This fast-paced YA thriller was the perfect read for what will probably be my one and only snow day of the year. ❄️

The basic story: When Crystal checks her phone in class one day, she finds a bizarre message from someone who is holding her sister hostage. She continues to receive a series of strange, seemingly harmless instructions from the kidnapper, but by “playing the game” she sets off a deadly series of events.

The resolution left me with a few lingering questions about pieces that didn’t totally add up, but I didn’t guess the twist until close-ish to the end which is the mark of a good thriller in my opinion. Definitely recommend to fans of books like One of Us is Lying. Comes out 2/1/22!

Crystal and her esports team are desperate to win the state tournament, and each of them has plans for their share of the $250.000 prize. There are 5 spots and 6 players…and they are all dying to make the team. Literally. Someone has kidnapped Crystal’s little sister and is telling her she must complete the tasks set for her or her sister dies…but then her teammates start dying, too. Can Crystal choose between her sister and her teammates?

This book was crazy and I loved it! Tons of twists to keep you guessing—who kidnapped Crystal’s sister? Why is this group being targeted? How many of them will die? I also liked that it involved esports! I absolutely could not put this down, I think I read it in under 5 hours in one sitting!

Crystal Donovan has already had to deal with a lot in her seventeen years, but right now her attention and efforts are laser-focused on the seemingly frivolous aim of making the team that will represent Vermont in the big MortalDusk video game competition.She and her five best friends are competing for the highest number of points that will allow all but one of them to continue to the state and then national championships. The grand prize is three million dollars, and even split five ways, it’s a serious amount of money. Crystal desperately wants to win her share in order to help her mother afford the mortgage on the house they live in with her beloved younger sister Caelyn.

Even though her mother is a surgical nurse at the local hospital, money has been tight ever since Crystal’s father left:

QUOTE
Lately, Mom struggled to squeeze much of anything between all the extra shifts she took to cover the bills. Still the late-night screaming matches she used to have with my drunk of a father were even more craptastic. I’d gotten good at distracting Caelyn from those. When they started a few years ago she’d slip into my room and crawl into my bed, and I’d helplessly clutch her skinny, trembling body close as we listened to them hollering. But then I started sticking huge headphones on her head and playing Mario Kart until it was over.

Video games were reliable like that. They can distract you from the pain. They can make the tears stop.
END QUOTE

Games have always been Crystal’s way of coping with the worst of reality, so when weird messages on her phone challenge her to take part in strange real-life versions, she’s confident she’ll be able to outwit An0nym0us1, as the challenger calls themself, no matter what questionable pranks they want her to pull. She wouldn’t even take part if it weren’t for the videos An0nym0us1 shows her of Caelyn, tied up in a basement instead of on the weekend camping trip with her class where she’s supposed to be. An0nym0us1 promises to harm Caelyn further if Crystal doesn’t go along with the games, or if she even tells anyone about them.

There’s nothing Crystal wouldn’t do to protect her sister. So what if the first game has her stealing test answers from a teacher at school? It’s a small price to pay to ensure her sister’s safety.

She starts to second-guess herself, however, when her theft lands her newest teammate, transfer student and ace MortalDusk player Dylan, in hot water. Could these games be someone’s attempt at sabotaging her team ahead of the tournament? For all that their relationships haven’t always been sunshine and roses, Crystal, Akira, Zoey, Matty and Randall have been friends forever, and close ranks against all comers, including people who try to bully them online:

QUOTE
But then Zoey snarled at Lucia, “I have receipts. I screenshotted all of it, and I have proof the comments came from your IP. I’ll put it all online and make sure it ranks first on Google for your name. It won’t just be everyone at school who’ll see what you did. Colleges will see it. Future employers will see it. <i>Everyone</i> will know you’re a troll, and it’ll follow you around <i>forever</i>.” For a moment, Lucia’s wide, panicked eyes met mine, like maybe I’d step in, be a voice of reason–but her expression hardened as she likely remembered I’d started this. And as shocked as I was by Zoey’s rancor, I wouldn’t challenge her in front of Lucia. Protecting our friends mattered most.
END QUOTE

As it quickly becomes clear that Crystal is being forced to choose between her sister and her friends, she has to race to figure out who would want to hurt and even kill the people in her life. Surely no one would go to all this effort just to play in a video game tournament? But six hundred thousand dollars is a lot of money to a desperate teenager, even to one without ugly secrets in their past and sins they’re still trying to come to terms with.

