Thank you @wednesdaybooks for this great Ya thriller. I loved the premise of the game and how Crystal has do complete tasks to save her sister. The story got me from the first page and love the quick pace of it. I love how Crystal has to do these tasks while trying to figure out who is behind these threats.

I received an advance reader copy of this book from the publisher through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

I read this author’s debut novel, All Your Twisted Secrets, back in 2020. From its description on Net Galley, this one promised much of the same: friendship, betrayal, and unpredictable twists galore.

At first I was concerned that These Deadly Games would be too much like the first book. It’s true that it is like the earlier book, but only in a big picture sense. Someone has kidnapped gamer Crystal Donavan’s little sister and threatens to kill her if she doesn’t do exactly as she’s told. As Crystal gets deeper and deeper into the kidnapper’s list of demands, things turn ever more dire and even deadly for the members of Crystal’s gaming team.

I gave These Deadly Games five stars on Goodreads. As with the prior book, there are a lot of moving parts in this intensely complex plot involving several red herrings and multiple surprise twists.

These Deadly Games by Diana Urban is a young adult thriller novel. The story in These Deadly Games is one that is told in the current timeline along with flashes back to past events in the protagonist’s life.

Crystal Donavan has become one of six top gamers in her area and has all her focus on making the five person team to play in an upcoming tournament with millions on the line. When Crystal is asked to drop her little sister off for a field trip she thinks nothing of it.

Later Crystal gets an ominous test message with an attachment showing her little sister tied up. The message, “Let’s play a game. You have 24 hours to win. If you break my rules, she dies.” Of course Crystal will do anything to save her sister but what starts off seemingly random and bizarre only become that much more dangerous.

These Deadly Games by Diana Urban was a high octane thrill ride from start to finish mixing a bit of psychological games with physical danger. There’s a lot of books out there with parents searching for a missing child but this story takes a different route with a sibling upset and trying her best to win these demented games. Everyone is a suspect and I couldn’t have been more impatient to see what would come next. This was my first book by the author but certainly won’t be my last.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Someone has kidnapped Crystal's sister, and they are making her complete all these terrible tasks that endanger her friends. Crystal can't believe that anybody would be that desperate to knock their team out of the upcoming MortalDusk gaming tournament. However, the truth may be much more sinister than that and may have to do with something that happened years ago and a secret that Crystal and her friends have all been keeping. If you read the first chapter of this book and you are not a gamer, you might feel a little lost and out of your element. However, if you stick with it quickly turns out into a fast-paced, thrilling, hair-raising adventure. It's the modern age equivalent of a vengeance movie in book form. However, there aren't any masked monsters or psychotic killers here just seemingly ordinary people which makes it even scarier. At times, it will absolutely horrify you but you won't be able to put it down until you get to the last page.

3.8 stars

This book just would not stop! Action. Action. Action. It was entertaining!

You'd like this book if you like action and plot YA mystery/thrillers about gaming culture, revenge, school drama and cliques like One of Us Is Lying , Sadie , The Female of the Species , I’m Not A Serial Killer , Ready Player One and The Six.

However, even though I found the books listed above are similar, I didn't connect as well with the characters because of the pacing. There was always something happening plot wise and I didn't get enough pauses and insights to get to know the characters and connect as I would have liked to.

Who would you be willing to hurt to save the person you love most? This book starts out fast and the pace never lets up.

Crystal Donovan’s focus is on an upcoming video game tournament, where the prize money could save her family’s house from foreclosure. But there’s six friends and only five spots on the team, so they start a competition to eliminate one.

But then, shortly after Crystal drops her little sister off for a school trip, she gets a video of her sister bound and gagged. She has 24 hours to complete the kidnapper’s challenges, or her sister dies. She’s given tasks: bake brownies, steal a test and more, each one designed to hurt someone she loves in a sneaky, diabolical way. But Crystal’s determined to beat the kidnapper at his game. When the first of her friends dies, though, Crystal must decide: is she willing to to keep following directions, knowing the killer plans to pick off her friends one by one?

The author cleverly plants several different suspects and motives, and it was fun to keep reading to see which one ended up being the culprit. The characters shine, so with each desperate step towards the story’s conclusion, the sense of doom deepens.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance review copy of this book.

