THESE DEADLY GAMES is a stomach-churning, twisting mystery thriller that makes you stay up until 1 am to finish it (take it from my own experiences). I thoroughly loved the games that Urban sets up for Crystal to play and the stakes are established very convincingly. My only real complaint is that I was able to tell who was behind Caelynn's kidnapping by the first third of the book, and felt a little frustrated that Crystal, whose POV we read from, couldn't.

This book blew me away. I was not expecting it to be as good as it was.

This book was a huge mindf*ck and I loved every second of it.

This was a good combination of mystery and thriller, the bounce back and forth between past and present day were easy to follow and definitely helped add to the story and not hinder it.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an egalley in exchange for an honest review.
A young teenage girl finds herself locked in a deadly game where her family and friends are threatened. Is it because of a video game contest or is there some other reason that she is keeping hidden?

Well, I fell into this suspense thriller YA book pretty darn fast. Even though I quickly had a developed a short list of suspects, I still wanted to figure out if Crystal would be able to save her sister and her self in the end. Not for the faint of the heart as twists and turns just explode on the page. I can certainly understand the hype that is already being generated around this book.



Expected Publication Date : o1/02/22
Goodreads Review: 18/01/22

This is the first book that I have read by this author, and I will be looking for her debut novel. I enjoyed reading this YA, fast moving book. One that was hard to put down, as I wanted to know what would happen with Crystal and her sister. I don't want to discuss any spoilers, but the love that Crystal felt and showed for her sister is the way I feel about my sister and brothers. I would do anything I could for them. And who knows what that may be until that time actually arises? Between her friends and enemies there was plenty of suspects as to who was the "bad" guy, however I guessed who it was before Crystal figured it out. That did not detract from the story. Some of the games played and their consequences seemed a little over the top, but given what had occurred five years before that, I was willing to accept them.

These Deadly Games was a compulsive read. While at times some of the characters were frustrating and downright annoying (they're sixteen, I tried to give them a break), the plot itself had me desperate for answers. It was fast-paced, thrilling and once the game shifted and Crystal had a better idea of what was going on, I couldn't put the book down.

Thank you to Netgalley for an digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The fast paced action kept me reading and made me annoyed when someone would try to interrupt- there was some disturbing behavior for these teenagers, but it was eerily believable too.
I did guess which character would turn out to be the actual killer/mastermind that was manipulating Crystal, and I suspected the truth about Crystal's sister as well, but I was still completely drawn into the storyline. I enjoyed the eSports aspect of the book, and I know there will be kids wanting to read it because of the online twists and turns involving the video game.

Wow it was so good, read it in a day. Fast paced who dunnit or more of who is doing it? Six (6) HS gaming students training for a gaming tournament are being targeted and Crystal is the pawn. She is playing the game of her life to save her sister Caelyn. The players: Crystal, Matty, Zoey, Randall, Akira and Dylan. Is it their rivals who want to knock them out of the competition or is it something that happened five (5) years ago that still remains a secret. With all that transpired, it seemed longer than 24 hours kind of reminded me of the TV show “24” as it could have happened over several days. What a mind game. To set this up definitely took a lot of time, planning and access to all of the players.

I was excited for the opportunity to read These Deadly Games by Diana Urban, since I really liked the author's previous book, All Your Twisted Secrets. This one is not quite as strong; I would give 3.5 stars if I could.

This teen thriller had very much the same tone and pace as the previous, even though this one took place over a few days and Secrets was a locked room mystery that spanned one evening. Since the plot features a group of teens who game together, there are a lot of technology terms and gaming lingo that may be second nature to many teen readers but may be off-putting to others. I was able to follow the tech pretty well, so it did not detract from the story for me.

The tension is built and sustained really well as we see Crystal getting more and more desperate to save her sister from the kidnapper who is sending her bizarre clues and challenges that she must complete. By about the middle of the book, I was able to piece together a big part of the mystery, but there was still a part I didn't get until close to the end. I love being surprised, so that was okay with me!

The story itself was pretty implausible (as many thrillers are, to be fair), and I'm not sure teens would really behave this way. The characters were not developed particularly well. The book started off with a bang, but I would have liked to get to know the characters better first. However, I am not this book's target audience (middle-aged librarian;), so maybe teen readers will not mind.

I will recommend this to teens (and adults) who enjoy contemporary YA thrillers that focus on action.

Thank you to the publisher, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

This book was unbelievably good. This is not my genre and to be honest I don't want to read another one like it but wow. Scary and suspenseful a real page turner. Although I kind of figure it out early on I kept second guessing myself. If you like the genre/description when deciding to read this book do it. Also don't read it at night, or alone, or without a pet or person to snuggle and possibly a weapon.

“Are you ready to play?”

This is absolutely going to be one of my top reads this year!

I think Diana Urban does an excellent job portraying the passions and obsessions surrounding the video game culture like playing with friends, esports, and live streaming. While not a gamer myself, I talk video games at my job all day. To clarify, I work for a college that specializes in the gaming and the entertainment industry. So, I caught all the lingo, and I thoroughly appreciated every minute I spent reading this book!

