This book had been on my radar for quite some time. The synopsis absolutely drew me in and I was incredibly thrilled to receive a copy in the mail. I devoured it in a very short time because I was so invested to know what happened!
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links, see disclosures for more detail.
About the Book:
Across the globe, five strangers receive a horrifying message from an unknown number.
THE PERSON YOU LOVE MOST IS IN DANGER.
To save them, each must play The Game – a sinister unknown entity that has a single rule: there can only be one winner.
IF YOU LOSE, YOUR LOVED ONE WILL DIE.
But what is The Game – and why have they been chosen?
There’s only one thing each of them knows for sure: they’ll do anything to win…
WELCOME TO THE GAME. YOU’VE JUST STARTED PLAYING.
My Thoughts:
I gave this book 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4
I had a difficult time putting this one down, it has a Saw-like premise and everything centers around five people, seemingly randomly selected, who must participate in “The Game”–their loved one has been taken and the only way to save the person’s life is to play The Game. Why these five? And can they complete the task?
There are some clunky parts to this book, although it’s gripping and intriguing, there are some characters I didn’t connect with and others I didn’t really feel like I knew their overall motivation. When all is said and done in the end, there are a couple of loose threads not tied up, but I was fairly satisfied with the conclusion.
A warning: there are some definite triggers for people who have them. There is a dog death, which doesn’t occur on page but the after-results are, and it is referred to a few other times throughout the book.
At the end, I thought this book was a little more melancholy than I was expecting, and although it is a captivating mystery to figure out what is going on, I did end up feeling pretty sad. Great premise and decent execution, if you’re in the mood for an unusual book this one might hit the spot.