Title: These Deadly Games by Diana Urban
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult, Suspense, Thriller
Length: 407 pages
Book Rating: B+
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley
Summary:
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?
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.
Author of All Your Twisted Secrets, Diana Urban’s explosive sophomore novel, These Deadly Games, will keep you riveted until the final twist is revealed.
Review:
These Deadly Games by Diana Urban is a spellbinding young adult thriller.
Crystal Donovan desperately needs the prize money from an upcoming egames tournament. The teams need to be five players so she and her friends are currently pitting their skills against each other for the coveted spots. But Crystal is soon consumed with fulfilling the demands of an anonymous person who has kidnapped her younger sister, Caelyn. Having proved the kidnapper knows her every move, she cannot reveal to anyone (and especially not the police) what she is being forced to do. When it becomes obvious the kidnapper is targeting her friends, Crystal must figure out why in hopes of outsmarting this dangerous person.
Crystal is frantic as she races against time to complete the tasks assigned to her. It is not until later in the day that realizes the kidnapper is setting her up to take the fall for the outcome of these dark deeds. Despite her desire to tell her best friends about what is happening to her, Crystal remains quiet as she tries to keep anyone from realizing something is drastically wrong. Even when things turn deadly, Crystal continues following the increasingly dangerous orders from the clearly disturbed kidnapper.
These Deadly Games is a suspense-laden thriller that is incredibly compelling. Crystal is a clever young woman whose gaming skills come in very handy while trying to outwit the kidnapper and save Caelyn. The supporting cast of characters is diverse and well-developed. The storyline is engrossing and moves at a blistering pace. With outstanding plot twists, Diana Urban brings this captivating young adult thriller to an edge of the seat conclusion.
