Reviews tagging 'Stalking'

It's Only a Game by Kelsea Yu

2 reviews

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! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Body horror, Death, Domestic abuse, Grief, Self harm, Abandonment, and Death of parent

Minor: Stalking, Animal cruelty, Fire/Fire injury, Domestic abuse, Grief, and Medical content

I will say if you get freaked out by cuts or blood

there is multiple repeat mentions of a character being ‘carved’ w a knife in their arm, and then later being forced to do it to themselves later on. The character often traces over their scars during other scenes in the book, and says people often confuse it for self harm scars, just as a heads up, as they are referenced a lot.

It did feel intense, but it is still a YA level of description so for me personally it felt doable, just know it is a thing.

turtleofhades's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-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

**Free ARC recipient, has no influence on review**

This book!! It's so dang good. From the flashbacks to the present, the plot and characters thrive and expand into a gloriously thrilling tale of abuse and survival. Great for fans of The Hunger Games, There's Someone Inside Your House, and Monday's Not Coming. Be prepared for secrets, mystery, and MMORPGs!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Torture, Stalking, Child death, Death, Grief, Blood, Physical abuse, Animal cruelty, Death of parent, and Child abuse

Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Kidnapping