Her writing just flows so well, and I instantly felt a connection with the characters and their lives. I truly appreciate that Urban utilizes the first person perspective and stays with one main character throughout the story. It is so easy for me to care about and connect with Crystal and her family, friends, struggles and triumphs. I cried and laughed along with her!

In hopes of figuring out the puzzle in this young adult thriller, I am now the proud owners of many pages of notes and highlights. But, wow, just when I thought I figured the ending out, Urban threw in a plot twist! I love it!

Thank you so much to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books, and Diana Urbana for the opportunity to review this book! I enjoyed every moment of this book!

I’m a huge fan of Diana Urban! I loved All Your Twisted Secrets and devoured her brilliant short story Off the Trail, so no surprise that These Deadly Games was a page turner.

Crystal and her friends are into competitive gaming and for Crystal, the money she’ll make will save her family from financial despair. Things take a deadly turn when Crystal is sent a video of her little sister being held hostage, threatened with death if Crystal doesn’t play the kidnappers game – a random set of tasks that become increasingly more dangerous to those around her.

YA thrillers are one of my favorites and sure, sometimes the plot can be a bit cheesy and far-fetched but it never undermines my enjoyment; it’s sheer drama of the finest kind, escapism in the finest form!

The characters are just what I expected; a Breakfast Club assortment of teens, a fairly self-absorbed lot and not always likeable but each well-defined and serving a purpose. The plot goes back and forth from the present to five years in the past, giving the reader an idea of just who might have a beef with the characters but there’s still a fair amount of mystery to be solved and just the right amount of tension!

Definitely a must-read for any fan of the genre! My thanks to @WednesdayBooks for this #gifted DRC!

It’s very hard to write a bad review, especially when the author is a fellow cat lover, but this book was not for me. Despite not being the target audience, I do enjoy YA but this time I didn’t connect with a single character and ended up not caring about what happened to them. The plot was predictable and the dialogues inorganic. I’m glad to see it has good reviews from other readers but it didn’t work for me.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/#St. Martin's Press!

This book was I N S A N E. It was well written and the plot was *chefs kiss*. I'll need to reread this one soon. I loved the ending.

I wanted to love this book because I do enjoy YA mystery/thriller books but it was just ok. The dialogue between characters just seemed so juvenile even though they are teens. I do think this was an easy fast read though that will be good for the younger audience.

Rating: 4.5⭐️

Thank you to Wednesday Books for gifting me an arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Diana Urban’s debut novel, All Your Twisted Secrets, is one of my favourite YA mystery novels, so I was extremely happy that I got accepted to read her upcoming release!

This book follows Crystal as she tries to save her sister’s life while also trying to keep her attempt a secrets from those she loves around her.

There is so much deceit, lies, and vengeance I’m this story making it insanely intense. While I had my speculations of who “anonymous1” was but this book kept me second guessing myself with every new chapter. I was on the edge of my seat while reading this one, desperate to figure out what was happening alongside Crystal.

The characters were fun to get to know and they’re friendship was goals. They’re a tight nit group of gamers who don’t care what other people think of them, all while trying to win a gaming tournament and some money to help each other out.

Even if you’re not the biggest fan of murder-mysteries, I highly recommend checking out Urban’s debut as well as this one when it comes out February 2022! You won’t regret it!

The mystery genre has always been my favorite in the realm of fiction, and this book did not disappoint. Perfect for young teens such as myself, it kept up a fast pace and kept me constantly surprised, The cat and mouse game crystal plays with her sister’s kidnapper was extremely suspenseful and shocking, it was one of those books I could not put down after reading! The ending was also incredibly surprising and not at all predicted by me, which was very exciting.

I’m just going to hop into my review because I don’t know where to start. Crystal is a very unlikable character. She’s a pretty terrible person without the major storyline happening, and it baffles me that she has such a close-knit group of friends who put up with her. Things that seem so painfully obvious elude her. Any other 16-year-old would see right through most of these things. The level of cluelessness was astounding. You don’t have to like a character to like a book in most instances, especially if the story is written well.

But, I think the problem I have with this book is that so many things don’t work. For example, there would be no need for someone to wear a wire in a police station, one-way mirror or not. If they have a visual, they have audio, and the wire would be moot. Other things just ticked me off, like Crystal declaring Zoey had PTSD with no evidence to it. I loathe when authors throw mental health issues into a book and then treat it blase doing no research or forethought to who they are harming by throwing such terms around. Last, the ending isn’t feasible. It just cannot work, and in the real world, it wouldn’t.

This book may hold appeal for some readers. It tries to keep the reader guessing, and it tests the levels of “how much can I get away with before readers call shenanigans on me?” I think we bypassed that level fairly early on, and if this weren’t an ARC, I probably wouldn’t have finished it. It’s not a horrible book, but it’s just not the book for me. Thank you, St. Martin’s, for sending this along.

