Their Vicious Games Summary, Characters and Themes
Their Vicious Games by Joelle Wellington is a contemporary thriller that explores privilege, ambition, and survival through the eyes of Adina Walker, a once-promising student whose future collapses after a scandal.
Desperate to reclaim her path, she enters The Finish, a ruthless competition hosted by the wealthy Remington family. What begins as a supposed opportunity for advancement quickly reveals itself to be a brutal and dangerous ordeal, where ambition collides with manipulation, power, and violence. The novel unpacks themes of race, class, and resilience, following Adina as she learns that winning may come at the cost of her humanity.
Summary
Adina Walker once stood as the pride of Edgewater Academy. Brilliant, disciplined, and accepted to Yale, she seemed destined for success until her friendship with Esme soured and ended in scandal.
Their fight led to her Ivy League acceptance being revoked, leaving Adina disgraced, alienated, and barely saved from expulsion by her parents’ employment at the school. On graduation day, while her classmates boasted of prestigious futures, Adina masked her devastation for her mother’s sake. Only Toni, her loyal best friend, stood by her when everyone else turned away.
Toni urged her to consider The Finish, a secretive contest run by the Remingtons, one of the most powerful families in the country. Winners were granted life-changing advantages—admissions, wealth, influence.
Though resentful of having to prove herself again, Adina agreed to at least pursue an introduction. That night at a Remington-hosted bonfire, she dressed in Toni’s borrowed clothes, steeled herself, and entered the world of privilege she had lost. There she crossed paths with old rivals, including Esme, and finally with Pierce Remington, the family’s aloof heir.
Their private conversation ended in an impulsive kiss, but when Esme turned her cruelty on Toni, Adina’s bold defense of her friend caught Pierce’s attention. Soon after, a package arrived at her home: her invitation to The Finish.
At the Remington estate, Adina was paired with Saint, a sharp and mysterious girl from Beijing. They joined ten other competitors, including Penthesilea, Pierce’s longtime girlfriend, and Esme herself.
Dr. Leighton Remington, Pierce’s aunt and the competition’s overseer, introduced the structure: three trials—The Ride, The Raid, and The Royale—would eliminate contestants one by one. Formal Repartee evenings tested social skills and refinement, while every event demanded resilience and strategy. Phones were surrendered, and the stakes became clear: success meant access to elite power, failure meant being discarded.
From the outset, the contest revealed its sinister undertones. At a lavish dinner, Adina faced casual racism from the Remington patriarch but held her ground, impressing even the cynical Graham Remington, Pierce’s rebellious younger brother.
Tensions escalated when Margaret, one competitor, suddenly convulsed and died. While others stood frozen, Adina tried to save her. The Remingtons dismissed the death coldly, and Saint explained the truth: The Finish had always been dangerous. In some years, it was even a marriage trial for the Remington heir, with violence expected. Escape, Saint warned, was impossible.
When Adina attempted to flee, guards caught her, and Leighton threatened her family’s safety if she disobeyed again.
The first trial, The Ride, required equestrian skill that Adina did not possess. Under Graham’s training, she struggled but adapted quickly, aware that accidents—whether genuine or sabotage—were part of the game. Penthesilea excelled as expected, while Adina relied on determination and resilience to endure. Meanwhile, her growing connection with Pierce offered strategic advantages, though she remained wary of his motives.
The next phase, The Raid, took place in a hedge maze where each girl was armed and tasked with survival. Pierce assured Adina he had advocated for fairer rules, but she doubted his sincerity.
Secretly, Graham provided her with knowledge of hidden passages, complicating her loyalties between the two brothers. In training, she honed her skills with a gun, facing humiliation at Repartee challenges but refusing to break.
Entering the maze, she and Saint relied on strategy to avoid conflict, but bloodshed was inevitable. Adina’s determination deepened as she realized victory required not just survival but defiance of the Remingtons’ control.
As the competition narrowed, Adina endured betrayals, alliances, and mounting violence. She uncovered that Hawthorne, Esme’s ally, had orchestrated Margaret’s death to strengthen Esme’s chances.
