3.5 out of 5 stars (3.5 / 5) What a fabulous premise! Young criminals are offered the chance of freedom if they go against 49 others in a competition. The one that wins gets freedom. Those that lose either die or get solitary confinement for life. The trick to winning is to win over the audience and get the most followers on social media.

Right from the start you know this will be an exciting story. We follow Emerson throughout the trials and surprises of the competition. She gives us a first-hand look into the extreme challenges that end up being life or death.

The book jumped right into the excitement, which I love. There wasn’t much build-up, which is both good and bad. It took me a bit to understand the influencers, what they did to earn followers and the currency. As much as I liked the characters, there were a lot. 50 contestants and the producer at minimum. While it’s not expected to know all 50 contestants, each were named multiple times making me feel as if I should know them or need to remember them for a future scene. I believe this also made it hard to connect with the characters as much as I would’ve liked. I didn’t feel emotions during deaths which says to me that the characters and story were not developed enough to make me invested. The romantic relationship also felt somewhat forced. Yes, I understand the extreme circumstances make angsty teens feel extensively but throwing around “love” so easily was not fitting. The whole game only lasted a few days. It was intense at times then very somber, then the intensity came again, back down to a minimum. The back and forth I didn’t love which also made the intense moments lose some of their impact. I do still have a few questions about that ending but it sounds like there will be a book 2 with that cliffhanger!

Ultimately this was a fun spin on the teen life and death competition trope. I recommend this for YA dystopia lovers!


Thank you to Scholastic for the copy through NetGalley!

The book releases April 16, 2024.

Okay let me first say that if you’re looking for something wildly original…this isn’t the book for you. If you’re a fan The Hunger Games or Battle Royale and are looking for a fun new adventure that is similar and yet adds a few different twists then step right up. Even before the explosion of ‘reality’ TV or content streaming, the idea of society using people competing against each other as a form of entertainment had already been explored. The first thing at jump to mind is Stephen King’s The Running Man. (Both the book and the movie…which are radically different and are both entertaining in their own ways.) Well Ben Oliver’s The Kill Factor adds some interesting wrinkles in the formula. As with The Hunger Games, our contestants are children, anywhere from 12-18 I believe. And if you’re a fan of that series you’ll no doubt notice and appreciate other similarities. However in The Kill Factor the contestants are also criminals and this contest is a chance at freedom…and fame. Besides being pitted against each other to win challenges, their goal is also to gain followers. On the surface that might sound strange or if you’re like me, it actually sounds like (and heaven help us if this true) the direction society seems to be moving towards, lol. While the some may find the first 20-25% of the story a little on the slower side, I actually feel the slower pacing is works well as it allows us to come to grips with the quirks of how this society is reliant on social media as well as allowing us to get to know the various contestants. But once things really get going, if you’re like me, you’ll be glued to the book and won’t want to put it down. This story can easily be enjoyed on a surface level or on a deeper level as a commentary on society and social media ‘influencers’. As I said at the start some my just see this as a retread of The Hunger Games, but I think this is an adventure well worth taking. 4.5 stars. I’d like to thank Scholastic | Chicken House and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of The Kill factor.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R336K10HMP34E7/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

This was a fun ride. Nothing fantastic but was fun. Recommend as a pallet cleaner between a thick book

This book hooks the reader with an interesting premise and then makes good on that promise in keeping the engagement up. It took time for me to warm up to the main character, but I did find myself rooting for her by the end. The ending was great too. It was a fun read.

If you like Hunger Games, a sick twisted version of Survivor, with Maze Runner vibes this might be the book for you. I read this book in about a day. The writing was easy to devour, and I found myself connected to almost every character in this book, which I suppose was my downfall lol. The concept of this book is very similar to Hunger Games I would say, and that made me feel torn in how I felt about it. There were SO many similarities that if I were Suzanne Collins I’d feel like you copied my homework a little bit…but it was also the reason I liked it so much because well who didn’t love the Hunger Games or Maze Runner?
The connections I can see between our current society and what it could become through this book makes me uncomfortable and I’m sure that’s the point. 😊 I will say I enjoyed that content creation and the followers from that equating to the amount of currency you have is very interesting and almost Black Mirror-esque.
The author also did a great job at making the reader feel torn between the FMC and other characters, it’s hard to root for someone when you’re also attached to their competitors. The ending was interesting and I’m curious to see if a second book might come of this.

As a huge fan of The Hunger Games, I wanted to love this book so badly. However, that just wasn’t the case. I didn’t click with the writing at all which made me want to DNF pretty quickly.

This is the start of what appears to be a series which I predict will be popular among middle and high school students. Fans of Hunger Games, the Maze Runner and Divergent will love this! The twist in Kill Factor is the underlying commentary on social media’s impact on the world. This makes it a great choice for book club discussions!

Thank you @netgalley for the ARC.

