Title: Game
(Jasper Dent #2)
Author: Barry Lyga
Genre: YA, Thriller, Horror
First published: April 16th 2013
Finished reading: July 19th 2015
Pages: 520
“Well, of course it was Billy screwing with his mind. That’s what Billy did. Dear Old Dad had a PhD in mind screwing. The question was, was it just Billy screwing with his mind?”
How do I even start describing my love for this series?! I almost feel I need to invent a 6 star rating just to express how much I have been enjoying the first two books of the Jasper Dent series. The mystery/thriller/horror genre is one of my favorites and Barry Lyga has moved straight to the list of my favorite authors of that genre. Game is, like I Hunt Killers, simply a masterpiece; disturbing, scary, brilliantly written and it keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole time. And that ending! I normally don’t like cliffhangers, but in this case the author is forgiven. What a plot twist and a way to end this sequel! The pace is fast and Barry Lyga does a more than excellent job of describing the main character Jazz and his inner conflicts. Growing up with his Dear Old Dad being an infamous serial killer definitely left its mark… But I love how determined he is to fight his destiny and hunt down both his dad and the newest serial killer in town. If you haven’t read this series yet and enjoy the genre: this one is a definite must-read!
WARNING: do not read this summary if you haven’t read I Hunt Killers yet! It will most likely contain spoilers, even though I’ve made sure to keep it short.
Jazz thought he was finally free of his serial killer dad Billy back when he was sent to prison four years ago… But Dear Old Dad managed to escape and is haunting his boy yet again. Jazz is desperate to prove he will not follow in his father’s footsteps. When a NY detective asks for his help in the Hat-Dog Killer case, he decides it’s time to do as his new tattoo says and ‘hunt killers’. Not everybody agrees to his presence in New York and it looks like the Hat-Dog Killer wants to play with both him and his girlfriend Connie. And what has his father to do with all of this? Jazz doesn’t think his father can resist his urge to kill for to long…
I know it looks a lot like I am fangirling all over the place, but this series is just SO good. Game was just as brilliant as the first book, I Hunt Killers, and definitely left me wanting for more. The prose, the setting, the characters, the suspense… Everything justworks perfectly together. If you add that up with a dose of creepy and even a little humor, you have the ingredients for the perfect YA thriller/horror read. Seriously addicting and without doubt worth reading!
AHHHH! I’ve been waiting for your review, haha. 🙂
This series is just so perfect and I really can’t wait to start the next book!
Game definitely had some crazy things going on and the ending, ahhh! I kind of had a feeling, but when I seen it I was like AHHHH OMG! haha.
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Haha I so love this series! I’ve been trying to resist reading the last book, but I know I will end up reading it before the end of next month. And only because I’m going to read the Lucky Day novella in between. 😉 The ending of Game was a mayor plot twist bomb and I just NEED to find out what happens next.
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I’m thinking of getting the novellas now that I have the extra money! I definitely plan to read the last book in August though! 🙂 Barry Lyga added me back on Goodreads and I noticed that he posted a new blog post about the series, but I am holding back from looking at it, because it has spoilers from the last book. lol!
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Sounds great! I’m following him on Goodreads as well but I’m trying to stay away from his posts because of the spoilers like you… I’m really looking forward to read the novellas and the third book. 😀
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Omg I really have to read this series, like, NOW. Your reviews are having me so tempted to start I Hunt Killers today, I swear. 🙂 I really have to read this. Great review!
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Yessss this is easily one of my favorite reads so far this year and Barry Lyga one of my favorite new authors… His books are awesome. 😀
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Yay that’s great! ❤
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I’ve had the first book in this series in my TBR pile for quite a while – need to bump it up!
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It’s definitely worth reading!
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I told you that the cliffhanger would be good! I think I liked I Hunt Killers more in terms of characters and story but I liked Game more in terms of the ideas and plot building. Like that Monopoly plot? So freaking confusing until you learn and then it all starts to make sense!
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I can definitely agree with that! It took me some time to figure out the whole Monopoly plot as well… But it was definitely brilliant. I can’t wait to read the third book! 😀
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Oh I haven’t heard about this series but it looks like one I definitely need to pick up! Great review 🙂
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It’s such a great YA thriller/horror series! Definitely recommended.
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You should totally just rate it 6 our of 5 stars 😀
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Haha I should!
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