When Esme was eliminated, Hawthorne turned her rage toward Adina, forcing a brutal confrontation. Adina fought back, proving her resolve to survive even in the face of lethal opposition.
The final stage, The Royale, was announced as a deadly Assassin-style game, where each competitor received a target. Adina publicly challenged the rules, demanding the Remingtons themselves participate. Leighton accepted, turning the finale into open warfare.
Violence erupted: Leighton killed the patriarch, chaos spread through the estate, and Penthesilea betrayed the family by striking down Leighton. Hawthorne confronted Adina but was exposed as the true murderer of Margaret. Adina incapacitated her, cementing her own survival.
The climax came when Pierce revealed his manipulation—engineering the competition to choose Adina as his prize. Penthesilea, enraged by his betrayal, attacked and ultimately killed him, ending the Remingtons’ twisted legacy in blood. Adina, shaken but alive, escaped the estate alongside Graham, who had begun to reject his family’s power.
Outside, Adina reunited with Toni and Saint, collapsing into their arms. The aftermath left her scarred but free. Graham later exposed the Remingtons, surrendered their fortune, and sent Adina money with an apology.
Though she still wrestled with trauma and nightmares, Adina recognized that her old dreams, like Yale, no longer defined her. She had endured, survived, and reclaimed her agency. Her story closed not with a return to her former path, but with the understanding that her life was hers to shape—unfinished, but her own.
Characters
Adina Walker
Adina Walker is the protagonist of Their Vicious Games, a young Black woman whose promising future collapses after her conflict with Esme leads to scandal and the loss of her Yale acceptance.
She enters The Finish not out of ambition for wealth or glamour, but out of desperation to rebuild her path and reclaim a sense of control over her future. Adina is intelligent, resourceful, and fiercely resilient, constantly navigating an environment designed to exclude and endanger her.
Her experiences throughout the competition expose her vulnerabilities—self-doubt, fear, and lingering trauma—but also reveal her capacity for defiance and survival. Unlike many of the wealthy participants, Adina does not have privilege as a shield; instead, she must rely on wit, courage, and moral clarity. Her journey transforms her from a girl seeking redemption into someone who redefines her own worth outside of elite institutions, refusing to be shaped by the Remingtons’ cruel system.
Toni
Toni is Adina’s best friend and one of the few constants in her fractured life. She remains loyal when others abandon Adina, providing both emotional support and practical encouragement. Toni is the one who convinces Adina to consider The Finish as a way to reclaim opportunities, and her faith in Adina contrasts sharply with the betrayals and cruelty Adina faces elsewhere.
Though Toni does not directly participate in the competition, her presence is crucial: she represents genuine friendship, grounding Adina in love and loyalty when the rest of her world is consumed by ambition and violence. By the end, Toni becomes a safe harbor for Adina, symbolizing the possibility of healing and recovery after the chaos.
Saint (Liu Ruolan)
Saint, Adina’s roommate at the Remington estate, is sharp, calculating, and enigmatic. Hailing from Beijing, she enters The Finish with her own motivations but quickly establishes herself as a critical ally for Adina. Unlike the other girls, Saint is pragmatic rather than ruthless, choosing survival and strategy over blind ambition. She recognizes the brutality of the competition and shares her insights with Adina, often pushing her to think more tactically.
Saint also reveals a selflessness that sets her apart; she plans to step aside in the final stages, believing Adina’s victory carries more weight. Their bond grows into one of mutual respect and trust, and her presence becomes a lifeline for Adina. Even after the competition ends, Saint remains a steady connection in Adina’s life, representing resilience, solidarity, and the importance of chosen allies.
Esme
Esme serves as both antagonist and mirror to Adina. Once her friend, she becomes a tormentor whose manipulation and cruelty mark her as a figure of privilege unchecked by consequence. Esme embodies the entitlement of the elite, mocking Adina’s fall and questioning her worth at every opportunity. Her tactics are not limited to words; she builds alliances, schemes to undermine rivals, and uses others—particularly Hawthorne—to extend her influence.
