The Party

September 16, 2024
Friends attending an English boarding school plan a four-day spring break party at an isolated, abandoned castle in this claustrophobic thriller by Preston (The Dare). To ensure that no adults can derail their plans—which involve copious amounts of beer and snacks—the teens lie to the school and their parents about the destination. Though the whole class is invited, an oncoming storm waylays many, and only 10 make it to the destination: an ancient castle, complete with a moat, that belongs to the wealthy family of 16-year-old narrator Bessie’s friend—and lead party planner—Allegra. Bessie and Allegra are also joined by Allegra’s twin brother Fergus, her boyfriend Shen, Bessie’s bestie Kashvi, and class heartthrob Hugo. As the storm worsens, the moat overflows, but that’s not enough to put a stop to this once-in-a-lifetime gathering—until the party takes a lethal turn. Rote plotting and characterizations, and a late-game twist make this a familiar addition to the teen slasher genre. Gruesome depictions of bloody murders and attentive descriptions of the remote venue add character and ambiance. The protagonists are racially diverse. Ages 12–up. Agent: Ariella Feiner, United Agents.

October 15, 2024
In England, a group of teenagers tries to stay alive when a long weekend in an abandoned castle goes wrong. When Bessie and her friends decide to join a party their classmate Allegra is throwing in her family's abandoned castle before it's converted into apartments, they think the biggest issues they'll face are making it there before a big storm hits and keeping their plans secret from their parents and teachers. Once they arrive at the castle, however, Bessie and best friend Kashvi discover menacing graffiti and evidence that someone has been staying in the cellar. They also learn that protestors from the nearby village are angry about the development plans for the castle--one of them even argues that it would be better to burn it down. A handful of classmates manage to get there before the storm gets too severe. But when the teens wake up the next day to discover one of their own dead, and the storm makes it impossible for them to leave, they quickly realize that they're in danger. But is the killer one of the members of the Facebook protestors' group...or one of their own? Despite the book's intriguing setup, the prose is dominated by repetitive conversations that convey little substance. Still, readers may still find themselves propelled forward by a need to discover the identity of the murderer. The central cast is racially diverse. A lukewarm thriller.(Thriller. 14-18)

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December 1, 2024

Gr 9 Up-Ten friends from a UK boarding school are invited to a boozy, weekend spring break party in the remote, decaying castle owned by the parents of wealthy twins Allegra and Fergus. The aura of secrecy surrounding the weekend makes Bessie uneasy, but she tries to focus on the positives-things in their friend group have been strained since a car accident the year prior, and the party offers a chance at normalcy. When they arrive, however, Bessie is concerned to learn that locals opposed to the castle's development into luxury apartments have made threats against the family; then a brewing storm quickly cuts them off from civilization. They wake up the next morning to find one of the party murdered. As bodies pile up and the storm rages, Bessie works to determine whether the serial killer is an angry local or one of her closest friends, all while facing a mounting fear that she will become the next victim. While suffering from bland, repetitive dialogue; interchangeable characters; and a frustrating final twist that is repeated multiple times, this novel will nevertheless find an audience with reluctant readers and those who are fans of the author's previous work. Bessie is cued as white, Shen and Jia are from China, and other supporting characters are cued as diverse in terms of skin tone. VERDICT Purchase only where Preston has an established fanbase.-Elizabeth Giles

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