I like graphic books but this one put me over the edge. I can't believe that this is part of a series! It was a fun read but not for the faint of heart and the description does not do a good job at warning people

Unfortunately I really did not like this book and thought it was a challenge to get through. It should also come with a trigger warning for some because there’s not one but three brutal rape scenes. Because it’s an ARC I held out hope until the bitter end that it would get better but for me it never did. The entire concept was lacking originality and has become increasingly popular particularly in movies. The writing was choppy and confusing going from one character to the next in a matter of paragraphs. It certainly didn’t help that there are quite a few characters introduced and many have very similar names like John and Jones. Throw in two killers who are not named off the bat and it was a recipe for disaster. I guess I wasn’t sure what to expect going in, I thought at the very least the apocalyptic aspect would be real but instead that’s a manipulated memory given to these unknowing participants. To sum up the story in a nutshell a bunch of people wake up in what they believe is some type of underground haven p. None have memories of more than a few weeks back and the 30 or so of them have to keep things running to stay alive as the topside has been ruined and is now toxic. Of course everything they think they know is a lie and instead they are just unwilling contestants thrown into a televised PPV type event where they are to be hunted one by one by a sadistic killer for sport. Another government/corporate run experience where people’s lives matter none and it’s all a game. A very lucrative game. Of course the company has massive control over this new world and while they used to procure only convicts and actual human garbage, they’ve now started with grabbing random innocent strangers and bystanders (especially protestors) and throwing them into the mix. This is why the end is is supposedly ruined for me. Sure maybe they found there way out but there’s no chance in hell this company won’t hunt them down and either a.) kill them or b.) throw them back in to the game. There’s no HEA here and really throughout the whole book there was a complete lack of any type of hope. Time after time the killer has the upper hand, he’s a sick fu*k who even rapes one of the girls in front of her boyfriend. It was just hard to read and even though the killer gets killed in the end, the power of the company and their reach took away any sort of belief that things would be ok. Between the character confusion, choppy writing and too descriptive (multiple) rape scenes, this was just a no for me.

The book is well written but it is not my cup of tea. Too much graphic death. I found the plot beyond believable.

My only regret when reading this was finding out it was part of a series. I wish I had read the first book before this! That said, the book stands alone. It’s a great story - full of suspense. The characters are strong and it is easy to put yourself in their place and wonder what you might do in the same situation. This is a great book which will appeal to many.