Overall I really enjoyed this book, liked the characters, the plot and how it was written. There were so many twists and turns and it keeps you reading and I really enjoyed the school cult twist.
Would have loved the story to be darker and maybe more horror based, I think this would have really added to the story but never the less a great read.

This was a super fun thriller with dark academia vibes. It follows Maren, a student at a prestigious academy. Her best friend goes missing and Maren knows there is something truly wrong. She ends up infiltrating a secret society in order to hopefully save her friend as well as her own life!

First off, the plot was intriguing and sucks you in quickly. This book wastes no time and jumps right into the action. The author does a great job of keeping you guessing and being midly confusing until all is revealed. No one can be trusted and I loved all the twists near the end. It was at times predictable but I still thoroughly enjoyed it.

The characters: Maren wasn't my personal favorite, she seemed often meek and never fully stood up to anyone which I found disappointing. I wanted her to throw a punch or two but she really stayed on the clear cut path and her character just felt like she needed a little more depth. I liked Gavin a lot and I found Remi to be a good character as it was hard to tell what side he was on.

Overall, I think this was a fun thriller that I could see myself picking out at the bookstore. For fans of dark academia, secret societies, love triangles and thrillers with a quick pace!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and SourceFire books for the opportunity to read and review this ARC!

I ended up liking it a lot actually, and the whole premise of the book was consistent and I liked the characters and storyline

I just can not get over how good this book was!! I’ve been ranting & raving about it for days. This book will take you on quite the ride!

starting off by saying that this book is totally a 5 stars for you if you love dark academia, mysteries, love triangles, secret societies. i happen to love all of these, but the 4 star rating is for my broken heart.

this was one wild ride of a story. the short chapters kept you super engaged and we jump straight to the point from chapter 1 instead of dragging it out. i found myself not being able to stop reading (i, in fact, did not sleep) and wanting to find out what happened to polly and what is this whole secret society mess.

i’ll be real, you’re not gonna like most of the characters in this book because they are CRAZY. and the characters you’ll end up loving, ur def gonna doubt them. this book gave me severe trust issues. i found myself not knowing who to trust and going back and forth; even if the plot twist was kind of predictable, i still found myself in shock afterwards (break my heart even more huh?)

the romance was also very present and i found myself going between both boys not knowing who to trust (and of course i fall for the ones who… yeah let’s not even get into that).

i also want to shout out the author for writing such a strong female lead who can focus on her task at hand, even with a bunch of crazy people around her and two guys fighting over her.

in conclusion, this book was a LOT and i’m heartbroken but also very glad i got to read this so early on because it totally blew my mind. so secretly yes, it’s 5 stars but again it will stay a 4 star because my heart is literally BROKEN over guy who shall not be named.

p.s. i NEVER, and i meant NEVER, trusted polly. (please make a sequel i need closure?????)

thank you netgalley and sourcebook fires for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!!!

I loved this Dark Academia thriller, wow is all I can say! A secret society, mystery, and you don’t know who to trust or what is going to happen. This is the kind of edge of your seat read, that will have you devouring this in one sitting! Amazing book!

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

I requested this book because of the amount of great reviews it has and I'm so glad I did. This book completely surpassed my expectations in so many ways and I wish I already had the physical copy of it to put on my shelf!

Wow Wow Wow!! Where do I even begin? To call this a THRILLER feels like such an understatement.

I honestly could have finished this book in one sitting if I had the time, and when I was getting close to the end I was not looking forward to being finished with this. It was a lot of fun to follow Maren on these adventures!! This is a well-written dark academia that will captivate you so deeply that you won’t be able to stop turning the pages to find out what’s going to happen next. This is a WILD ride, buckle up…get ready to be on the edge of your seat as you try to figure out WHO you can trust and what the HECK is actually going on here!

Maren attends the elite “high school” better known as Torrey-Wells Academy. Her roommate and best friend, Polly has gone missing, and Maren knows that there’s something fishy going on. Maren finds herself participating within an extremely powerful secret society: it was giving me Pretty Little Liars meets Squid Games vibes, especially toward the end. I was not expecting this story to get so DARK! There’s so much happening and I feel as though the plot was well developed with how new information came to light.


I had so much fun reading this book - I really enjoyed the whole experience and would absolutely recommend this book! I am so filled with gratitude that Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley gave me the opportunity to consume this ARC prior to the book release in return for this honest review. I will no doubt be obtaining a physical copy in January 2023, and in the meantime I’d love to read more from this author.