I had high hopes for the author's previous book, but I was quickly let down. Wanting to give her next book a chance, I hoped I would guess the culprit within the first couple of chapters again - I didn't, but this didn't stop this story being somehow more mediocre than the author's first book.

I liked the idea of a friend group of competitive gamers, as this is surprisingly uncommon in YA books. However outside of the shared interest, I never really got why they were friends for so long, ad after a one of the group dies, their strangely detached reactions made it even more confusing.

Crystal is a difficult character to like. She's self centered, selfish and only really cares about what the game tournament can do for her. She mentions helping a friend through an eating disorder (that was quickly resolved) but it came across as Crystal making herself look like a good person. I could fully understand why her friends thought she was paranoid and didn't seem to like her that much.

The ending was quite messy, as I had my eye on someone else, the final plot twist (but not the villain reveal) did take me by surprise, and that was a great moment. However it just wasn't enough to make up for the rest of the book, as watching Crystal run around trying to basically murder her friends and convince herself it was fine was kinda... annoying.

Is it just me, or are YA thrillers exactly the comfort read we all need right now?? There’s something about being pulled into a thriller that lets me forget about the world for a second & the newest from Diana Urban, THESE DEADLY GAMES, is no exception.

Crystal Donovan has 24 hours to play a game & win, otherwise her younger sister dies. The game starts off simple: a request via an app to swipe a test then bake some brownies. But as the game continues, Crystal realizes each task is targeting her friends, one by one.

Soon enough, the small requests turn deadly asking Crystal to choose between her sister and her friends…because in this game, someone has to die.

THESE DEADLY GAMES is Urban’s sophomore novel & just as thrilling as the first. I found myself absorbed in the story, unable to put it down because I just had to know why. While I did figure out who was running the game early on in the story, I loved that Urban weaves so many red herrings throughout, constantly making the reader doubt their own theories. It makes for a great whydunnit.

There was a tiny part of adult me that wasn’t sure the premise of the story was believable, but the psychological aspect of the novel is on point. Urban’s understanding of the human psyche digs into the heart of the characters & makes for a thrilling read as she alternates between the past & the present.

It’s out tomorrow, & if you’re a thriller lover, then this is one book you’ll want to pick up. I already know this will be a popular one in my classroom.

Thanks to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for the advanced copy in exchange for my review.

Thank you so much, NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books, for the chance to read and review this book in exchange of an honest review.

When Crystal gets a message on a mysterious app with a picture of her little sister gagged and bound, her world is turned upside down and she's forced to play the kidnapper's game, without telling anyone, nor her parents nor the police, or her sister will die. With a set of rules, the "game" is apparently harmeless, like stealing a test, baking brownies and things like that. But slowly she will learn the kidnapper wants her to hurt and then kill her friends. Is this a cruel prank? Or did someone discover their secret and want to make them pay?

These deadly games is one of the most compelling and intriguing thrillers I've read this year and it kept me on edge since the very beginning. The story is captivating, the characterization is brilliant and the plot is "chef's kiss", filled with twists, revelations, discoveries, secrets and lies. In a game with deadly stakes, Crystal moves, ready to do anything to save her little sister...or not This book is absolutely amazing and I loved everything. The mystery was SO good, it kept me guessing until the end and I loved everything. I basically devoured it, because I needed to know what would happen next! Totally recommended it!

This is definitely going to be one where you either love it, or don't. I, for one, had fun with this as I like video games and thrillers. I grabbed this one with the right mindset, so I was expecting a YA Thriller, and that is what I got.

These Deadly Games is about revenge, and what someone will do for the ones they love. It's clear from the start what is happening, who the culprit is, and what the outcome will be. Still it was a fun ride while it unfolded.

I've been enjoying more YA lately, and not just YA Fantasy. It makes for quick reading which is usually an enjoyable one. I definitely recommend for those who like gaming, want a quick and fun read, and want to try out YA Thrillers.

I sincerely appreciate the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a review copy. All opinions expressed herein are mine and mine alone.

Considering this is a YA novel (not my fav genre) I actually really liked it!

The premise of this book was so original and intriguing. I'll be checking out her other novels ASAP.

