*3.5 stars

I started this book on New Year’s Day and was quickly hooked! I loved the concept of students playing a game of “good vs. evil” that overlapped with real-life. However, halfway through the book I began to feel like things were being drawn out far longer than necessary, POVs started switching more frequently and it was a little challenging to remember where each character’s journeys had left off. Despite these issues, I still find the book to be worth the read.

*I was provided an ARC for this title via NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press, in exchange for an honest review.

This book was really good! I thought it was just going to be your run of the mill crazy AI story (which is a big yes), but this book had so much more depth than that. I was pleasantly surprised to find this story as a theology lesson and a moral discussion as well. Where does one draw the line? At what point is it okay to degrade or take advantage of another person? What do you do when you're powerless against the direction your life is going? All of this, plus a lot more, gets discussed in this book. Think you can handle it? Welcome to the game. 4 stars!

I think that many people will really enjoy The God Game. I, however, am not one of those people. And it's a bummer because I was SO excited for this book. The synopsis gave me Ready Player One vibes - but where Ready Player One gave me all the feels - The God Game only pissed me off.
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Charlie Lake and his friends, "The Vindicators", a club of coders and hackers (high schoolers, too), receive a mysterious invitation from a "God" AI inviting them to play The God Game, which combines a world of augmented reality with the real world. Certain deeds requested by the game will bring them points, Goldzz, and refusing to do these deeds will put them in a dark hold of Blaxx (negative points). The pranks, however, are not in the game, they are in the real world. that's the catch! There's nothing wrong with pulling pranks in a fake world video game, but in the real world, people can get hurt. What starts out as innocent pranks that most kids probably commit at some time or other turns into serious offenses. Beating someone senseless. Revealing life-changing secrets to the public. Perhaps, even, murder.
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My issues with this book:
- The writing. It is not good. And I can't handle that. The premise, to me, was soooo good. And it was spoiled by contrived writing, shallow characters, and bizarre dialogue.
- It's dark. This book will give you NO warm fuzzies. That's fine, I guess. But this book just felt a evil to me.
- The plot. I still don't really get the game. Blah. The author rushed through what could have been cool bits and didn't give us enough detail to really understand what was going on.
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This wasn't for me.
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Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of The God Game.

I did not enjoy this book as much as I hoped. I found the teenage boys the book starts with very unlikeable and the AI concept that I usually absolutely love difficult to follow and overall, not very interesting. It reminded me of Ready, Player One, a book for men obsessed with technology. It lacked emotion and storytelling depth.

Charlie, Peter, Alex, Kenny, and Vanhi are high-school students. Pegged as nerds, loners, and misfits, and all with something to hide. Family issues, college acceptance, unrequited love, and perhaps even a touch of madness. The one place where they feel accepted is in the Tech Lab at school. Here this group who calls themselves the Vindicators forge friendships and each is valued for their particular skill set.
Their teenage problems will soon become much less significant. An invitation to play a video game, the G.O.D.game proves to be initially intoxicating, thrilling, and quite addictive. Winning leads to cool prizes, but losing has consequences. Each of these Vindicators will discover the cost of this game and the threat of death might be more than an idle one.
This was my first read of 2020, and The God Game was a good choice. The chapters were short and fast-paced, and all of the characters were well written. If you were an outsider in high school(like me), you can relate to the lure of being asked to participate in something special, something that the cool kids don't have. The ending was great, and not that this ends on a cliffhanger, but I could visualize, more chapters or another book!

Lots of cool special AR and video game interface. Made it to 25% and skipped to the end. Not for me.

I was so excited to read this book when I first received it from Netgalley and St. Martin's Press. Who wouldn't want to read a story about an AI who thinks it's God. This AI has been fed all religious texts and now it wants to play a game. This story follows a group of high schoolers who call themselves The Vindicators. They have done pranks in the past and the first things they do at the AI's request aren't that bad either. But as you can guess, things escalate.

Let's start with the writing. From the beginning I had a hard time caring about any of the main characters because I feel like I was getting whiplash from all the perspective changes. The chapters were pretty short but there were times that I struggled to keep the characters straight in my head. On top of character confusion and general lack of caring, it was slow going for me. I hate that I felt like I had to force myself to read.

I know there are a lot of people who will love this book, and I wish I was one of them.

Wow! I really loved this book! Each character was so well defined! And the suspense built as the story progressed! It just got better and better! I felt like this was actually something I could see happening in this tech age that we live in. This book would make an amazing movie!

Charlie and friends accepted a game called G.O.D. which let them to certain scenarios in their private lives make them a pun in a dare game.

The story revolves with an AI G.O.D. that cites biblical representations and biblical banters that let the player questions their morality. I love the geekiness of the story the citations of programming and mathematical equations that pave way for the dares.

I was hooked in the first chapters but as the story goes on, the story felt apart from me. I hoped a thrilling one but it was good though. All I read was gorging teenage angst and teenage geeks meddling in a sarcastic and manipulative AI game. I expected a lot from it.

What a wickedly strange, mesmerizing story!

