Blog Tour Review: These Vengeful Hearts by Katherine Laurin

THESE VENGEFUL HEARTS
Author: Katherine Laurin
Pub. Date: September 8, 2020
Publisher: Inkyard Press

Mean Girls meets Siobhan Vivian’s The List in THESE VENGEFUL HEARTS, an utterly addictive standalone YA debut that follows 16-year-old Ember Williams as she seeks revenge against the Red Court, a secret organization of Heller High’s most elite female students that specializes in granting and requesting favors—and which is responsible for the accident that left her older sister paralyzed.

A thrilling novel about a secret society and the dangers that lie in wait for anyone brave enough to join—perfect for fans of Karen M. McManus, Kara Thomas, and Maureen Johnson.

Whenever something scandalous happens at Heller High, the Red Court is the name on everyone’s lips. Its members deal out social ruin and favors in equal measure, their true identities known only by their leader: the Queen of Hearts.

Ember Williams has seen firsthand the damage the Red Court can do. Now, she’s determined to hold the organization accountable by taking it down from the inside. But will the cost of revenge be more than she’s willing to sacrifice?

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I gotta say this book reeled me in with the cover and the "secret society" premise.  I mean, who doesn't want to read about high school secret societies and someone who is determined to take one down from the inside??

This ended up being very middle of the road for me.  It wasn't as suspenseful or dark as I was hoping it would be, but it did bring that Mean Girls feel that I love.

Ember is FINALLY getting to join the Red Court-- a secret society that uses favors as currency.  They're a group of girls who rig elections, break up relationships, and basically anything else they're asked to do... but it comes at a price.  Ember has been trying to get noticed by them because her sister had an accident which left her paralyzed years back, and the Red Court were at fault.  She's built her whole high school career on getting into the Red Court and getting revenge!

I liked that it didn't take long for Ember to get in to the Red Court and get involved in their antics.  I liked that she went through some sort of inner turmoil with actually liking some of the girls in the Court and liking the power she had-- but at the same time feeling guilty about that and still wanting to take them down.  It was a cool push-pull dynamic.

I feel like it could've went down in a more thrilling way.  I was expecting a big mission at the end to go wrong and the big reveal to come then.  It actually happened very gradually and without the punch I wanted.

I think this book was fun for what it was and I see potential for more Katherine Laurin books in my future!!

OVERALL: A fun take on high school secret societies.  I liked the characters and the revenge plot, but wanted a bigger punch out of the ending.

My Rating: 3/5

Disclaimer: I was provided with a complimentary eARC in exchange for this review & blog post.  It did not affect my opinions of the book.

Katherine Laurin lives in Colorado with her husband, two sons, and tiny dog. When she's not writing, Katherine enjoys reading, traveling, hiking, and listening to true crime podcasts. These Vengeful Hearts is her first young adult novel.

Twitter: @writerkatherine
Instagram: @kl_writer
Author Website: https://katherinelaurin.com/