This was a fast-paced nail-biter of a young adult thriller that had me constantly second-guessing whodunnit and how, even as it made me feel a deep relief at not being a rash, excitable teenager any longer. And for all that I kept wanting Crystal to not fall for An0nym0us1’s threats and to just go to the police already, I could see why she felt she couldn’t trust anyone, so skilfully does Diana Urban set up both Crystal’s psychological profile and the surveillance technology used to trap her in a claustrophobic web. I admit to especially enjoying the ending with its promise of righteous vengeance, so squarely was I in Crystal’s corner throughout. Despite her lapses in judgment, she learns and grows, as all the best book heroines do.

Spoilers abound, so beware

This book was not for me, unfortunately. It was a very quick read, and I was intrigued by the mystery, but I had too many issues with it to fully enjoy it. I found through the first half a bit clunky. There was a lot of awkward slang mixed with very flowery, mature-sounding internal dialogue and description from the narrator. It was just weird. It seemed like the author wanted to throw in slang that teenagers might use, but didn't quite get the hang of it. It came off very "How do you do, fellow kids" meme to me. It very much sounded like an adult acting like a 16-year-old.

Another issue I had was the characters themselves. I didn't like a single one of them. I didn't feel particularly invested in Crystal's story, and I found myself not really caring whether or not her sister lived or died. I wanted to figure out who was behind everything (which I did, before the end--something that NEVER happens to me in mystery/thrillers), but I didn't really care what happened to Caelyn. I was more concerned about the why than the what.

And the ending wrapped up really quickly. For all the time Crystal spent talking to Dylan/Andrew in the house (that scene seemed really dragged out), the end scene in juvie was super quick and way too neat. "Oh look, I am conveniently mic'ed up and everything you said will exonerate me and confirm my story! Cool." (I'm not an expert on what you're allowed to do while you're in juvie by any means, but of all the things that happened in this book, THAT seemed one of the most unrealistic).

Overall this was just meh for me. The ride was (mostly) entertaining, but the destination wasn't really worth the time.

Wow, what an action packed read! I honestly had no idea what was going to happen next. I really admired Crystal's strength. This book was very well done.

THESE DEADLY GAMES is a high-octane YA thriller. Crystal and her best friends have a team for a video game with an upcoming tournament and a large monetary prize. Her life revolves around this contest and hopefully winning so that she can put the prize towards paying her mother's mortgage. Everything seems business as usual when she drops her little sister Caelyn off for her weekend field trip.

Later while she is in class, her phone vibrates - she was sure she had turned it off. What she sees stops her in her tracks - her sister has been kidnapped and is being held pending her participation in some "games." As she plays, feeling forced in order to save her sister, she soon realizes that these games have deadly consequences. Whether she will figure out who is behind it all before her friends are all destroyed or dead at her hands is anyone's guess.

What I loved: This was a really intriguing premise that begs the question of how you would choose one life for another and the lengths we would go to in order to save the ones we love. This book does not shy away from death and horror-like elements as Crystal completes these escalating tasks and tries to figure out who could be behind it all, as well as whether she would have any chance of outsmarting them. In the process, she also begins to become someone else- these twisted games are changing her.

This was a highly engaging read about family, friendship, guilt, hard choices, gaslighting, death, secrets, and lies. As Crystal muddles through these tasks and faces impossible scenarios, she must also revisit the secrets and conflicts she has had in her past that may give someone motive to target her. This does keep the reader engaged as they visit the past and learn what happened five years before as well as the conflicts with other gamers and between members in their friends circle. There are not happy endings for a lot of the people involved.

