DEMONOLOGY FOR OVERACHIEVERS

High school senior Merritt Morland Maldonado will do anything to get ahead—even bargaining with a demon.

For years, Merritt has dreamed of getting into a good college and landing the Lexington Fellowship, a prestigious scholarship awarded to one student at Rancho Rosa High each year by jam company LexCo. Money has been tight ever since Merritt, who’s Puerto Rican and white, was taken in as a child by her Gran following her parents’ deaths; the fellowship would be life changing. Merritt binds herself to a demon in exchange for a guarantee that she’ll receive it, but she doesn’t anticipate the grisly consequences: The other finalists begin dying one by one. Complicating matters, she learns that her loathsome rival, Linus Lexington (great-grandson of LexCo’s founder), has made his own deal with the same demon. The two agree to work together to protect the other finalists and attempt to defeat the demon—after all, their own lives are at stake too. As the death toll grows, so do Merritt’s feeling of guilt and—surprisingly—her feelings for Linus, who’s cued white. Anderson delivers another entertaining paranormal tale that balances suspense, witty banter, and a touch of dark humor. Merritt undergoes a satisfying personal journey as she navigates remorse, financial anxiety, academic pressure, and fears about the future. She’s supported by a vividly drawn cast of characters that includes diverse queer and racial identities.

A fresh, darkly fun take on academic pressure and facing your demons, both literal and metaphorical.