Author: Eve SilverSeries: The Game, #3
Released: June 9th 2015
Publisher: Katherine Tegen
Length: 368 pages
Source: Publisher for review
Buy: Amazon
A thrilling action/suspense novel for fans of The Fifth Wave about contemporary teens pulled in and out of an alternate reality where battling aliens is more than a game—it's life and death.Miki’s life is falling apart around her. Her dad and best friend are lying in the hospital. The Game is glitching, making missions more frequent and more deadly. And someone close to her is waiting for the right moment to betray her.Miki feels like she’s hanging on by a thread and the only thing keeping her tethered is Jackson’s hand in hers. Yet telling him how much she needs him, how much she loves him, feels like the biggest challenge of all. And if Miki really wants the missions to end for everyone, she’ll have to let go and be ready to fight when the walls between the Game and reality come crashing down. Because if there’s one thing she’s learned, it’s that she’s got a whole lot left to lose.Crash is the pulse-pounding conclusion to the Game trilogy fans won’t want to miss.
I’ve been oddly fond of this trilogy from the very start. It was one of those strange situations when you can see the flaws in something quite clearly, and yet they do nothing to diminish your enjoyment or affection. Something about Silver’s story just clicked with me, and while I admit that it’s time, it saddens me to say goodbye.
Unexpectedly, Crash was an emotion-oriented novel. Based on the previous two books, I expected it to have much more action and suspense. But really, this book was about Miki’s fears and struggles, her uncertainties and her fight with depression. In Crash, Miki finally has to learn to trust Jackson completely, even though she was abandoned in one way or another by everyone else who ever mattered to her.
Things we suspected from the beginning, truths we dreaded the whole time, finally come to light. Accepting them is hard for Miki, but it’s much harder for Jackson after five years in the game and so many people lost. Even in such an action-filled trilogy, Silver didn’t botch her characterization. It was very difficult not to feel Jackson’s pain and hopelessness as everything he thought he knew slowly turned to ashes.
Silver gave us no easy solutions, no deus ex machina fixes for Miki and Jackson. Some things can’t just be taken away, and those pulled into the game suffered too much and changed far too much to just go back to their lives overnight. There are grave losses in this book and so many reasons for Miki to just give up and give in to her depression, but she never does. I have to say I admired her spirit throughout.
This is Eve Silver’s first trilogy for young adults, but I hope she’ll continue writing YA, and not just adult. She truly knows how to create characters we can love even when they’re not perfect and especially when they make difficult or even wrong choices.
A copy of this book was kindly provided by the publisher for review purposes. No considerations, monetary or otherwise, have influenced the opinions expressed in this review.
I remember reading RUSH a year or two ago and really enjoying it, actually! I never ended up picking up the sequel because I wanted to wait for this one to come out. I'm glad you liked it, and that this trilogy worked out well for you as a whole! Fabulous review, Maja!
ReplyDeleteI had no idea you liked this series as well Maja! So glad you read and liked this, even if I liked it more than you did. ;)
ReplyDeleteGreat review!
I still need to pick up book 2 for this trilogy! As a gamer, I was ecstatic to find out a YA series that revolved around playing a virtual game of sorts, although the premise seemed a bit far-fetched to be taken seriously. I enjoyed it somewhat though! I'm glad to see that the final book ended up satisfactorily although I am curious why it ended up being a 3.5 rating, since you praised it highly in your review. Were there any factors you ended up not liking?
ReplyDeleteFaye at The Social Potato
I have admired these covers of this series since they first come out. However, this sort of YA book isn't one that I would read usually. At the time a lot of books were surrounding this genre and I didn't the need to pick it up but hopefully it will change for me in the future. Great review, Maja. :)
ReplyDeleteI've seen this on another blog and realized I never knew about it. It sounds interesting - the fact that you loved it despite obvious flaws ;) Should I read it, oh, Wise One? :)
ReplyDeleteI saw another review about this book and it made me really curious. I'm always so anxious about last books but it sounds quite ok. Maybe one day.
ReplyDeleteI am a bit curious now too
ReplyDeleteI have wanted to try this series for awhile. I actually like somewhat of an emotional read, so I would probably like this third installment. Thank you for your review.
ReplyDeleteI've never read any of these, but that's great you enjoyed all the books even if they weren't perfect. I like that the characters weren't given easy exits though!
ReplyDeleteI've read her adult books and enjoyed them and have book one on my tbr list as the world and Miki's character sounds so interesting. I'm glad you enjoyed the ending of the series, Maja!
ReplyDeleteLovely review :)
I have RUSH as one of the books I must read for this month and I hope I will enjoy it quite well enough! Glad to hear you really enjoyed the whole trilogy, Maja, faults and all!
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