Kirkus Reviews

A girl wins a scholarship to an elite boarding school and finds herself entangled in a powerful secret society that threatens her life. Sadie fears she won't fit in at the uber-exclusive Keating school for the superwealthy in Virginia, but the school has a champion lacrosse team, and she's a star player. When she arrives, she's given unusual roommates: a British duke's twin daughters, who can't stay out of the tabloids. Almost immediately, Sadie finds herself abducted to a basement where she's quizzed and drugged. She learns that she's been recruited into a secret society that has operated for 200 years. The Order of the Optimates intends to run not only the country, but eventually the world by amassing power and assets into the hands of its members. Apparently, Sadie belongs in that club because of something she didn't know about her mother. However, Sadie learns that a former member died suddenly, and as events transpire, she realizes that the society has far more sinister goals than she has been told and that she's in danger too. Friend writes with a sure, often witty touch (a dress fits Sadie "like it had been hand knitted by magical fairies"). While the climax involves an odd murder stratagem that doesn't appear terribly lethal, to that point, the story is both immersive and topically relevant. A promising suspense debut. (Suspense. 12 & up)

Horn Book (Tue Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2014)

When Sadie arrives at Keating Hall, she expects to feel like an outsider. So when she's tapped for a secret society, Sadie is first skeptical, then intrigued. Glamorous parties and a hot new boyfriend: what's not to love? But she soon doubts the society's twisted intentions--and her own safety. Two-dimensional characters detract from this provocative gothic-flavored boarding school story.

ALA Booklist (Fri Nov 01 00:00:00 CDT 2013)

Sadie, a down-to-earth, lacrosse-playing Portland native, is initially skeptical, along with her BFF Jessica, of the mannequin-like veneers of their classmates at Keating Hall. But Sadie gradually learns that her very existence at school is meticulously controlled. Secret societies, kidnappings, and other plot elements offer Sadie "a taste of things she had never even thought she wanted: wealth, power, and status," which distracts her from the mysterious death of a former student and a chilling reality that will give the toughest of readers goose bumps. With suspenseful pacing and gothic diction, Friend skillfully develops each character in this novel, which blends themes of romance and friendship with the glam of Cecily von Ziegesar's Gossip Girl (2002) and a sinister private-school mystery reminiscent of Maggie Stiefvater's Raven Boys (2012).

School Library Journal (Sat Feb 01 00:00:00 CST 2014)

Gr 9 Up-Portland, Oregon high school junior Sadie accepts a lacrosse scholarship to elite Keating Hall Academy in Virginia with some reluctance. Although her mother, now deceased, had attended Keating, financially strapped Sadie isn't quite sure that she'll fit in with the wealthy, self-assured girls who make up the student body, especially when she is assigned to room with two other transfer students, British royals (with bodyguards, no less). Once classes and lacrosse practice start, she eventually finds her niche with the other team members and begins to settle in. When Sadie is blindfolded and "kidnapped" one night, she's absolutely terrified, but luckily it's just a prank initiation into a powerful secret society. She becomes accustomed to the instant popularity, wealth, and privilege surrounding her and understands that membership in this society could ensure successful future choices in college, career, and even love (with hunky Jeremy, who attends the "brother" school, DeGraffenreid). She's disturbed when she learns that her mother and another lacrosse player, Anna, both had been in the secret society as well and both committed suicide. Will Sadie uncover the truth, or will she be the next victim of the "Keating curse"? First-time author Friend offers excellent pacing, good character development, and an exciting plot in this dark, devious mystery featuring some drugs, sex, and other illicit behavior. Older teens who enjoy "Pretty Little Liars" (HarperCollins) will eat this one up. Susan Riley, Mamaroneck Public Library, NY