My Thoughts


The games played in this story are indeed deadly.

The intense pressure that Crystal is faced with, as well as the impossible choices she is forced into making will make you think long and hard about what would happen if something like this happened.

In my opinion even if you win one still loses something that can never be gotten back.

The pace of this story steadily escalates as reader advances closer to its ending and Crystal’s desperation to rescue her younger sister never wanes from start to finish.

The final twist revealing who is behind these games was unexpected but at the same time made perfect sense once all pertinent facts were uncovered.

Addictive and enjoyable it is also a hard to put down read.
[EArc from Netgalley]

On every book read as soon as it is done and written up for review it is posted on Goodreads and Netgalley, once released then posted on Amazon, Barnes and Nobles as well.

This story is ‘Need’ by Joelle Charbonneau mixed with ‘The Dead List’ by Jennifer Armentrout.

If you haven't read these books, then you will probably find the plot of this exciting and jam-packed. But I have read them, so this felt pretty predictable and a little recycled to me.

Additionally, I just couldn't get on board with how ridiculous the story is. Like, unrealistic to the nth degree. I mean, I knew it was going to be over-the-top based on the synopsis, but this is all kinds of absurd. And maybe it's just me in my old age wanting a more realistic thriller, because I'm sure teens will have an easier time overlooking this and getting into it (but only if they can get past the highly unlikable and completely unrelatable characters).

So all in all, this was a miss for me personally, but I think that's largely because I know I'm not in the target demographic for this book. Younger readers might find this fresh and engaging.

After dropping her sister off for a school trip, sixteen-year-old gamer Crystal Donovan receives a message on a mysterious app. This anonymous person sends a video of her sister held captive, telling Crystal that if she does not play this “game” as instructed, her sister will be killed. Crystal is thrown into a series of tasks that seem harmless at first, then turn devastating and deadly.

Reminiscent of Jigsaw’s infamous line “I want to play a game” in the Saw movie franchise, this YA novel throws teenagers and technology into a slightly less-gruesome version. The book was incredibly fast-paced, with both present day and flash-back scenes, and while the twists weren’t too shocking, that did not prevent me from being on the edge of my seat the entire time. This was definitely a creepy thriller, and an entertaining read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for my gifted e-ARC!

Crystal Donovan, 16, is a gamer. She and her friends spend most of their free time together playing a video game and are preparing their team for a big tournament. But Crystal finds herself caught up in another, more deadly game when she receives a video on her phone from an unknown app showing her little sister Caelyn bound and gagged with the message

"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?"

Crystal feels she has no choice but to follow the kidnapper's instructions. She is ordered to do tasks that at first seem innocuous until she realizes the true impact of them. Each is carefully intended to harm or kill one of her friends. Put in the impossible position of choosing between her friends or her sister, she tries to figure out how can she continue to keep her sister alive while she attempts to uncover who's behind this and stop them. How many of her friends will die before she can get to the bottom of it all?

Diana Urban has written a riveting suspense novel in These Deadly Games. The plot is intricate with too many twists to count. This group of teen aged friends has a lot going on - secrets, betrayals, crushes, eating disorders, and domestic violence to name a few. It's hard to know who to believe and who to trust.

This fast-paced thriller is a very good read and one I highly recommend.

My thanks to Wednesday Books who permitted me to read an e-ARC of this novel via NetGalley. Publication is scheduled for 2/1/22. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and are freely given.

This was... not good. I almost DNF'd at 20 % and to be honest probably should have. None of the characters had any redeeming qualities, and it's hard to suspend reality for all the events in the book that take place rapid-fire, one after the next. The main character was insanely unlikeable, and what 16 year old knows how to hack without a background in computer science?

The plot twist I saw coming from the moment the character was introduced, and the rest of the book was trite and predictable. When you compare this to other teen murder mysteries like the Truly Devious series, The Inheritance Games, etc, this falls flat. Just because they're kids doesn't mean we need to insult their intelligence.

These Deadly Games was action-packed from the beginning to the end. Crystal and her five friends are competitive MortalDusk gamers. They are all competing to win a place on a team to win a money prize in a state-wide competition.

As the deadline to make the team is only days away, Crystal receives a text inviting her to play a game or her sister will be killed. The stakes of the game get higher and higher, and Crystal and her friends are all in danger. Is the game master someone who will do anything to win the MortalDusk competition, or is something more sinister going on?

This book really did keep me reading; the action never stopped. Sometimes it felt like it was a little too much, as the small breaks from the larger action often were focused on abuse and trauma. I also was frustrated with Crystal for a lot of the book. You really never know what you will do in a high-stakes, high-pressure situation, especially as a teenager, but some of the choices she made were so irrational it almost made the story feel unbelievable. She is definitely a morally grey protagonist.

There are many twists and turns in this book, and many of the big ones I did see coming. However, because the stakes were so high, the story still felt very suspenseful. I think it would be a great book to get out of a reading slump or to engage folks who might not normally pick up a book.

