Nils Johnson-Shelton

I have two main issues with this book. The first is the way it treats violence. This book is almost gleefully graphic. Sure, if you’re into unnecessary violence, it might be your thing, but it certainly isn’t mine. I really liked the characters (except the sociopath ones), but I hate the innovative and horrible ways they come up with to kill each other.

Second off, this book is clearly a thinly veiled attempt to make money. This book has been out for less than five months and it already show more has two “companion novellas” for you to buy. Moreover, this book is almost 500 pages and it still needs a sequel somehow (just another thing for you to buy).

I’m not even gonna get into Hunger Games comparisons, because that’s already been done. Suffice to say, this book is basically the Hunger Games, set nowadays and (somehow) more violent. It certainly has its differences, but there are too many similarities for it to be a coincidence.

So just find a different book. This one is a waste of time. show less

This book greatly improved over the first one. I still hate Jago and Sarah but there was more Aisling, Shari, and Maccabee even managed to get some more time at least enough for me to dare I say it, root for him.There was enough action to keep me interested and the stakes were really high the whole time. The only ones really cruising and waiting like an ambush predator were Maccabee and Baitsakhan but even at one point Maccabee had hard choices to make in order to win.
A hard thing to do is show more make every different setting different from the next especially when dealing with so many POVs but it felt distinct enough to know that they were all scattered around the world. The story could still use a little more cohesiveness but it's solid enough that it does feel like it's all bound together and flows nicely instead of feeling jumpy and fleeting.
It's likely just my own little thing but I laugh at the Spanish Jago uses. He calls his dad "papi" but his mom "mama"(accent over the second a)? "Mami" and "papi" are the more affectionate terms but "mama" and "papa" are used when there's more respect over affection and from what I gathered Jago is more affectionate towards his mom than his father so...And using "papi" is like saying "daddy". Then some of the swearing looked like direct google translations. I won't write them here because I have no desire to read over them again but it could be that Frey was using Peruvian swearing, I do know quite a bit about Mexican swearing and it's what I am accustomed to.
If you asked me after the first book if I'd be finishing the series I would have said only because I'm hate reading but after this book I am interested in finding out who wins...or if there's a final loophole in ending the game before it wreaks havoc and they all band together to finally do it. I understand not wanting to kill a baby in order to save the world (and end the story) but Hilal had a big advantage. Had he not been incapacitated by Baitsakhan I would've put my money on him to stop the game. If anyone knows what to do I think it would be him. show less

Hoooly crap! What an amazing read! The twists and turns from the players and their desperation to get their various goals accomplished had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. All of the deaths really affected me and the fight scenes and narrow escapes were amazingly well written.

The most psychotic Players still have me worried for the fate of the world and I am hoping that the rest of the Players finally band together to take them out.

This book tries too hard.

With the gore and action of Battle Royale and the grooming of 12 bloodlines for the fight of their lives *coughPanemdistrictscough* like The Hunger Games we are told that 12 fighters come to defend their bloodline to the death. Some may not even make it out of the first place they're gathered together for the first place.

I hated a lot of the tributes...sorry CHAMPIONS. Sarah Alopay was just the worst and Jago just went downhill when he started beating up her poor show more normal clueless devoted lab puppy boyfriend Christopher. I loved Chiyoko Takeda and all her parts with An Liu and anyone in general really were so intense and amazing I think this would have been a really good book if it had just focused on her story rather than the 15 POVs. Aisling Kopp was also a very fascinating character hopefully she does get more time in the next book since she's one of the survivors of the first book and I do think An was a good villain but other than that, with the focus so much on Sarah and Jago it made for a horrible time for me...like I said I hated Sarah. show less