• Age: 12 to 18
• Grade: 6 to 12

So many secrets for such a small island. From the moment Anne Merchant arrives at Cania Christy, a boarding school for the world’s wealthiest teens, the hushed truths of this strange, unfamiliar land begin calling to her—sometimes as lulling drumbeats in the night, sometimes as piercing shrieks.

One by one, unanswered questions rise. No one will tell her why a line is painted across the island or why she is forbidden to cross it. Her every move—even her performance at the school dance—is graded as part of a competition to become valedictorian, a title that brings rewards no one will talk about. And Anne discovers that the parents of her peers surrender million-dollar possessions to enroll their kids in Cania Christy, leaving her to wonder what her lowly funeral director father could have paid to get her in… and why.

As a beautiful senior struggles to help Anne make sense of this cloak-and-dagger world without breaking the rules that bind him, she must summon the courage to face the impossible truth—and change it—before she and everyone she loves is destroyed by it.

Joanna Wiebe's profile page

Joanna Wiebe is the author of The Unseemly Education of Anne Merchant (2014). She is also the cofounder of Copy Hackers and Page 99 Test. She lives on Vancouver Island with her husband.

"This story will envelop you in its mysteries, surprise you with its plot twists, and keep you guessing even to the last page."
?San Francisco Book Review

?Even when readers think they have it all figured out, Wiebe delivers a blow that will keep them energized and panting for the next installment.”
?VOYA Library Journal for Young Adults

"From the very first pages, I was spellbound by this deliciously dark tale of mysterious attraction, cutthroat ambition, and how far we will go to keep the ones we love."
?Amy Plum, international bestselling author

"An original, breathtakingly written, and often chilling tale of what lengths people will go to for love. Joanna Wiebe has crafted a book that is unputdownable. Joanna has officially made my instant buy list."
?Lindsey R. Loucks, author of The Grave Winner

"She had me at the introduction of the spooky setting?the kind of stuff readers can lose themselves in. Joanna Wiebe is a fun new author to be on the lookout for!"
?Wendy Higgins, author of The Sweet Trilogy

?School grounds shrouded in mystery, beautiful student body obsessed with the race to be valedictorian, and a gorgeous, infuriating, unobtainable guy. Welcome to Cania Christy.”
?A.E. Rought, author of Broken