Charlie is a high school senior. When he and his friends get invited to play in an exclusive underground video game called G.O.D. Game, they find it exciting, addictive and exhilarating. They can win gadgets & tech, cash and other cool prizes in real life. But there is a cost.... Players can win cool stuff if they succeed in the game. But, failure can be dangerous. When the game messages become threatening, Charlie and his friends discover that playing the G.O.D. Game can have bad consequences.

I'm a big fan of Stranger Things and Sci-Fi game related stories like Ready Player One. So, this story is perfect for me. I really enjoyed this book! The kids get sucked into this game, its culture, the exhilaration of being "special'' enough to be invited, and the thrill of winning real world prizes.....but when they get the full picture, the consequences are just plain scary.

Great read! I binged this one starting on Christmas Eve and just couldn't put it down!

This is the first book I've read by this author. I'm definitely going to read more!

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from St. Martin's Press. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

This is described as a cross between Player One and Black Mirror and this is probably an accurate overall description of this book.

Enter five teens that have various issues but have formed a tight-knit group and their own club in school.  They all have issues of some sort (what teen doesn't?) but this game will either bring them together or tear them apart forever.  The G.O.D. Game is one of morality but who decides what is right or wrong?  And to what lengths will the group go to achieve Goldz and avoid Blaxx?

Charlie, Vanhi, Peter, Alex, and Kenny and the five Vindicators.  Charlie is the main character and is dealing with the loss of his mother.  Peter has an absent father and claims to have lost his mother.  Kenny is a talented musician and has some big shoes to fill after the death of his older brother.  Alex is trying to make it through life but has a father that expects a lot from him and punishes him when he doesn't perform adequately.  Vanhi is the lone female in the group and knows what she wants from life.  The strengths and weaknesses of this group will be used against them in the game as they directed to perform various tasks that could go against their beliefs but if they don't complete the tasks, their lives could be in danger.

This YA suspense/thriller kept me on the edge of my seat.  I wondered if there was anyone behind this game, or had AI actually evolved enough to do everything that happened in the game. As the book progresses we find that there are many more than just these five playing the game, but for how long?  There are hints that this game has been around for decades which might make sense for the AI to have gained all of the knowledge that it had about people and decision making.  There are many twists and turns with the characters that I did not see coming, especially one near the end.  I won't say what or who is involved, but it was quite surprising but not at the same time.  I hope that makes sense!

Besides the game aspect, there are the normal high school issues that arise with who is popular or not, young relationships, manipulation, abuse, and so much more.  There are also familial issues that shape these young characters to be who they are by their senior year.  They are tempted by the game and at times do not want to do what the game is telling them, but to go against the game could mean death.

I am not a computer programmer so some of the text went over my head, but I could understand the gist of the meaning even if I didn't understand the finer details.  I found the religious aspects intriguing and considering the AI is claiming to be G.O.D., I would expect bible quotes or references to other religions and the beliefs they follow.

There were just a few things that could have been left out of this book and it would have been just as good or perhaps even better in my mind.  I didn't appreciate the political aspects.  I see enough bashing of our president in real life, I really don't want to read about it in a book.  I also think there could have been fewer f* bombs.  Yes, I know many people use that word in their daily language, but what are we teaching our youth when we permit such crass language?

Overall, I enjoyed this book thoroughly and will be checking out other books by this author.  We give this 5 paws up.

I'm so glad I decided to give this book a chance! Sometimes sci-fi books are really hit or miss for me but this one kept me on my toes for majority of this book. From the characters secrets, to the missions, to the betrayals I was constantly guessing where the story was going to go next. The writing was fantastic and I think the short chapters definitely work so well for a story like this. I found myself saying "just one more chapter" halfway through the book and before I knew it I was finished.

I also have to give it to the author that I never saw the ending coming and it definitely blew my mind. For anyone looking for a dark, sci-fi, edgy, type of the thriller The God Game should not be missed!

This book was very scary to read. What would you do if you were invited to join a computer game that says it was being run by God. Would you join? This book answers this question for a group of teenagers that are just normal teens. They all have some problems at school or at home. This game says it can help them to solve their problems. I had a hard time putting this book down because I wanted to know what these teens might do to get what they thought they wanted. This is well written but as I said kind of scary to think what people will do to get their dreams answered. I received a copy of this book from St. Martin’s press through Netgalley for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.

(4.5 stars) The God Game is a YA sci-fi/ thriller novel that will leave you on the edge of your seat. This is about Charlie and his group of friends who call themselves The Vindicators. They are basically a nerdy group of social outcasts who like to code and enjoy gaming. Problems begin when they get an invitation from G.O.D. to play a virtual reality game with real-life consequences. For being almost 500 pages, this was really fast-paced and kept my attention throughout. I appreciated the short chapters and use of cliffhangers. There are themes of mental illness, suicide, depression, abuse, loss of a loved one, morality, and religion. (So TW for those.) The friend group was diverse and characters were multi-layered, which brings them to life for the reader. Overall, I highly recommend picking up this thrilling, Sci-Fi book!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book was so intriguing! I wanted to read every chance I got. I felt as though there was so much depth and detail. Everything spun together perfectly and was mind blowing once revealed. I enjoyed this book. But the ending made me mad. There were so many ways this could have ended. It did, however, leave way for a possible sequel. I do recommend reading this as it was good. My rating is 3 stars solely because I wanted something more in the ending. But after everything that happened, the ending made sense.