Yet beneath her cruelty lies insecurity, as her desperation to win reveals the fragility of her power. Esme highlights the racial and class-based prejudices at the heart of The Finish, showing how those with privilege weaponize their positions to exclude outsiders like Adina. Her downfall underscores the dangers of unchecked ambition and contrasts sharply with Adina’s pursuit of survival on her own terms.
Pierce Remington
Pierce, the heir to the Remington legacy, embodies charm and privilege but is ultimately manipulative and self-serving.
At first, he appears to offer Adina a lifeline, expressing interest in her and granting her access to The Finish. He cultivates an image of benevolence, even suggesting he wants to reform the competition, but his actions reveal his complicity in the system’s cruelty. Pierce views Adina not as an equal but as a prize, orchestrating events to mold her into his chosen candidate.
His attraction to Adina is framed not by respect but by control, and his true nature surfaces as the competition progresses. By the end, his manipulation and betrayal culminate in his violent death, an outcome that reflects both the collapse of his illusion of control and the ultimate failure of the Remingtons’ oppressive legacy.
Graham Remington
Graham, Pierce’s younger brother, is positioned as the family’s black sheep, cynical and resentful of the expectations placed upon him. He initially appears to be a reluctant ally, offering Adina training, honesty, and guidance in surviving the trials. His openness about his disillusionment with the family makes him seem more authentic than Pierce, and his growing closeness with Adina hints at an alternative form of support.
Yet Graham’s passivity and unwillingness to defy his family outright reveal a cowardly side that frustrates Adina. He cares for her deeply, but his loyalty to the Remington name keeps him complicit for far too long. In the end, his decision to expose the family and give away their fortune demonstrates growth, but it comes only after Adina forces him to confront his weakness.
Graham is a complex figure, torn between his privilege and his conscience, embodying the struggle of someone caught between power and morality.
Penthesilea
Penthesilea, Pierce’s long-term girlfriend, enters The Finish as both rival and enigma. Skilled, composed, and seemingly aligned with the Remingtons, she initially appears to embody everything Adina must fight against. However, as the competition intensifies, Penthesilea’s loyalty begins to fracture.
Her eventual decision to kill Leighton and ultimately destroy Pierce reveals her disillusionment with the family she once supported. Penthesilea’s arc is one of transformation—from obedient participant to avenger—and her actions shift the power balance at a crucial moment.
While she is not a direct ally to Adina, she becomes instrumental in ending the Remingtons’ reign of terror. Her character complicates notions of loyalty, ambition, and survival, showing that even those closest to power can reject it when pushed to the edge.
Hawthorne
Hawthorne begins as Esme’s loyal follower, embodying the role of enforcer and sycophant. She echoes Esme’s cruelty, supporting her schemes and bullying others, but as the competition unfolds, her role deepens.
It is revealed that Hawthorne, not Esme, orchestrated Margaret’s death, exposing her as far more ruthless than initially believed. Her loyalty to Esme masks a darker ambition, and when Esme falls, Hawthorne redirects her rage at Adina.
Their confrontation forces Adina into direct violence, solidifying her own survival instincts. Hawthorne represents the extreme end of ambition within The Finish—a willingness to commit murder for the sake of victory. Her defeat underscores Adina’s refusal to abandon her humanity, even when forced into brutality.
Themes
Power and Privilege
The narrative of Their Vicious Games is anchored in the exploration of systemic privilege and the way wealth shapes access to opportunities. Adina enters The Finish as an outsider in every sense: she is a young Black woman from a modest background, competing against girls born into wealth, power, and legacies that open doors for them before they even arrive.
Her very presence at the Remington estate is treated as unusual, almost an intrusion, and she is constantly reminded that her achievements, though hard-earned, are viewed as less valid than those of her privileged peers. The Remingtons embody generational power, wielding influence not only through money but through control over who is deemed “worthy” of success.
Their competition masquerades as a merit-based contest, but in reality, it is a mechanism to preserve and perpetuate elitism, where violence and manipulation are part of the selection process. The casual cruelty displayed by Mr. Remington and the calculated dominance of Leighton expose how privilege is weaponized to diminish others, reinforcing that survival is granted only to those willing to play by the rules of the powerful.
Adina’s fight to reclaim her future becomes not only a personal battle but a confrontation with a system designed to exclude her, showing how privilege operates as both a shield and a weapon in controlling access to social mobility.
