Description
Fans of One of Us Is Lying and The Hazel Wood are cordially invited to spend one fateful night surviving an elite private school's epic masquerade ball in Jen Wilde's debut thriller, This Is the Way the World Ends. As an autistic scholarship student at the prestigious Webber Academy in New York City, Waverly is used to masking to fit in - in more ways than one.
While her classmates are the children of the one percent, Waverly is getting by on tutoring gigs and the generosity of the school's charming dean. So when her tutoring student and resident 'it girl' asks Waverly to attend the school's annual Masquerade disguised as her, Waverly jumps at the chance - especially once she finds out that Ash, the dean's daughter and her secret ex-girlfriend, will be there. The Masquerade is everything Waverly dreamed of, complete with extravagant gowns, wealthy parents writing checks, and flowing champagne. Most importantly, there's Ash.
All Waverly wants to do is shed her mask and be with her, but the evening takes a sinister turn when Waverly stumbles into a secret meeting between the dean and the school's top donors - and witnesses a brutal murder. Waverly's fairy-tale has turned into a nightmare, and she, Ash, and her friends must navigate through a dizzying maze of freight elevators and secret passageways if they're going to survive the night.
Review
Masquerade, mystery, murder and mayhem meet at the end of the world, in this thrilling novel from Jen Wilde.
Waverly is privileged to attend the ultra-exclusive Webber Academy in New York city - her place at the school is a sure-fire way into her dream medical course at Yale, and her bright future. But as an autistic scholarship kid, Waverly doesn't really fit in with the other students who are all the children of New York's wealthy and elite - but she knows it is critical that she stays, for more reasons that just her own future...
The Dean has been so good to her family - selecting her for the scholarship, giving her parents a job at the school, and even helping her Mum finally get an MS diagnosis and access to the city's best doctors. Waverly has to remain part of the Webber Academy family at all costs. And of course there's the Dean's daughter, Ash - her secret ex-girlfriend, who disappeared without a word when she finished school last year.
The main event on the school calendar is the Masquerade Ball, a huge fundraising event for Webber Academy, and something scholarship kids normally can't get anywhere near. But Ash is going to be there, and so when Anje, one of Waverly's tutoring students and classmates, asks Waverly to go and pretend to be her - complete with access to Anje's couture ball gown and crown mask - Waverly can't resist the chance to attend...
But everything is not as it seems at this Masquerade Ball. When Waverly stumbles into a secret meeting of the dean and the most elite Webber Academy families, and witnesses a murder, she realises there is far more to this whole event than meets the eye. And when the end of the world starts happening all around them, can Waverly survive, save her friends, and thwart an evil plan?
An end of the world meets Cinderella story, this is an action-packed thriller that teen readers will love. The characters are unique, fantastically relatable and full of diverse representation, and the question of what kind of new world you would build if you had the chance will linger with you long after you put it down. I finished this in one sitting and recommend it to those who love a thrilling mystery story with a side of romance, beautiful dresses, and evil rich guys who might get their comeuppance. Best suited to those in middle secondary and above.
Reviewed by Kate
