The Mortons
Author: Justine Larbalestier & Scott Westerfeld
Originally Published: 2026
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
written by: Tina Nguyen | date: 24th September, 2026
I was mind-blown by how and where this book led me, the plot was beautifully written, and the twists were natural yet sharp and unpredictable enough to keep you on the edge. It was described as if “The Secret History” book and “Succession” movie were combined, it would be this book. However, I think this novel has its own charms, probably can say that it leans more toward the side of “Succession” since the story was messy and the characters fucked up and betrayed each other in every unexpected way possible, but I can see why the dark academia settings and atmosphere added a touch of “The Secret History”.
Jessica Morton, the “prodigy” of the ancient crime family, the Mortons, was tested on her loyalty, lack of empathy, and callousness throughout her missions and tests, which involved murdering, killing, and betraying people that she got attached to the most. From there, she discovered her ability to care and love and challenged her lifelong belief and trust in what her family stood for, especially Grandmother Elizabeth, the most dangerous head of the Mortons, who moved in silence with her brutal schemes.
“Fides sine cura.”
Loyalty without care.
This was the only ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) I've enjoyed so far, so 4/5 stars. I'd say this leans more toward the crime/thriller genre than dark academia. If there is one thing that I hoped to see more of, it would be Hiromi Kennedy’s presence in the book.
“Spare the rabbit, slay the child. No second chances.”
“Slay the rabbit, spare the child.”
We all know that Jessica, the protagonist, and Sebastian were messing around with each other as non-biological cousins. They were both messy and had sides that they picked for themselves, it was either The Mortons or Care Group, which gathered prodigies from The Mortons and other houses that they cooperated with, who questioned their entire beliefs and family loyalty. The Care Group was created to help people from those elite, old-crime families explore their emotions, love, and care. In the midst of it all, I got intrigued by knowing more about Hiromi and her actual thoughts, since she gave off a mysterious vibe that lures people in. Hiromi didn’t “take sides” and was not even the main target of Jessica’s mission, she was just someone whom Jess needed to get closer to as a pathway to know more about Dr. Lyon. But Hiromi became a prey that needed to be gotten rid of, and that was the ultimate turning point for Jessica – she did love and care for Hiromi Kennedy, despite all the missions she needed to accomplish using her lover in the middle of New York City.
But how did Hiromi find out that Jessica was from the Mortons is my never-ending question. This part was where it struck me the most in the book – Jessica questioned her whole existence as a chosen young prodigy of her family, and for the first time, she was devastated and regretting having the last name that she has always been so proud of.
“‘Mutual kills are difficult to stage’, she’d written, before I’d even grasped the other texts. Murder-suicide is simpler.”
The closer I got to the end of the book, the more shocks I discovered. I remember holding my breath all the time when Jess and Sebastian decided to run away with each other and leave the hellhole and they were both raised and brainwashed in. If Jessica thinks she was trained hard enough in the family to outsmart anyone, she still couldn’t outsmart the one person who made up all the process, the maze, the tests she had to go through – Grandmother Elizabeth, the one person who silently moved with her plans, dangerously, unexpectedly, shockingly.
Throughout the whole novel, Hiromi and Grandmother Elizabeth were the ones I was most curious about. I talked about Hiromi above, now it’s Grandmother Elizabeth. My chest tightened and my breath caught every time this woman came up in the pages I read. The things happened at Helshire College between the Mortons and other old-crime families were loud, chaotic, and messy. Nonetheless, Elizabeth was the calmest among them all, too patient, too quiet, too calm, too unpredictable, so I could barely guess what her next move would be, whether she was up to something, or whether everything that happened was her plan all along.
“And every morning I make a decision.
Do I remain with this beautiful man in this small, homely existence, well fed, aloof from the neighbors, always unmoored? Or do I choose today to go back to the embrace of my ancient, gracious, broken, glorious, cruel, everlasting family?”
Larbalestier and Westerfeld did such a good job of portraying each character and demonstrating the thrilling, fast-paced, heart-throbbing plot twists. If you have a special place in your heart for gory, thrilling, mysterious, and dramatic stories, consider this a highly recommended book from me.