An outsider at an elite prep school discovers a powerful secret society.A prologue sets up an outrageous situation for the narrator-being party to the kidnapping of the daughter of the vice president-before jumping back six months to the beginning of the school year to explain how he ended up in such a predicament. Cal, a sophomore transfer student on scholarship from Mississippi, is isolated at Connecticut's posh Essex Academy. It's supposed to be his fresh start after The Incident (among other troubles back home). When Cal chances upon a mysterious party, he learns of a Skull and Bones–like secret society that's dedicated to exploring the school's sprawling, storied campus and unearthing its secrets. Cal passionately tears through puzzles and challenges, desperate to earn a place in such powerful company. Alongside exciting urban exploration, Cal falls hard for Luke, a charismatic, troubled Korean American artist who's also rushing the Society of Seven Eyes. Their ensuing romance is both sweet and spicy. The audacious conspiracy plot is grounded by the powerful emotionality of two flawed, conflicted boys in love. The more Cal sees suspicious, dangerous patterns in the Society's activities over the decades, the greater the stakes. The book's content is heavy-among other disturbing themes, classism and regionalism flavor the school, and Cal has experienced extreme homophobia that's left him with a disability. The school and Society are racially diverse; Cal reads white. The wild climax leads to a bittersweet denouement.Twisted, enthralling dark academia. (Romantic thriller. 14-18)

An outsider at an elite prep school discovers a powerful secret society.A prologue sets up an outrageous situation for the narrator-being party to the kidnapping of the daughter of the vice president-before jumping back six months to the beginning of the school year to explain how he ended up in such a predicament. Cal, a sophomore transfer student on scholarship from Mississippi, is isolated at Connecticut's posh Essex Academy. It's supposed to be his fresh start after The Incident (among other troubles back home). When Cal chances upon a mysterious party, he learns of a Skull and Bones–like secret society that's dedicated to exploring the school's sprawling, storied campus and unearthing its secrets. Cal passionately tears through puzzles and challenges, desperate to earn a place in such powerful company. Alongside exciting urban exploration, Cal falls hard for Luke, a charismatic, troubled Korean American artist who's also rushing the Society of Seven Eyes. Their ensuing romance is both sweet and spicy. The audacious conspiracy plot is grounded by the powerful emotionality of two flawed, conflicted boys in love. The more Cal sees suspicious, dangerous patterns in the Society's activities over the decades, the greater the stakes. The book's content is heavy-among other disturbing themes, classism and regionalism flavor the school, and Cal has experienced extreme homophobia that's left him with a disability. The school and Society are racially diverse; Cal reads white. The wild climax leads to a bittersweet denouement.Twisted, enthralling dark academia. (Romantic thriller. 14-18)

Gr 9 Up— After "the incident," Cal Ware is shipped away from his small southern town to Essex, an elite boarding school in New England. Dreams of camaraderie are quickly shattered by the coldness of Cal's classmates and their derision for his transfer status, accent, clothes, and lack of wealth. Lost, anxious, and hopelessly awkward, Cal stumbles onto what appears to be a secret society meeting one night held by students wearing formal attire and carnival masks. Cal is soon formally "tapped" to be a member of The Society of Seven Eyes, a group that claims to be about discovering and mapping all the hidden places in Essex but may have much darker motives. Participating in the selection process brings an injection of much longed-for confidence and belonging to Cal, leading him to take greater and greater risks in order to stay in the group. Among the member hopefuls, Cal meets Luke, an impulsive artist who immediately seems to take a romantic interest in him. Riddles, break-ins, conspiracies, and strategically dropped clues about Cal's past successfully build abundant tension, making this a page-turner from the beginning. The romance is equally fraught and dramatic, which will certainly appeal to readers who enjoy toxic love stories. An abrupt ending that feels incongruously neat and tidy when compared to the melodrama of the first 95 percent might ultimately disappoint some readers, but this is still a solid choice for teens who crave mystery and secrets in an elite academic setting. Cal identifies as gay and is white while Luke is bisexual and Asian American. VERDICT A first purchase for high school libraries.— Catherine Cote