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morguebooks's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
asimilarkite's review against another edition
5.0
I read I Hunt Killers awhile ago and really liked it, so I decided now that the third book is out, it's finally time to catch up on the rest of this series.
Holy cow. It is rare that I read a sequel...and even more rare that I read an entire trilogy (I'm a librarian and I am a slow reader, so I'll often read the first book in a series so I can recommend it to patrons, and then move on)...but the instant I finished this book I IMMEDIATELY downloaded the audiobook for the third one and started reading it. Thank goodness I waited 'til Blood of My Blood came out so I didn't have to wait.
It is SO RARE that a sequel hits me harder than the first book in a series. This did it. Everything is turned up a notch -- the terrifying cruelty of Billy Dent, the mystery, the characterization...it is all better than the first book. And the first book is GOOD. The reveal totally caught me off guard (I totally didn't expect it, which I often do), and it is SO creepy and well done and dark. I hope Blood of My Blood notches it up even more. I'm excited to find out.
Holy cow. It is rare that I read a sequel...and even more rare that I read an entire trilogy (I'm a librarian and I am a slow reader, so I'll often read the first book in a series so I can recommend it to patrons, and then move on)...but the instant I finished this book I IMMEDIATELY downloaded the audiobook for the third one and started reading it. Thank goodness I waited 'til Blood of My Blood came out so I didn't have to wait.
It is SO RARE that a sequel hits me harder than the first book in a series. This did it. Everything is turned up a notch -- the terrifying cruelty of Billy Dent, the mystery, the characterization...it is all better than the first book. And the first book is GOOD. The reveal totally caught me off guard (I totally didn't expect it, which I often do), and it is SO creepy and well done and dark. I hope Blood of My Blood notches it up even more. I'm excited to find out.
greenvillemelissa's review against another edition
5.0
Book #4 Read in 2014
Game by Barry Lyga (YA)
This book is the sequel to I Hunt Killers. In this book, Jasper Dent is once again on the hunt...this time at the request of the New York Police Department. He heads to the Big Apple to try to profile and track the serial killer known as the Hat Dog Killer. Of course, his on the lam killer father Billy Dent is connected somehow....can Jasper find the killer (and perhaps Billy) before it is too late?
This book once again hooked me...for a book over 500 pages, it was a quick read. The ending was a cliffhanger that left me screaming for book 3....which apparently will not be out until September. Jasper is a great character and the supporting characters, especially Connie and Howie, are once again successes. This is a great, edgy young adult series.
http://melissasbookpicks.blogspot.com
Game by Barry Lyga (YA)
This book is the sequel to I Hunt Killers. In this book, Jasper Dent is once again on the hunt...this time at the request of the New York Police Department. He heads to the Big Apple to try to profile and track the serial killer known as the Hat Dog Killer. Of course, his on the lam killer father Billy Dent is connected somehow....can Jasper find the killer (and perhaps Billy) before it is too late?
This book once again hooked me...for a book over 500 pages, it was a quick read. The ending was a cliffhanger that left me screaming for book 3....which apparently will not be out until September. Jasper is a great character and the supporting characters, especially Connie and Howie, are once again successes. This is a great, edgy young adult series.
http://melissasbookpicks.blogspot.com
mengler87's review against another edition
Seriously?!?!?! How long do I have to wait.... for the NEXT book???
trisha_thomas's review against another edition
5.0
To say this was amazing is to not have a good enough adjective!
this was addicting. It was mind-stumbling, clue bumbling, OMG NO! amazing!
Jasper is just as always so incredibly well written. I always feel his struggle & sympathize for him when I should be totally shocked and horrified by his impulses. But he balances that line so well, that I always just love him.
The added treat in this book is Connie and Howie. We get their perspectives too!
Howie added much needed laughing moments when the stress level and anticipation levels were at their peaks. And I really do hope he makes the next tattoo say "I love Howie"
Connie - we finally get to hear her side and see Jazz from a whole new perspective. Their relationship, her struggles, her homelife and their love - all have a deeper meaning and add a new layer to the story.
But, there must be another one. I must have another one Mr. Lyga. I refuse to be left here....and please, make it quick!!!
this was addicting. It was mind-stumbling, clue bumbling, OMG NO! amazing!
Jasper is just as always so incredibly well written. I always feel his struggle & sympathize for him when I should be totally shocked and horrified by his impulses. But he balances that line so well, that I always just love him.
The added treat in this book is Connie and Howie. We get their perspectives too!
Howie added much needed laughing moments when the stress level and anticipation levels were at their peaks. And I really do hope he makes the next tattoo say "I love Howie"
Connie - we finally get to hear her side and see Jazz from a whole new perspective. Their relationship, her struggles, her homelife and their love - all have a deeper meaning and add a new layer to the story.
But, there must be another one. I must have another one Mr. Lyga. I refuse to be left here....and please, make it quick!!!
ruthelibrarian's review against another edition
5.0
Woah! That ending tho...
This is honestly the best kind of sequel there is. It builds on the story from the last book, while still having its own thread of new mysteries. This also add new perspectives, like Connie and Howie.
Can't really say more. Its really good.
This is honestly the best kind of sequel there is. It builds on the story from the last book, while still having its own thread of new mysteries. This also add new perspectives, like Connie and Howie.
