I want to start this off by saying that I wasn't quite expecting this after simply reading the synopsis. I really enjoyed the book but did think that video games would play a big role in the book as it didn't really allude to that in the synopsis I read. It doesn't really bother me though because I am an avid gamer when I'm not reading and I really enjoyed reading a book that was about gamers as well. I love a good YA thriller and this book had me on the edge of my seat the entire time I was reading. Had I not been taking care of a sick kiddo and then gotten sick myself I probably would have finished this book in two days flat.

For me it started out a little slow with a lot of information to take in because there were so many characters being introduced right off the bat and it made it a little difficult to keep up with who was who in the beginning which is really the only reason I didn't give this book five stars. I loved Crystal as the main character and thought the game she had to play in order to save her sister was quite interesting. Diana Urban did such an impeccable job at keeping you guessing through this entire book that when you thought you had it figured out she would throw in a twist and make you question everything. I highly recommend this book to anyone that wants a stress-filled YA thriller that will keep them on the edge of their seat until the very end.

"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?"

On the whole, this book was suspenseful and thrilling. I really enjoyed that the whole novel took place in a 24 hour period. I think the game-like nature made the book twisty and fun to read. This book did end up being a lot darker than I thought it would be and I appreciated that about this book. I think if you read mainly YA thrillers, you will find this entertaining and fast-paced. If you read mostly adult thrillers, the plot might seem a little too far-fetched and trope-y; however, I would still recommend giving it a try.

My main issue overall was the main character. She is highly unlikeable and the lack of empathy that she shows for people around her dying made her seem to be the real villain of the story. Again, this is a personal opinion and others may view her as the perfect protagonist.

Trigger warnings: kidnapping, death, attempted murder

Thank you St. Martin's Press and Net Galley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

"𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐲 𝐚 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭, 𝐢𝐭 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐰𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐬 𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐢𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐮𝐟𝐟𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐝𝐢𝐫𝐭."

I'm not sure if I've confessed this before or not, but I only read the synopsis of a book before adding it to by TBR. And, like most book nerds, I rarely get to the books I add to my seemingly never-ending list quickly. Which means that by the time I 𝘥𝘰 pick up an anticipated read, I'm basically going in blind.

So you can imagine my surprise when this teen-centric thrill ride ended up being much darker than I'd initially anticipated. What I thought was a book about gaming and pranks, turned out to be a story about revenge and murder. And all I can say is that Urban didn't come to play; she went for it -- full force.

At times far fetched and a bit too over-the-top for my current taste level, 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐥𝐲 𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 was still an enjoyable read that I'm certain younger Tay Tay would have loved. Between short chapters, action-packed passages, and a villain that gave off major J.D. vibes from 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴, this YA mystery is certain to amuse its target audience. And then some. Because, let's be honest, even with a full-time job and a newborn I still read this 400+ page psychological drama in one day.

Urban's sophomore novel shows a lot of promise, and I'm intrigued to see where she goes from here.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘞𝘦𝘥𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘤 𝘷𝘪𝘢 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸.

Trigger Warnings: Murder, death of a child, death of a parent, panic attacks, violence, alcoholism, physical abuse, divorce, eating disorders, kidnapping, bullying, confinement, drunk driving, car accident, suicide, stalking, mention of fetishized romance, racism

This one was rough for me to read. Crystal is a gamer with a few of her friends. She is obsessed with one particular game and they are preparing for a tournament coming up. Problem is, she can't see past this game. Then after dropping her sister at school for a trip, Crystal gets a text. Her sister has been kidnapped and unless Crystal plays this sordid game, her sister dies. And then it goes... asking her to attack in one way or another all the kids on her video game team. This was heavy. I finished so I could review it, but there's so much turmoil and angst and evil deeds that I just didn't want to watch it play out. I needed a cliff notes version to just see how it ended. I did guess it after awhile and then it's the frustration of watching it flesh out, but overall while a clever idea, it was just too dark for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

These Deadly Games is a thriller about Crystal, a gamer who hopes to compete in and win an esports tournament. She’s hoping the prize money can improve her family’s situation, but before she can qualify for the competition, she’s forced to play a game that quickly turns deadly.

As a whole, These Deadly Games is quite suspenseful and a tad bit creepy. It is definitely more of a thriller than a mystery and now that I’m thinking about it, it makes me want to cover all the cameras on my devices and stop sharing so many personal details online. It’s that kind of creepy. The gaming and technologic elements help add much-needed tension to the book but I also feel like it could go over some people’s heads. The more techy elements are explained well, but if I wasn’t already familiar with them, I’m not sure I would fully understand some of their implications. The book is too fast-paced to fully digest the explanations behind all the creepy tech stuff going on.

The plot was intriguing but I meant what I said earlier when I said These Deadly Games is more a thriller than a mystery. It’s more about how the game will end rather than who’s the evil person behind the game. Which is a good thing because I figured out who the mysterious deadly game master is halfway through the book so Crystal’s big “ah ha!” moment fell flat for me. It’s one of those times where not having a prime suspect in mind would lead to a more enjoyable reading experience.

