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queer_bookwyrm 's review for:
Endgame: The Calling
by James Frey, Nils Johnson-Shelton
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
2.5 ⭐ CW: Violence, natural disasters, graphic deaths, descriptions of blood and gore, descriptions of childbirth, torture, child abuse
The Calling by James Fry and Nils Johnson-Shelton is the first book of the Endgame series. This was like a more brutal Hunger Games mixed with a scavenger hunt.
In this world there is a phenomenon called Endgame that only certain people with the right lineage know about. These lines train their children from infancy to become a weapon in mind and body. In this world the gods who made us are real, and they are aliens. All the wonders of the world, Stonehenge, Giza Pyramids, Machu Picchu , etc. Were all made possible because of these aliens.
We follow 12 Players as they are called for Endgame. Only one may win, but no one knows why Endgame happens. They just know they need to win the keys for their line to survive.
Honestly, I wasn't a huge fan of this. That trope is overdone and I'm just not feeling the whole aliens-built-the-pyramids bullshit. This was very plot heavy without enough character development or exploration, which leads me to the next problem of there being way too many characters povs.
On top of the reasoning around Endgame being vague and ambiguous, there are too many characters to really feel for any of them. We get such a shallow picture of these people, that it makes the tragic prices feel unearned and empty.
The good news is it had a pretty diverse cast since the Players were from all over the world. We even see some disability rep in the form of a mute girl and boy who has physical tics and a stutter. I did find the story line of Sarah's boyfriend inserting himself where he didn't belong fitting to the story. It felt forced and awkward, and the pay off didn't really hit like it should have. It could just be the demiro in me again, but I just don't buy the "true love" crap Christopher is spinning to hide his selfishness and borderline obsession.
Needless to say, I won't be finishing this series.
The Calling by James Fry and Nils Johnson-Shelton is the first book of the Endgame series. This was like a more brutal Hunger Games mixed with a scavenger hunt.
In this world there is a phenomenon called Endgame that only certain people with the right lineage know about. These lines train their children from infancy to become a weapon in mind and body. In this world the gods who made us are real, and they are aliens. All the wonders of the world, Stonehenge, Giza Pyramids, Machu Picchu , etc. Were all made possible because of these aliens.
We follow 12 Players as they are called for Endgame. Only one may win, but no one knows why Endgame happens. They just know they need to win the keys for their line to survive.
Honestly, I wasn't a huge fan of this. That trope is overdone and I'm just not feeling the whole aliens-built-the-pyramids bullshit. This was very plot heavy without enough character development or exploration, which leads me to the next problem of there being way too many characters povs.
On top of the reasoning around Endgame being vague and ambiguous, there are too many characters to really feel for any of them. We get such a shallow picture of these people, that it makes the tragic prices feel unearned and empty.
The good news is it had a pretty diverse cast since the Players were from all over the world. We even see some disability rep in the form of a mute girl and boy who has physical tics and a stutter. I did find the story line of Sarah's boyfriend inserting himself where he didn't belong fitting to the story. It felt forced and awkward, and the pay off didn't really hit like it should have. It could just be the demiro in me again, but I just don't buy the "true love" crap Christopher is spinning to hide his selfishness and borderline obsession.
Needless to say, I won't be finishing this series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Torture, Blood
Moderate: Child abuse, Gun violence, Violence