“Let’s play a game. You have 24 hours to win. If you break my rules, she dies”

What in the Saw is this? These Desdly Games is a compulsive, page turning thriller that screams YA in the best way. I powered through this two days after I got off work and really enjoyed it!

This definitely is a true YA read with phrases like “what’s the tea” and saying it was ridonculous. If you’re looking for an older YA, this wouldn’t be it. I think it really fit with their personalities and helped me understand just how young and naive they really were. I personally enjoyed it but also felt like a walking old person meme. (Enter “Hello my fellow youths” meme here) I really liked Crystal as a MC, and was hoping she’d kick this kidnappers butt.

The paranoia was heartbreaking. The decisions to make were wild. I guessed who was behind the info and why early on, but it was great to watch it unfold!

The downside is that this book is 416 pages long. How, I don’t really know, as I did fly through it. But there’s about 50-75 pages that could give it the snip snip and I’d be okay. Some of the details I saw myself skimming because I wanted that solid plot.

Overall, a great read. This is for fans of One of Us is Lying and every other Karen McManus book! (Down to the epipen) thank you so much @wednesdaybooks for the gifted copy! This is out today!

Crystal Donavan has a goal. She is planning on winning the Mortal Dusk tournament with her friends. She’s not good enough in the game to win as a single, but their team has consistently been on the top of the leaderboard, so together they have a chance at that $250,000 prize. Crystal really wants that money, to help her mother pay the mortgage so she doesn’t have to work so much.

The team consists of Matty, Randall, Akira, Zoey, and new member Dylan. They had five people on the team, but there was a rumor that the teams for the tournament needed to have six members, so they recruited Dylan. Now they know that only five players can be on the team, so they’re competing to see who can get to 20,000 MortalBucks first. Matty and Randall have already achieved that, so it’s just the other three spots that are left.

Crystal is determined to get herself on the team, even if that means she has to rush to get her little sister Caelyn to school on time and snapping at her when Caelyn tries to talk to her about a bully. All Crystal can think about is getting Caelyn to school, so she can maybe get some more time in the game. Caelyn would forgive her if she understood that Crystal was working that hard to help them keep their home.

Also, Crystal just loves games.

Later that morning, when Crystal is sitting in class, she feels bad about rushing Caelyn when she wanted to talk, but the tournament was the upcoming weekend, so Crystal didn’t have much time left to make the team. And then she gets the first message.

It’s a video of Caelyn in what looks like a basement room. She’s tied up, and being threatened with a knife. Crystal is told to do everything exactly as she’s told to, or this person will kill her sister. If she goes to the police, they’ll kill her sister. It’s a game, and Crystal has to play. She has no choice.

First, she’s told to go to a classroom in her high school and steal a test key. Then she’s to take that and put it in a specific locker. She manages to get it done in the time allotted to her, barely, and then the principal shows up at that locker right after and finds the test key. That’s when Crystal finds out who’s locker that was. It belonged to Dylan, and suddenly he was getting pulled to the principal’s office. Crystal is concerned about him, but she doesn’t have time to do anything, as she’s instructed on her next task.

As she spends the next hours running around, doing tasks she can’t understand, Crystal is also running through all the people she can think of who might want to keep her getting into the MortalDusk tournament. Because why else would someone do all this? But as the stakes get higher in Crystal’s game, she starts to worry that it’s about more than just a video game tournament. People start getting hurt, her friends start getting hurt, and Crystal is partly responsible for that. How far will this person go to destroy Crystal’s life? And how far will Crystal go to protect her little sister from her kidnapper?

These Deadly Games is a chilling story of revenge, a complicated game of vengeance, and it will take all of Crystal’s strength to win the game. Author Diana Urban has crafted a powerful story of secrets and lies, of nightmares and panic attacks. But she’s also created in Crystal a character smart enough to play the game well, and to learn important lessons of gameplay along the way.

These Deadly Games kept me on the edge of my seat. The tension in this book is palpable, and I had a hard time setting it aside and getting back to real life. It’s smart, sophisticated, and suspenseful, and I recommend reading it only if you have a chunk of time to set aside for it. You won’t want to put it down. If you’re anything like me, you’ll need to keep reading to get to the end and find out all the magician’s tricks that Urban used in crafting this thriller.

