I’m sharing another instalment of my Mini Review Mondays, the most recent of which was last week. In case you haven’t seen any of my previous posts, I do ‘mini’ reviews of books that I’ve previously read and am now ready to share my full thoughts about.
First up, I’d like to talk about The Traitor in the Game by Triona Campbell. Thank you to Lorraine Keating and Scholastic for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.
The sequel to explosive YA thriller A GAME OF LIFE OR DEATH: At the end of book one, Asha Kennedy (Lisbeth Salander for a new generation) uncovered the dark secret at the heart of Virtual Reality game ‘Shackle’ – You don’t play the game; it plays you – and must now go deeper into a dangerous world of corruption and greed: who is the puppet master of the game and what is their ultimate goal?
Set in New York, this is a whiplash-paced, twisty mystery and scorching romance where Asha’s enemies may be closer than she could ever imagine…
Perfect for fans of The Hunger Games and A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder. A guaranteed page turner full of heart, tension and twists you won’t see coming!
Publication Date: 29th February
TW: murder, death, PTSD, grief, flashbacks, terminal illness, death of a loved one, blood, violence, gore
My Thoughts:
The Traitor in the Game was one of those books that just utterly consumes you while you’re reading. I loved A Game of Life or Death but this was a true level up.
The terror in this book comes from just how believable its technological advancements (and their sinister undertones) are – you almost feel like we could be starting to slide down that path. Campbell’s background in the gaming industry really shines through with the level of detail and authenticity on page. These feels like the type of games the world would obsess over and they are beautifully realised on page. However, the terror also comes from the level of trust and love you have built up for our central team. They are all such well-crafted characters with their own quirks and burdens to shoulder. I enjoyed getting to see more of them and their witty, sometimes fiery banter between themselves and other teams.
In this series though, my heart utterly belongs to Asha. This is someone who has had their entire world demolished and everytime they start to love someone, something catastrophic seems to happen. I said it with A Game of Life or Death, but I’ll say it again because it’s worth repeating. Campbell’s depiction of grief is stunning in its rawness, its vulnerability and its messiness. Grief is not some simplistic experience, it is layered and it can make us the worst versions of ourselves at times. Asha is deeply hurt and channeling this into a destructive path of revenge occasionally, but you empathise with her all the while. Her character arc is one that I’m really enjoying and excited to see continue in the next book.
My heart was in my mouth for most of the final third of this book. It was so well built up to, with pacing that kept you glued to the page. I was not prepared for just how explosive these twists would be though. Campbell hits you with them thick and fast, but they still have a massive impact. Like Asha, you are overwhelmed and deeply hurt by the revelations.
The Traitor in The Game lives up to its title with a nefarious plot, but still retains its hope in humanity as a whole even as that light dwindles.
Next up, I’d like to talk about Medea by Rosie Hewlett. Thank you to Chloë Rose at Transworld Books for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Medea longs for a different life. Since childhood, she has been separated from her sister, shunned by her mother, and persecuted and tormented by her brother and father. All because of a unique and dangerous talent: witchcraft.
But when a dashing young hero, Jason, arrives to claim the famed Golden Fleece that her father fiercely protects, Medea sees her opportunity for escape. Her offer to help Jason overcome the trials set by her father sets in motion a journey that will test every ounce of her strength, magic and loyalty; a journey that will see her battle monsters, dethrone kings and fall in love.
When faced with the ultimate betrayal, Medea is driven to an act of desperation so brutal it rips apart the lives of everyone involved.
Publication Date: 21st March
TW: domestic abuse, violence, murder, death, child murder, sexual assault, rape, physical abuse, emotional abuse, gaslighting, manipulation
My Thoughts:
Medea is a force of nature. This is a book that will not allow you to forget it and nor should you.
Rosie Hewlett is my new one to watch in the sphere of Greek mythological retellings. In a crowded space, her writing has such nuance and ability to infuse its characters with a poignant complexity. I found this in her retelling of Medusa and was delighted to see it here again. Medea is a deeply flawed character, but Hewlett faces up to this and the extreme circumstances around her. If you enjoy stories that bristle with female rage, you’ll love this inferno.