SAUUUUUR GOOD LOVE THE MYSTERIES AND THE VIBES

EACH CHARACTER WAS SO WELL WRITTEN

I THIBK THIS WOULD MAKE A BERY COOL NETFLIX TV SHOWEWWWW

Are you telling me... this is a book where people die...
Because a person is being threatened and if they don't do the right things... people could die?
And those people are close to them?

*slow vicious smirk*

|Rating: 🎮🎮🎮🎮4.2

Oh, I knew I would like this.

It was a matter of knowing if I would like this in the 'I hate you, I hope you die' way or 'steal me away and make me yours'.
And this book fell somewhere in the middle.

In the 'what have you done to me, my mouth won't close' section of the fangirling scale.

So, the simple and effective gist (that I learned way too late) of enjoying this story is to know that a lot of things will appear silly at times.
The whole thing could've been probably resolved with a call, but to be honest, I probably would've sacrificed the entire human society to Tartarus if it ensured my family's safety.
Or, in this case, my nonexistent sister's safety.

And come on, how could I not like this book? People lives were in peril.
...
That did not come out right, but yeah.
My social meter is nonexistent, that's why I sound anti humans at the moment

Cutting open the flattering crime scene with the plot, I would really like to point out-
WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED.
If the book were concentrated on the plot and only the plot, it would be an easy 4-5 stars.
The moments where my heart didn't know whether to pound or screech to a halt or perhaps learn to fly without wings really made me love how much I was sweating throughout this story.
The game aspect was incredibly well done, it made me invested in what was occurring. How everything was unfolding.

To this day, I have no idea how I could've ever guessed the plot twist, because what??? I repeat, WHAT???

WHAT?!?

I honestly had approximately 15 theories waiting to be proven wrong right, ranging from 'the dog did it' (there was no dog), to the 'neighbor's grandma's sister's cousin's uncle's pigeon did it' (I have a hatred for pigeons for the time being)

10% of the book, I was certain that it was all in the MC's head.
38%, I was sure the kidnapper was the mom.
78%, I was too addicted to the entire thing to truly try to figure out what was happening.
And 90% percent? I was getting a headache from the way certain puzzle pieces fit together so flawlessly that the cracks weren't even visible.

The fast pace also ensured that I would indeed read this book as soon as possible.
On page 20 perhaps, the foreboding tension was activated. Running circles around false accusations, unreliable narratives and people that I didn't know whether to trust.

That's one of the main aspects I love about well-done thrillers. They made me doubt my judgement, make me question if what's happening is real or not.

The unreliable narrator in this case being the sister of the 'kidnapped' girl. In her place, I would've run. I most likely would've broken down in a puddle of hopeless sobs and high-pitched whines, because when you break down, at least make it seem like an Oscar performance... right?
...

Anyhow, I can't fault the MC for making dumb decisions sometimes because me? Pfft, I would've gotten the number wrong on a mathematical riddle and bye bye sister, 'cause my memory is obliterated.

Things I adored about her: how she got up in spite of the pain.
How she was looking for the better way to get her people ahead.
Her sacrifices.
How she fought for her family, no matter what.
Even if it was against her friends.
Even if her friends were suspects as well.

Like dang, hold up- can you hear that? Those are my hopes for the genre of thrillers rising from the ashes.

The rest of the characters were good, but when I'm reading--speeding through-- a mystery/game/killerific novel I mainly focus on the acts not the whos if that makes sense. I focus on the action, the possibilities, the guessing (even though 5/5 I am utterly wrong)

I know that I didn't get attached to the characters, yet I didn't mind.
I even kinda laughed when someone died, but I promise I'm not insane

It's been sometime since a book has really made me feel a death, so I don't fault this one for not achieving so.
Why? Because it accomplished what I was craving. The 'on edge' moments, the situations that made me lean forward in extreme anticipation considering that-

t i
m e
was

running

out.

And so it was. The tick-tock, the paranoia-

*yeets self into blankets in intense happiness*

This book truly satisfied my need for a decent YA thriller, and you have no idea how incredibly happy that makes me.

On a closing note, the plot was well though out--a little less informal that I thought it would be---, the characters were nice pawns to be shoved across the board of a deathly escapade, the pace kept me distracted of the woes of life and I loved it.
I squealed.
I gasped.
I slightly yelled at passerby (parents, because I don't go out) in bamboozlement because YO, HOW THE HECK, WHEN THE HECK, WHY DID THIS HAPPEN.
Relished their confusion.

Just like the book did with me.

*cracks knuckles gently across playing board*

Now that that's done...would you like to play a game?

Thank you St Martins Press & NetGalley for an eARC of These Deadly Games!

This was my first read by this author and I am looking forward to reading her other book as well! If you're a fan of One of us is Lying, These Deadly Games will be right up your alley.

What starts as a group of friends preparing to compete in a game tournament quickly turns into a deadly high-stakes game of who-dun-it and what next. I flew through this one and couldn't stop turning the pages. Dual timelines were executed masterfully in this story, too!