The Julian Game

When I first started reading this book, three things came to mind: 1) Hello, Elton John, I can see you’ll be taking up residence in my head until I finish this book – please be kind; 2) This book takes place in Seattle, so it better not disappoint; and 3) Any book that can make me chuckle four times in the first eight-and-a-half pages has great potential. I’m happy to report that this book does, in fact, live up to the initial potential I saw.
I’m pretty picky when it comes to reading about male friendships because, as both a sister who expertly spied on her brother and his friends and the quiet girl in school (read: easily overlooked), I want the conversations to sound authentic. This is, of course, purely subjective, because show more what sounds authentic to me might come across as totally false to someone else based on experience, but that’s a can of worms I don’t want to get into right now. My point is this: the friendships in this book rang true to me and they managed to be thoroughly amusing as well. Sam didn’t really verbalize the fact that he cared about Ramon (and Frank, but to a lesser degree), but his actions showed it to be true.
Though the paranormal genre is large, this is the first book I’ve read with necromancy at the forefront (though it’s not the only one out there). Since Sam himself was unaware of his own power for most of his life, he is forced to learn what that power means. This was good for me, as pretty much everything had to be explained to Sam. Unfortunately for him, powerful necromancer Douglas is not the nicest of teachers but has appointed himself as Sam’s personal tutor in the ways of necromancy. Though Sam is new to the game, the people in his life are willing to put their own lives at risk to help him escape from Douglas’s grip.
This is an entertaining story filled with laughter and bloodshed, which everyone knows is the most desirable combination in any book. show less

The Julian Game was nothing what I expected it to be like, but I still thought it was absolutely fantastic. It’s realistic and entertaining and in the end, you’re hit with a lesson on internet privacy that you won’t even see coming. Entertaining, enthralling and informative all the same time!

Raye starts out as a pushover, seeking attention and acceptance from her school’s coldest yet popular girl, Ella. But as the charade of pretending to be a sexy, blue-haired foreign girl grew, so did Raye’s backbone. Her feelings for acceptance transformed into feelings for Julian, Ella’s ex-boyfriend, whom Raye agreed to flirt with under the fake Facebook personality. Raye goes through several stages in this story; allowing people to show more walk all over her, but what I loved was that in the end, after all of the humiliation and betrayal has ended, Raye is a much better character than when the novel first started.

If you’re expecting a funny, flirty book like I was, you will be in for a major surprise. Raye learns that a single picture can change your life. Some of the things that happen to her are so horrible, and probably wouldn’t happen in real life, but it really makes you aware of just how huge and dangerous the internet and social networks can be.

And I loved how it all ended. Nothing really came together, but it gave you a sense of closure and it was enough for me. And I always admire a book that can throw me so off course that I can’t predict the outcome. Well done, Adele!

Overall, The Julian Game is definitely a book that you need to pick up. It manages to be a wake up call to girls everywhere to keep your body to yourself, out of pictures and away from the internet, disguised as a shocking but hooking page-turner. I definitely recommend!

(P.S - Can somebody send this book to Vanessa Hudgens? I feel like out of anyone, she really needs to read this.) show less

The Julian Game was a huge disappointment in my eyes. I was hoping for a fun book about revenge, but what I got was really different-- and not what I was hoping for at all. The characters were the biggest disappointment of all, though.



I thought that Julian was very flat-- I didn't understand anyone's attraction to him. He was a jerk, and I hope I never meet someone like him. Raye (our main girl) didn't really grab my attention either. She made a few bad decisions, but the worst part of all that was that she tried to be someone else. I didn't feel character growth in either of them, and I didn't find myself rooting for either of them to have it. They were unbearably immature, and the pranks that Ella and Raye were playing went way too show more far.



I do have hope for Raye and Henry, though. That's all that I came away with-- hope for Raye and Henry. The story had no real moral that I could find. It was okay, that was pretty much it.



All in all, The Julian Game didn't really grab my attention. It was a bit of a disappointment in my mind, and I wish that I could have liked this one more. show less

THE JULIAN GAME, by Adele Griffin, takes a harsh and truthful look at the damage that social networking can create in high school. There was a time when bullying occurred only at school, but with technological advances in social networking (Facebook, Twitter, etc.), malicious teens are able to torture with a single photo or video for all to see over and over again. The internet can be a scary place, especially when situations are exploited one-sidedly.

