Scan barcode
theonlybaillie's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This book was The Hunger Games meets The Bachelor and everyone is completely UNHINGED.
And I can't decide if I liked it or not lol.
And I can't decide if I liked it or not lol.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Blood, Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Racism, Gun violence, Bullying, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Alcohol, Vomit, and Torture
daniellestarredpages's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Unfortunately, I was very disappointed with this book. The synopsis promises Ace of Spades, Squid Games and The Bachelor and to me, this mix of story elements should not have been combined for this particular book. My biggest issue I would say is the romance featured in this story. So Adina is (sort of) stuck between two brothers, the Perfect Second Son who is the prize at the end of the games, who Adina doesn't actually like and the Disappointment of a First Son whom Adina randomly starts having feelings for. The thing is, I didn't believe the romance for a second, it came out of nowhere and there was no real build-up or romantic tension between Adina and Graham (the second son) and since Pierce was really a means to an end for Adina, I see no reason to criticise the writing of their relationship. The author has stated that this book is supposed to be a Satire but I still reserve the right to be annoyed at how often Adina mentions that she's from Suburbia and how terrible that is. I also feel that the book was very slow to start and that did nothing to help the book, it just made the story drag.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Violence, Blood, Bullying, Classism, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, and Racism
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders and Gore
stacy_27_'s review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Death and Murder
gabyspinktasticlibrary's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I have been waiting months for this book to come out and it did not disappoint!! It is such a good high-stakes thriller that keeps you engaged the whole time. I definitely felt some dark-academia Hunger Games vibes when reading this book. I really thought the entire plot of the book was so unique and exciting and in some ways not at all what I anticipated. At times I really felt like I was there in the book, watching the girls compete. I definitely recommend this book but PLEASE make sure to read the content warnings!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Blood, Murder, Emotional abuse, Gore, and Violence
Moderate: Classism, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Racism
sarah984's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
I get the concept that this book was going for, but I just didn't like it. I think part of it is that the Squid Game comp gave me an idea what the book was like and then the actual book was not like that. All this over a man?? Most of the characters' motivations are obscured by the first person pov so I didn't really care either way what happened to them, characters made decisions when it was convenient for the narrative and not in a way that felt like it was following a character arc, and the writing for Saint, the only Asian character, felt really suspect to me (why was she wearing bondage gear??)
The ending felt very silly to me as well, I would have liked the book better if she had made that decision earlier during Simon Says.
The ending felt very silly to me as well
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Classism, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Misogyny, Murder, Bullying, Cursing, Grief, Confinement, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, and Racism
Minor: Vomit, Toxic relationship, and Animal death
bellebookcorner's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
The premise of this book sounds very interesting, fortunately this book did not disappoint me. In fact, I got hooked into the story pretty fast and really enjoy it!
If you wanted to read something where Hunger Games meet The Selection then I highly recommend picking up this contemporary thriller!
Don’t forget to read the trigger warnings below cause there are some parts that may be sensitive to some readers.
The first few chapters felt slightly confusing and it feels like I’m starting a book from the middle part but eventually there will be an explanation as it goes deeper.
Things started to get a lot more interesting once Adina (the FMC) enter the competition and the other girls were introduced as well.
I really like Adina’s character cause she feels relatable. She’s not a perfect character cause she didn’t make the best decisions at the beginning. But after going through a couple trials and see the true meaning of the competition, she powers through and started to grow into a badass intelligent girl!
I also love the growing friendship Adina and Saint has and I was rooting for them in every trial, at least Adina has one ally she can trust in this barbaric game where loyalty is rare.
As for the romance, I wasn’t rooting Adina with any of the love interests to be honest.
One guy was a psychotic and a narcissists, the other one was just too meek even though he has a good heart. I admire Adina for keeping her head on the game without getting swayed easily.
Overall, this is a fantastic read with great writing style and well developed characters which also comes with a satisfying ending.
The author raises several important topics that occur in the real world and I love the way he conveys these topics really well throughout the story.
I’m really looking forward to read more books from this author in the future!
⚠️ 𝐓𝐖: Death, murder, violence, racism, cursing, drug use, confinement
Thank you to TBR and Beyond Tour, Netgalley, author and publisher for giving me an e-ARC of the book and for having me on this book tour. I’m leaving this review voluntarily!
If you wanted to read something where Hunger Games meet The Selection then I highly recommend picking up this contemporary thriller!
Don’t forget to read the trigger warnings below cause there are some parts that may be sensitive to some readers.
The first few chapters felt slightly confusing and it feels like I’m starting a book from the middle part but eventually there will be an explanation as it goes deeper.
Things started to get a lot more interesting once Adina (the FMC) enter the competition and the other girls were introduced as well.
I really like Adina’s character cause she feels relatable. She’s not a perfect character cause she didn’t make the best decisions at the beginning. But after going through a couple trials and see the true meaning of the competition, she powers through and started to grow into a badass intelligent girl!
I also love the growing friendship Adina and Saint has and I was rooting for them in every trial, at least Adina has one ally she can trust in this barbaric game where loyalty is rare.
As for the romance, I wasn’t rooting Adina with any of the love interests to be honest.
One guy was a psychotic and a narcissists, the other one was just too meek even though he has a good heart. I admire Adina for keeping her head on the game without getting swayed easily.
Overall, this is a fantastic read with great writing style and well developed characters which also comes with a satisfying ending.
The author raises several important topics that occur in the real world and I love the way he conveys these topics really well throughout the story.
I’m really looking forward to read more books from this author in the future!
⚠️ 𝐓𝐖: Death, murder, violence, racism, cursing, drug use, confinement
Thank you to TBR and Beyond Tour, Netgalley, author and publisher for giving me an e-ARC of the book and for having me on this book tour. I’m leaving this review voluntarily!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Violence, and Death
Moderate: Racism, Gun violence, and Confinement
Minor: Alcohol, Drug use, and Cursing
tinybluepixel's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Gun violence, Body horror, Bullying, Murder, Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Gore, Toxic friendship, Racism, Classism, Death, Grief, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
crystalsparkles's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Emotional abuse, Murder, Racism, Bullying, Classism, Cursing, and Death
jilljemmett's review
fast-paced
4.0
Adina Walker has always been on a scholarship at Edgewater Academy, an upper class (and mostly white) school, because her parents work there. After losing control in a moment with a former friend, Adina had her admission to Yale revoked. Adina will do anything to get that admission back, even compete in a high-stakes game that the Remington family hosts called the Finish. Several young women in Edgewater compete in the Finish to be accepted by the Remington family and have all the advantages of their wealth and power. However, the stakes of this game aren’t what Adina predicted. She must change the rules to survive the Remington’s vicious games.
This was an intense competition story that reminded me of The Hunger Games and Ace of Spades. The game had deadly stakes, which wasn’t what Adina had expected. There was some racism and classism in the story, since Adina was the only Black girl in the game as well as the only girl who didn’t move in the same circles of the Remingtons. I found myself holding my breath while reading this because I didn’t know what twists the games would reveal next.
Their Vicious Games is an intense and twisty story!
Thank you Simon and Schuster Canada for providing a copy of this book!
Content warnings: racism, death, murder
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Death and Racism
bf9288's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This was a good book. I loved how we got to know each character. I loved how Adina and Saint helped each other, their friendship is awesome. Adina was so smart. I liked Penn, and I thought she was so badass. I like how there was a bit of romance, but Adina didn't let it distract her. I'm going to speak with my best friend about a code. So that she knows if I say a sentence that doesn't make sense then I'm in danger. The most creepy thing was the Simon Says game.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism and Death
Minor: Violence, Vomit, and Death