I'm a fan of secret societies, so this book appealed to me. It wasn't the best or the worst of the YA thriller, but I have others I'd recommend first. Why, personal preference, as I like dark academia, but this more teenage angst than dark.

DNF - did not finish. I could not connect with the writing style/plot so I decided to not pick this one up. Thank you, NetGalley and publisher for the early copy!

These Vengeful Hearts was a unique story; maybe a little bit predictable, but still captivating and entertaining. Ember joins the Red Court to get revenge for what they did to her sister, but things get complicated really quickly when Ember forms a connection with another member and starts to enjoy the work she is doing for the Red Court. Ember was really well developed, and seeing her emotional journey throughout the book was the best part. The book was billed as a mystery thriller, but I'm not sure I would consider it either of those things.

This book really intrigued me. I am a huge Alice in Wonderland and the vibes of that classic through this book were huge.

Ember loves her family unconditionally. So when an accident disables her sister Ember wants the ones who are responsible to pay. The ones responsible however are not people to be messed with. They are the most elite and powerful group in the school. They are the Red Court.

Everyone seems to be in the Red Court's pockets. So when Ember receives an invitation to this elite group she's more than ready to put her life long plan into action. How much is she willing to sacrifice to get justice for her sister? Is it worth being the deceitful person that she is going to have to face in the mirror each and every day?

A young woman's journey of not only revenge, but of self discovery as well.

"These Vengeful Hearts" is the epitome of the YA mystery genre. It's your typical thriller but with new conflicts, new character archetypes, and a new society with a high school backdrop. Every single element of Laurin's novel, not short of the dialogue and writing style, was unique and intriguing, even to a reader like me who rarely enjoys mystery thrillers! I found the characters relatable due to their flaws but inspirational due to their perseverance and, although the plot was gentle enough for young teens, the ending was intense and jaw dropping. Without any spoilers, I could not feel more powerless against the Red Court and empowered by Ember's rage-driven project to avenge her sister's "accident". Although I may never find an opportunity exactly like Ember's in my life, I strive to be like her and face adversity to stand up for others. There is simply nothing else to say: "These Vengeful Hearts" was a heart-wrenching, exhilarating, and inspirational read that I completely recommend to all teens who have ever felt outcast or bullied at school.

Revenge, romance, and high school drama.

Ember has prepared for this day since the Red Court injured her sister. Now she can get her revenge and bring an end to the Court. The Red Court will grant favors to those who ask, but there is always a price. Now Ember has been invited to join the Red Court, which she plans to take down from the inside. However, her plan takes an unexpected turn when an assignment leads to new feelings and a strained friendship. Ember's plan to take down the Red Court now comes at a great cost and reveals shocking lies.

Ember is a conflicting character that readers will be challenged to connect with. Her turmoil in taking down the court is unnecessarily dramatic and complicated. The plot is fairly predictable with a few surprises along the way. The romance is campy but enjoyable, although nothing to get readers excited about. The friendships and interactions with other characters provide a positive side to Ember. The mystery is entertaining but the ending is upsetting, although not surprising.

Hopefully the next book will hopefully improve Ember's behavior. A good read for high school drama lovers and mystery readers.

SO GOOD! These Vengeful Hearts grabbed me from the beginning and didn’t let go until I read every page. Ember’s adventure taking down the infamous Red Court that rules her high school was a wild ride, making her question herself and all those around her. This book had some good twists and great character development. The ending makes me hopeful for a second book!

I’ve spent a lot of time trying to come up with a one sentence description of this book, and I finally have it. These Vengeful Hearts is perfect is like a mashup of Pretty Little Liars and One of Us is Lying. What would you do if you could ask a mystery group of girls for anything? Would you do it if it meant you had to cash in later on without knowing what your request would cost you upfront? That is how the Red Court operates, and Ember is determined to bring them down. After her sister was gravely injured by the Red Court, Ember wants nothing more than to dismantle the group responsible. Insert undercover operation for Ember as she becomes a member herself to help dismantle it from within. What is Ember willing to sacrifice for her cause? Will she succeed? To find out the answer to these questions, you have to read the book. Laurin did an amazing job maintaining suspense, and you will be on your toes until the end as you eagerly read to find out.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

My goodness, I loved this book, it was so full of drama and secret society takedown and all the things I could want in a book. There was so much going on that it had you guessing throughout the the entire story! It was definitely a must read!