What started off as a fake online identity turned into an insane nightmare for Raye Archer. Raye just wanted to be accepted at her new school and when she got the opportunity to scheme with the popular Ella Parker, she jumped at the chance. Each girl had something she needed from the show more other, and right from the start I knew that this would not end well. I have to say Ella was probably my favorite character besides the obvious heroine, Raye. Her OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) behaviors were unlike anything I have read in fiction. At times I found it amusing that she just "had" to do these things and there was no question about it from any of her peers. Griffin diversified her "mean girl" and I was happy to read that she was not as perfect as she seemed. I enjoy reading flawed characters because it makes them more relatable, more human. That is also the case for Julian. He was definitely flawed but he was honest, and I appreciated that.

Raye learned some valuable lessons about friendship and trust. And through broken hearts and humiliation, she gained perspective on life. The ending of the book was not expected for me but I was very pleased with how it turned out. I am excited to read more from Adele Griffin. show less

I read a few reviews for this book before I read it, and I have to say that I think some people were taking the promise of action in this story much too specifically. Action via the Internet is never all that fast paced in my experience. Although I'll be the first to admit that this book wasn't exactly what I expected it to be, I went into it with an open mind and clean slate and ended up liking it quite a lot!

Now lest this come back to bite me in the hindquarters I will say now that, yes, I do indeed adore Adele Griffin. I find her to be a very witty and amazing author! However that doesn't change the fact that I will always review a book fairly. The review below is all from the heart.

From the very first few pages I fell in love with show more Raye and Natalya. Here were two very intelligent girls, plotting a social networking scheme simply so that they could talk to boys they were attracted to! Isn't it amazing what the Internet can allow us to do? By taking on the persona of Elizabeth, the girls were able to break out of their shells and become the people that they wished they could be in their own lives. I completely sympathized. When I was in high school all I wanted was to be accepted, and if that meant squashing your actual feelings and needs, well that's what you did. Raye and Natalya remind us that today's generation can lead double lives, all complements of the Internet.

Does this mean that I think what the girls did was right? Not by any means. Still I think it their plot was ultimately fairly pure until it was soiled by the evil Ella. Oh Ella. I will say right now, I despised Ella with a passion. Ella is the girl who bats her eyelashes and gets what she wants. The girl who says one thing and means another. The one who gets away with bullying because she will later "apologize" to you. Why? Well that's because she is popular. I was upset with Raye for falling in with Ella, I really was. I thought she would be smarter than that. I had to remind myself that Raye was only human, and sometimes it's hard to ignore the call of the popular crowd.

Julian, oh yes Julian. He was the one character that completely tore my heart in half. I cannot say too much, as I don't want to spoil the plot line for all you readers out there, but I was fuming as I read. I applaud Raye for making such smart decisions regarding him, even if it did take her a while to do it. Smart girl. On the topic of the Internet, I thought The Julian Game touched on cyber bullying in a perfect manner. It puts the concept out there for discussion, but doesn't shove a moral down your throat in capsule form.

Are you intrigued my friends? Good! Go get a copy of the book and give it a try. You know you want to!

Before I ramble on too much further, I'll simply say that I really did enjoy this book. Although it wasn't a perfect ten for me, it did hold my attention quite well and I felt invested in the characters. Whether I was loving them or despising them didn't matter, I knew enough about them to care. I also loved how Facebook and social networking in general were so seamlessly brought into the story. I was impressed with Raye's story. I'm sure this book will resonate strongly with the social networking generation, and I hope it will also speak to them about reconsidering what should take preference in their lives. show less

An engrossing, timely story that offers a great portrait of the treacherous jungle that is high school social culture, and both an amusing and disturbing commentary on the ease with which virtual identities can be created and cause havock. A fast-paced, engaging novel that will certainly resonate with teens whose lives now revolve around social networking.

Raye's the new girl and though she appreciates her friendship with Natalya, she feels like they're only friends because they're both outsiders. So when mean girl Ella Parker picks her to get back at a boy she feels wronged her, Julian Kilgarry, Raye ignores Natalya's advice and accepts. They use a fake Facebook identity so they can get close to Julian and set him up for payback. But then Raye falls for Julian and things dont work out they way she expects them to.

I liked this book. It was fun and surprising. It wasn't what I expected it to be. I thought Raye was rather nieve at times. It would've been fun to see Henry Henry more. The by far best character was Natalia.