In the real world no school with even the most basic grasp of ethics and/or legal liability would sanction the competition so convincingly portrayed in Mckenzie Reed's The Wilde Trials. In the world of YA chillers anything goes. So if well crafted terror is not your thing don't bother reading it. But if you're a real chiller affecianado it's the literary equivalent of sea salt caramel ice cream.
Although Wilde Academy is housed in relatively modern buildings, the decrepit, dangerously falling to pieces mansion of the founder of the property is close by and is the setting of a bizarre yearly competition, the Wilde Trials. Twelve seniors are chosen to spend the last two weeks of the school year there undergoing a number of dangerous mystery challenges. Sort of Lord of the Flies meets Survivor.
Why would any student sign up for this? Well all contestants totally get out of finals and still graduate. And the winner gets an obscene amount of money and legendary status.
A few years ago a student fell to his death in a tragic accident. So the location of the trials was temporarily shifted for awhile. But this year it's back where it all started.
Chloe, Reed's narrator, is in it for the money. Her beloved sister, Cece, has cancer. The treatments that are keeping her alive and hopefully curing her are prohibitively expensive. It doesn't help that her ex boyfriend turned nemesis is one of the other competitors. Hayes is the brother of the boy who fell to his death. Only he is convinced that Hunter was a victim of homicide, not being in the wrong place at the wrong time. He's in it to find evidence to prove his theory and catch Hunter's killer.
When one of the other contestants starts blackmailing Chloe with evidence that she'd done something that could get her kicked out of not only the competition, but the school, she reluctantly teams up Hayes. She'll help him find the evidence he needs if he helps her win...
...Providing they both survive.
If you like The Wilde Trials be sure to read Reed's debut chiller, The Rosewood Hunt.
On a purrrsonal note, it was a weird weekend. Saturday, after our traditional scrumptious breakfast at Governors, Eugene and I headed to camp. Of course we had fun checking out yard sales and flea markets on the way. When we got to Machias the Subway was closed. That's where we usually get lunch and supper. Eugene got us each a frozen pizza 🍕 which he cooked on the gas stove at camp. After lunch I went to read on the porch. Later we went to the boat launch and I went swimming. It was just about dinner time when Eugene announced we had to go home. Downpours were expected and we hadn't shut the windows. We made it back before the storm.
A great big shout out goes out to my wonderful life partner, Eugene.
Jules Hathaway
Sent from my Galaxy
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