The Spiral Key

Author: Day, Kelsey

Interest age: from c 14 years

Published on 26 February 2026 by Hachette Children's Group (Hodder Children's Books) in the United Kingdom.

Paperback | 272 pages
128 x 197 x 22 | 240g

What if your enemy could make your existence hell - both in real and virtual life?'An edge-of-your-seat thriller about friendship and ex-friendship, love, loss, and longing, and the need to belong that is as honest and relatable as it is spine-tingling. Don't miss this one.' - Jennifer Niven, #1 NY Times bestselling author of All the Bright PlacesAt the start of each school year, the spiral key invitations go out for Madison Pembroke's birthday party. For one night, a few lucky students get to enter Ametrine, a virtual paradise designed to be the party of the year - an unforgettable celebration that will secure their social status in the real world. As Madison's hated ex-BFF, Bree Benson never receives a key. Until now. Despite warnings from her boyfriend, Bree sees the invite as an olive branch, the perfect opportunity to rekindle her once-amazing friendship with Madison. But as the party games begin to turn violent, Bree finds that Ametrine might not be the virtual paradise she was promised. And that Madison may have let Bree enter Ametrine, but she has no intention of ever letting her leave . . . Can Bree turn the tables in time to survive and fight back? Pretty Little Liars meets Holly Jackson with a dash of Squid Game in this addictive thriller.