A DARKER MISCHIEF

An outsider at an elite prep school discovers a powerful secret society.

A prologue sets up an outrageous situation for the narrator—being party to the kidnapping of the daughter of the vice president—before jumping back six months to the beginning of the school year to explain how he ended up in such a predicament. Cal, a sophomore transfer student on scholarship from Mississippi, is isolated at Connecticut’s posh Essex Academy. It’s supposed to be his fresh start after The Incident (among other troubles back home). When Cal chances upon a mysterious party, he learns of a Skull and Bones–like secret society that’s dedicated to exploring the school’s sprawling, storied campus and unearthing its secrets. Cal passionately tears through puzzles and challenges, desperate to earn a place in such powerful company. Alongside exciting urban exploration, Cal falls hard for Luke, a charismatic, troubled Korean American artist who’s also rushing the Society of Seven Eyes. Their ensuing romance is both sweet and spicy. The audacious conspiracy plot is grounded by the powerful emotionality of two flawed, conflicted boys in love. The more Cal sees suspicious, dangerous patterns in the Society’s activities over the decades, the greater the stakes. The book’s content is heavy—among other disturbing themes, classism and regionalism flavor the school, and Cal has experienced extreme homophobia that’s left him with a disability. The school and Society are racially diverse; Cal reads white. The wild climax leads to a bittersweet denouement.

Twisted, enthralling dark academia.