I struggled throughout most of this book. The writing was very good, but it was hard for me to get immersed with the story itself. This is definitely a book for gamers, and I am not one. I had difficulty with the video game references and software coding. Frequently it just did not make sense to me. I wasn’t crazy about all the violence in a book that is best suited for Young Adult genre. But bottom line – the good writing quality won out so I had to give a 4 rating.

Fast paced, suspenseful. The Game, having been bred on theology, invites Charlie and his friends to play a game with “God”, throwing in biblical references to manipulate its players.

I was kept guessing what would happen to each of the five friends, all misfits, who called themselves The Vindicators. At first the assigned tasks are innocent and the Goldz (the good points) quickly accumulate. But then the tasks become sinister, turning the friends against each other and threatening their loved ones. Morals are tested which fit well with the concept of being tested by “God”. They now start accumulating negative points (Blaxxs) which have severe consequences.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the advance galley. Opinions expressed here are my own.

Thank you to Netgalley and St.Martin's Press for a copy of the eARC in exchange for a fair review.


Charlie is introduced to a game called G.O.D., but he isn't sure that he wants to play it or that it will be cool. He gets his small group of friends invited to the game as well. Once they are all on board he joins. Then things begin to happen, good things, rewards when the right thing is done. Soon though it wants to them to do little things that aren't quite right.


Then the little things become bigger and bigger. And oddly the game tells them if they win they win big, but if they die they die for real. That isn't true though is it? How far will they go to win?


When I first took a look at the synopsis I though oh this could be interesting. Hence why I accepted the invite to read it. Then when I looked at it again I thought I don't know if I would like because my mood has all over the place and I haven't really liked much outside of the thriller and mystery genre. But then I started reading it and it really drew me in.


It lost me at times and pulled me back in a lot. Overall, heading into this with misgivings I found it to be really well written and interesting premise. You take basically good kids, and then give them small openings to do things they wouldn't normally do. How far would they go? How far would you go? To get back at people who make life hard for you, to make things easier for the people you care about? A true test of the character of a person. This is my first book by this author, but it won't be my last.

This is a wonderful novel! I found the characters to be very believable including the various cliques and the way they relate to each other. The story was unpredictable and had enough twists and turns that it became the first novel I have read in a long time that I did not want to put down. I look forward to reading future novels by Mr. Tobey.

Topical fast paced YA thriller that's also a cautionary tale about AI and how much we take at face value. Charlie and his friends are kinda the odd kids out at school but they are awesome gamers. When Charlie and Peter find an underground game and an AI figure that claims to be GOD, they think it's like the coolest thing ever. Then, though, things go wonky. I honestly don't know how to describe this- I'm not a gamer, a coder, or particularly knowledgeable about AI. The positive is that I learned a little about each of these. Tobey did a good job of creating characters you'll care about (and who you will want to tell to stop, just stop and think sometimes). Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. Not my genre but it's a page turner read and quite entertaining.

The God Game is billed as a psychological thriller, and it certainly lives up to that description. When the group begins playing The God Game, they are having fun viewing this fantasy world superimposed on the real world through their phones (think Pokemon Go), completing small tasks around the neighborhood and school, and earning rewards. But the more they play, the more the game tests them, demanding they perform dangerous and morally ambiguous challenges. When they refuse, it threatens them (and sometimes their friends and family) with exposing a secret, financial consequences, and sometimes violence. The story is really intriguing, as the reader is asked to play along with the characters. How far would you go if you were offered a way out of your shitty life? What would I be willing to do if my family was being blackmailed? There are no easy answers to these hard questions, and this book will make you examine your own values on every page.

The God Game was the quintessential I-can’t-put-it-down book, and that is attributable to Danny Tobey’s writing. Once the group gets into The Game, which happens in the first few pages of the book, it is nonstop. The characters are in a constant state of anguish, and the reader can feel that in every scene. Every decision is a difficult one, and as a reader I struggled along with them: first- and second-guessing, trying to plan three moves ahead, looking for a way out. It was gut-wrenching, at times.

The format of the writing contributes to the pace, as well. Each chapter is written from several perspectives, often give each character only a few paragraphs. This way of writing, flipping back-and-forth between POVs, is perfect for this story because the reader feels as though they are in a video game where they can switch views and modes, play with different characters, and explore different areas of the game world. Never once did I feel like I was taken out of the story. I was constantly immersed and engaged, at times my heart beating fast and my brain going a mile-a-minute.

This book had one major flaw, to me: the adult characters. While the teenagers were very well-written, whenever the adults made an appearance in the story I questioned their actions. They just did not seem very believable. The good news is, adults play a very small role in the story directly; thus, they are not much of a concern.

Overall, The God Game is a really good psychological thriller. I recommend it for fans of fantasy, sci-fi, and especially those who enjoy technology and/or video games as a plot device.