How We Became Wicked

by Alexander Yates

When an insect-borne plague begins to envelop the world, three sixteen-year-olds struggle to survive amongst the healthy “trues” and the infected “wickeds” in this gripping dystopian tale from the author of The Winter Place.

A plague, called Wickedness, is pulsing through the world; and in its wake, it’s dividing the population into thirds:

The WICKED: Already infected by the droves of Singers, the ultraviolet mosquito-like insects who carry the plague, the Wicked roam the world freely. They don’t want for much—only to maim and dismember you. But don’t worry: They always ask politely first.

The TRUE: The True live in contained, isolated communities. They’re the lucky ones; they found safety from the Singers. And while the threat of the Wicked may not be eliminated, for the True, the threat has certainly been contained…

The VEXED: The Vexed are the truly fortunate ones—they survived the sting of the Singers, leaving them immune. But they’re far from safe. The Vexed hold the key to a cure, and there are those who will do anything to get it.

In this brilliantly realized novel, three teens—Astrid, Hank, and Natalie—start to realize that the divisions of their world aren’t as clear as they seem, and are forced to question what being wicked truly means.

• ISBN10: 1481419846
• ISBN13: 9781481419840
• Publish Date: 23 July 2019
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Atheneum Books
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 368
• Language: English

Reviews

[shannonmiz]

You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight .

I have no idea how this book isn't on all the radars, but it isn't. And that's a complete shame, because it is phenomenal. The kind of book I flew through reading, but was also sad cause I never wanted it to end. You know the kind. So let us chat about why I am such a fan, yeah? Though I am purposely keeping this short, because it's best to go into this knowing as little as possible, like I did!

• • Incredible atmosphere! It fit perfectly with the vibe and tone of the story, and made me feel like I was on this secluded island. Think Sawkill Girls meets the apocalypse. Good stuff.



• • I cared about the characters immediately. And never stopped. There are two main POV characters, and I adored them both. I also enjoyed learning about their families, and in some cases, the other people around them. This is so wonderfully vague that I am probably confusing more than helping at this point, but just trust that there will be characters you love, characters you hate, and characters so gleefully gray you won't be able to decide.



• • The layers that unravel and the twists that unfurl... simply delicious. Wow I love a twist. And this book just keeps them coming! It's like a layer is peeled back, we learn something about the characters or world, but then we get new questions. Remember what I said about not being able to put it down? Yeah, that.



• • Everything about the book feels very fresh. The world itself, the plot, how everything turns out... it just feels new. Like nothing I've ever read before. Sure, there are bits here and there that you can compare to other books, obviously, but as a whole it's an incredibly unique story that captivated me from the start.

Bottom Line: Eerily atmospheric, genre-bending, and wholly unputdownable, How We Became Wicked is one of the best books of 2019.