What left me wanting more: I was able to guess who was behind it all very early/quickly in the book, and I would have appreciated less obvious hints that would lead to a bigger reveal for a shocking end (to be fair, maybe I'm just a good guesser). This did not have so many big and unexpected twists that really make a thriller standout for me. The middle of the book is also a bit slow as the games begin to feel a bit repetitive with less progress, but there were some critical scenes, so I do understand it - it just lost that fast-pace/high-octane feel for a bit. The ending also requires a bit of suspension of belief, and I would have appreciated something that followed more clearly.

Final verdict: A highly engaging YA thriller, THESE DEADLY GAMES is a twisted story of mistakes, secrets/lies, and guilt/revenge that will keep the pages turning. Recommend for fans of I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER, THEY WISH THEY WERE US, and FOLLOW ME BACK.

Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Intended Audience Review (4 stars)
This book is clearly meant for a Young Adult audience in high school. The description of I Know What You Did Last Summer is a great description for this book. A close group of friends who hold a terrible secret are trying to compete in a huge esport tournament. The prize money means something different to each of them, but for Crystal it would be life changing. After her father left, her mother is having a hard time paying for the mortgage and if Crystal doesn’t win that prize money, they’ll have to move. But as the weekend of the tournament arrives, and Crystal’s sister, Caelyn, goes off to a school weekend trip, Crystal is pulled into a game she never expected to play. Someone has kidnapped her baby sister and will kill her if she doesn’t play along. The catch? She can’t tell anyone or call the police or her sister dies. This is a fast paced thriller with dire consequences if Crystal doesn’t complete each task. And soon, she discovers each task has serious repercussions but she can’t risk her sister’s life. As the story goes on and Crystal tries to narrow down who An0nym0us1 is all while trying, and failing, to protect her friends. I absolutely think that the stakes are going to draw in the targeted audience as Crystal desperately tries to figure out how to outplay An0nym0us1. Sprinkled throughout the book is the tragic accident that happened 5 years earlier that slowly explains what exactly happened that night. This is also very heavily game influenced which I love seeing in a novel like this. Video Games are a huge part of kids lives and esports/streaming have become so big in that generation that it was nice to see it represented in a book. And representation is absolutely involved in this book as well. If you are a high schooler, or looking for a book within this age group, and aren’t afraid of a suspenseful thriller – I would recommend this book.

Personal Review (2.5 stars)
As a 33 year old, I was way too old for this book. While I appreciated the plot itself, everything else kind of failed for me. I guessed who An0nym0us1 was within the first couple of chapters. Usually, it’s enjoyable reading the main character trying to figure out who it is, but that wasn’t the case for this book. I understood that Crystal couldn’t tell anyone what was going on but she didn’t even try. She just blindly went into each “game” and towards the end, she tried to figure out ways to beat the game which was a little better. The writing itself was very young. Maybe I’m old fashioned but shortening words to IRL while the main character was thinking and not even in dialogue just didn’t seem natural to me. I also visibly cringed when I read the word yeet. Besides that, the dialogue itself never really felt natural. The characters came off very immature to me and honestly, I don’t even know why they were still friends. It took them nothing to start blaming Crystal and not even trying to believe her. Again, I really appreciated the plot itself but this is one that I don’t know if much adults will enjoy as it does read very young.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Wednesday Books for providing the arc of These Deadly Games by Diana Urban in exchange for my honest review.

What would you do if you had to play horrible games for 24 hours, that hurt the people around you, all to save your little sister's life? Would you do it? In These Deadly Games, high schooler Crystal Donavan is forced into a lose-lose situation that will hurt everyone around her and drag all their secrets out into the open.
I had a very tough time with this book because the protagonist, Crystal is tough to like throughout most of the story and the surrounding characters are not fleshed out enough to make connections with. It is obvious that Crystal is struggling, I mean she’s sixteen and is put in a situation most adults wouldn’t know how to handle. And she’s sixteen, life sucks as a sixteen-year-old girl. I wanted to love this so much but I couldn’t stay attached. I found myself rolling my eyes and sighing too much to give this a rave review.

All that said, there’s a lot to like. There are several plot twists, some are solved quickly, others leave you questioning everything you know. You never know who to trust. The story is fast-paced and suspenseful. For most of the story, I had no clue where it was taking place, which I found odd. I wanted to picture the locations better, but I couldn’t figure out where to place them, which I personal frustration, something I’m sure most people won’t care about.

