicious Games by Joelle Wellington review: A twisty teen satire
If you’re looking for a horror twist on The Bachelor, you’ll want to check out Their Vicious Games by Joelle Wellington. Here’s a look at what to expect.
Disclaimer: I got an advance copy of this novel from NetGalley in return for an honest review.
There are a lot of stories that involve a Bachelor-style storyline. You usually find them in the romance section. After all, doesn’t every girl want to win an eligible man? Okay, not every girl; but a lot do.
Their Vicious Games turns that type of storyline into a horror. Think of it more like a Hunger Games version of The Bachelor. Anything can happen, and anyone can die.
What is Their Vicious Games by Joelle Wellington about?
The story starts off as one similar to The Pact. Adina Walker has lost her place at Yale and all other colleges, and she knows she needs The Finish to help her. This is a game put on every year by the Remington family, the richest family in the area.
Girls compete for a chance to get ahead in life, and Adina wants to use it to even the playing field. Why should the rich always win?
What she doesn’t realize is that this Finish is unlike most others. A Remington man has turned 18 and is now looking for a wife. The girls aren’t competing just for their futures at college but for their lives and the chance to become the next Mrs. Remington.
Is that really what Adina wants? She needs to figure that out, as well as figure out who she can trust in this Hunger Games-style event.
Their Vicious Games review
This story is pretty easy to guess. There are a lot of predictable elements, from the cliche member of the rich family who doesn’t want anything to do with this life (but takes the advantages of it) to the girls who think they’re deserved everything because of the way they’ve been raised. It certainly made it a quick read as there wasn’t nothing too “out there” when it came to character and story development.
There were the odd twists along the way. I enjoyed the development of Saint as we tried to figure out whether she could be trusted or not. I also liked the twists at the end as Adina figured out how to play everyone at their own games. It just wasn’t that much of a thrilling read when I could guess where each of the storylines were going.
What I really wanted to know was whether Adina would manage to get back into Yale after it all. Was The Finish going to be worth it? That’s what you’ll need to read to find out.
The novel is described as a satire by Wellington, and I guess if you take it that way, my review should be higher. I saw that after I’d read it and formed an opinion, though. It’s just not a book for me.
Stars: 2 out of 5
Next. Have You Seen Her by Catherine McKenzie review. dark
Their Vicious Games by Joelle Wellington is available on Tuesday, July 25.