I want to start by saying I wasn't expecting or wanting something original or that's not derivative because the summary is clear that this is a Hunger Games/Battle Royale story. That's what I was expecting and wanting to read and that is exactly what The Kill Factor is.

Unfortunately, Oliver is a little too derivative, while also writing this story, featuring multiple gruesome deaths, as if it's for children? When it's meant to be YA? The writing is too simplistic in comparison to the content. It then handles various hot button topics with the absolutely no finesse, and so clumsily, that when the incel topic came up I just had to laugh??

Oliver tries to make develop some substance in The Kill Factor by attempting to comment on late stage capitalism, mob mentality, desensitization from the internet, radicalization on the internet, the shallowness of influencers and digital "content", but at the same time... like, this book comes across as a clear attempt to cash in on topics of concern to kids by an adult who doesn't fully understand why these topics concern kids.

A forgettable fumble in the Battle Royale genre.

I didn't want to like this book. The premise just seems so contrived, Emerson starts off pretty boring, and it seems like a setup for a classic love triangle. I almost quit around 30%, but managed to push through. Then I didn't stop reading until I finished and wanted to start all over again. It's very reminiscent of and inspired by the Hunger Games and Black Mirror, especially its commentary on society. Maybe not the most original, but until these sorts of stories stop teaching us about our reality, they're worth telling. Also the ending!!

This book is extremely similar to Hunger Games, just at a prison reform camp and writing that isn't up to par with Suzanne Collins. The deaths are more violent than in Hunger Games. There's a bit of a dystopian angle, as well as a social media one, and I could see it appealing to the YA audience. The writing does lack depth and things are quite far-fetched. This was just "meh" and not a book that will stick with me.

The Kill Factor was so interesting. I found myself reading so quickly, and when I couldn’t read I was thinking about this book. It combined elements from The Hunger Games and The Maze Runner, culminating in a ya dystopian novel that hit the spot.

In the world of The Kill Factor, social media and influencers rule the world. The amount of followers a person has directly impacts the amount of money they have. The rich and famous live lavishly while the unfollowed and poor live under the city in the burrows. I found the topic of social media to be so entertaining. It made me think while being very entertaining. I couldn’t put it down. This book also hit me right in the heart, with so many twists, turns, and heart wrenching moments I was invested. I’m excited to see what else is in store for the world of The Kill Factor.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

HOLY. CRAP.

It’s been a minute since I’ve read a book that had my heart POUNDING with suspense, but Ben Oliver absolutely delivered!!

The world, the characters, the horror, the conspiracies…it was all so incredible. I felt such a wide variety of emotions throughout this book and I’m soooo hoping this is the start to a series, because I need more!

This book has a combination of features from the Hunger Games (dome), #MurderTrending (social media), and Death Race (taking advantage of folks who have been convicted of a crime). It is a quick read with fast paced deaths and quests/rounds, which will keep reluctant readers interested. The book requires a suspension of disbelief, but it could open the door for some deeper conversations on redemption, opportunity, and justice.

This book was one of the most horrifying things I’ve ever read. Which was probably the author’s intention, so goal achieved. I’m effectively horrified. This concept is basically Hunger Games but prison reform camp version. Though this wasn’t exactly much of a futuristic dystopia so much as social commentary, it definitely had high stakes.

I was expecting this to be very Hunger Games-y but it turns out this was much more like Black Mirror. A big chunk of this is a social commentary about how modern society has become dependent on likes and follows on social media. Yet, this concept has been twisted into a life or death situation, where it’s basically, get followers or get voted off this twisted reality show and die. Contestants with more followers get easier challenges and are more likely to survive their challenges than ones with fewer followers, who get harder tasks. Your life quite literally becomes dependent on your follower count and views, so it feels very much like a Black Mirror episode. Then you have teens who are so brainwashed that they think the reality show is a good thing, despite all the death that they themselves are at risk of, because they can gain followers and brand deals and sponsorships from the press of being on the show. Some of the teens on the top of the leaderboard genuinely twist it into, this evil producer killing teenagers is trying to “help them” since they are all felons with “broken brains” and he is trying to “save them”. After witnessing all of the horrors from their first challenge, some of them genuinely have this mindset.

This book does a good job at the social commentary aspect. We all know social media is fake and tons of things we see online, especially on tikok, are staged for views. But it’s even crazier to see it in this setting where views and followers are the difference between life or death. You see teenagers staging fake stuff, staging pranks, a discussion of faking a love triangle for the cameras, even going as far as harming themselves, anything to get followers to be likable enough to not end up at the bottom of the leaderboard. Seeing all this going on in a life or death kind of situation just makes the whole, society as a whole being obsessed with getting attention on social media, thing feel even more superficial and ridiculous. The perfect analogy of young teens putting too much stock into online validation is the scene where one of the teens quite literally starts hurting himself in desperation on camera in hopes of getting followers because he does not have the charisma or skill to be popular online, and followers are the difference between life or death on this reality show, so he thinks he has no other choice. It’s horrific. And the scene where two teens at risk of being voted off the show have to follow a series of dance moves, like something similar to TikTok dances I guess? And viewers vote and evaluate the dances and the best dancer who gets more votes gets to stay on the show. These kids who are being killed for entertainment are forced to literally dance for their lives. It’s completely insane. I think it makes for an effective social commentary, especially for young teens. The more you read on the more and more shocking it gets.

