Reviews with content warning for Abandonment - Small Game

Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

Small Game by Blair Braverman

25 reviews

ecn's review

2.75

BORING. If you like into the wild but want a more boring version where you don’t care or know anything about the characters, then maybe you’ll like this? The only reason I didn’t DNF was for a desperate hope that it could get crazy at the end (it did not). It felt more like an ode to surviving and the wilderness than an actual survival thriller. There were so many missed opportunities to expand the story and give the reader insight into what’s happening.

I don’t know what the point of this story is

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knenigans's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

4.0

I really like the way this was obviously written by an author who knows her subject well but I personally struggled to connect with the characters. The sense of foreboding was extremely good and all the situations were realistically terrifying which earned the 4 stars.

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savvyrosereads's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective slow-paced

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

4.0

Out now! [Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review!]

Rating: 4/5 stars

Mara is a survival instructor who agrees to take part in a reality television survival show—but when something goes terribly wrong, she and the other survivors may be forced to face much more than they signed up for.

This book wasn’t exactly what I was expecting—the synopsis reads to me like a fairly straightforward thriller, and instead this book ended up being more literary suspense (bordering on horror in some instances) with a touch of a dystopian/apocalyptic feel.

That said, once I realized the kind of book I was reading and stopped judging it based on what it wasn’t, I really enjoyed it. It’s fairly character-driven and I really enjoyed the characters. The setting also really kept me on edge and I could feel the tension and the high stakes as the plot built. I particularly appreciated the ending, which I thought hit exactly the right note for this kind of story!

In short, if you’re a lit fic fan who enjoys thriller/suspense/horror elements, you should definitely pick this up!

CW: Animal harm/death (graphic and on-page); some mentions of suicidal thoughts; death/blood/injury (graphic)

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zombiezami's review

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

4.25

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sparklefarm's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.75

A harrowing what-if from adventurer Blair Braverman, who writes exquisitely on twitter and in nonfiction, and now in fiction too.

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mmccombs's review

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challenging reflective sad medium-paced

3.5

I loved the ideas here, and I’m a sucker for survival stories so this really scratched that itch. The pacing was really strange and the ending was just not satisfying at all. I’m okay with ambiguous, open endings, but this just felt rushed and almost like an afterthought.

All I really want to know is why the film crew left and how. I think it could have been interesting to show that it was on purpose or that it was just a weird oversight, either way I think that specific detail should have been wrapped up, other things could have been left more open.

I didn’t mind the characters, though I never felt exactly close to them, either. Lots of potential and great bits in this book, but didn’t make for a complete story.

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