Our Wicked Histories

May 15, 2024
A social outsider faces a weekend of nightmares, hoping to return to the school and life she yearns for. English teen Meg eagerly accepts an invitation to a Halloween party at the foreboding Irish countryside estate of her classmates, the Wren twins--Lottie (her best friend) and Seb. She's seeking to earn redemption for a drunken misdeed that landed her a suspension from their elite London art school, Greyscott's. Bullied by her wealthy peers for being on scholarship and having a mum who's a cleaner at the school, Meg also harbors a secret: a forbidden crush on Seb. The story unfolds as Meg's reflections on the past are interspersed among the present-day scenes, and the growing sour atmosphere at the party forces her to relive the terrible incident and subsequent fallout that led her classmates to mistrust her. Escalating frights--flickering lights, a failing fuse box, tales of a local banshee, unusual paintings, and more--leave Meg questioning her senses and fearing for her life in this simmering, tension-filled novel that hinges on twisted secrets. Hinting at Poe's classic "The Fall of the House of Usher," this fresh reimagining explores classism and privilege. The main characters, who are cued white, nod to the complex, oppressive history of English aristocratic wealth, which intersects with Irish legend as mysteries that are as thick as the cloying weeds of a murky lake are slowly and satisfyingly revealed. Deftly blends classic gothic style with a contemporary sensibility. (Horror. 14-18)

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June 17, 2024
In South London, teen Meg Green is determined to make the most of her scholarship to Greyscott’s Academy, one of Britain’s most elite art schools. After an incident at Greyscott’s summer ball results in her friend group abandoning her and a school suspension that jeopardizes her scholarship, Meg is desperate to win back the respect of her affluent peers, especially twins Lottie and Sebastien Chatto-Wren. When Lottie extends an olive branch and invites Meg to a Halloween getaway at the twins’ family estate in Ireland, Meg jumps at the chance to reconnect with the group and apologize to the girl she hurt at the ball—Laure Westridge—in hopes that Laure’s parents will stop pushing for Meg’s expulsion. But as mysterious rumors of a banshee haunting the halls begin circulating and strange happenings start occurring, Meg learns that there is more to the estate—and her friends themselves—than she anticipated. Goldsmith (Those We Drown) brings stunning atmosphere to the
forefront of this lushly described gothic mystery that features interrogations of class and gender. Most characters cue as white. Ages 14–up. Agent: Claire Friedman, InkWell Management.

July 1, 2024

Gr 10 Up-Meg is on scholarship at Greyscott's Academy, and she struggles to fit in with the highbrow crowd at the exclusive art school. Lottie Wren, the queen bee, brings Meg into her friend group. Lottie's gorgeous twin brother, Seb, flirts shamelessly with Meg behind closed doorsGervais, Alison. A Game Most Foul. but seems to have something going on with Lottie's friend Laure. Meg's friendships with these people are tenuous, but the school means everything to her and her future. Then something awful happens-which remains a mystery to readers until the end-and Meg gets suspended from Greyscott's. Her only way back in is to convince Laure not to press charges. When Lottie invites her to a party at Wren Hall, her ancestral home in Ireland, Meg jumps at the chance to get back in Laure's good graces. However, as guests arrive, it's clear that no one really wants Meg around, and when Laure disappears, fingers of blame point in her direction. What's going on at Wren Hall, and what happened between Meg and Laure that fateful night? The story switches perspective frequently from the past events that lead to Meg's suspension to the happenings at Wren Hall. The double mysteries are compelling, and the twist at the end is clever, but the frenetic pacing makes for a choppy read. VERDICT Inspired by The Fall of the House of Usher, this novel has banshee lore, a closed room mystery, a gothic mansion, and a forbidden romance. All the elements are there, but it just doesn't quite come together. An additional purchase.-Mandy Laferriere

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July 1, 2024
Grades 8-12 When Meg is invited to spend Halloween weekend at Wren Hall, the ancestral home of her classmates Lottie and Seb, she's absolutely thrilled. It's been three months since she last saw the twins, three months since she's seen any of her friends from Greyscott's, the elite art school where she's a scholarship student . . . the same school she just might be kicked out of after an incident with one of those friends. Eager to patch things up and regain her place, Meg arrives in Ireland. Instead of a lush country home, Wren Hall is a damp, decrepit manor seated beside a gloomy lake the locals say is haunted. As people begin to disappear, Meg must work out who in the crumbling old ruin is really her friend. Loosely based on The Fall of the House of Usher, Goldsmith's sophomore novel, a Gothic thriller, takes a while to get going, but the tension quickly ratchets up and offers a surprising twist at the end.

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