As for Crystal, well, I have mixed feelings for/about her. She spent most of the book making me want to sigh and rub my temples. The sad thing is I was genuinely cheering for her and cannot begin to imagine the amount of stress she was under. However, she makes so many stupid choices and mistakes that annoyed me so much. Those choices/mistakes wouldn’t have been a big deal if she was just supposed to be your average person because she’s still a kid and have I mentioned the extreme pressure These Deadly Games put on her? But Crystal isn’t depicted as your average person - she’s supposed to be smart and reasonable and able to play under pressure. Or at least that was my impression of her before shit started to hit the fan.

To be fair, I didn’t have much time to connect and get to know normal Crystal because the deadly games started pretty quickly, like within the first few chapters. Normally, I’m an advocate for fast starts, but I feel like I needed more time to connect to Crystal before the stress starts getting to her in order to better understand her character (and dumb choices).

In conclusion, These Deadly Games is a fast-paced thriller that's a little too fast-paced.

I really enjoyed this one! It was very fast-paced and kept me turning the pages wanting to know how everything would play out. I also enjoyed the twist and the open ending makes me wanting to read a sequel if there ever is one. Definitely one of the more enjoyable YA mysteries I’ve read.

I actually read this book in one day that is how pulling it was. I thought it was an interesting thriller targeted towards teenagers, but there are some more violent themes than in typical teen thrillers. I liked the use of the cell phone in this thriller because it helped create the thriller aspect and even showcased the danger cell phones can have. If you like video games that are also a huge portion of the read because that is the unifying activity between the main friend group. The book does jump back and forth between the past and the present, which can be confusing at first but really does help the plot form. I could see this book being translated into a movie. The reason I gave this book a 4 out of 5 stars is mostly that there were some scenes and characters that I did not find realistic. It felt like there were stereotypes that were used to help create drama that did not fit with the way the character was written.


Content Warnings include but are not limited to: Panic, child death, death, allergic reaction, attempt murder, blood, threats

An E-Sports team bonds teen Crystal and her four best friends, and new student Dylan is fitting in well, though there’s some tension since Dylan is good enough to take the place of one of the existing team in an upcoming tournament. Then Crystal finds a mysterious message app that she didn't download on her phone, and she’s notified that she must participate in a “game” devised by the message sender or her sister Caelyn, who was supposed to be on a school trip, will die. Video evidence shows Caelyn captive and terrified, so Crystal determines to do whatever is necessary to save her sister. While working through the tasks set for her, Crystal realizes that she is being manipulated to harm each of her friends and she experiences flashbacks to a childhood experience that may be connected to Caelyn’s kidnapping.

Tightly plotted and full of surprises and reversals, the author keeps the suspense taut until the final pages. Perfect for those who love thrillers.

Enjoyment (stars): 4
Total rating (stars): 4


"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?"

That's the message Crystal gets on a mysterious app, and of course, the sender included a video of her little sister bound and gagged. Hmmm … I wonder if Crystal accepts the "invitation."

The first tasks are simple enough - make a prank call, bake brownies… but upon reflection, crystal notices that each task hurts - or kills - her friends. Is someone trying to get her gaming team out of a tournament, or do they know what they have done?

Regardless, now Crystal is aware that she chooses between her sister and her closest friends with each task. All people she loves. And the only way to win is to outsmart the kidnapper before her time runs out.

This was a very thrilling YA book. I really loved how fast-paced These Deadly Games was. It takes place 24h period, and I read it in just as much time. The narrative helped me immerse myself in the story and have this added bonus of simultaneity.

If you read primarily adult fiction and don't mind some YA tropes, I feel you will really enjoy this book as well. It is well-plotted, easy to follow and addictive.

I will be seeking more books from Urban.


Disclaimer: In exchange for an honest review, I am thankful to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing a copy of These Deadly Games.

These deadly games is more than expected. Its dark and twisted. Our main Character Crystal has to follow a set of rules and complete games given to her by an anonymous person in order to save her sisters life. However, these aren’t your ordinary kids’ games. These ones have dark and final consequences that cause crystal to choose between two lives. Leaving her responsible for other deaths. And just how far would you go for family?

This was a hard to put down novel. I was wanting to know who would be targeted next and what Crystal might do. The characters were likeable enough and have deeper ties to each other. You get the story from present tense and some flash backs from past tense that help build a puzzle that Crystal must solve to end this.

I highly recommend readers for this one to be atleast fifteen and up due to the death and murder scenes.

My first introduction to Diana Urban was All Your Twisted Secrets, which I loved so I jumped at the chance to read These Deadly Games. This is a YA mystery that is engaging and will keep you guessing and turning the pages to find out more.

