2.5 - 3 stars

Fast-paced, and action-packed, this book was hard to put down, and I ended up finishing it in one sitting. Dark, twisted, and suspenseful, I also enjoyed some of the complicated relationship dynamics, with illustrated the often messy nature of friendships.

This book had a lot of twists and turns, and although I saw the ending coming from a mile away, it was still enjoyable enough finding my way there, and seeing where the author took us. I felt like this book tried to do a little too much though. I understand that it was trying to add context and depth to our main character Crystal, but the storyline about her father felt rushed, and almost shoehorned in. It felt like it was there just to make her seem more sympathetic, because of the cruel and awful things she is driven to do, and because of the mistakes and decisions she made in the past. And while that makes sense, and it's fine - it didn't really do a great job of it. We saw bits and pieces of her experience with her alcohol-dependent and abusive dad, but we didn't actually get to see much emotional development from her. In fact, despite the fact that we were in her head, it felt like we didn't know or connect with her much, and it also felt like we didn't see a ton of character development for any of the characters. We were told bits and pieces, but it felt like the best written character was actually Zoey, and everyone else was pretty one dimensional (especially Akira - which feels especially brutal, since I believe she is the only character of colour), and in some cases (Randall, Crystal, Dylan) - a bit hard to sympathize with or relate to, or even care about. It relied on some pretty common tropes, but many thrillers do, I just wish there was a bit more originality in there to help it stand out more. The ending felt pretty rushed, which I think did a disservice to the story, because the very last couple of reveals felt a bit weak, because of the pacing. I was almost excited, about the idea of [Dylan/Andrew] still being alive, but the pacing just rushed the ending and didn't give it the dramatic effect I think the ending needed.

Also, I am absolutely DEVASTATED about Matty's death. DEVASTED!

Overall, it was a quick and twisty/turny dark thriller that was still pretty enjoyable, and unsettling enough to make me feel a bit creeped out before bed.

This was a fast-paced teen thriller that kept me reading way too late! It was a little bit predictable, but all in all a solid YA read. Thank you for the ARC!!

DNF - Unfortunately I had to DNF this book. I was really looking forward to it after reading Urban's debut, but it missed the mark. There were too many characters to keep track of and I couldn't keep everything straight at first. I think the dialogue was not realistic. When I read the word "nothingburgers" I had to stop reading.

This book was a miss for me but i think it is a me problem not the book's problem. Thank you for letting me read and review this book.

I haven't read Urban's first book, so I didn't know what to expect in terms of plotting and writing style, but I very much enjoyed the story and felt that the plot twists were suitable (if predictable) for these characters. Will make a point to go back and read her first book!

Crystal loves getting lost in the world of multiplayer game Mortal Dusk. Her team is so skilled that they could even overtake a local gaming celebrity in an upcoming tournament. Crystal hopes to do well in the individual contest, as the prize money would go a long way in helping her single mother pay the mortgage. The team of six basically lives in the game world to increase their scores and determine which five players will earn a spot in the team competition. But they all have to go to school too... During class Crystal gets an odd text with a video of Caelyn, her younger sister (who is supposed to be away for a weekend field trip), gagged and bound. The message is clear: "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." Initially, filled with shock and disbelief, Crystal flees her classroom to make sure she read the message right. But each new message replaces the last, and she quickly realizes she will go to any lengths, will do anything to rescue her sister. Besides, the game seems fairly harmless at first. When Crystal realizes she has to choose saving her sister or her friends, her desperation increases. Told over a rapid, deadly game with brief flashbacks to a hidden secret, Crystal races against the clock to win what seems like an unwinable game.

THOUGHTS: Thriller and gamer fans will devour this mystery, desperate to uncover who is behind the anonymous messages. If you have April Henry and Karen McManus fans in your library, you'll want to add Urban's titles (All Your Twisted Secrets, 2020) too.

I don't know where to start but this book was not it for me. I tried my best but it was too predictable at times. I just knew where this story was going. It kept the surprise from me.