Readers who enjoy young adult thrillers with a double shot of gaming will enjoy this one. I have a couple of nieces who would devour it and I’ll recommend it to them. It just wasn’t right for me.

A killer ride.

Crystal Donovan is a girl whose family is down on their luck. Her only hope of hanging onto life as she knows it is to win a gaming competition together with her friends. The only problem? The Mortal Dusk competition calls for five people. They have six.

But Crystal gets a threatening message through an app she doesn't recall installing on her phone. The competition becomes the least of her problems. Because Anonymous is threatening her sister's life unless she agrees to play their game. Only it's not a simple game, not really, because she soon realizes each act she commits has deadly consequences.

Crystal, however, is not a quitter. She is determined to win this game. All she has to do is play along with all the games she's forced into by a mysterious wack job, figure out who is threatening everyone she holds dear without her tormentor catching on, and try and find her sister before times run out. Simple right?

Except for secrets and past mistakes threaten to derail her every turn. And soon it becomes clear that Anonymous is far closer than they appear.

Despite knowing very little about the world of online gaming I found the use of it as a backdrop very entertaining. I am of course aware of the huge influence YouTube and Twitch have on the community since I've heard of the platforms. Though I've never personally used Twitch.

I think the main issue with this book and why it didn't rate higher with me is that I didn't particularly love any of the characters. There were moments where a lot of them just weren't likable. And I think that comes back to their friendship. They're all supposed to be best friends yet there are so many unresolved issues between them all and so much jealousy that never got properly addressed until the very end.

The mystery, at least, was entertaining. It genuinely took me some time to start piecing things together. Though, to be fair, I don't read mysteries that often, so for a more experienced reader it might be far more predictable. And as with a lot of YA mystery, it does require a little suspension of disbelief because man so much of this hinged on perfect timing.

Overall, it was a fun, fast-paced, entertaining read that I did genuinely enjoy.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Urban has really set herself as a force to be reckoned with in the YA Thriller market with her sophomore novel. This is thrillers at it's best. Urban creates an atmosphere so realistic you really feel like you're right there with Crystal as she races against time to save her sister. These Deadly Games has you on the edge of your seat for a thrill ride you'll want (but not want) to end!

I am a pretty big thriller fan. I'm also a thriller fan that tries to guess the twists as they come, but with this it felt impossible. I kept trying to figure it out but just ended up guessing the same way Crystal did. I really didn't see the end coming, despite having a feeling, it was nothing like I'd expected. I loved every minute of this. It was one of those books I didn't even realize I'd be reading for so long because I was glued to my seat, unable to do anything else. I love the voice that Urban has in her novels. It's compelling, yet friendly? If that makes sense. It made me feel like I was there, but also like they knew me. It was fantastic.

I loved the dynamic of the friend group. Matty, Randall, Crystal, Akira, Zoey, and Dylan were such a unique group. I loved how little things were what started to affect them and yet, they still wanted to be there for each other. It was one of those "found family" tropes in a sense. They all heavily relied on each other and I loved that. I loved that Akira and Crystal were so close and could easily tell when something was wrong with the other. What a group of friends!

There's not enough good things I can say about this, just go read it! You won't regret it.

Holy, that was action packed and twisty! These Deadly Games follows Crystal, whose little sister gets kidnapped, forcing her into a deadly game to try and get her back alive.

I love a good YA thriller, and this one delivered. It was full of shock factor, unreliable characters, and teenage angst. I couldn’t figure out the ending, despite having multiple suspicions along the way. Like most YA thrillers, you have to suspend questioning where the teenagers parents are, and this one was no different. Right off the bat, the action starts and it never slows down. I read the last 70% of it in a day!

This is definitely one I would recommend to people who like YA and YA Thrillers, and I’m excited to get it into the hands of some of my students.

There are a few TW to be aware of, so make sure to look those up before reading.

