The Game

I was looking for a quick read that would keep me busy for a couple of days, and I decided to pull “The Game” off of the shelf. This short novel (perhaps novella?) by Linsey Miller was something that I scooped up the last time the local bookstore was having a sale. It looked like a quick, easy read, and it seemed to have all of the ingredients of a good story: mystery, intrigue, young love, adventure, drama–what more could you want? However, after turning the final page, I felt disappointed and a bit let down.

“The Game” tells the story of Lia Price, a remarkably average girl, who has always lived in the shadow of her successful older brother. Every year, the seniors at the local high school participate in a game of assassins; run by The Council, an anonymous body that governs the players of the game, teams of players attempt to eliminate their targets using brains, stealth, and modified water guns until there's only one person left standing. Assassins was something that Lia had been preparing for, studying for. With a detailed notebook that chronicled her classmates’ schedules, routines, hobbies, allergies, and other random information, Lia was going to emerge victorious, something even her brother couldn’t manage to pull off. Paired with her best friend Gem and her crush Devon, Lia was prepared to bring her team to victory.

As the annual game of assassins commenced, tragedy struck and players soon realized that someone wasn't playing by rules. As students began to turn up murdered, Lia and her friends had to figure out the killer’s plans and stop them before any more of their friends wound up dead. With a community in peril and citizens on high alert, this year’s game of assassins was unlike any before. As the pieces of the puzzle fell into place, fingers were pointed to an unlikely suspect, but diversion is merely part of the game.

As I’m writing this plot summary, and even as I read the plot description on the back cover, it seems as if this novel would be a gripping adventure, but everything seemed to fall flat. The adventure elements of the story seemed lackluster, like it was hard to gain traction and build to a true sense of action. There were a few times when the height of the action would be confusing, and I would have a hard time picturing the events in my mind which pulled me out of the story altogether. I wanted the action to be intense and dramatic, but it was often dull and predictable.

The characters seemed one dimensional and although it appeared as if they were trying to develop into something more complex they just never seemed to get there. The relationships between the characters felt superficial and lackluster, as if Miller were relying too heavily on teenage tropes and stereotypes.

It seems odd to say, given the subject of the book, but this is something that I would consider to be a very middle-level reader. It is short, which makes for a quick read, and I will say that there are a few moments peppered throughout that had me hooked, but I think that this would be suited for a younger reader or someone who is looking to spend a few hours with an easy read.

Overall, I had higher hopes for this novel, but it just didn’t meet the mark. However, if you are looking for a novel about high school mystery, intrigue, and murder, then you should feel free to give “The Game” a try.

2 out of 5 stars