There is no escaping the darkness and the inevitable ending you know is coming and Hewlett gives this such a weight that I cannot stop thinking about. Throughout the book, the questions of legacy and fate cast a shadow over every character and there is this metatextual awareness of the longevity of these warped narratives. You know what will happen, but you spend every page hoping that it will end differently this time.
The prose here is just sumptuous. I found myself totally transported and bewitched by Medea’s voice. It perfectly sat in that line of lyrical myth and accessible narrative – feeling fresh and different. In particular, I think the exploration of Medea’s early life and the trauma that results in is something I was less familiar with in Medea’s overall narrative. Therein lies the entire point – you know the parts shaped by men that erase the woman within to instead twist her into a simplistic caricature of the fragility of femininity. In reality, there stands a powerful witch who threatens the established order of patriarchal power and is forcibly torn down.
Medea is a wonderful Greek tragedy, giving voice to its fractured female characters. Hewlett just cemented herself as an auto buy author for me.
Finally, I’d like to delve into Dead Girls Walking by Sami Ellis. Thank you to Amulet Books for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Temple Baker knows that evil runs in her blood. Her father is the North Point Killer, an infamous serial killer known for how he marked each of his victims with a brand. He was convicted for murdering 20 people and was the talk of countless true crime blogs for years. Some say he was possessed by a demon. Some say that they never found all his victims. Some say that even though he’s now behind bars, people are still dying in the woods. Despite everything though, Temple never believed that her dad killed her mom. But when he confesses to that crime while on death row, she has no choice but to return to his old hunting grounds to try see if she can find a body and prove it.
Turns out, the farm that was once her father’s hunting grounds and her home has been turned into an overnight camp for queer, horror-obsessed girls. So Temple poses as a camp counselor to go digging in the woods. While she’s not used to hanging out with girls her own age and feels ambivalent at best about these true crime enthusiasts, she tries her best to fit in and keep her true identity hidden.
But when a girl turns up dead in the woods, she fears that one of her father’s “fans” might be mimicking his crimes. As Temple tries to uncover the truth and keep the campers safe, she comes to realize that there may be something stranger and more sinister at work—and that her father may not have been the only monster in these woods.
Publication Date: 25th April
TW: death, murder, emotional abuse, physical abuse, child abuse, PTSD, suicidal ideation, blood, vomit, fire, gore, religious abuse, traumatic flashbacks, branding, skeletons, violence, cannibalism, bullying, ableist language, gun violence, police brutality, terminal illness, transphobia (taken from TW list at the start of the book)
My Thoughts:
Dead Girls Walking was possibly one of my favourite YA horror reads in the past few years. It was just such a sublime, shiver-inducing read.
I adored Temple as a protagonist – she is shouldering an impossible weight with the legacy of her father. Her guilt is profound, as is her grief and both entirely control her to begin with. That emotional rawness is so striking on page. She also has a wicked sense of humour and a sardonic outlook on life that I very much enjoyed. You can watch some of those walls start to crack ever so slightly and then all hell breaks loose. Her character journey over the course of the book is astounding and deeply cathartic. I loved how Ellis chose to end the book in such a particular place. There is such a key theme of generational trauma and having to break the cycle by any means necessary. Amidst the bloodshed, there are some really moving moments and Ellis plays it pitch perfectly for me.
I went in expecting some carnage and I was delivered it. This is not a book that plays around. It is is up to its shoulders in blood and gore with some scenes that I definitely think rank up there with some iconic horror scenes. They’re just so twisted and creative – often shocking you and utterly pulling the rug out from under your feet. However, they never feel like they’re only there for shock value and serve a purpose in moving the story along. Ellis’ twists are exceptional as well. There are several moments where I audibly gasped and I am really excited for more people to discover the dark layers of this book. The pacing is spot on as well, allowing you to build up connections with these characters only to rip them apart.
Dead Girls Walking is an exceptionally arresting debut from a YA author you will want to keep your eye on.
A Short Book Lover 
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