“The thing about being obsessed with playing games your whole life is you know when someone is playing you.”

This was a fast paced YA thriller that was full of twist and turns!

I enjoyed this book, there was honestly never a dull moment, it kept you constantly wanting more. The main character Crystal is following directions from an anonymous person trying to take out her friends and family. Crystal must play out the directions being given in order to save her sisters life.

If you like YA psychological thriller/ suspense then this book is definitely for you!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This was an interesting and twisty thriller that kept you interested throughout. My main issue with it is how hard it was to connect with almost all of the characters. Some of the twists also seemed predictable, and you could see some of what was going to happen before it does. The story was intriguing, and if you like mystery/horror then this is a book that you should try. 3.5/5 stars from me.

Crazy good suspense.

Crystal is a master gamer. Along with her best friends and newcomer Dylan, they are trying to win the state tournament for their favorite game. Her sister is supposed to be off on a class overnight trip, so when Crystal gets a message showing her sister bound to a chair with a knife held to her throat, Crystal panics that her sister has been kidnapped.

The kidnapper’s demands, play my game or your sister dies. What choice does Crystal have other than to meet their demands? As she plays out the tasks assigned to her, she finds that these games have deadly consequences for her friends. Will she continue to play to save her sister? Or will she try to find a way to outwit the kidnapper and keep her friends and sister safe?

Gotta say this one had me going from nearly page one. Incredibly riveting YA suspense novel that you don’t have to be a fan of YA to enjoy. While the main story unfolds before us, there is a second story interspersed that gives us insight into how this group will go to nearly any lengths to protect one another. Also, how easy it is to suspect your closest friends of being the culprit. I would love to read more of Diana Urban’s writing. She does an amazing job of keeping the story and its secrets right up to the end.

4.5 stars.

These Deadly Games was a fantastic and quick thriller that kept me on my toes. The story starts off with the suspense very early on and it is a consistent roller coaster ride until the end. The narrative was well-written with good atmosphere and a tense, swift pace. There were a few good twists and turns that kept me on my toes and the ending wasn't quite what I expected, though there were a few plot turns that were somewhat obvious.

Crystal was well-written as a teen protagonist. She definitely gets caught up in the fear and the intensity of the moment and makes some mistakes and not really bright decisions, but the majority of her actions felt credible and accurate for both the situation and her age.

There was one particular clue/twist that drove me bonkers. It was a bit heavy handed in the narrative and I think did take a bit of the surprise out of the major twist. It was a point of annoyance that stuck with me for a chunk of my reading, but likely won't be quite as much of a sore spot for most readers. I think I just felt disappointed by the way it was stressed because otherwise it would have really knocked my socks off by being one of those small details you don't pay attention to. But I digress...

My reading experience was really great overall and I definitely felt the tension in the narrative. I had a hard time putting the book down and enjoyed the narrative (with the exception of the one little blip) from cover to cover. The writing style was accessible and felt natural, with a good flow. The supporting characters were well done as well.

The ending was incredibly solid. I enjoyed the climax quite a bit as well as the wrap-up, which held a couple of good punches as well. Crafty, clever, and a good time. A very near 5-star read and definitely a reason for me to pick up more from Diana Urban. Thumbs up and highly recommend.

* Disclaimer: I received a copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. *

Absolutely loved this book! We have teenage drama, mystery and all the twists. What more could I want? I loved getting to see both good and evil of all of the characters and how you were able to sympathize with the "bad people" There were flaws and thats whats so perfect because it makes them being teenagers real. This was my first read by Diana and I immediately went out to purchase her previous book.

Wow! This book was an edge-of-your-seat-nail-biting ride from page 1! The story was engrossing and I wanted to know what was going to happen next. If you love a good thrilling suspenseful mystery - this is your book! I can't wait to see what Diana Urban's next book will be about! Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books for a digital arc of this title.

I am not a video game player/fan but I do love a good mental game and this book certainly gives the reader that! Crystal is a major video game player and that has kinda prepared her for the game of her life but when people start dying for real she knows she might be in over her head! These friends have a secret, a lie, that they have been holding onto for years but someone wants to remind them they have a debt to pay! This was a fast paced mystery and even though I had a retry good idea who was involved I had no idea how and that was the fun!

This book was an interesting thriller that kept me on my toes the entire time. "These Deadly Games" follows the main character Crystal as she is trying to compete in a gaming tournament. One day before the tournament started she gets a notification from her phone saying that they had kidnapped her little sister and would kill her if she didn't follow all of the gamemaster's rules. The book was a quick read that I was able to read in a few days and really satisfied my need for a good thriller. Though the book was good it had some minor flaws in my eyes. First of all the pop culture references, I get this book's about video games, but the references made my entire body cringe. The ending was also mildly predictable, but I like feeling right. Overall this was a pretty average mystery thriller, yet I would read it again eventually. Thank you, NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. Overall this is a 3.5-star book.