Intense, fast paced & addictive! Those are the first three words that come to mind when I think about this book! And thank God I have boys that love video games! Lol! Anyways, with the suspense & the twists & turns I was glued to this! Definitely the perfect YA thriller! The pace is non-stop & the minute you think it's about to settle down it's like a light switch & the action starts all over again! I haven't read anything by this author before but I love her unique writing style! Definitely a great book!

Thank you Turn The Page Tours for having me on this tour!

Thank you Netgalley for this fantastic read!

This is such an intense read. It had me on the edge of my seat until the last page. Crys (Crystal) is a gamer and livestreams with friends while they play MortalDusk. It's a day before the MortalDusk competition and Crys and her friends, her team, are preparing and hoping to win! However, Crys receives a strange message from an app she doesn't remember downloading and this is when the real game begins.

Secrets are revealed slowly through this book and friendships are destroyed. What I thought I knew, and what my main hypotheses about who this anonymous messenger was, were completely off base. Get ready for a violent turn of events, an anonymous messenger wreaking havoc by forcing Crys to play a game that effects the real world and a shocking ending!

I loved this book! It was so torturous at times reading about what Crys was going through but the story pulled me along and I couldn't put it down for a second.

Trigger warnings for violence, death, unsettling events, also mentions mental health like ptsd and paranoia. (It's a mind trip for sure!)

Pub. Day is the 1st of February!

I Know What You Did Last Summer meets Nerve in this YA thriller releasing next week.
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Crystal Donavan has been preparing for a video game tournament with her friends for months. After dropping off her sister for an overnight school field trip she gets an alert from a new app on her phone: it’s a video of her sister bound and gagged. Crystal has to play the kidnapper’s game in order to keep her sister alive. What she originally believes is an attempt to keep her and her team out of the video game competition ends up being even more sinister as the kidnapper has Crystal going after each one of her teammates and friends one by one. Together the friends have kept a secret for five years—will Crystal be the one to pay for what they did?
🎮
I’m kicking myself for not reading this ARC the second I got it because what a ride! I couldn’t put this mystery book down! The flashbacks to the past combined with the games the kidnapper had Crystal completing kept me on the edge of my seat the entire novel. I’m such a fan of Urban and I NEED A SEQUEL! Thank you so much for sending this ARC my way. Everyone grab a copy of this suspense book Feb 1!
CW: kidnapping, blood, fire, death, violence, allergic reaction, murder, panic attacks, anxiety, eating disorder (mentioned)

Solid 4.5 ⭐️

The mystery in this book was unique and the twisty, turny games really had my mind working overtime but in the end the characters were a bit too unlikable for me and I couldn't connect with any of them. Additionally, the ending seemed to drag just a bit too much. Overall, it’s worth the read just for the intriguing concept (gaming/pranks) and all tasks/riddles.

*I’m super grateful to have gotten an ARC of this book through NetGalley for being part of Diana’s street team!*

I’m not ashamed to admit that I binged These Deadly Games in one night; I couldn’t put it down! This book was packed full of shocking twists and turns. It was gripping and fast-paced. Some parts did feel unnecessarily drawn out, and I got a little frustrated with our main character Crystal’s tendency to get distracted from saving her sister. However, I enjoyed how quickly this book progressed, and I especially liked how involved Crystal’s friends were in the plot. I actually found them more interesting than Crystal herself, and I was intrigued by the big secret they were all hiding. The ending was a very classical Diana Urban ending (if you’ve read All These Twisted Secrets, you know what I’m talking about), but I found it mostly satisfying.

I gave this book 3.5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨.

Fast paced, exhilarating and full of twisted games, These Deadly Games had me on the edge of my seat the whole time as we race with Crystal against the clock to save her sister.

This is Diana Urban’s second novel and I fell in love with this one even more than the first. Written in the same storytelling method I have come to expect from her, we are not given too much information about certain aspects of the protagonist and friends’ past that only slowly unfolds as we move forward in the present time. How this impacts the present day characterization of the main group of friends we are following is brilliant as it shaped who they each are.

Besides characterization, the mystery flows super well that it’s very hard to put down. Right from the get go, we know Crystal’s group is up for a gaming tournament with high chances of winning the team component. Is someone hunting them down one by one so they wouldn’t qualify for it? There are plenty of motives and suspects who may not want to see any of them succeed. Guessing who the culprit(s) may be was fun, though I will admit I had a sneaking suspicion who it was around the 50% mark, but that didn’t lessen how much fun it was to see it all being pieced together.