Holy mother of stress, this book KILLED me the whole time - yet somehow I couldn’t have stopped reading even if a psycho had texted me on an anonymous app to blackmail me… 👀

Goodreads synopsis:

When Crystal Donavan gets a message on a mysterious app with a video of her little sister gagged and bound, she agrees to play the kidnapper’s game. At first, they make her complete bizarre tasks: steal a test and stuff it in a locker, bake brownies, make a prank call.

But then Crystal realizes each task is meant to hurt—and kill—her friends, one by one. But if she refuses to play, the kidnapper will kill her sister. Is someone trying to take her team out of the running for a gaming tournament? Or have they uncovered a secret from their past, and wants them to pay for what they did…

As Crystal makes the impossible choices between her friends and her sister, she must uncover the truth and find a way to outplay the kidnapper… before it’s too late.

This thriller was EXACTLY the insane page-turner I needed to get me speed-reading again, my GOODNESS! I couldn’t tell you if anything in this book could happen in real life, but that’s why it’s fiction. I was creeped out the entire book, racking my brain as Crystal racked hers trying to figure out a dang solution to this crazy, impossible situation. The pacing is incredible, keeping my heart rate (probably too) elevated and my mind continuously blown after every twist.

A major hit apart from the “thriller” things was the cast of characters; Diana Urban did a fantastic job of crafting relatable, realistic, and lovable characters that you really didn’t want to die, you know?? I honestly loved them all, which contributed a lot to my stress because I was so scared for them HAHA.

I have to say (partially to brag but also because it feels necessary) I did predict the culprit around 50% into the book 😶. Honestly, I was actually surprised when I went back into my ebook to find the actual percentage, because I didn’t think it was that early. BUT I consider that a positive; so much happens in the last 50% that it didn’t matter than I had my suspicions early on. Plus, I don’t think it was Diana Urban’s fault. In fact, I thought she did a fantastic job of creating red herrings and making me question my own predicting abilities. From a literary standpoint, I realized there was only person it could be; however, there were a lot of blanks I still needed filled in by the end reveal, and I was SO shocked by how all the various threads weaved together. But that’s definitely all I’ll say on that because I don’t want to spoil it for you!

I don’t read thrillers often so I’m no expert, but this was definitely a hit for me! I felt so stressed the whole read but in the best way, and I so so enjoyed everything about this story! I highly recommend if you enjoy thrillers or are in a thriller mood, or if you’re looking for a fast-paced YA with great characters and an intense plot!

*I received an e-arc of These Deadly Games from Wednesday Books and Netgalley; all opinions are my own. It was published February 1st, 2022.*



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I've previously read Diana Urban's debut book and it was really nice to see her growing as an author! This book had me guessing the entire time and I never knew what was going to happen next. I had a such a hard time putting this book down! It read like a viral internet horror game, like where you didn't know if it's real or not, and it was a lot of fun. Really looking forward to anything this author writes in the future.

A suspenseful fast paced YA mystery/ thriller. This was a bit of a predictable ending for me the gaming lingo was a bit of learning curve for me. It was an over all good solid read. I'd round it up to 3.5 Stars if I had the ability to do so. I'd definitely read more books from the author.
An overall good solid fast paced read.

This is a very pulse pounding story that kept me turning the pages. The characterization could have been a little stronger but overall this was a good story that kept me on the edge of my seat. Solid four stars!

I enjoyed this book, and didn't at the same time. The background of the gaming torney made no sense to me and I really didn't enjoy it from the beginning. The "big bad" was also easy to guess as well. I will say that I did enjoy all the different "tasks/dares/whatever you call them" and how they all interconnected. I still don't see why that many people needed to die but oh well.

This was still a good book, and maybe someone with who doesn't exclusively read YA Thrillers might not solve it as easy/fast. I will say parts of it still kept me on my toes and kept me reading. I will definitely read more of this author.

This book was absolutely full of suspense. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time and could not predict which way the plot was headed. The premise of being pressured to enter a mysterious deadly game or something bad will happen was genius.

The world building in this book was slow and well thought out. I liked Urban’s writing style and the way her mind worked during this book especially. I wasn’t ever quite able to relax completely at any point ( so I would definitely count on reading it in one sitting).

