(3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 for Netgalley)

"These Deadly Games" by Diana Urban offers an engaging premise with a mix of suspense and mystery, but falls slightly short in execution, earning it a middling 3.5-star rating. The plot revolves around a group of teens who become entangled in a deadly game that quickly escalates beyond their control. While the initial setup promises an adrenaline-fueled ride, the pacing often falters, with moments of sluggishness interrupting the overall flow. Despite this, Urban succeeds in crafting a narrative that keeps readers guessing until the very end, with enough twists and turns to maintain intrigue.

Where the novel truly shines is in its characters, each one vividly portrayed with their own motivations and secrets. From the charismatic leader to the quiet observer, Urban expertly weaves together their personalities, adding layers of complexity to the story. However, some character development feels lacking, leaving certain relationships feeling underdeveloped and motivations unclear. While the diverse cast adds depth to the narrative, there are missed opportunities for deeper exploration of their backgrounds and motivations.

Overall, "These Deadly Games" is a decent read for fans of the thriller genre, offering a compelling plot and a diverse cast of characters. While the pacing may drag at times and some character arcs feel underdeveloped, Diana Urban delivers enough twists and suspense to keep readers engaged until the final page.

This gripping mystery with a unique video game twist had me hooked from the start! The author masterfully weaves a web of suspense that kept me guessing until the very end. The high stakes and intricate plot unfold at a breakneck pace, making it nearly impossible to put down. For fans of fast-paced mysteries like One of Us is Lying or A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, this is a must-read!

Note: I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for the free ebook! Review is my own.

This was a great young adult thriller. We follow or main character as she tries to beat someone at a hellish game they created just for her. The stakes for losing are possibly just as high as the stakes for winning each game along the way. This book was fun read once I got into!

This one was a little meh. The writing was good but the plot a little predictable. This would be perfect for anyone getting into the thriller genre.

This was incredibly fast paced and had my poor heart pounding as the story kept going. I loved the cast of characters, and the plot with the impossible life choice that our poor, poor FMC had to make.

It actually felt very realistic to me, which added to the terror that this book invoked. I might even have loved the ending, which isn’t necessarily an HEA but felt like it had a really good resolution. All in all if you want a really big emotional roller coaster, then read this book!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for giving me a free eARC of this book to read in exchange for my review!

A gripping and horrifying page turner, THESE DEADLY GAMES will keep you guessing until the very last chapter! I was completely spellbound and terrified! 10/10 highly recommend! Put this one on your TBR and in your classroom library STAT!

Thank you to @stmartinspress for the #gifted copy of the book. What a wild ride! This was such a good suspense thriller. It kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I loved the concept of Gaming gone bad in this YA thriller. I did figure out the whodunit pretty quickly but I still found myself quickly turning pages until the bitter end! I can't wait to read the next on by this author.

I really enjoyed Diana Urban's books and I'm not sure why there hasn't been more talk about this, it's fantastic!

Thank you to netgalley for my copy to read and review.

Oh my God the suspense in the book killed me. This kept me on the edge of my sit. It was hard to put this down honestly. This is the first time I've read Diana Urban and I'm officially a fan. It's honestly a wild ride given what the kidnapper was making crystal do whike keeping it a secret from everyone. I really liked how quicly everything kicked off. I really enjoyed the pacing. It's was fast paced and it flowed well together given the flashbacks every few chapters. Which brings me to another point thanks to those I was able to figure out who was behind everything fairly quickly and early on. So not really sure if it hurt the whole who's doing it aspect or not. The whole friend group hadn't really healed from the incident 5 years prior. So theyre very tight lipped about and very close to one another. The group is pretty well rounded and they played off each pretty well. Though the tension between Crystal and Zoey got on my nerves on times just for the fact that it was mostly petty crap to get mad about. I honestly can't wait to read more by this author. I'm actually about to start reading All Your Twisted Secrets.

I'd seen These Deadly Games everywhere and I was so convinced it'd be my favourite read of the year. When I did read it there was a bit of disjointed narrative that impeded the flow of reading but overall it got from point A to B with minimal confusion. Characters were touch and go but I loved Crystal's back and forth mentally on her predicament.

The premise of this book is what drew me in and I loved all the talk about gaming and gaming tournaments. This was a gripping story and kept me entertained but it did seem a bit much. I would suggest this for anyone who likes gripping young adult thrillers that don't mind a story line that is a bit far fetched.

DNF @ 10%

I normally make it a little further into a book before setting it aside but I am very unfamiliar with video games and it seems to be a main theme in this book so I decided to just set it aside for now. I am sure a younger person will enjoy this thriller

Winning a gaming contest and getting the prize money is what Crystal and her friends are counting on to solve their problems. Crystal is forced to complete a series of tasks to save her sister's life after she is abducted.

Diana Urban is a master at using language. Reading becomes exciting with her clever sentences, Urban's meticulousness ensured no plot point was left unanswered. As someone older than the intended readers of THESE DEADLY GAMES, I found it hard to connect with the online gaming and its portrayal as an esport, although I don't think this would be an issue for teenagers. My understanding of AI is basic, and I failed to comprehend all of the technology.

THESE DEADLY GAMES is a psychological/thriller, as well as a mystery. Often, books advertised as thrillers are really just mysteries that lack tension. Heart-thumping moments fill the pages.

I find many characters to be sympathetic, but I don't think any of them are truly good or nice. The friendships didn't make sense to me as the teens didn't seem to enjoy each other's company. Almost everyone treated others unkindly.

The theories I had about the kidnapping were incorrect. I didn't correctly guess who was responsible.

This is the second book I’ve read by this author. I’m starting to think her books aren’t for me.

I did not like the characters at all.
They all felt so uninteresting and bland. The MC Crystal (I forgot her name every time that’s how uninteresting she was) was really dumb. I didn’t like her at all.

This novel is a YA mystery thriller but to me there wasn’t very much mystery to the story. I figured it out immediately.

I was really disappointed in the ending too which didn’t help with my feelings overall.
The one positive thing I can say is that it’s a very quick read and interesting enough to keep you going.

Really hard for me to get into this book. It wasn’t my cup of tea. I did not really enjoy it that much. I finished it but would not read it again.

a page turning, must find out what happens kind of read. if you are a fan of Karen M McManus, then this will be right up your alley. There were a couple times where I was questioning myself and if I knew who really was the mastermind.

I'm conflicted on this, because it was gripping in that I really wanted to find out the culprit, but it was also pretty ridiculous and far-fetched. Maybe I'm too old for this but it just felt so absurd that I couldn't suspend my disbelief.

However like I said I did want to keep reading, so I've settled on a 3 star!

Started strong but ultimately didn't hold my attention, a little far-fetched, but might work for some inexperienced thriller fans.

This book sounded interesting from the blurb, but I found the writing to be slow and couldn't connect with the characters. It's a great premise but the writing didn't work for me. Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.