I wanted to like this book so badly. The premise is intriguing, but ultimately, I didn't believe the antagonist was actually capable of everything they did. I also figured out who they were when they were first introduced. Maybe it was just me, but the plot didn't pull me in and sustain my attention. These Deadly Games will be a strictly additional purchase for my library.

This review will be posted on January 27, 2022 to: https://instagram.com/amandas.bookshelf

This #YA packed a super dark and tense roller coaster of a ride. Crystal and her eSports team are preparing for a statewide tournament when she starts receiving threatening messages on her phone. An anonymous person has kidnapped her younger sister and is threatening to kill her unless Crystal plays...a game. But not the video game she and her team play and livestream. No, a real game with life and death consequences that become more horrifying as Crystal levels up. Until she decides to fight back against the anonymous game master. Reminiscent of the "Shut Up and Dance" episode of Black Mirror, I found myself genuinely surprised at some of the twists. This was a super satisfying read and I can't wait to get a copy of the book when it's published for my sister. #TheseDeadlyGames Rating: 🙂 / liked it
•
This book is scheduled for publication on February 1, 2022. Thank you @wednesdaybooks for providing me this digital ARC via @NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

All I have to say is WOW! I love a good mystery and this was one that kept me on the edge of my seat. I loved the video game aspect intertwined with the mystery I thought it was so unique. This story kept me guessing the entire time and I truly had no idea how things were going to play out. I read it in one sitting and that ENDING! This book is perfect for anyone who loves a high-stakes mystery. If you loved One of Us is Lying or a Good Girl's guide to Murder I would highly recommend picking this up.

Shall we play a game?

For some, games are entertaining. For others they are deadly!

A high octane YA thriller that had my full attention from page one! Compulsively readable, twisty and disturbing, this novel is a movie playing out on the page.

See my full review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4049955064

Thanks to the publisher for providing an eARC of These Deadly Games in exchange for an honest review!

This was fun! These Deadly games is a fast paced mystery following a teenage girl who starts getting sinister messages threatening to kill her kid sister if she doesn't complete a series of increasingly evil tasks. It was easy to get hooked on the plot and I especially loved that the sinister reason behind some of the tasks often wasn't spelled out for us or the protagonist until after there was nothing she could do to reverse it. I do wish she struggled a bit more with the earlier puzzle tasks because it felt like she was given a clue then instantly solved it which felt a bit inauthentic.

As for the plot twist, I think it'll really shock a lot of readers. I happened to recently read something else with a similar "gamemaster" plot and the same twist so I found it more lackluster but I think had I read this book first, I would have also been shocked.

St. Martin's Press (My New Favorite Publisher) thank you so much for this damn good ebook!.

I just knew These Deadly Games by Diana Urban was going to be outta this world amazing!
And it was!
I don't think I've ever experienced what I experienced while reading this one!
Pure excitement, heart beating, addiction..... I was invested in it!
Like that is how amazing it is guys!
The writing was fabulous. And these characters!!!! AMAZING. The twist and turns infant even go there... Because you have to!
I devoured it! Loved it! Enjoys it! Soaked it up because I didn't want this one to end!

So thank you NetGalley, Publisher and Author for this thrilling amazing book!
(Now if I can get my paws on Hello, Transcriber by my favorite author ever Hannah Morrissey my year will have been made! No pressure) 😂😉😘

Brilliant storytelling: These Deadly Games takes you on a rollercoaster ride full of twists and turns and loops that leave you thrilled and excited throughout the entire book! If you love suspense, thrillers, mystery YA novels, this is a must read!

Disclaimer:I got this in exchange for an honest review.

WOW WHAT AN ENDING OMG!!! THIS BOOK WAS SO GOOD. I guessed one of the plot twists, but there were others that I didn't see coming which is something I appreciated especially since this genre is typically a hit or miss for me. For the first time in awhile I was reading about characters who were all awful to one another. Usually, the protagonists are likeable but despite the fact that I wasn't a fan of any of them I was a huge fan of the plot. It was a book I finished a couple of days ago and stayed up past 3AM. I read it in one sitting and I highly recommend reading this if you're into books with plot twists that make sense. Dylan was a character I had mixed feelings about and I don't want to give away any spoilers but this is one you won't want to put down!!

