They’re Watching You by Chelsea Ichaso

Abstract

Reviewed by: They’re Watching You by Chelsea Ichaso Natalie Berglind Ichaso, Chelsea They’re Watching You. Sourcebooks, 2023 [384p] Paper ed. ISBN 9781728251066 $10.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9781728251073 $9.99 Reviewed from digital galleys Ad Gr. 8-10 At Torrey-Wells Academy, Maren’s best friend Polly St. James went missing two weeks ago, leaving behind only a note saying she was running away. Maren knows something else is afoot, and she interrogates her peers about a rumored secret society after finding an invitation sent to Polly by someone called the Gamemaster. It’s not long before Maren joins the next round of initiation and engages in a series of sadistic life-or-death games to move up in the Gamemaster Society’s ranks and figure out why Polly went missing—and how Maren can save her. The premise of boarding school secret society with ties to ancient history is familiar thriller territory, but Ichaso pulls on unique details that may send interested readers down research rabbit holes. Unfortunately, the love triangle between Maren, quirky pyromaniac Gavin, and hot football player Remington is hit-or-miss at times; for all of Maren’s quick-wittedness when solving mind games, she’s easily fooled by the boys as she brushes off red flags. Readers are asked to suspend quite a lot of disbelief when it comes to certain elements, but those who can do so are in for a thrilling time as Maren delves into a world of betrayals and blackmail and plays risky games against the clock. Copyright © 2022 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois