I really loved the fast pace and the plot. I thought I knew what twist we were going to get but oh boy, I was so wrong, I'm still amazed.
Great final twist, I finished the book in one afternoon because I couldn't stop reading!

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? This is a young adult mystery where you have to follow the rules or your sister dies. Keeps you guessing

4/5 stars
this book spiked my anxiety up real high! felt like i was actually in the book! i loved diana urban’s debut novel, so this one was a must. i loved the suspense, the character development, and the relationships. the gaming aspect was also super fun! i can’t wait to read another book by miss diana, she never misses!

special thanks to netgalley and st. martin’s press/wednesday books for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.

This book has left me absolutely speechless. I genuinely think it might have some of the biggest plot twists I have ever read! I loved all of the characters that were included in this story and how each of them were connected to such a large part of the plot. The plot itself is so unique and carefully crafted, I couldn’t have been more pleased with it. I am such a sucker for thrillers that keep you on the edge of your seat, and this one did it for me! Also, it was the first thriller I’ve read for this month and it really set the ~spooky~ tone for fall.

As a member of Diana Urban's Street Team, I was lucky enough to get to read an early copy of this book.

I finished it at 3:13 a.m.

Am I tired? Yes.

Will I be tired and useless all day? Yes.

Was it worth it? YES!!

There were so many twists and turns and edge-of-your-seat moments. I thought I had it figured out and then something happened that had me second guessing everything. These are my favorite types of stories.

I loved it!

Now I need to get some sleep.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books for allowing me to read this book in exchange for a honest review!

THESE DEADLY GAMES is about sixteen year old Crystal, an upcoming pro-gamer, competing to join a tournament in NYC. Crystal and her sister Caelyn get into an argument as Crystal is dropping off Caelyn at school for a field trip she doesn't want to go to due to bullies. When Crystal is in class she receives an anonymous message from an unknown, hacked into her phone, app with deadly images of Caelyn held hostage against her will. The anonymous torturer demands Crystal play a "game" in order to save her sister. Crystal reluctantly agrees and has to follow along different tasks that put her life and her friends' life in danger.

After reading ALL YOUR TWISTED SECRETS, I knew I wanted another book from Diana Urban, real quick. Her writing and mystery/thrillers are very reminiscent to Karen M. McManus, who is most known for her ONE OF US IS LYING books etc. I love these kinds of stories, the fast paced, heart racing, thrillers that keep you guessing until the very end. Diana Urban does a fabulous job of doing just that. She definitely kept me wondering "what the eff is going on?" and I couldn't put the book down (or in this case my kindle). All the characters, including side characters, are well flushed out and the story is super well -written.

I really enjoyed this book and the author definitely kept me hooked until the very last page!

5 stars

Do you know what makes a thriller novel wonderful and unique? It is when I can half guess the culprit and still be shocked by the twists that come with it and several more after it. That is exactly what happened with These Deadly Games. This book is constantly filled with shocks and surprises in every chapter. I loved the characters and the mystery behind some of their backstories and their unique characterization in general. These Deadly Games was honestly the perfect example of a fun, terrifying, & twist-filled suspense/thriller novel and I hope I see it on everyone’s radar when it is released in February.

"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?" --- excerpt from These Deadly Games


WHAT THE HECK DID I JUST READ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WOW.
WOW.
WOW.

Ok, I caught my breath. Was that a doozy!!!! These Deadly Games, puts you on a WILD RIDE. I cant even describe to you the feeling I achieved after finishing this novel. These Deadly Games, was absolutely incredible and exceeded all expectations I had. This is an instant "made for the movies, type of thriller. I was blown away with the intensity and narration . Diana Urban's talent needs to be recognized!

This is a five star read and everyone needs to add this to their pre-order stack!!!

Thank you to Macmillan and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

These Deadly Games by Diana Urban is a terrifying YA thriller that is perfect for fans of Pretty Little Liars or the new Fear Street movies on Netflix. After reading the synopsis and seeing the cover, I had a feeling that I was in for an exciting ride. I read a lot of thrillers and I thought a YA thriller would be tamer in comparison. I had no idea though how scary this book would be!

The plot of this book revolves around Crystal Donovan, a high school who is part of a 6-person online gaming team. One day, she gets a horrifying text from an unknown number: a picture of her younger sister tied up. The person texting her insists that she must follow all of their directions or her sister will be killed. The things that the kidnapper asks her to do get increasingly more serious, until she's being asked to kill her friends.

Here's a thrilling excerpt from the beginning of Chapter 1:

"I was going to kill Zoey.
Heat simmered in my belly as I crept up behind her. She was oblivious to my presence, gazing over the stone balcony toward the forest. Rotting tree stumps littered the field below, but nobody lurked in the shadows.
Now was my chance to take her out.
My fingertips tingled as I slinked closer, the desire for vengeance flooding my veins. How should I do it? I could shove her over the balcony’s edge, but that wouldn’t guarantee a kill. We weren’t high enough from the ground, so it would depend on how she landed. I could shoot her, but my trembling fingers couldn’t guarantee my aim. And I needed her to die.
I sounded like some homicidal maniac, didn’t I?
Well, trust me—she didn’t deserve my mercy. Not after what she did."

After reading this excerpt, I knew that this would be a fast-paced, terrifying read, and I was right. I flew through this book in a day because I had to find out what happens next. Will Crystal be able to find the person who kidnapped her sister? Will Crystal be forced to kill all of her friends? What ambiguous moral choices will Cystal have to make in order to rescue her sister? Will the book have a happy ending or something more sinister?

One highlight of this book was the constant twists and turns. Just when I thought i knew what was going on, the author pulled the rug out from under me. The ending is especially climactic and really well-done. I couldn't believe what I was reading, and couldn't focus on anything else until I finished reading it. Overall, These Deadly Games is a perfect YA thriller. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of thrillers in general, I highly recommend you check out this book when it comes out in February!

I really enjoyed this book, but definitely think it’s more ya than for adults! I found it to be well written, with great character development, even though the characters weren’t very like-able, I still connected to them! I found it to be fast paced, fun, and fun to read! One of those that I wanted to get to the end, but also didn’t want it to end! Look forward to more by this author, as I enjoy the ya thrills to break up more demented read! Like the authors style, and have a feeling, that many will enjoy this one too! Highly, highly recommend!

Will buzz around platforms and use top Amazon reviewer number on release!

I loved the authors first book, so I was super excited to dive into this one. Unfortunately, I found this one moving a bit too slowly for my liking. I enjoyed the characters but they just did t hold my interest as much as I had hoped.

A deadly game has begun, with 24 hours to complete all the tasks given to her by an all seeing anonymous user and if she fails her kidnapped little sister will be killed.... but by completing the tasks she’s risking the lives of her friends. Crystal Donavan has a deep dark secret she shares with her friends, a secret they’ve all been keeping together for years. But one day Crystal suddenly gets a message with a picture of her little sister gagged and bounded threatening to kill her little sister if Crystal doesn’t play the game. At first she’s given fairly easy tasks: steal a test and drop it off in a locker, bake brownies, make a prank call.... but all of these have consequences that impact the lives of her friends. Soon Crystal is spiraling to try and find out who is behind it and how to save her friends and her sister. She can’t tell anyone or else her sister will be killed, and with the clock ticking and more tasks coming in, she will have to outsmart the gamemaster if she wants to be the last one standing. This book sounded like it would be right up my ally, unfortunately I had already figured out the entire mystery and who was behind it early on. No one is really likable in this story and honestly I don’t fault the gamemaster for doing what he did, because if you are looking from their perspective Crystal and her friends really messed up. I found certain decisions questionable and the whole revenge plan that the gamemaster had had me questioning how this was a sound plan at all??? Like???? seriously?? I did take into consideration that Crystal is a 16 year old girl who is dealing with a lot so she’s not going to make the best decisions and she does try her best. Overall an okay read, but it didn’t live up to my expectations unfortunately.

*Thanks Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

This is the type of book I have to put down and pick back up over and over throughout the book. And that’s not because it’s a bad book. It’s just the opposite. It’s a great book! I’m just one of those type of people that any time something makes me anxious I have to stop! lol.

This book is great because it really has a modern day feel to the kidnapping mystery. Gaming friends, on the hunt for the title and prize money, meet at Crystal’s house daily. But when Crystal’s little sister is kidnapped, she has to keep the secret and complete different tasks the kidnapper has set up or watch her sister die. However, some tasks seem have consequences – deadly consequences for her friends. Crystal is torn between the love for her sister and the trap that was set for her and her friends.

This is going to be a very popular book I think. It has all the right elements – suspense, thrill, misdirection, today’s technology, little bit of romance but not enough to make the book one of those blooks. 🙂 This book will definitely keep you guessing until the end… and even then will keep you on your toes. Great book, highly recommended.

These Deadly Games I found difficult to connect with. I had a hard time liking any of the characters and I need someone to like and root for in the books I read. The game concept was nice, but I felt like this was just not meant for me and rightly so, it is a YA novel. I read quite a bit of YA and some translate for a wider audience than others. With These Deadly Games I think a younger audience would like it much better.

I was very happy to be approved for this book, but I found the storyline just dragged.

Normally, I love thee types of books, but this one was not exciting in the least and the writing just did nothing for me.

Great story filled with twist and turns that make it so you can’t put it down. Crystal receives an anonymous text telling her she must play the game in order to save her sister. Crystal starts playing the game and all of her moves cause harm to her friends. Crystal wants to save her sister but what is she willing to do to keep her alive.

These deadly games kept me at the edge of my seat. Crystal receives a text from someone who has kidnapped her sister. Play the game, tell no one, and she will live. Each task has the potential to hurt her friends in the process. This story is a page turner that you will not want to put down!

What would you do to protect the ones you love? This story is full of twists, turns and mystery as Crystal must play a deadly game to help save her sister. I loved the pacing of the story and the plot development. I think that any of my student who have enjoyed One of Us is Lying will devour this book. Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion. I can't wait to check out Urban's debut novel and see what she puts out in the future!

I found this book to be really suspenseful and very entertaining! I didn’t see the twists coming - I was very surprised! The only thing was that I didn’t really enjoy the writing. I just didn’t think that the dialogue was very realistic; I couldn’t imagine real teenagers saying the things that these characters did. It just felt a little cheesy. But the plot was cool and I overall enjoyed this book!

I have to start by saying I loved this book! It kept me on the edge of my seat and turning every page (or scrolling on my phone, as it was). The Deadly Games starts with Crystal getting a text on her phone of her picture of her little sister tied to a chair, bound and gagged, and telling her she needed to play a game or else her sister dies. She can't tell anyone, can't call the police, nothing. Play the game or her sister dies. What comes next is a series of riddles, clues, random tasks meant to put Crystal through misery and also to put her friends in danger. Will Crystal be able to keep all of this a secret and save her sister? How much collateral damage might there be? And, most importantly, who is behind this?!?!?!

I hate to post about a book I loved so much when it doesn't come out until February of next year. It's like a mean tease. So- kids who are reading this- put this on your wish list and I promise when it comes out I will have it on my classroom shelf next year!