Review of 'Their Vicious Games'

Their Vicious Games follows Adina, a black girl at Edgewater Academy, a school full of privileged white students. When she is blamed for a racial incident, and her Yale acceptance is rescinded, Adina feels lost. But Adina has a plan. Fueled by her anger, Adina finds a way to enter The Finish, a competition hosted by one of the most influential families, the Remington’s. But she soon discovers the competition is deadlier than she thought.

Storytelling

I absolutely loved the story here. The Finish is a competition where twelve girls are handpicked to complete three challenges, all for the opportunity to join the Remington family. But it is a competition where their lives are on the line, and only one can survive.

The girls are pitted against one another, the games deadly and dangerous, and each other is stuck with facing the way society has groomed them for this, has groomed them to give up their humanity and tear each other down all for the hand of a boy.

Because that’s what the competition is. Kill the competition and marry the youngest Remington boy, the only way to join the family and get everything handed to you for the future.

The satire, the structure, and the way the story tears down the accepted social conventions and focuses on rebuilding it is impressive. Through Adina, we face the reality of how women are manipulated and turned against one another. We see how the rich like to wear down those they can and how power corrupts.

But Adina refuses to let her humanity and brilliance be diminished. She flips the game on those above her, tearing down the system, one bloody weapon at a time.

The girls here are cunning, brilliant, and manipulative in such a way that reminded me of Regina from Mean Girls. And to see them use their brilliance against one another instead of against the regime says a lot about society. Sometimes, it is easier to tear others down rather than lift them up, and it is made easier when society pits women against one another.

Final Thoughts

Their Vicious Games is a brilliant, fast-paced book like nothing I had expected to read. It is thoughtful, bloody, and has an oh-so-very satisfying ending.

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About the Author

Cynthia Bujnicki graduated from Emerson College with a BA in Writing, Literature and Publishing. She has always loved to read since she was a child. A contributing writer for YA Fantasy Addicts, she is also the Editor-in-Chief for Cyn's Workshop. She lives in sunny South Florida with her husband, two kids (the perfect pair), and their two cats Mr. J the Kitten and Nyx (aka Girl).