Title: The Blonde Dies First
Author: Joelle Wellington
Genres: Thriller/Horror
Pages: 336
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Review Copy: ARC by publisher
Availability: Available now
Summary: A group of friends fight to choose their own fates in this trope-savvy, self-referential young adult thriller from the acclaimed author of Their Vicious Games , about a demonic force that acts according to horror movie rules in the spirit of the Scream movies.
Devon is always being left behind by her genius twin sister, Drew. At this point, it’s a fact of life. But Devon has one last plan before Drew leaves for college a whole year early—The Best Summer Ever. After committing to the bit a little too much, the twins and their chaotic circle of friends learn why you don’t ever mess with a Ouija board if you want to actually survive the Best Summer Ever, and soon find themselves being hunted down by…a demon?
But while there’s no mistaking the creeping, venomous figure is not from around here, their method doesn’t feel very demonic at all. In fact, it’s downright human—going after them in typical slasher movie kill order. And that means Devon, the blonde, is up first and her decade-long crush, Yaya, is the Final Girl who must kill or be killed to end the cycle.
Devon has never liked playing by anyone else’s rules though, not even a demon’s, and the longer this goes on, the more she feels Drew and Yaya slipping away from her even as she tries to help them all survive. Can they use their horror movie knowledge to flip the script and become the hunters instead of the hunted? Or will their best summer ever be their last?
Review: If you read Joelle Wellington’s first book, Their Vicious Games, you know that she can do thriller extremely well. Now with her sophomore novel, she cranks up the thriller aspect, throws in some supernatural horror and takes the reader on an even more intense journey. Once the action of the story gets moving, it is fast-paced all the way to the end. Amidst all of this action is a story that focuses on friendship and sisterhood.
Even though she feels betrayed by her twin sister who graduated high school early, Devon tries to make amends by creating a list of things to do before her sister leaves for college. The problem – they don’t really have much in common anymore so Devon makes a list based on the activities they used to do. It all falls apart after they play with a Ouija board at a party and now their friends are being hunted by a demon. Luckily the demon doesn’t seem to be too particular about its kills, so if it can’t have one of the friend’s group, it will take someone near them that “somewhat” fits the bill. This is where the novel gave me the giggles because the group of friends realize they are playing out the plot of a horror novel so they develop a plan to defeat the demon. Like all plans this one falls apart, which as an avid reader I knew was going to happen because I was only about a third of the way of the book but what I loved was how all of it played out, especially because it came through a very cool plot twist. And if you’ve read any of my reviews before you know I love a plot twist that I didn’t see coming.
While the thriller of the story was fun, the heart of the novel is the relationship between Devon and Drew. At the beginning of the novel, while Devon is trying to make amends with her sister, the relationship between the two is antagonistic. Devon feels like she doesn’t know her sister anymore since they attend separate schools and is a bit insecure about herself due to being compared to her sister. It is a complicated dynamic and one that many of us could relate to – anyone with sisters would. The horror plot they find themselves in brings them together in a way they haven’t been in a while and through the events they learn more about each other and an appreciation for each other. While the novel is told through Devon’s POV, Drew is such a strong character that she almost feels like a protagonist as well. Both grow through the novel as they learn to open up and trust each other.
The Blonde Dies First is a fun ride of a book and because you get so drawn into the story, it’s a fast read. With school starting and all the stresses that come with it, Wellington’s newest book is a perfect book when you need a break.