I give this book 4.5 stars! Victory or dust!

Secret society and elite boarding school is always best combination in young adult thriller, and this one was a nice ride! Hot but mysterious characters, fast pacing, secrets and more secrets, betrayal at every corner.

Maren was a nice lead and has pretty solid personality. Gavin and Remmington were delightfully gray and I have a great time guessing which one of them would betray her at the end (I just know one of them will haha and I'm right but not telling who because spoilerrrr). Annabelle is typical sly ice queen in this book, and I wish we get into a little more depth about her but okay.

Overall, I had a great time reading this one!

The premise is right up my alley and I've had reasonable success with this author before, so, imagine my disappointment when this just didn't come together for me at all. My biggest (of several) problem was the amount of influence/power a bunch of really immature people had - seemingly without any real supervision or actual authority.

Secret society at a prestigious HS. I feel like if the characters were aged up a smidge it would've landed better. It's very much your classic my friend may have been kidnapped/is dead/ran away due to a mysterious reason and the BFF is all Imma get to the bottom of the matter and only on occasion be distracted by some love interests. I think if it's edited down a tad to amp the tension and not get whiplash from scene jumping and invest more in Maren, the book would stand out more in the genre. But those who love secret societies, on campus rich people mysteries (and the scholarship students who fall prey to them) this is for you!

In Victory and Dust (that's my new work email sign off) 2.5 stars.

I liked this one. There were a few parts that slowed the pace of the book but nothing that made me lose my interest entirely.

Marens best friend Polly has disappeared, on her quest to find out what happened to her she falls into a secret society full of high stake games.
This story is a page turner and you will not want to put it down.

Having read and enjoyed Chelsea Ichaso's last book, I was eager to read this: boarding school, a secret society, initiations, and many twists and turns. Highly recommend or YAs who enjoy a good suspense book. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

A boarding school, a secret society, and a missing student. It has all the elements of a rather creepy mystery.

It will have you up all night reading to the find out who is responsible. Everyone is untrustworthy and everyone is a suspect. No one is innocent.

Highly recommend

Thank you to y and the publisher for granting me a y if this book in exchange for my honest opinion.,

What's not to love here?!? A secret society at a an elite boarding school where the members engage in insane games for rewards. You want to hate all the participants, but we are given a character to root for. The main character Maren, is participating to find out clues to her roommate's sudden and mysterious withdrawal from school, dropping out of sight. Maren must figure out who to trust and how to navigate her way in this murky world of power and privilege.

4.5 stars. This book was wild! Secret society type stuff doesn’t always do it for me but I couldn’t put this one down. Maren attends a boarding school and her roommate Polly is pretty much her only friend. When Polly starts distancing herself and eventually goes missing, Maren is determined to find her. Her search leads her to the elusive Gamemaster’s Society, where she manages to become a member and learns that things are even crazier than she thought.

This is a quick gripping read that will have you wanting to read chapter after chapter to find out what happens. There are tons of twists and you never really know who you can trust - I definitely found myself rooting for the wrong characters. There’s also a romantic element and a sort of love triangle which was frustrating but in a good way? Definitely recommend this if you like a good dark academia thriller.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley for the ARC

4.5 out of 5
Boarding High school, secret society, mystery/thriller, very cloak and dagger, minor love triangle.

Really easy read. Short chapters kept me interested and maintained my momentum. The plot also encouraged me to keep reading because I wanted answers. The kind of book that you stay up all night to finish.

I highly recommend it so go check it out for yourself. Releases January 3, 2023.

Trust no one.
Victory or Dust

I thought this was a really solid YA thriller. The story takes place at a high-end boarding school called the Torrey-Wells Academy. After the main character Maren’s roommate Polly goes missing she takes it upon herself to find out what happened. She manages to get herself invited to join the secret Gamemaster’s Society that Polly was joining before her disappearance. As things unfold she befriends a football player named Remington. She is not sure if she can trust him and that is problematic at times. Her slacker lab partner Gavin also becomes involved, but can she really trust him? There is a bit of a romantic triangle between the three characters which I really enjoyed. The disappearances and the motives were very well-written. It also has a bit of Greek mythology thrown in to help explain some of the situations. The story is full of twists and turns and never lets up on the dangerous path that Maren must take in the Gamemaster’s Society in order to find Polly.

Talk about dark academia.. these society members meet after dark in the catacombs. It was an enjoyable and quick read.