This is the way the world ends by Jen Wilde

Queer, autistic student, Waverly, has gained her place in a prestigious private school by way of scholarship and maintains that place by undertaking tutoring jobs and relying on the generosity of the dean. At a minimum cost of $10,000 per ticket, she has only ever been able to dream of attending the school’s extravagant annual masquerade ball.

That is, until the most popular girl in school asks Waverly to secretly attend the ball in her place. This is an offer too good to refuse, especially as Waverly’s ex-girlfriend will be there. And so begins a night of excitement, lies, confusion, murder, fear and action. What should have been a fun dance quickly turns into an absolute nightmare when the powers-that-be take charge during a devastating blackout event in a claustrophobic maze of a warehouse.

This novel demonstrates the huge advantage of those with power and privilege. The private school set is populated by wealthy white families, and it is immediately clear that Waverly and her friends represent the minorities: queer, autistic, disabled, Asian, orphaned, black. They are the outsiders who must band together to survive this crazy night.

With common themes of romance, high schoolers and unexplained crime, fans of One of us is lying will enjoy this fast-paced thriller/mystery. There is a lot to keep track of, and I raced through it as I couldn’t bring myself to stop in the middle of all the action. And, although there may be a point at which it all becomes a bit far-fetched, by then I was invested in the characters and on an exciting ride from start to finish. It is ultimately a battle of good vs evil, and about making the right choices no matter what the expectations of you might be.

Jen Wilde is a queer, disabled Australian author living in the US. Their author bio says “they write unapologetically queer stories about unlikely heroes, awkward romantics and chosen families”.  This information is absolutely accurate regarding This is the way the world ends, and it will not disappoint YA readers.

Themes: Identity, LGBTQIA+, Privilege & Power, Social Media, Autism.

Kylie Grant