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A review by bmg20
Game by Barry Lyga
3.0
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
I Hunt Killers introduced us to Jasper Dent, son of Billy Dent who is well known for being a notorious serial killer. Attempting to prove that he’s nothing like his father, he decides to track an apparent serial killer in his hometown. His success in bringing down the killer is noticed and in this second installment, Jasper is asked by the NYPD to come to New York City to help them catch another serial killer. Unsure of himself, but wanting to do what he can to help, Jazz goes to New York and finds himself smack dab in the middle of a game that he never wanted to play.
The thing that worked for I Hunt Killers was absent in Game. In Killers, Jazz took it upon himself to hunt for the serial killer and while not completely realistic was still somewhat credible. In Game, the NYPD has requested his presence in solving a murder because they’ve been unable to stop the guy and the murders continue to pile up.
Come on, really? The NYPD. Asked a teenager. The son of a serial killer. Sure, he may have brought down a serial killer in his hometown, once, but that doesn’t make him some seasoned veteran. Highly unlikely in the full scheme of things and my ability to suspend disbelief could only go so far.
Jazz, Connie, and Howie all find themselves on different paths in this book and subsequently all have their own cliffhanger to boot. I much preferred the gang all together, especially because Connie and Howie’s POVs both managed to grate on my nerves. Connie made some of the most idiotic decisions ever. You knew that something bad was going to happen to her because if it didn’t it would have been completely shocking. Her complete inability to think rationally was a complete contradiction from how she was in the first book so I’m hoping she finds her brain in time for the third book. Howie was the same old Howie but his charming immaturity didn’t win me over as it did in the past mostly because his constant sexual innuendos were straight up cringe-inducing. I realize his importance in a gory tale such as this, comic relief, but I would have appreciated a bit more maturity to go with the seriousness of the situation the characters were going through.
I Hunt Killers was a fabulous thriller with a Dexter-like teenager that you couldn’t help but love. I read the first installment back when it first came out, April 2012, and was desperate to get my hands on the next installment. Clearly, as you might notice, I’ve finally read it and it’s July 2015. Yeah, I’m more than a bit late. When early reviews came out, the groaning and moaning about the cliffhangers left me leery so I quickly decided that I’d just rather binge read both final installments when the third book came out. And I’m finally doing just that. I picked up the third book, Blood of My Blood, right away because you can’t not do just that after the ending(s) Lyga gives us. So word of advice? Definitely have the next book ready to go.
I received this book free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
I Hunt Killers introduced us to Jasper Dent, son of Billy Dent who is well known for being a notorious serial killer. Attempting to prove that he’s nothing like his father, he decides to track an apparent serial killer in his hometown. His success in bringing down the killer is noticed and in this second installment, Jasper is asked by the NYPD to come to New York City to help them catch another serial killer. Unsure of himself, but wanting to do what he can to help, Jazz goes to New York and finds himself smack dab in the middle of a game that he never wanted to play.
The thing that worked for I Hunt Killers was absent in Game. In Killers, Jazz took it upon himself to hunt for the serial killer and while not completely realistic was still somewhat credible. In Game, the NYPD has requested his presence in solving a murder because they’ve been unable to stop the guy and the murders continue to pile up.
Come on, really? The NYPD. Asked a teenager. The son of a serial killer. Sure, he may have brought down a serial killer in his hometown, once, but that doesn’t make him some seasoned veteran. Highly unlikely in the full scheme of things and my ability to suspend disbelief could only go so far.
Jazz, Connie, and Howie all find themselves on different paths in this book and subsequently all have their own cliffhanger to boot. I much preferred the gang all together, especially because Connie and Howie’s POVs both managed to grate on my nerves. Connie made some of the most idiotic decisions ever. You knew that something bad was going to happen to her because if it didn’t it would have been completely shocking. Her complete inability to think rationally was a complete contradiction from how she was in the first book so I’m hoping she finds her brain in time for the third book. Howie was the same old Howie but his charming immaturity didn’t win me over as it did in the past mostly because his constant sexual innuendos were straight up cringe-inducing. I realize his importance in a gory tale such as this, comic relief, but I would have appreciated a bit more maturity to go with the seriousness of the situation the characters were going through.
I Hunt Killers was a fabulous thriller with a Dexter-like teenager that you couldn’t help but love. I read the first installment back when it first came out, April 2012, and was desperate to get my hands on the next installment. Clearly, as you might notice, I’ve finally read it and it’s July 2015. Yeah, I’m more than a bit late. When early reviews came out, the groaning and moaning about the cliffhangers left me leery so I quickly decided that I’d just rather binge read both final installments when the third book came out. And I’m finally doing just that. I picked up the third book, Blood of My Blood, right away because you can’t not do just that after the ending(s) Lyga gives us. So word of advice? Definitely have the next book ready to go.
I received this book free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.