Review: We Were Warned by Chelsea Ichaso

Author: Chelsea Ichaso
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Publication Date: March 2025

 Everyone knows the legend of Fairport Village: twenty-five years ago, a shocking murder closed the place down. This year, the ruins will be bulldozed at last. But tonight, it's not too late to die.

All her life, Eden Stafford has heard the lore about the abandoned beach resort at the edge of town: ever since the notorious murder there, anyone who sets foot on the property is cursed to die, It's more than just a story: over the years, two high school students who dared to explore the ruins of Fairport Village were killed there.

Eden is no stranger to notoriety, having endured a family scandal that's made her a target at school. So when she reluctantly attends an overnight party at the ruins, she's on edge―not because of some legend, but because the clique that has made her life hell for years is there, too, including Caleb Durham, the worst of them all.

Yet out of all the things Eden expected to happen that night, finding another student dead at Fairport Village wasn't one of them.

Though the death is ruled an accident, Eden knows she saw something suspicious at the ruins―and Caleb and her other longtime tormentors did too. Now they're all being followed by a deadly stranger, and to save themselves, they must work together to uncover the truth about Fairport Village. But after all that's happened, can Eden really trust Caleb and his friends? Or will they leave her to face a killer alone?

In We Were Warned, Eden is helping a classmate to film a documentary about a local "curse".  They are there the same night as some of her classmates are spending the night before Senior year starts.  When one of the group is found dead, Eden begins to suspect that the curse may be real.

I really enjoyed this one.  It is another YA mystery that I would have loved in high school.  I read it in one sitting. The atmosphere was creepy and the tension was high.  I loved that I didn't know who to trust. And that no one was safe. I didn't call any of the twists because I thought the story was going in a completely different direction.  I also enjoyed the characters, especially Eden. It's nice when there are no annoying teens in the book.  I don't want to give too much away because it's better to go into the book blind like I did.  I highly recommend this one.