🄱🄾🄾🄺 🅁🄴🅅🄸🄴🅆

𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒔𝒆 𝑫𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒍𝒚 𝑮𝒂𝒎𝒆𝒔
𝙱𝚢: @dianaurban
𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: YA, Thriller, Mystery
𝙿𝚞𝚋𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚑𝚎𝚛: @wednesdaybooks
𝚁𝚎𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎𝚜 𝙾𝚗: Feb. 1st 2022
@𝚐𝚘𝚘𝚍𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚜 𝚂𝚌𝚘𝚛𝚎: 4.08
𝙼𝚢 𝚂𝚌𝚘𝚛𝚎: 🎮🎮🎮🎮 / 5 Game Controllers

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?
_________________________________________________________________________________

What a crazy ride the game world is, Diana Urban weaves us through an enticing game of cat & mouse through the eyes of our protagonist Crystal Donavan. Crystal Donavan a teenage girl, a daughter, sister and student has a hardcore love for games and everything they entail.

But when she received a threatening message from a mysterious app, with a picture of her little sister gagged and bound, she begins to wonder who out there would stop her from winning.

When Crystal realizes that each task/challenge is meant to hurt—and kill—her friends, one by one. She refuses to play; will the kidnapper kill her sister for real? Or maybe she can figure out who they are before time runs.

𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒔𝒆 𝑫𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒍𝒚 𝑮𝒂𝒎𝒆𝒔, 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵-𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥, 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘠𝘈 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴, 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘵—𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘧 "𝑰 𝑲𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝑫𝒊𝒅 𝑳𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝑺𝒖𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒓" and "𝑶𝒏𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝑼𝒔 𝑰𝒔 𝑳𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈"

🄱🄾🄾🄺 🅁🄴🅅🄸🄴🅆

𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒔𝒆 𝑫𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒍𝒚 𝑮𝒂𝒎𝒆𝒔
𝙱𝚢: @dianaurban
𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: YA, Thriller, Mystery
𝙿𝚞𝚋𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚑𝚎𝚛: @wednesdaybooks
𝚁𝚎𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎𝚜 𝙾𝚗: Feb. 1st 2022
@𝚐𝚘𝚘𝚍𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚜 𝚂𝚌𝚘𝚛𝚎: 4.08
𝙼𝚢 𝚂𝚌𝚘𝚛𝚎: 🎮🎮🎮🎮 / 5 Game Controllers

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?
_________________________________________________________________________________

What a crazy ride the game world is, Diana Urban weaves us through an enticing game of cat & mouse through the eyes of our protagonist Crystal Donavan. Crystal Donavan a teenage girl, a daughter, sister and student has a hardcore love for games and everything they entail.

But when she received a threatening message from a mysterious app, with a picture of her little sister gagged and bound, she begins to wonder who out there would stop her from winning.

When Crystal realizes that each task/challenge is meant to hurt—and kill—her friends, one by one. She refuses to play; will the kidnapper kill her sister for real? Or maybe she can figure out who they are before time runs.

𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒔𝒆 𝑫𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒍𝒚 𝑮𝒂𝒎𝒆𝒔, 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵-𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥, 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘠𝘈 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴, 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘵—𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘧 "𝑰 𝑲𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝑫𝒊𝒅 𝑳𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝑺𝒖𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒓" and "𝑶𝒏𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝑼𝒔 𝑰𝒔 𝑳𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈"

I enjoyed reading this! It was a fun thriller with a creepy premise.

The main reason that kept me from rating it higher is that the pacing seemed a bit off without balancing enough character development. Personally, the reveal fell a bit flat to me, which is just the way it goes with thrillers sometimes.

Still, it was overall an enjoyable read, and I'd be interested in checking out other books by this author.

At the beginning I was a bit put off by this book thinking I have read so many like this and worried it was going to be too similar to the other YA Thrillers I have read recently, but Diana Urban proved me wrong. I absolutely loved the ending of this book. I kept trying to guess while wondering if the main character, Crystal, had just lost it. You will not find out until the very end PLUS it was left open to have a sequel. I highly recommend this thriller to those that enjoy YA.

Twisty and amazing!!! Stayed up waaaaaay too late finishing this. Huge thanks to one of my students who lent me her ARC that she won from the author.

An absolute compulsive read!

I found myself unable to set this one down for any length of time. The decision making of teenagers made this one where you occasionally yell at the characters, but name a teen who excels at making the right choice. . . I'll wait.

Crystal and her friends are all pro gamers, readying themselves for a tournament coming up and they all need that prize money. When a mix up has them form a team of 6 and they only need 5 they are forced to race to get points to secure their spot.

When her little sister gets kidnapped, games are the last thing on Crystal's mind, only that's exactly what the kidnapper has in mind. Play their game and win, or she dies. Fast paced and chilling in places, when at first it starts innocent and then turns deadly.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books and Diane Urban for the gifted copy for review.