Egalleys for These Deadly Games were provided by Wednesday Books through NetGalley, with many thanks.

I received an advanced copy from the publisher via Netgalley for an honest review.

The idea of this novel seemed really interesting and right from the beginning, I was just annoyed. A group of teenagers who are video game obsessed and the constant annoying references to video games just made me roll my eyes time and again throughout the novel. The flashbacks that were 5 Years Later were good flashbacks, however, the random flashbacks in the middle of chapters with no transitions were awful and quite confusing. One second we are talking about right now, then instantly in a memory with no transition, then back to present. Poorly written. The ending was S U P E R predictable because the author was NOT good at subtle clues at all. And at the same time made ridiculous 'misdirection' statements that seemed obviously placed as fake so, that was frustrating. I just feel like this book needed more editing and the author needs to be better with finesse. An okay novel with a roll your eyes, stupid ending that hints at a sequel.....that I will happily pass on.

Sixteen-year-old Crystal Donovan receives an anonymous text message that she must play a game or her younger sister will die. She can't tell anyone and if she doesn't get the tasks done in the allotted time, her sister will die. Each task seems to be centered around harming one of her friends.

This is a very well-done cat and mouse young adult thriller. I liked how the backstory regarding Crystal and her friends played into the current story. There were just enough twists and turns for me to keep me intrigued and interested throughout the book. I especially liked how the ending reveal/twist was played out and the last lines possibly leaving it open for more.

Thank you to Wednesday Books, NetGalley and the author for an advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.

Sixteen-year-old Crystal Donovan gets a message on her phone during class wanting her to play a game. If she breaks the rules or tells anyone, her younger sister will die. Each task is meant to hurt someone important in her life. Will she play? Is it someone trying to take her team out of the upcoming state-wide gaming tournament? Or is something else motivating the kidnapper?

Overall, I think this was a pretty good story. It was fast paced and creative. While some of the twists felt a little predictable, others had me reeling. The suspense, action, and twists kept me glued to the book. Readers that enjoy psychological thrillers and gaming, Or people who enjoyed Pretty Little Liars will likely enjoy this novel.

This one was a mixed bag for me. I really enjoyed the writing and I couldn't put it down, which is huge. However, i figured out the mystery very early and had trouble understanding how the main character couldn't see what was happening since she was supposed to be a gamer. I guess video game player is different than puzzle solver, I think teens who haven't read a ton in this genre might love it.

This was a quick-paced YA thriller with a game centric plot that was easy to get enjoy due to it's creative storytelling that draws you in from the first sentence. While I did find some of the twists predictable, some came at a surprise and as a fan of YA psychological thrillers, I was invested in this one. I thought it was creative and unique and suspenseful without being over the top.

These Deadly Games kept me up late turning pages. What a wild ride. Gamer Crystal Donavan should have been in the for the time of her life. She and her team are entered in the upcoming MortalDusk tournament and have a good chance of taking home the massive grand prize. But Crystal’s life gets completely flipped upside down and she gets pulled into a much deadlier game when her younger sister is kidnapped and she’s forced to do whatever is necessary to keep her sister alive while she figures out a way to save her.
I enjoyed the heck out of this one. Excellent story with plenty of tension and numerous twists that kept me completely engaged from start to finish. Crystal was an excellent character and you really felt for struggle with the decisions she was forced to make.
This is the first book I’ve read by Diana Urban but she is now firmly on my radar and I look forward to seeing what she comes out with next. Thanks to St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books, and NetGalley for the chance to read and review an eARC of These Deadly Games.

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I am a game nut. I love board games, video games and riddles. Given the opportunity to read a book about games, that just so happen to turn deadly, I jumped on that!!
This book was a lot of fun to read. There are riddles to solve, a bit of a scavenger hunt, even a tricky word scramble to figure out. And then there is the biggest mystery to solve, who is behind the whole game? The author gives so many clues throughout the book, helping you figure it all out before the protagonist does. When she does, you are so ready for reveal it’s like winning the grand prize!!
So many things make this book thrilling. The lies, murder, backstabbing, competition and kidnapping are all woven together and unleashed in heart pounding suspense. But the book isn’t scary, it’s actually a perfect YA thriller.