Identity and Belonging
At the heart of Adina’s journey is the constant question of where she belongs and who she is when stripped of the markers that once defined her. Before the scandal, she was Edgewater Academy’s shining example of excellence, her acceptance into Yale serving as validation of her intelligence and perseverance.
When that future collapses, she is left adrift, doubting whether her accomplishments were ever enough. Within The Finish, her identity is challenged repeatedly. She is forced to confront how others perceive her—sometimes as an underdog to pity, sometimes as an imposter to be eliminated, and at times as a threat because of her intelligence and resilience. Even her relationships with Pierce and Graham complicate her sense of self, as both brothers project their desires onto her rather than seeing her fully.
Her act of wearing Graham’s suit instead of the Remington-selected gown in the finale becomes symbolic of reclaiming her identity on her own terms, piecing together fragments of herself and refusing to be molded by others’ expectations.
By the end, belonging no longer means fitting into Yale, Edgewater, or the Remington world; it means embracing her survival and recognizing her agency, even if her future remains uncertain.
Violence and Survival
From the moment Margaret dies in front of the other contestants, The Finish reveals itself to be more than a competition of refinement and ambition—it is a battle where violence is both expected and sanctioned.
Adina is horrified by how quickly the Remingtons normalize death, using it as a mechanism to enforce control and heighten competition.
Each event carries not just physical risk but the looming threat of sabotage and betrayal from the other participants. For Adina, survival requires not only physical adaptability but also mental resilience in the face of calculated cruelty. Her realization that she cannot simply opt out, and that escape means consequences for her family, forces her to adopt strategies that go beyond academics or charm. She learns to navigate both the literal violence of the trials and the psychological violence of humiliation and degradation, such as being forced to sleep on the floor after losing a challenge.
By the finale, when she stands against Pierce, Leighton, and the destructive legacy of the Remington family, violence becomes a tool not of oppression but of reclamation. The theme underscores how survival in corrupted systems often requires confronting brutality directly and refusing to be broken by it.
Friendship and Loyalty
Amid the cruelty of The Finish, Adina’s relationships with Toni and Saint highlight the importance of solidarity in hostile environments.
Toni remains her constant anchor, a reminder of loyalty unshaken by social scandal or external pressure. Saint, on the other hand, emerges as an unexpected ally within the competition, offering Adina guidance, honesty, and companionship in an arena designed to pit women against each other.
Together, they carve out a fragile trust, recognizing that their bond is as much a survival strategy as it is a genuine connection. These friendships stand in stark contrast to the betrayals of Esme and Hawthorne, who represent ambition corrupted by selfishness and cruelty. The Remingtons thrive on division, hoping the girls will turn on each other, but Toni and Saint provide Adina with the strength to resist isolation.
Their presence reinforces that survival is not only about individual strength but about having people who remind you of who you are and why you fight. The loyalty shown by these friendships becomes the counterbalance to the toxic power dynamics of the competition, offering Adina both emotional resilience and the courage to keep moving forward.
Ambition and Choice
Throughout Their Vicious Games, ambition is portrayed as both a driving force and a dangerous trap. For Adina, ambition originally took the form of academic success and the promise of Yale, but when that dream was destroyed, her ambition turned toward survival and the possibility of rewriting her future through The Finish. The competition itself thrives on ambition, drawing girls who crave power, wealth, or validation, and testing how far they are willing to go to achieve it.
Penthesilea, Esme, and others embody ambition twisted into cruelty, willing to eliminate rivals and bend to the Remingtons’ authority for the chance at victory. Adina’s journey illustrates the constant tension between ambition and morality: whether success is worth losing one’s humanity, and whether survival demands becoming the very thing one despises. In the end, her rejection of Pierce’s manipulation and her refusal to be defined by Yale or by the Remingtons signals a redefinition of ambition.
She chooses not to be a pawn in systems that exploit and destroy. Instead, her ambition becomes about agency, independence, and building a future shaped by her own choices rather than by the approval of others. This theme emphasizes the critical difference between ambition that empowers and ambition that corrupts.