These Deadly Games centers around Crystal who is part of a group of gamers who are aiming to compete in an e-sports tournament worth millions. She receives a mysterious message featuring a video of her younger sister tied up - from this point she must follow the instructions and play the game in front of her in order to save her sister, otherwise she may die. The game starts out simply, but the tasks become more sinister as the story progresses.

These Deadly Games had me immersed and guessing right along with the main character throughout the story. There are some obvious suspects, but you won't know until Crystal figures it out. This was such a fast-paced story and definitely perfect for those who enjoy YA mystery/thrillers.

Convoluted, twisting, creepy, delightful read! I thoroughly enjoyed this YA thriller featuring a group of high schoolers and an event in the past that comes back to bite them. No spoilers here, go read #thesedeadlygames and enjoy the thrill! Thanks to #netgalley and the publisher for this advance copy to read and review.

This is my first exposure to this author and it definitely did not disappoint! This is a well-written, suspenseful, complex, edge-of-your-seat thriller that will leave you breathless at times in anticipation of the next twist in the plot of which there are many. Her characters are well-developed though not necessarily likeable. None of them are whom they appear to be. This provocative, somewhat dark and twisted story grabs you from the first page and keeps you guessing until the very end where the author inserts a deliciously wicked twist.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press who provided me with a copy of this book. I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

Play the game, or she dies...

Crystal and her friends have been close since they were kids. They are always together, especially as they prepare for an upcoming gaming tournament. When Crystal's phone buzzes in class, she is horrified to see a photo of her younger sister gagged and tied to a chair. She is instructed to play the kidnapper's game, keep her mouth shut, and follow every rule if she wants her sister to live. The games are tame to begin with, but soon they escalate from mundane things like baking brownies to life-altering "pranks." By the time Crystal realizes that the games are intended to pick her friends off, one by one, irreversible damage has been done. How can she choose between her friends and her sister? And who is behind these deadly games?
I spent every free moment I had reading These Deadly Games, even if I only had a minute or two to spare. I just could not get enough of this story. I was suspicious of many characters throughout the story, but I was never entirely sure who the anonymous tormentor was. I read the eARC for this novel and listened to the audiobook. I liked how the narrator used easily identifiable voices for each character. I also liked how Crystal's "speaking voice" and "thinking voice" were easy to distinguish, which I often don't find to be the case in audiobooks. I recommend this YA thriller to anyone who enjoys a quick-paced read full of twists, turns, and gut punches.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Yikes, this was bad. I went in thinking this would be over the top like a CW teen drama, but I don’t even think the Archieverse would do something this ridiculous. First, it was very easy to guess the anonymous person was related to Brady. Second, Crystal is clearly a psychopath and the real villain of the story. I was hoping the whole book that she’d go to jail for literally killing multiple people. She showed zero remorse for her friends dying. Like these are red flags that she’s not a good person.

I really don’t know if even teens would like this book. It’s hard to feel empathy for a character who has no remorse.

This book quickly captured and kept me hooked all throughout. I couldn't put it down! I think this perfectly captures how far we are willing to go for the people we love.

I definitely enjoyed this one but it didn't stand out for me. I wasn't immediately captured and didn't feel like I could connect with the plot in general. I think I may need to give this a re-read later.

Thank you Netgalley for the advance reader copy of These Deadly Games by Diana Urban in exchange for an honest review. This book made me think of books like Chain letter by Christopher Pike and movies like Truth or Dare. What starts off as simple, seemingly harmless pranks to protect her sister, turns deadly. I actually enjoy these type of books or movies, they are dark and twisty without being too deep and heavy.

Wow!! What a page-turner! This was gripping from start to finish. It reminded me of the show 'Clickbait' on Netflix. The characters were interesting and three dimensional, and the plot was well written and paced. I will definitely be checking out Urban's other works now that I've read this.

Crystal and her friends are preparing for an esports tournament that might result in life-changing award money when her sister is kidnapped. The kidnapper engages Crystal in a “game,” which Crystal quickly realizes that everything she’s been asked to do is designed to hurt or kill her friends. Crystal is faced with a difficult choice: save her friends and risk her sister’s life, or lose everything to save her sister?

Urban’s sophomore novel is fast-paced, twisty, and dark. Though I often struggle with a premise where the villain threatens harm if the victim involves the police or seeks help otherwise, the way technology was used here helped me to suspend my disbelief here. And then I was along for the ride for sure.

Without giving anything away, I enjoyed the factors that influenced Crystal’s decision making, the impact of the past, and the involvement of esports. The pacing made this hard to put down, and though I predicted some of the twists, it didn't impact my enjoyment of the novel.

Though I do think that this sometimes veered into less-than-believable territory, likely won’t be a book that sticks with me long-term, and may not be the best fit for people who read a good amount of YA thrillers, I certainly enjoyed it while I was reading it. I look forward to picking up other books by Urban in the future.

3.5 stars rounded to 4.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for an ARC to review. All opinions are my own.