Title: The Blonde Dies First
Author: Joelle Wellington
Genre: Horror/ Young Adult
Published: 2024
Description: Devon is always being left behind by her genius twin
sister, Drew. At this point, it’s a fact of life. But Devon has one last plan
before Drew leaves for college a whole year early: The best summer ever. After
committing to the bit a little too much, the twins and their chaotic circle of
friends learn why you don’t mess with a Ouija board if you want to actually
survive the best summer ever, and soon find themselves being hunted down by… a
demon?
But while there’s no mistaking the creeping, venomous figure is not from
around here, their method doesn’t feel very demonic at all. In fact, it’s downright
human. Going after them in typical slasher movie kill order. And that means
Devon, the blonde, is up first and her decade-long crush Yaya, is the Final
Girl who must kill or be killed to end the cycle.
Devon has never liked playing by anyone else’s rules though, not even a
demon’s, and the longer this goes on, the more she feels Drew and Yaya slipping
away from her even as she tries to help them all survive. Can they use their
horror movie knowledge to flip the script and become the hunters instead of the
hunted? Or will their best summer ever be their last?
Review: With “The Blonde Dies First” author Joelle Wellington attempts to
capture the essence of a nostalgic, self-assured horror movie in book form. Although
the concept is full of potential and the nods to classic slasher films like “Scream’
are entertaining in theory, the execution unfortunately falls short. The
results is a predictable story that fails to sustain the suspense.
Seventeen-year-old Devon Harris is blonde, outgoing, and terrified of
losing her brilliant twin sister Drew, who is leaving college a year earlier
than planned. To make their last few months unforgettable, Devon creates a list
called ‘the best summer ever’ for their close-knit group of friends from
Brooklyn. The plan goes completely off the rails when they play with a Ouija
board at a party. They accidentally unleash a malevolent demon that begins
hunting down the friends one by one. Strangely enough, the demon follows the
strict rules of a cliché horror movie. Since Devon is the blonde girl of the
group, she knows one thing for sure; according to the laws of the slasher
genre, she’s next in line. The friends must all use their knowledge of horror
movies to turn the script around and survive.
Devon is the protagonist and I found it hard to root for her. She is
constantly jealous of her sister Drew and she was very self-centered. The group
of friends is diverse, which is very positive. But due to the large number of
characters, most of them remain stuck in one-dimensional archetypes. As a
result, their interactions quickly become repetitive.
For a book that relies on parodying horror tropes, it lacks any real
suspense. The murders and the character’s actions are painfully predictable.
Moreover, the chapters are very long, and the plot becomes highly repetitive
halfway through.
Wellington attempts to tackle serious contemporary issues, such as gentrification
in Brooklyn and racial tension with the police. Great addition, giving the
story a bit more depth. But they are not further explored and stay on the
surface.
I think this is one of those books that will be enjoyed more by a
younger audience, since it is a young adult book. It was not scary and although
I liked the book poking fun at the slasher genre, I found the book cliché, slow
and lacking tension.
Rating: 2/ 5