First, I want to thank the author, the publisher and #netgalley for the ARC. This did not impact my review, as you will soon see.

I did really like the concept. However, i had a few issues with this book.
1. I could not get into the gaming and didn't always understand it. I assume this is because I am older than the target audience, so I will not hold this against the ratings. However, for us older people who like YA books, keep this in mind.
2. It didn't seem like any of the characters liked each other, so why were they friends?
3. I actually didn't really like any of the characters and found it hard to be drawn into the book - I wanted to root for SOMEONE.

The concept was really good. The writing was well done in that I believed the story and the characters and the world - I just didn't LIKE them.

The concept was good but the execution left a lot to be desired. As with Urban's debut, she was heavy handed with hints that made the protagonist look painfully dim. There was too much build up to the twists so rather than being surprised, I was just waiting for them to be revealed, which is not ideal in a thriller.

A high-stakes mystery that will keep readers guessing until the very end.

In this book, we have a group of friends who want to win a video game tournament because of the big cash prize that is offered. Each has a reason to want that money and of course, there are other teens who want that money as well as the prestige that comes from winning such a prize (like boots to your subscribers on Twitch). So when our main character, Crystal, starts receivng photos of her sister bound and gagged saying that her sister has been kidnapped and that she must complete certain tasks in order for her sister to live. Crystal doesn't hesitate to follow the kidnapper's demands.

We also have two storylines in this book: present day and 5 years ago. What happened 5 years ago that still haunts Crystal's group of friends? Why is anyone thinking about it now? And what does it have to do with her kidnapped sister?

This one kept me reading into the late night. A must for fans of "One of Us is Lying" and "The Cheerleaders". I'll be surprised if you see all of the twists and turns coming.

Oh my goodness! I raced through These Deadly Games as quickly as possible, while soaking up the glorious writing in the twists and turns. As Crystal and her friends try to win a video game tournament, someone has kidnapped her little sister. Now Crystal has to race against time and the evil anonymous cyber stalker to save Caelyn while doing the bidding of a manipulative technological genius. Thanks to the author, NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to be an early reader in exchange for my review.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3459954500

This book is now one of my most favorite books!! The twists, the turns, the CLIMAX!!!!

So this book was a tad predictable but maybe that’s just because I read too many murder mysteries. It definitely keeps your interest though, I started it last night and finished it today.
When crystal thinks her sister has been kidnapped, she’ll do anything to get her back, even after her friends start dying.

***Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary copy of THESE DEADLY GAMES by Diana Urban in exchange for my honest review.***

Crystal and her friends hope the prize money that comes with winning a gaming contest will be the answer to their problems. Then her sister is kidnapped and Crystal must complete a series of tasks to save her life.

Diana Urban is a masterful wordsmith. Her clever sentences make reading exciting. Urban’s attention to detail left no plot point unanswered. I’m older than the target audience for THESE DEADLY GAMES and had some trouble relating to the online gaming and that it’s considered an esport, which isn’t criticism of the book because I assume this won’t be an issue teens. I also didn’t understand all the technology; my understanding of AI is rudimentary at best.

THESE DEADLY GAMES is a psychological thriller and an actual thriller as well as a mystery. Too often books billed as thrillers are merely mysteries with little tension. THESE DEADLY GAMES is filled with pages and pages heart thumping moments.

None of the characters is what I consider a good/nice person, though many are sympathetic. I didn’t understand the draw of the friendships because none of the teens seemed to like each other much. Most everyone in THESE DEADLY GAMES treated others unkindly.

I had theories about the kidnapping that turned out to be wrong, I didn’t guess the culprit.

Diana Urban is one of YA literature’s most talented new voices. I can’t wait to see what she writes next.

Thank you Negalley for an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review!

This a fast paced YA read and I really did enjoy it! Crystal's sister is kidnapped and the kidnapper forces Crystal into a series of games in order to save her sister. What Crystal doesn't know is that these games may get out of hand!

The book had lots of twists but one of my biggest issues was that it was quite predictable up until the close to the ending. I will say- the ending was *chef kiss* and I really liked that I couldn't guess that easily.

I would recommend this!! 😊