Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

It's Only a Game by Kelsea Yu

5 reviews

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Kidnapping

Moderate: Death of parent and Murder

Minor: Self harm

nfoutty's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Violence, Kidnapping, and Murder

Moderate: Suicide, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Animal cruelty, Blood, and Car accident

beckyremillard's review

dark mysterious 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

3.0

Marina is finally set to meet the 3 friends she does online gaming with for a tour of their favorite company. The result is them being forced to play a version of a game just for them or they’ll be framed for murder and worse consequences. 

This book is told in third person from Marina’s perspective. There are a few jumps back in time. 

I liked the concept, although I wasn’t entirely sold on the execution. The multi-day game seemed to lower the stakes (they were still working and whatnot throughout?!) and it was less intense/high stakes. I also felt it definitely fell on the younger side of YA (FMC is 15 and definitely acts 15). I also hated the usage of the dog in the plot. Mini spoiler I guess: he’s fine. 

Overall, if you’re into online gaming, whodunnits, and the early side of YA for the main character, give this one a shot. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury YA for a chance to read and review this eARC. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, 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! 

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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

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, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting

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

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