A Darker Mischief
The Honeys meets The Secret History in a work of dark academia like no other -- a boarding school thriller about a queer teen from Mississippi who finds himself swept into a world of old money, privilege, and the secret society at the heart of it all.
When Cal Ware wins a scholarship to an elite New England boarding school, he's thrilled to leave his past behind. Back home in Mississippi, he was the poor, queer kid who never fit in. But at Essex Academy, he'll be able to reinvent himself. Or so he hopes...
But at Essex, Cal's classmates only see his cheap clothes and old iPhone. They mock his accent, and can't believe he's never left the country, or heard of The Hamptons. Cal, at his breaking point, is about to give up and return to Mississippi when he learns about a secret society on campus -- the key to becoming Essex royalty.
Cal knows he's not exactly secret society material, but to his surprise, he finds an unlikely champion in the handsome, charismatic, and slightly dangerous Luke Kim. As they get swept up in the mystery and glamour of the Rush process, Cal finds himself falling in love for the first time.
But as the initiation rituals grow riskier -- and increasingly nefarious -- Cal must decide how far he's willing to go, and how much of himself he's willing to sacrifice, to save everything and everyone he cherishes most. Because nothing at Essex -- not even Cal's first love -- is quite what it seems.
# of Pages: 384
Book Binding: Hardcover
Year of Publication: 2024
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Language: en
ISBN: 9781339009933
Derek Milman is an American author known for his young adult novels. He grew up in New York City and attended Cornell University, where he studied English and theater. After graduating, he worked as a playwright, screenwriter, and actor, before focusing on writing novels. His debut novel, Scream All Night, was released in 2018 and received critical acclaim. A Darker Mischief is his second novel, showcasing his talent for crafting gripping and suspenseful stories. Milman's writing often explores themes of identity, self-discovery, and the blurred lines between reality and fantasy. He currently lives in Brooklyn with his husband and their dog.