Book Review: Game by Barry Lyga (Jasper Dent #2)

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Release Date: April 16th 2013

Little Brown: Young Adult

520 pages (hardcover)

*** This will contain spoilers, as it is the sequel to a series so be warned!
Also I have a review for the first book in this series, I Hunt Killers, and you if would like to check it out click here, read it, read the book and come back here to discuss the sequel!

I told you guys I would do it. That I would immediately finish this series, starting with the sequel and I did. Oh I did.

I thought I Hunt Killers was dark and on the borderline of ‘Should I be reading this?’ I think this book broke the book boundaries as a reader. I began to take on the dark side of some books and I don’t know if I will turn back now. It’s not necessarily a bad thing cause’ this is me branching out in reading genres and I think I find myself liking this dark and thrilling genre.

Game, like its title sets a whole new game plan to Jasper and the lead to finding and taking out his serial killing father for good. Bodies are beginning to pile in New York and the NYPD want his help, and while this may seem odd or disbelieving for the police to want help from a 17 year old boy, I believe it, considering what I read in the last book about what Jazz can do. But what Jazz finds in New York is only the beginning to what he will find in the end, including his father.

This book, while it was still very good and gory for me, was a little setback from its first book. I think I expected more, or less, I don’t know but I just know it didn’t do it for me. Interestingly enough, this book also had multiple POV’s which did keep me reading when I felt it was getting slow. Not only do we hear from Jazz but his girlfriend, Connie, best friend and sex-hyped, Howie, and the killers that appear in this story including Jazz’s Dear Old Dad himself – Billy.

I was ecstatic for this change because this book became a lot darker and bloody and I needed the crack ups from Howie to keep me from bringing my food up. But like the first in its series, the suspense is top notch and maybe even more so when I realized I was biting my nail to keep me from reading the end to find out what happens. Which is why I have probably began to love thrillers because I am so impatient but the twists and turns kept me reading, plowing ahead until I figured it out on my own.

Which I did.

There are several times where I would think, “OH him! That’s the killer, I know it.” And then it would turn out not to be the killer but then I would be on track again and then not. Until finally just as I was about to give up, I found out who it was. This book is like playing Marco, Polo with the killer. He could be right in front of you, behind you, next to you, it’s basically madness!

But what I really enjoyed and ironically felt conflicted about was Jasper himself. In I Hunt Killers readers felt a sort of craziness in Jazz, something dark that lurked within him and it was completely expected based on what we learned about his childhood with Billy previously. However in Game you get to see a deeper darkness in him that is slowly finding its way out, bringing Jazz on the edge of insanity. Sex is a big thing with Jasper something that he is dreaming about, something on his mind and something he thinks will trigger him into a person like his father because his father abused sex and its abilities as something that was just there for him to take. Billy used sex as a ploy, as a way to get his victims to succumb to him and Jasper did not want that. It was odd to see him basically battle himself, his wants and needs, his control.
Though while his control doesn’t exactly break, it cracks. Jazz more understands what it must take to bring his father down, to finally rid himself of the guilt he has been desperately trying to hide from everyone and this makes my heart break more for him, for his conscience. At times throughout the book, Jazz was cold and readers could see how he could be like Billy, how Jasper could see himself like Billy and that scared me. I also believe it scared Jasper too.

This book brought so many new plays and players into the game it only makes the third book something to prepare for. It also worries me about how it will all end – Will Jasper get justice? Does his sexual dreams have a meaning? Who is the Crow King? Who is Jasper?

Also, WHAT WAS THAT CLIFFHANGER ABOUT?! I DID NOT WANT THAT.

Questions upon questions are circling in my head and are about to be answered being that the third and final book in this series, Blood of My Blood, is currently downloading itself onto my Kindle and I will be reading throughout the night until I find these answers.

Overall I gave this read 4 dark, suspenseful stars, and am ready for this killing spree to end! Thank you readers for reading and I hope you take a chance with this series despite its bloodiness, it is a book you will remember. I will be back with another blog post soon so,

Over and Out.