Reviews

Small Game by Blair Braverman

amothers's review against another edition

adventurous dark fast-paced

3.5

Strong start, weaker ending but overall would highly recommend to anyone who likes reading about survival.

kkat0804's review

adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.0

shannonohannessian's review against another edition

2.0

Honestly, I blame myself because I was skeptical of this one right off the bat and I decided to give it a try anyways. Five strangers testing their survival skills on a reality TV show when the crew disappears, leaving them alone to fend for themselves. The idea was there, but the execution was not. The narrative style was strange, the dialogue felt unrealistic, and there were SO many abandoned plot lines and unanswered questions. The story ends so abruptly with no resolution - it was basically just a prolonged version of the synopsis with no further explanation of what actually happens to the crew & cast members.

mk_tyler's review

adventurous mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

cormoranlucreade's review against another edition

3.0

So many ways this book could have been great. So many ways it could have concluded. It feels like the author just quit.

It isn’t an ending you don’t agree with. There isn’t an ending. There are several ways it could have ended and been great.

Three stars for what the first 3/4 was. But the lack of ending degrades it to a 1.

I won’t read any more of this author.

zeus_strider's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I absolutely loved this book, but that being said I believe your mileage with it will very drastically depending on your first impressions and what you're looking for; almost immediately Small Game gave me the impression that it was aiming to be a deconstruction of the murder / survival game genre and for me it executed it beautifully.

bkatz's review against another edition

adventurous fast-paced

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

4.0

laurenscholle's review against another edition

3.0

I wanted to like it but it was too short. the conclusion was so freaking unsatisfying.

bookph1le's review against another edition

3.0

This wasn't quite what I expected, but it was a solid read. I think the marketing for it is all wrong, which probably isn't doing the book any favors. This is not at all what I'd consider a thriller. Instead, it's a fairly introspective work of fiction about stripping yourself down to your base elements for survival. Looking at it from that light, it is interesting and it did keep me turning pages.

hg_not_wells's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful 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

3.75

Enjoyed the unexpected shifts in plot