Friday, April 19, 2013

BLOG TOUR + GIVEAWAY: The Game by Shane Collins
















Title: The Game
Author: Shane Scollins
Release Date: Mar 13/2013
Adquired: Ebook provided by author
Goodreads: ADD
Purchase: Amazon (FREE FOR KINDLE USERS DURING THE BLOG TOUR!)

No matter where you are, they’ll find you, and put you in “The GAME”.

Candice Laguna’s life is being systematically dismantled, by an unknown force, for a reason she can’t imagine. But she is about to become the unwilling star of a reality game competition the likes of which has never been broadcast to the world.

Just when things get darkest, a mysterious man snatches her from the grips of doom. He is a man who is not what he appears, and not who he says. He has no name and his motivation to help Candice is not what it seems to be.

THE GAME is a mystery/thriller with an unpredictable paranormal twist. It has action and adventure and plays up the everyday exploitation of reality television obsession gone wrong.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


The Game was definitely a mash-up of so many genres I love: psychological thriller and paranormal to name my top two. It started off going in one direction, and then completely threw me for a loop. It was quick paced, and took me only about 2 hours to read through. I could have done with more substance, more back story material, but I think the author achieved exactly what he must have been going for: a quick punch to the gut.

We are immediately introduced to Candice Laguna, and learn that she's somehow been placed in the middle of a sick and twisted "game": phone calls from strangers that know her name, losing her job, and threats made to the people she loves. Not too long after that, we meet Vince, the appointed "hero" of the plot, who seems to want nothing more than to catch the people running the "game," and stop them from claiming more victims. What ensues is a wild goose chase of sorts, with obstacles thrown in at opportune times, and even an insta-INSTA-love aspect for good measure.

I almost felt like-no, I DID feel like-I was reading a short story. The world and character building was next to non-existent, and what connection I felt to the characters was based purely on my fear for their life, and hope for their safety. However, despite that, The Game was definitely a page turner, and teemed with action from the first word to the last. The premise was GENIUS, and had the stirrings of a story line that would have been AMAZING had it been fleshed out, and filled in, a lot more. It touched on realistic and controversial topics, even though they mostly lurked in the background, and really made me want to pray for this world we live in.

The characters were distinct, and easy to differentiate between, and again, I felt like I just wanted Shane Scollins to delve DEEPER into their lives, tell me EVERYTHING there was to know about them! Sadly, we were only given a taste, but I really enjoyed what he offered. Candice was a strong female lead, with a feisty attitude, and some profound dialogue. Vince played his hero role to a tee, and I only fell harder for his character as the book went on, and we were given the truths from past. I also really enjoyed Alexis, a sort of "side-kick" of Vince's, and I so wish we got to hear more from her.

The PUNCH to the gut for me, in a good way of course, was the paranormal plot twist thrown in near the last quarter. I did not see it coming at ALL, but found myself welcoming it with arms WIDE open. It was like "Oh heeey there! I know YOU!". My good friend paranormal. I absolutely loved what the author did with the story line from that point forward, and it was easy totally easy to ignore the lack of character development once that piece of magic was thrown in. I highly recommend reading this book in it's entirety. It has something for almost every genre reader to appreciate.


Recommended for Fans of: psychological thrillers, mystery, and paranormal.



----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------







Shane Scollins is a freelance writer and author. Originally from New Jersey, he now resides in Upstate New York with his wife, Heather. He has worked as an automotive service manager, a website developer and a computer network engineer. Primarily a science fiction and paranormal novelist, Shane enjoys taking readers on surprising and unexpected journeys that twist reality. He is currently working on his next book.


Contact Links:


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



a Rafflecopter giveaway
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thank-you to the YA Bound Girls for hosting this tour, and to Shane Scollins for sending me a copy of his book!


CLICK HERE to follow the rest of the tour

No comments:

Post a Comment

Comment love is always appreciated! =)
I will always try my best to comment back!