By Olivia Worley
Star rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice rating: 🌶️
Pub date: 10/29/2024
Blurb
Jessica Goodman meets The Agathas in this taut, twisty YA thriller set in the glittering world of Mardi Gras in New Orleans, where secrets—and bodies—never stay buried.
For the New Orleans elite, the Les Masques Ball is sure to be the social event of the season—if they can avoid another dead Queen. When debutante Margot Landry was found dead the morning after her reign at last year’s ball, it was a tragedy, but not a shocking one. Margot was a wild child with a self-destructive streak, nothing like this year’s Queen, Lily LeBlanc. With a perfectly poised debutante on the throne, everything is going according to plan…until the ball is hijacked by a mysterious figure in a Jester costume. That night, Lily sends a text to three of the Maids on her royal court—her best friend, Vivian; her boyfriend's sister, Piper; and April, her former frenemy—asking them all to meet the next morning. But Lily never shows up.
On the surface, these three debutantes don’t have anything in common except their exclusive private school and their ties to Les Masques. But soon, they realize why Lily brought them together: something dark is lurking beneath the glamorous surface of the debutante world, and it might be the reason she disappeared. And the further the girls dig, the more they begin to suspect that Margot's death may not have been an accident—and that Lily may be next. When the Jester starts threatening to expose their own secrets, this unlikely trio must team up to uncover the monsters behind the Mardi Gras masks—before they’re left with another dead debutante.
Category: Thriller
Read if you Like:
⚜️ Set in New Orleans
⚜️ Missing Girl
⚜️ Secret society
⚜️ Secret Messages
My Thoughts:
The Debutantes does an incredible job capturing how scary the idea that some people shouldn't face consequences for their actions can be. This story is scary with a bit of social commentary and a lot of interesting New Orleans lore. As someone who lived in New Orleans for 7 years I can say this is one of the most accurate representations of New Orleans I have ever read though I can't speak to the depiction of New Orleans high society as I was very much not a part of that.
I am not typically a thriller reader so I can't speak very much to how this was as a thriller. I found it scary and was reminded why I'm a devoted romance reader. I will say that this story was very well done because it took something that is scary about our society and made it the very clear villain of this story. While you walk away with a sense that the particular experiences the characters had was suspenseful, you also think wow I could see that happening and that is kind of scarier.
If you are looking for a spooky read this is a great pick! While it is a young adult book, I felt it was written more for an adult audience and I think some content would go over a teenager's head.
Thanks to Wednesday Book for providing me with an ARC. All opinions are my own.
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