Can't really say more. Its really good.
melissamelancon's review against another edition
4.0
all in all, a good book. though, you'll find yourself yelling at some of the characters' decisions. hard to put down, just like the first installment. left on a cliffhanger. anxiously awaiting the final installment due out this September, i believe.
thisismenow's review against another edition
5.0
I absolutely loved I Hunt Killers, so it's follow up Game was one of the books I was most looking forward to this year.
In I Hunt Killers we were introduced to Jasper Dent, who is the son of the worst serial killer in history, Billy Dent. While his father was put away in jail, Jasper still struggled with the possiblity of turning out like dear old dad after being raised to follow in his footsteps. Jasper still struggles with this very real fear in Game, and the stakes seem that much higher now that Billy has escaped from prison.
Game, even moreso than I Hunt Killers is a very mature YA book. It doesn't shy away from the grisly details as Jasper is brought into the investigation of a serial killer who is wreaking havoc and fear in the people of New York.
For this book, I had to suspend by belief a bit because I found it hard to believe that so many adults would rely so heavily on a seventeen-year-old boy, but on the other hand, Jasper is in a unique position. He knows how most serial killers think. There was a good quote in the book that touched on this a bit.
While Jasper is separated from his best friend, Howie, and girlfriend, Connie. during much of the book, these characters were still, thankfully, very much in play. Howie was hiliarious as always. He was a great source of comic relief throughout.
I really enjoy Jasper and Connie's relationship as well. Jasper carries a lot fear about the possibility of hurting Connie in the first book, and in this book he seems even more afraid as things heat up sexually between him and Connie.
What I really love about the two of them, though, is that Connie really seems to know Jasper. There were many times when she refused to let herself be manipulated by him and other times when she used the manipulations she'd learned from him to help herself as she was dragged into the twisted game being played in this book.
The Hat-Dog killer was pretty gruesome, but I enjoyed the mystery this serial killer presented. For much of the book I really didn't have any solid guesses as to who the killer was or what game they were playing. When it comes to mysteries, thrillers or suspense novels, I like not being able to figure things out immediately, and Game did a wonderful job of keeping me guessing.
Jasper's voice has really been my favorite part of this series. His way of thinking is so interesting. Even when those thoughts go dark, there's still an edge of humor. I really and fully believe in his ability to charm others because he's charmed me as well. Also, as terrifying as Billy is, he's such a presence throughout the book due to the way he's wormed himself into Jasper's head. As much as I hate him, I do enjoy Jasper's mental sparring with his father.
I cannot wait for the next book to come out because this one left me on the edge of my seat. Write, Barry Lyga, write!
In I Hunt Killers we were introduced to Jasper Dent, who is the son of the worst serial killer in history, Billy Dent. While his father was put away in jail, Jasper still struggled with the possiblity of turning out like dear old dad after being raised to follow in his footsteps. Jasper still struggles with this very real fear in Game, and the stakes seem that much higher now that Billy has escaped from prison.
Game, even moreso than I Hunt Killers is a very mature YA book. It doesn't shy away from the grisly details as Jasper is brought into the investigation of a serial killer who is wreaking havoc and fear in the people of New York.
For this book, I had to suspend by belief a bit because I found it hard to believe that so many adults would rely so heavily on a seventeen-year-old boy, but on the other hand, Jasper is in a unique position. He knows how most serial killers think. There was a good quote in the book that touched on this a bit.
"You’ve heard of natural born killers, right? Well, you’re a natural born profiler.”
“There are lots of good profilers out there.” Jazz wasn’t sure where she was headed now.
“Not like you. They get how these guys think, sure. But you get how they feel. What it’s like for them, what they like. Why they like it."
While Jasper is separated from his best friend, Howie, and girlfriend, Connie. during much of the book, these characters were still, thankfully, very much in play. Howie was hiliarious as always. He was a great source of comic relief throughout.
“If I think she's hot and it turns out she's a psychopath, then what does that say about me? I'm totally not ready for that kind of therapy.”
I really enjoy Jasper and Connie's relationship as well. Jasper carries a lot fear about the possibility of hurting Connie in the first book, and in this book he seems even more afraid as things heat up sexually between him and Connie.
What I really love about the two of them, though, is that Connie really seems to know Jasper. There were many times when she refused to let herself be manipulated by him and other times when she used the manipulations she'd learned from him to help herself as she was dragged into the twisted game being played in this book.
The Hat-Dog killer was pretty gruesome, but I enjoyed the mystery this serial killer presented. For much of the book I really didn't have any solid guesses as to who the killer was or what game they were playing. When it comes to mysteries, thrillers or suspense novels, I like not being able to figure things out immediately, and Game did a wonderful job of keeping me guessing.
Jasper's voice has really been my favorite part of this series. His way of thinking is so interesting. Even when those thoughts go dark, there's still an edge of humor. I really and fully believe in his ability to charm others because he's charmed me as well. Also, as terrifying as Billy is, he's such a presence throughout the book due to the way he's wormed himself into Jasper's head. As much as I hate him, I do enjoy Jasper's mental sparring with his father.
I cannot wait for the next book to come out because this one left me on the edge of my seat. Write, Barry Lyga, write!