This was a DNF for me within the first few pages. The writing felt amateur and I couldn't overlook the clumsy prose to appreciate the plot.

Emerson Ness has committed a crime. She has been offered an opportunity to participate in a reality game. If she wins the game. She wins her freedom. If she loses she will be imprisoned for life without any contact from the outside worlds or others. Emerson and 49 other contestants join the game. Playing the games (5 in total) along with creating content for social media and getting upvotes can is going to prove to be more difficult than any of the contestants every imagined.

The contestants must journey to an circular island and are forced to play games that are cruel and unusual. Bonds between gamers will form but this sinister game can only have one winner and sometimes winning is losing.

The character development is amazing. Each character is distinct and you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat especially as the stakes increase.

Kill Factor is reminiscent of The Hunger Games, Maze Runner and a few Black Mirror episodes. If that genre is your jam you'll love Kill Factor.

This dystopian novel combines elements of The Maze Runner with elements of The Hunger Games, and adds a twist from the present: internet influencers. In the possibly not-so-distant future, influencer credit is more valuable than mere money, and people spend their lives trying to gain enough followers to earn a decent living - but of course, only a few can do that, and those who can't fall to the bottom of the social and financial structure.

One such person at the bottom is Emerson Ness, a 17 year-old Burrower - a person who lives in the tunnels below the city, originally built by the homeless to gain some warmth from the heated floors of the wealthy, but later expanded by the government as a cheap and convenient way to both house and hide the poorest of the poor where they wouldn't bother the rest of society. Emerson has scraped and dug and, yes, stolen, trying to support herself and her brother, with minimal help from her father, a would-be influencer convinced that someday, his cast will take off. Caught in a fire at her school, Emerson is charged with arson and manslaughter, and sentenced to 15 years incarceration - but she's given a chance to participate in the Redemption Games, trading her guaranteed 15 years for a chance at freedom, balanced against the risk of a lifetime in prison. Upon reaching the guarded location of the Redemption Games, Emerson and her 49 fellow competitors find out that the Redemption Games are really a game show called The Kill Factor - and only the last survivor can win. Recommended for older teens and adults, due to dark themes and repeated deadly violence.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

First of all, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy of The Kill Factor. Given the success of Ben Oliver's other books in my library, I knew I had to read this one to prepare for book talking with my students. I know they won't be disappointed in the thrills, twists, and turns that come with The Kill Factor. From the televised competition aspect that will attract fans of Squid Game to the dystopian society that will draw in a different subset of readers, I anticipate that The Kill Factor will be a hit with my students.

This book was incredible! It was such a fun adventure, despite the heavy themes. I found myself rooting for Emerson, so hard by the end! She irritated me at first, but I adored her by the end of the book. It was such a good story and really kept me sucked in. The author was absolutely masterful at setting the scene without too much detail and making me not want to put the book down. It was a fantastic ride, and I loved every second of it!

Thank you Netgalley for an Arc of The Kill Factor. After Chapter 1 I wanted to stop reading this book, then chapter 5, then a few more chapters but then next thing I knew I had finished the book. The Kill Factor is a mix of Hunger Games, Squid Games, and a horrible car wreck that you can not look away from. If our world ever relies on social media for its currency we are doomed. Let's just keep that idea within The Kill Factor. I will be patiently waiting for this to be published to share with my students.

Introducing the new reality show, The Kill Factor, a must-watch for Hunger Games enthusiasts. With surprising plot twists and moments of intense suspense, this is a must-see for fans of HG and survival-themed entertainment.

For fans of the Hunger Games comes the next reality show The Kill Factor. Emerson wants more than anything to provide an escape from their underground home for her younger brother who is extremely intelligent. They live in the Burrows where people with little money live. Their father is an absent parent addicted to increasing his social media followers. Everyone is concerned about their followers because that's how your income is determined. When Emerson is arrested for breaking in a school and stealing money, she has two choices: go to prison or take a chance on a reality show. If she wins the show, she will get lots of followers and money or if she loses, she will be sent to solitary confinement. She feels like her only option is to take a chance on the reality show. The show is much more deadly that she was originally informed about. There are 50 competitors on the show and the deaths are brutal so the book is more violent that the Hunger Games books. The only thing I didn't understand were why were there competitors who had lots of followers and had more money than the people who lived in the Burrows.

I was hooked right away when I started this book. I did not see the twists or the ending coming. Hoping for a sequel!! The deeper meanings and reflections on society in this story are very important. Quick read. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy.

Somewhere in the future, the world is run by social media. Wealth is acquired through having followers and earning brand credits. Emerson Ness is not an influencer, and her family lives in poverty. When Emerson faces prison for a crime she did not intend to commit, she is given a choice: serve her prison sentence, or compete in a new reality game show that, if won, will grant her her freedom and provide her with enough brand credits for her family to live comfortably for the rest of their days. The catch is that if she doesn't win, she will be sentenced to a lifetime in solitary confinement. When Emerson accepts a position on the show, she quickly comes to realize that the show has higher stakes than she had imagined. What comes next is a suspenseful and gut wrenching set of challenges that simultaneously unite the contestants and tear them apart.

This book was like The Hunger Games meets the Truman Show. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. The characters were complicated and the lines of morality gray. The situations the author put these characters into had me concerned for his own mental health! My only real complaint is that there is an unnecessary love story included that would have worked better as just a strong friendship. The whole book takes place in about a week, so there is not enough time for characters to truly fall in love. Also, the ending has me praying that there will be a sequel to follow!

I was able to read this as an ARC from NetGalley, and I did find a significant amount of typos that I hope the editor catches before publication. At this point I would rate this book 3.5 stars, but I think it has potential to be a 4-star read with some more editing.

I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it.

: I really like the concept of such a strong influence of social media on this dystopian society. It honestly isn’t too far off of what could happen in terms how it impacts financials and relationships. I can really see this idea appealing to teens who are so surrounded by social media in their everyday lives. I do think a younger YA audience would appreciate this more as the writing is more surface than depth. Is it a bit far fetched in terms of the TV show? Sure, but it’s interesting. It’s a bit of The Hunger Games meets #murdertrending. I thought at first that the challenges that the contestants were facing were a bit lacking in creativity, but I think upon further reflection that it was done that way purposefully by the author. There was one twist I didn’t see coming, but appreciated. Oliver definitely set the ending up for a potential sequel or series as well.

Oh my gosh, this book was AMAZING. I literally could not put it down! I loved all the suspense involved, and the plot twist at the end was insane!