Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.12 AVERAGE
3.12 AVERAGE
1.5 stars
This is by far not the worst book I've ever read but I wanted to dnf it so many times and absolutely did not care about any of the characters.
This is by far not the worst book I've ever read but I wanted to dnf it so many times and absolutely did not care about any of the characters.
The idea of the book of great, a game, with 6 university friends as participants. Unfortunately the book starts off slow and doesn´t really get going much more, I kept reading as I was curious, first of all as to who was the person writing the present part of the book, and then well, just to finish it. I certainly is different, the past is written in the third person and the present is written in the first person and to start off I found this rather irritating. I can´t even say I enjoyed any of the main characters, they are all rather irritating. Way too much time is spent getting drunk, socializing and just general boring storytelling.
I got to around the 60% mark and I went to pick it up again and I thought this book is just awful. So I deleted it from my kindle and moved on.
I got to around the 60% mark and I went to pick it up again and I thought this book is just awful. So I deleted it from my kindle and moved on.
It's been a few days since I finished this book and I'm still unsure how I feel about it.
I'm not a fan of books with unreliable narrators. You don't even find out who is telling the story for quite a while. And then you learn that the book you're reading has been manipulated. So what can you trust?
The biggest issue I've had with this book is that the characters don't have a chance to develop outside the game. I kept mixing up Chad, Mark, and Jack. It's hard to get in to a book when you can't differentiate between half of the characters.
The game really isn't explained. All we know is that it's truth or dare with dice and a deck of cards. We read about several consequences that the players have to preform but none of them were really that bad. They're humiliating but not life ruining.
It's not a bad book but it hasn't earned the buildup and the end is completely lacking.
I'm not a fan of books with unreliable narrators. You don't even find out who is telling the story for quite a while. And then you learn that the book you're reading has been manipulated. So what can you trust?
The biggest issue I've had with this book is that the characters don't have a chance to develop outside the game. I kept mixing up Chad, Mark, and Jack. It's hard to get in to a book when you can't differentiate between half of the characters.
The game really isn't explained. All we know is that it's truth or dare with dice and a deck of cards. We read about several consequences that the players have to preform but none of them were really that bad. They're humiliating but not life ruining.
It's not a bad book but it hasn't earned the buildup and the end is completely lacking.
I don’t think this story should be categorized as a thriller. The plot line moves along too slowly and the transition between present-day diary and past recollection tends to throw the story off balance. I enjoy the six main characters and their changing relationships with one another, but I don’t think the consequences they choose for one another can be classified as dangerous or vicious. The mysterious “Game Soc” didn’t hold my interest, especially because there wasn’t much of a payoff to their threats at the end.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Every book set in a private college with a group of 6 students need to stop comparing themselves to The Secret History.
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
this is some of my favorite writing. i was captivated by even the littlest slice of life moments. it was a very tight, small-scale story that worked purely because of the quality of the writing, the depth of the characters and their relationships, and the masterful pacing. i found myself itching to continue with the group’s adventures, even though we know from the start that it ends in tragedy.
I liked this book a lot. It reminded me of a mix between [b:The Night Climbers: A Novel|331244|The Night Climbers A Novel|Ivo Stourton|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1407139893s/331244.jpg|321812] (which, of course, reminded me a lot of [b:The Secret History|29044|The Secret History|Donna Tartt|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327733397s/29044.jpg|221359]) and the film 'Jeux d'enfants' ('Love Me If You Dare' in English). So, it was derivative. Fortunately, it was derivative of a couple of my favorite things.
In 1990 six inseparable friends at Oxford play a game of dice, cards, and consequences. A game amusing on paper but polarizing in application that will stretch these friends to the limits. Fourteen years later the game resumes it's final round. But both players hold secrets about the past and present and the very nature of the game itself.
This is essentially a story about how far people will go for pride; what they will risk personally and what (and whom) they are willing to give up. The two main characters were wonderfully drawn, as was one of the females. Their choices, while not always understandable, were organic and in character. The plot was fast paced and interesting. The setting rich (though I will be honest in my bias for college settings, particularly old institutions like Oxford).
There were a few characters that were basically relegated to "filler" in order to round this crowd out. It would have been nice if more time was allowed to really get to know these people. But, I understand that that is difficult to do without making your book very long and seemingly off the point. So, yes, this is action driven when it should have dealt a little more with the characters. It was still immensely enjoyable. I would definitely recommend.
In 1990 six inseparable friends at Oxford play a game of dice, cards, and consequences. A game amusing on paper but polarizing in application that will stretch these friends to the limits. Fourteen years later the game resumes it's final round. But both players hold secrets about the past and present and the very nature of the game itself.
This is essentially a story about how far people will go for pride; what they will risk personally and what (and whom) they are willing to give up. The two main characters were wonderfully drawn, as was one of the females. Their choices, while not always understandable, were organic and in character. The plot was fast paced and interesting. The setting rich (though I will be honest in my bias for college settings, particularly old institutions like Oxford).
There were a few characters that were basically relegated to "filler" in order to round this crowd out. It would have been nice if more time was allowed to really get to know these people. But, I understand that that is difficult to do without making your book very long and seemingly off the point. So, yes, this is action driven when it should have dealt a little more with the characters. It was still immensely enjoyable. I would definitely recommend.
For some reason I just didn’t get into this book. Parts of it were hard to follow, yet at the same time it weirdly felt slow until the final third of the book.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes