Reviews tagging 'Blood'

These Deadly Games by Diana Urban

8 reviews

pyretic's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Blood, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Death, Kidnapping, Grief, Child death, and Alcohol

aformeracceleratedreader's review

dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

4.5

I really enjoyed this! I was flipping between who the main culprit behind Anonymous1 was, and I was right on one of my guesses. It kept me engaged and wanting to know what would happen next. I will def check out more from this author (I think this is the second book the author has published so I will be checking out their first one). The ending was satisfying enough for me.
I read this while also listening to the audiobook and the narrator, Kate Rudd, was fantastic. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gaslighting, Grief, Murder, Blood, Child death, and Injury/Injury detail

ashylibrarian's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer meets Unfriended in a game-based horror novel of cheats, lies, and deception. 

This book did not always feel 100% realistic, but it was a wild journey, and I did have fun (most of the time) while reading it. 

There were plenty of times that I was super annoyed with Crystal (the MC) becuase she was being so completely reckless and not picking up on what An0nym0us1 was getting her to do. But Diana Urban did a stellar job creating scenes that kept me coming back and wanting to find out what happens next. 

I will likely recommend this title in the future, though it may not be my first grab. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Toxic friendship, Death, Kidnapping, Panic attacks/disorders, and Violence

Moderate: Child death, Domestic abuse, Stalking, Alcoholism, Confinement, and Torture

Minor: Racism, Eating disorder, and Car accident

beckyremillard's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Child death, Blood, Kidnapping, Domestic abuse, and Toxic friendship

mollyalex's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

Moderate: Child death, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Kidnapping, Domestic abuse, Addiction, Alcoholism, Blood, Stalking, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Eating disorder

bookedandbusy's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I absolutely loved this book! It kept me at the edge of my seat and I didn’t know who to trust! 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Child death, Kidnapping, and Stalking

Moderate: Eating disorder, Death of parent, and Blood

nerdybirdy101's review against another edition

dark tense

4.0

*Thanks to NetGallery for the e-ARC*

I actually read this book in one day that is how pulling it was. I thought it was an interesting thriller targeted towards teenagers, but there are some more violent themes than in typical teen thrillers. I liked the use of the cell phone in this thriller because it helped create the thriller aspect and even showcased the danger cell phones can have. If you like video games that are also a huge portion of the read because that is the unifying activity between the main friend group. The book does jump back and forth between the past and the present, which can be confusing at first but really does help the plot form. I could see this book being translated into a movie. The reason I gave this book a 4 out of 5 stars is mostly that there were some scenes and characters that I did not find realistic. It felt like there were stereotypes that were used to help create drama that did not fit with the way the character was written.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder, Bullying, Gaslighting, Blood, Kidnapping, Cursing, Grief, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, and Eating disorder

rachrreads's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

 **I received a physical arc from the author via a TikTok giveaway. **

“Let's play a game. You have 24 hours to win. If you break my rules, she dies. If you call the police, she dies. If you tell your parents or anyone else, she dies. Are you ready?”

I binged this on Sunday and I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. Through the whole book I was trying to guess who An0nym0us1 is. Right when I thought I’d figured everything out, another twist would be thrown my way. 

Crystal is an incredibly clever character and for the most part I found myself liking her. She cares deeply for her sister and would do anything to protect her. This is shown as Crystal’s desperation grows through the book. 

I would definitely recommend this if you like faster paced books with a great group of friends. You get a close look into Crystal’s relationship with each friend and small flashbacks throughout. 

I also loved the fact that these were a group of friends with a shared interest —in this case a video game. The video game aspect really sets up the competitive nature of the book as well.

While I did figure out the big twist, there was a lot that surprised me. This book is terrifying in the fact that I have no idea what I’d do in this situation. It really makes you think.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child death, Cursing, Death of parent, Medical trauma, Blood, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Stalking, and Violence

Minor: Car accident