Reviews with content warning for Murder - The game

⚠️ CW: kidnapping, domestic abuse, animal abuse, misogyny, addiction, miscarriage, stillbirth, violence, homophobia, racism, rape, suicide, murder and brief mentions of child abuse ⚠️ If you like the movies Taken and Saw, and you want a dark, tense and twisty read then this one is for you! Across the globe five strangers receive a horrifying message from an unknown number. The people they love the most are in danger and to save them they must play The Game. A sinister contest that only has a single rule, there can only be one winner. If you lose then 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. This book had me so incredibly gripped that I didn't want it to end. It kept me guessing until the very last page and the huge twist left me gobsmacked. I absolutely loved the alternating pov's between all of the characters that gave you small breadcrumbs of their individual stories to follow and piece together throughout, and their flawed personalities and back stories made it all the more riveting! The only reason I dropped it down a star is because I felt that the climax of the story was a bit rushed and I wanted a bit more from the 'post game' part. Overall, I highly recommend this book but please check the content warnings before going into it because it is quite a bit more graphic than your standard thriller in my opinion.

Content Warnings

ggallinot's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Pretty good - but kinda dark. Just be ready for that. Some interesting twists at the end. Not the BEST in the “play or die” genre but far from the worst.

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syd_syd's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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travelseatsreads's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The person you love most is in danger, to save them you must play the game, possibly risking the lives of others involved, what do you do?

The Game is a fast paced gripping thriller told from the perspectives of each of the 5 players. It's told in short snappy chapters that alternate between each character which kept me completely hooked and wondering what the hell was going to happen next.

As the story unfolds it appears there are many sinister things to come, just where will it all end and who if anyone will survive? Absolute fear and raw desperation ooze from each chapter as we see each individual question if there's any limit to what they will do to save the person the love?

I switched between audiobook and ebook and found both equally gripping. The narration was done by one narrator and I was surprisingly impressed with his different characterisations. While I was completely hooked throughout I can't say that I was overly fond of the ending, it felt a little bit messy and if anything a little bit unnecessary in a way.

Overall an interesting fast paced thriller that will keep you hooked.

TWs for animal death, rape and sexual assault.

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librariangeorgia's review against another edition

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mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

The actually premise sounded really interesting and that’s what drew me into this book.

However, the whole thing felt very long winded. There was more about the journey than the actual game. When the game was revealed, it felt very anti-climatic - there was all this build up for /that/.

Having so many players meant that I had to make notes on who each of them were and key identifiers so I could remember who was who. I didn’t really like any of the characters to be honest, they all seemed quite average though their backgrounds certainly weren’t!

I enjoyed the book as a whole, I just felt disappointed by the reveal after all the build up and mystery around the game.

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nushreadsbooks's review against another edition

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medium-paced

2.0

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honeyreads1066's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

3.5

This book took me on a ride.

This follows 5 people whose loved ones have been kidnapped, they must play a mysterious game where the rules and game master are all a mystery to get them back.

I thought this book was going to be more fast-paced than it was. I think that was my main issue with the book as a whole. It felt like there were a lot of bits, especially in the beginning that dragged a little and at times I did find myself skimming.

Despite this, the plot was absolutely worth it. The twists and turns it gave were insane and the ending I was not expecting at all. It also made a lot of sense, there was no point during the ending where I thought it came completely out of the blue.

I did have questions that I don't think we're addressed at all or very little at the end as well but honestly, that's me being a little nitpicky.

The characters I didn't feel too much for and for some didn't particularly like but I felt that it didn't matter or mattered very little to my enjoyment of the book. I didn't need to like everyone to feel for them and I think that's impressive to a point.

Overall I loved the ride this took me on and I would recommend it as a decent thriller.

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harrirebekah's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced

1.5

1.5⭐️

Going to be quite harsh with this review. Absolutely loved the concept of this book but the execution is just so bad and disappointing.

- Too many characters to follow and also you don’t feel truly invested in any of them. And for some irrelevant characters too.
- Narrative jumps around all over the place, present and past.
- Confusing storyline, again not helped by the above points.
- The first half of the book you’re just building up waiting for the game to start and when it does it’s so anticlimactic. I would’ve liked more of the game elements.
- The plot twist legit came out of no where, which was good to be unexpected, but also so off for me it wasn’t believable at all. I also felt there wasn’t enough explanation or background given to Benishek and how this illegal porn empire started.
- Its so unbelievable that Linda has been able to orchestrate this? With what money, connections, and within a few weeks of her daughter’s death? I just think it’s so far fetched it really took me out of it. I know she’s ex police, but still.
- Ending was so lacking, didn’t explain what happened to Noah or Brett’s gf?
- I found the comments on the internet, porn, consent and paying for online content interesting and wish this had been a heavier focus.

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me this to review.

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