The plot line of this book was well planned out. I did feel that the pacing was awkward at some points but Crys’s character development was well done. The chase to find the killer was especially well written . I applaud the amount of detail and emotion Urban was able to imbue in this book. I don’t often read suspense novels but this one definitely drew me in.

These Deadly Games is a quick read with a few twists but overall lacks originality with weak characters. This story reads like a CW-ish teen show which some may enjoy. For me, I did not care about the characters and the ending was predictable.

Two stars – for a young adult thriller, it was ok.

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Diana Urban for the electronic ARC.
#NetGalley #TheseDeadlyGames

These Deadly Games is a high-stakes thriller perfect for YA readers. Absolutely adored this! It was an engaging YA mystery that kept me turning pages.

A young teenage gamer finds herself playing a high stake life or death game with an unknown opponent in These Deadly Games. Crystal is vying for a spot on a five person team of high school gamers hoping to win millions in a tournament. Her chances are good, and she desperately needs the money to help her mother pay the rent after her father walked out. When Crystal opens a menacing message on an app, her world collapses around her. The message says, "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." The "she" the message speaks of is Crystal's younger sister, shown bound and gagged in the picture accompanying the message. Crystal already felt guilty for ignoring her sister for her gaming friends, and now she’s been kidnapped. She has to save her sister . . . but she has to play in that tournament. What choice does Crystal have? What would you do?

The games start off seemingly innocent with small, apparently benign directives. But as the game progresses, the stakes are raised, becoming hostile and threatening in nature. Crystal begins to notice bad things happening to some of her friends with each game she plays. Coincidence? Or are they connected?

Urban does a brilliant job controlling the pace and sinister tone of These Dangerous Games starting with an ill-boding opening that is sure to grab readers attention immediately. I found the plot line to be unique and yet quite fitting in today's world of young, obsessed gamers with their own gaming language which can be difficult for non-gamers to follow. As the story unfolds, the stakes continue to ramp up in this plot driven novel increasing the tension through a few twists and turns. The characters are the weakest link in this story as they feel a bit underdeveloped and come across as unlikable in most instances. And yet, for the age group, I think they are actually portrayed quite accurately so kudos to the author for staying true to the age group and story. While the ending is a bit predictable, it in no way lessens the enjoyment of this psychological thriller. Intense and twisted with a highly malicious atmosphere, many readers will find it hard to put These Dangerous Games down. Highly recommended to fans of young adult suspense thrillers.

I love YA thrillers they are like comfort reads for me. This one actually ended up being pretty intense. It follows a group of gamer teens, one especially who is being secretly tormented by someone who has kidnapped her sister and is forcing her to obey their commands or their sister will die. Pretty intense right? It was a fairly long book, but it kept my attention and I was able to get through it quickly. The ending surprised me and I thought it had a strong ending. This is my second book by this author, and I enjoyed this one even more then the first. I also like how she thanked her cat in the thank you section and wrote in a cat who made quite a few appearances in this book as well.

Definitely recommended to fans of YA thrillers and YA readers who enjoy gaming they would enjoy the gaming references through out this book as well.

Thanks to Wednesday books for my copy!

Crystal games with her friends. They wanted to play the MortalDusk Crown gaming tournament. Crystal is desperate to win the gaming tournament to help her mother pay off the house. Crystal's younger sister is kidnapped.

The kidnapper makes Crystal do tasks that are meant to hurt and even kill her friends. Is it someone wanting her team out of the gaming tourney, or is it due to a terrible secret from her and her friends' past? A past that someone wants them to pay for? Crystal tries to discover who that is, and why, to save her sister and outwit the kidnapper.

If you enjoy mysteries and thrillers, especially with killers in them, love watching movies like Scream, and enjoy Young Adult books, then These Deadly Games will fit the bill for you. Even if you don’t care for video gaming, this novel will lure you in.

4 1/2 stars.

Quite fast paced. At times, believability was strained and it was predictable but overall I think the speed/pacing made up for that. Very YA feeling (as it should be).

This wasn't my favourite book as I didn't even finish it. The plot was predictable and so were the characters.