I genuinely wondered how they were going to get out of this one, because stakes were not only high but impossible. I really had no clue how these characters were going to get out of this. It’s also a super quick read; I felt like I’d barely started and I looked up and was already 40% in. I started this book at around 11 pm and ended up staying up late to finish it because I just couldn’t stop reading. It just got more and more horrific and terrible as it went on and I just had to know how this book ended. Which, that ending, I can’t believe it ended like that! We gotta get a sequel now, surely? This was one of the most horrifying books I’ve ever read and it’s literally YA so if it’s meant to be a social commentary for teens to not place too much stock into online popularity because it’s not actually life or death like it is in this book, message achieved lol.

Thank you to Netgalley for sending me an advanced copy in return for my honest review.

Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. I love dystopian stories, and I was so excited to be accepted as an ARC reader, so as soon as I got it, I dove in, but I can't say this was something I would reread. As others have said, this IS incredibly similar to the Hunger Games, which was disappointing to me. Make no mistake, I did enjoy the book, but I didn't feel like it was anything new or groundbreaking. 3.25 stars. A more formal review will be available on my IG/TikTok and Goodreads.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC of this book!

3,5 stars, rounded up.

The Kill Factor is a dystopian novel set in a social media-driven world. Like many post-Hunger Games dystopian works, it involves a competition and contestants do die. This was a fast-paced story and quick read, and I do think it will appeal to many of the teen readers in my classroom. I found myself hoping for a bit more depth and character development, but overall I enjoyed the book. Emerson was a strong female MC and many of her fellow contestants also had me rooting for them. I think this book could start interesting conversations with students about the power and danger of social media, as well as the problematic nature of people wanting to be entertained at any cost.

A brand-new game show that offers young criminals the chance at freedom has been greenlit. Little do they know, winning is their only chance at survival. A captivating examination of the dark truths around the criminal justice system, Ben Oliver, critically acclaimed author of The Loop trilogy, delivers an action-packed thrill ride with deadly high stakes. Fifty contestants. Five mental and physical challenges. One winner. In a near-future where a virtual currency of digital content fuels a fame-hungry society, a brand-new experiment that combines social media and reality TV has been greenlit. Voted on, and contestants are sent to a maximum-security reform camp on an island where they can have no contact with the outside world. To lose means prison. But to win is to be free. The most popular young offender with the most upvotes by the end is given both a second chance in society and a cash prize. This kind of money could mean everything to Emerson and her family who live in the Burrows, one of the subterranean villages where the government have buried affordable housing. It's more than freedom. It could mean the chance to change her family’s circumstance and finally find a place in the society they’ve never been allowed into. But what Emerson doesn’t know, what the viewers don’t know, is that the prison on the island is empty. Those who lose, those who are voted off aren’t incarcerated. Each challenge will leave more and more contestants to die. And the only choice they have is to win over viewers before it’s too late.

This was my first Ben Oliver book, and while I thought it was ok, I am definitely not the target demographic. Part hunger games, part squid game with a horror twist, I think horror aficionados and young adult fans will enjoy this one:)

Emerson doesn't care about social media or gaining a following, even if the credits would help feed her family. When she is arrested and faces twenty years in prison, a tv producer gives her a possible out. Emerson can join a new reality game show pitting 50 contestants against each other in physical and mental challenges. If she wins, her record will be cleared and she'll have enough followers (and subsequent credits) to live far more comfortably. If she loses, the consequences are dire--life in prison. Emerson doesn't want to participate, but her father convinces her to agree to the deal. What comes next is an action-packed adventure with lots of horrifically graphic challenges.

The Kill Factor is both an engaging horror/dystopia novel and a satirical look at society and its' obsession with social media. Definitely a book that will appeal to a lot of teens, especially fans of horror.

I did not like this book at all. The author was almost plagarizing the Hunger Games series by Suzannne Collins. The effort was also not as good because the of the actual writing. I wanted to like this but the acutal writing and plot was terrible which made me skim read most of this. It was too much like the Hunger Games obviously with names and ages changed. At least there was a car wreck.

The author should be fined for plagarism. Cannot recommend. Do not waste your time.

Thanks to Netgalley, Ben Oliver and Scholastic Chicken House for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available: 4/16/2024

Heavy handed cliché dystopian novel. This has been done already. DNF.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.