Foul is Fair by Hannah Capin

Macbeth retold as a dark, horror filled school story.

Elle and her friends are the queens of the school. Until Elle is drugged and raped on her sixteenth birthday. She turns to revenge, infiltrating the perpetrator's school and setting them against each other, driving them crazy with paranoia and killing them off one by one. Anyone familiar with Macbeth will know where the story leads.

I've seen a lot of reviews describe this as a feminist book. I can't say I agree. Feminism, as I understand it, is not about seeking revenge on men. Elle was absolutely entitled to justice for what was done to her, I'm not arguing that in the slightest. And obviously part of the setup was that the boys have rich parents with good lawyers so they couldn't go the legal route. But this story is revenge porn, it's not feminist.

Having said that, though, it's a really good read. It took me a while to get into the chopped, staccato narrative style, but within a few pages I was absorbed. Jade knows what she wants and no one gets in her way. Her coven don't really have personalities; they're devoted to her, and one is in love with another one, but that's about it. It works because focus is largely on the boys and the revenge plots.

This is a great read. Just not for the reasons it's being lauded.

Elle and her friends Mads, Jenny, and Summer rule their glittering LA circle. Untouchable, they have the kind of power other girls only dream of. Every party is theirs and the world is at their feet. Until the night of Elle’s sweet sixteen, when they crash a St. Andrew’s Prep party. The night the golden boys choose Elle as their next target.

They picked the wrong girl.

Sworn to vengeance, Elle transfers to St. Andrew’s. She plots to destroy each boy, one by one. She’ll take their power, their lives, and their control of the prep school’s hierarchy. And she and her coven have the perfect way in: a boy named Mack, whose ambition could turn deadly.

Foul is Fair is a bloody, thrilling revenge fantasy for the girls who have had enough. Golden boys beware: something wicked this way comes.