Loved this! A first by me by This author will not be my last! A quick and interesting read full of things we remember - High School drama and more. The Red Court is a secret society that every one wants to be in or is it? When Ember wants revenge for her older sister's tragic accident she finds herself sitting through many secrets and lies. Will she find the revenge she's looking for or will she become another victim? Great story!

A secret society? Promising!

The Red Court is a group of girls in high school who don’t know each other but all work in unison to act out requests for others and payment is an IOU toward someone else’s request.

We have our main-character, Ember, who wants in to the Red Court for <i>reasons</i> . . . to take them down from the inside. Except she gets a little over her head.

I loved a variety of elements in <u>These Vengeful Hearts</u> and for the most part it was a really good story. Everything is straightforward, there’s not a whole lot that you need to figure out on your own.

However, the main twist is hardly explained and makes that whole storyline feel inadequate. Like the author didn’t know how to wrap it up. I was expecting some grand explanation and backstory. Nope.

It was still a fun read, just slightly disappointing.

Omg this was so good. Not sure what I expected but I went in blind to and I'm so glad I did.
Thanks for this Arc. Can't wait to read more form this author.

These Vengeful Hearts is a great YA thriller that I wish I was able to read earlier! The past year affected my reading but I finally got to this book and it made me want to read all about secret societies.

The Elite female students of Heller High make up the Red Court and they control and spread all the scandalous gossip. Ember Williams has revenge on her mind for what the Red Court did to her sister two years earlier. The thirst for revenge kept my attention and kept me turning the pages to see what Ember and the Red Court did.

A high school drama...and make no mistake...there is a LOT of drama.
I loved the secrets and dodgy schemes this book held.
I wish the characters had been more fascinating, but the story is still engaging enough for me to recommend it.
Thanks to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for my DRC.

There are loads of books about young people working for intricate organizations as spies. This is one of the few I have read where the powerful, secret organizations is built by high schoolers. The thing is, the novel is totally believable as something that could actually happen. The truth is high school is one of the hardest parts of your life. The place where you learn, often the hard way, the way the world works. This book gets that and honors it. Really nice mystery, very interesting.

I think the kids will really enjoy this. To me, I hate the trope of ''someone gets involved in something dirty and then is surprised when dirty things happen.'' I also called the twist as soon as a character appeared, but again, for a secret society book it isn't bad.

This was a good example of the typical high school revenge books. It was a good story, the writing was well done, and I had a few surprises. However, I feel like I've read this before, and I don't do well with the insta-love in books.

However, if you are not that familiar with the typical high school revenge books, this is a good one to pick up. I am just looking for something a little different.

I do want to thank the author, the publisher and #netgalley for the ARC which did not impact my review.

I did not end up finishing this book when I had the ARC available to me, and I have yet to pick up a finished copy, but I remembering enjoying the pacing of the story and the general execution of the plot. It has me intrigued enough to pick it up again in the future, hopefully.

For me this worked as a middle school revenge book. It had the elements of "Pretty Little Liars" without the umph...which was fine since my audience is MS. Yes, there was insta-love and it was predictable, but it was a quick satisfying read so I was happy in the end.

People who know me know that I typically stick to reading science fiction and fantasy stories, so These Vengeful Hearts was a bit of a change for me. The description and synopsis lured me in with promises of scandal, intrigue, mystery and revenge--who could say no to revenge?

From the very beginning, the characters were interesting and relatable. The relationships between Ember and her family and friends were fun to read and were, for the most part, believable. Her relationship with her parents seemed a little unrealistic to me, but it was a very minor part of the story. Although, I did enjoy how her father named Ember and her sister after the months they were born in. It was a clever little detail to include and I love me a unique name.

When getting ready to write this review, I read through a couple on Goodreads. Some of them seemed to not love These Vengeful Hearts because, to them, it wasn’t unique. Since I haven’t read many secret society revenge stories, I didn’t have that issue. I thought the story was interesting, fun and original. The main character had depth. From chapter to chapter I had a hard time deciding whether I was rooting for her or not. The characters that you can’t decide whether they’re the good guy or the bad guy are the absolute best characters! There was enough suspense and mystery to keep me intrigued but not too much to take away from the parts of the story that were about character development and growth.

All in all, I really enjoyed These Vengeful Hearts and will absolutely read any sequel.