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jocelyn62013's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I never wanted to put it down! The pacing was done so well! I don't game personally, but anytime my brain went "?" at a gaming term, I understood by the end of the next sentence what was going on without having to Google terms. I definitely did not see the last twist coming about Ethan, but the pieces were all there so it felt earned. Overall, I loved it and I'm going to recommend it to several people esp those I know enjoyed Ready Player One or the movie "Ready or Not."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Stalking
Minor: Gun violence, Self harm, Transphobia, Medical content, and Fire/Fire injury
wangela's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Aspects I love that Kelsea Yu uniquely brings to this debut novel:
+ Authentic portrayal of gamer experience
+ Pinyin sprinkled in without translation feels like a secret layer just for my Duolingo-level Mandarin skills
+ The constantly unfolding mystery tickles my puzzle-loving brain
+ Set in the Pacific Northwest, feels familiar with what I know of tech in Seattle
+ Descriptions of the food they eat around town
+ Diverse characters and relationship styles
+ Authentic portrayal of gamer experience
+ Pinyin sprinkled in without translation feels like a secret layer just for my Duolingo-level Mandarin skills
+ The constantly unfolding mystery tickles my puzzle-loving brain
+ Set in the Pacific Northwest, feels familiar with what I know of tech in Seattle
+ Descriptions of the food they eat around town
+ Diverse characters and relationship styles
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Kidnapping
Moderate: Death of parent and Murder
Minor: Self harm
zluvsreading's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Self harm, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Gun violence, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
vibingandy's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I received this as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I was super hooked on this concept, video games and murder mysteries with some queer relationships? Sign me up! It was not as gripping as I was hoping it would be, seemingly going back and forth between super high stakes to really low stakes which made it hard to stay feeling invested. The intensity of what happened/happens to our MC Marina is something that I think doesn’t match the stakes and tone of the rest of the book. It felt like there were two completely different books being written at times. While I enjoyed the friend group, we didn’t get to know them very well outside of the required portions for the telling of the story. There was a lot of telling and not showing when it came to some of the relationships. I think my favorite relationship was between Marina and the restaurant owners, the affections they showed each other were so wonderful.
Definitely check out the trigger warnings, most of them come up middle towards end of the book. An interesting read all in all!
I was super hooked on this concept, video games and murder mysteries with some queer relationships? Sign me up! It was not as gripping as I was hoping it would be, seemingly going back and forth between super high stakes to really low stakes which made it hard to stay feeling invested. The intensity of what happened/happens to our MC Marina is something that I think doesn’t match the stakes and tone of the rest of the book. It felt like there were two completely different books being written at times. While I enjoyed the friend group, we didn’t get to know them very well outside of the required portions for the telling of the story. There was a lot of telling and not showing when it came to some of the relationships. I think my favorite relationship was between Marina and the restaurant owners, the affections they showed each other were so wonderful.
Definitely check out the trigger warnings, most of them come up middle towards end of the book. An interesting read all in all!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Torture, Kidnapping, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror, Death, Domestic abuse, Self harm, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Abandonment
Minor: Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, Medical content, Grief, Stalking, and Fire/Fire injury
I will say if you get freaked out by cuts or blood
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