This book is also aptly named because, oh boy, those sure were some DEADLY games this unknown entity put Crystal through. What seemed like innocent enough gestures alone soon became separate ways that were hurting people she loved. And if the “truth” of these deadly acts came to light, all the evidence would point to Crystal alone, wouldn’t it? It was such a brilliantly devised plan and this evil mastermind had me applauding their, well, genius the whole way. They were so creative, and I have to praise Urban for devising up such things.

There was a lot to love about this book. I felt the secondary characters, all of Crystal’s gaming group, were unique enough although we don’t get to spend a lot of time with each since we really are just following Crystal during this 24 hour period. It also explored some of Crystal’s family life and the feelings she had about the dysfunction present there, along with her instinct to put her little sister above all else. Unfortunately I couldn’t quite give it a 5 star rating. I felt like it was just missing a “wow” factor, but that really could only be me since I might’ve guessed whodunnit rather early on.

However, how the ending wrapped up was pretty solid and amazing. I can’t give away much, but let me just say it made a lot of sense and still had me gripping my seat until the very last page. I think Urban couldn’t have written a better ending for this story with the perfect amount of allure and openness. It was definitely far better than the dumpster wreck ending of her debut.

I would definitely recommend you pick this one up when it comes out if you’re looking for a fast read that takes some turns you may not expect. These Deadly Games is sure to thrill and have you flipping through the pages to find out how it would all resolve.

Overall Recommendation:

These Deadly Games is a wonderful mystery/thriller that features a cunning mastermind tormenting Crystal and her friends on the weekend eve of a big gaming tournament they’re posed to win. Its fast-paced storytelling set in a 24 hour period as Crystal races against the clock to save her kidnapped sister had me rushing to get to the bottom of it. I enjoyed the characterizations of Crystal’s friend group, but particularly learning who Crystal was and the lengths she’d go to juggle the hardest decision she’d ever have to make: save her friends or her sister. The ending was spectacularly handled, although I kind of guessed who the mastermind was some time earlier. Overall this was a solid mystery but may have missed a little wow factor for me to reach 5-star. Diana Urban’s sophomore novel definitely set the bar and I look forward to seeing where she goes next because it’s only getting better!

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

At first I was struggling through this one because I was sensing a reading slump coming in but I pushed through and I wasn’t disappointed. Urban does a great job of painting an unlikeable MC and you find that your perception really adds to the plot. I did manage to figure out (wild initial guess) who the bad guy was but the twists and turns had me questioning my intuition until the final reveal just like our MC. I’m not good at figuring things out in mysteries and this one was no different. Even though I guessed at who the bad guy was, I had no idea what their motives were and the final reveals all had me surprised! My biggest grievance (other than some general dislike for the MC, etc.) is the ending.

If you like YA high school thrillers — ex. One of Us is Lying, Ten, There’s Someone Inside Your House, etc. — you should definitely add this one to your tbr!

These Deadly Games by Diana Urban
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Let’s play a game. You have 24 hours to win. If you break my rules, she dies. If you call the police, she dies. If you tell your parents or anyone else, she dies. Are you ready?
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What I liked:
-This was such an addicting read. I was compulsively reading to find out what happens.
-There were a few things I didn’t guess. I love when books surprise me.
-This is a great book to go into blind! The less you know the better, I think.
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4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ super fun YA thriller that will keep you up past your bedtime bingeing it!

4.5 stars - wow! What a wild ride this one was. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. It hooked me from the beginning and I didn’t want to put it down! The suspense was incredible, the characters felt real, and the twists were great. I was able to put together one part of the mystery at about halfway through - but even that didn’t make watching it play out any less enjoyable!

If you can suspend disbelief enough to enjoy other YA mysteries like A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder or The Inheritance Games, then These Deadly Games is right up your alley.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Diana Urban, and St. Martin’s Press for the the e-ARC. This was one of my most anticipated releases of 2022, and it didn’t let me down.