Diana Urban

Diana Urban's These Deadly Games is a must-read, propulsive YA thriller with deadly stakes, stunning twists, and a shocking ending you'll never forget—perfect for fans of I Know What You Did Last Summer and One of Us Is Lying...

These Deadly Games

Let’s play a game.

You have 24 hours to win. If you break my rules, she dies. If you call the police, she dies. If you tell your parents or anyone else, she dies.

Are you ready?

When Crystal Donavan gets a message on a mysterious app with a video of her little sister gagged and bound, she agrees to play the kidnapper’s game. At first, they make her complete bizarre tasks: steal a test and stuff it in a locker, bake brownies, make a prank call.

But then Crystal realizes each task is meant to hurt—and kill—her friends, one by one. But if she refuses to play, the kidnapper will kill her sister. Is someone trying to take her team out of the running for a gaming tournament? Or have they uncovered a secret from their past, and wants them to pay for what they did…

As Crystal makes the impossible choices between her friends and her sister, she must uncover the truth and find a way to outplay the kidnapper… before it’s too late.

Author of All Your Twisted Secrets, Diana Urban’s explosive sophomore novel, These Deadly Games, will keep you riveted until the final twist is revealed.

Courtney Passio

Syahla Aurel

** spoiler alert **
           But someday, I was going to find him. Someday I was going to beat him at his own game. And I couldn't wait to play.

I don't really enjoyed the writing style since it made me cringe a little, but it was still nice to read because it made you guess. Although it made me wonder how can the MC stupidly follow "these deadly games" instruction if she knew that it will definitely hurt her friends? Yes, I realized that is the entire point of the story, but 60 percent of the book is about her repeatedly harming everyone. This also leads me to believe that Andrew lacks a clear motive; sure, Crystal killed Brady by mistake, but it was still not her fault?

Sara Uribe

I received this eARC in Exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

These past few years I’ve steered clear from reading YA. The last few books I’ve read that were YA I just didn’t seem to enjoy as much as I used to. So picking up this book and actually liking it really surprised me. Since I’ve never read this author before, I was really excited to see what her writing was going to be like. The second I started reading this book I knew it was one that I wouldn’t be able to put down easily. I thought that this book was really good. It was fast paced and filled with tons of twists and turns. I was heavily invested and often kept putting the book down because it was making me too anxious. I desperately wanted to know who Anonymous was but, at the same time I didn’t. I found both the plot and the ending of this book very shocking and it genuinely surprised me. I truly didn’t see that coming. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

devin.reads

**Huge thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this arc free of charge in exchange for an honest review.**

This is a book that is very suspenseful, shocking, and will pull at all your heart strings. This YA psychological thriller will have you sitting at the edge of your seat. There are a few twists to the story, a few kind of predictable. Overall, I found this book to be creative, full of action and twists that will keep you glued to the book and story.

Sven Test

The way that my heart is racing after what I just read, especially the last few chapters…
Diana Urban truly knows how to craft a heart-pounding YA thriller.
When the book says, “These DEADLY Games”, take that very literally. Crystal has been obsessed with games. Unfortunately, she ends up becoming the game when she receives a message from An0nym0us1 telling her to complete a series of games and if she doesn’t, or tells anyone, her sister will die.
The games started very innocent, but later on you learn they have a deadly ulterior motive, ones I couldn’t have seen coming. As each game gets worse, you truly feel like you’re right there with Crystal. I would be gasping out loud every time one answer would start unfolding, only to get a million questions back.
This book makes you doubt and second-guess left and right with all the plot-twists and turns. You really can’t trust anyone, not even Crystal’s closest friends. They all collectively have a deadly secret they’ve kept quiet for years, which changes everything.
Overall, THESE DEADLY GAMES is a heart-pounding YA thriller that will take you on a roller-coaster ride of twists and turns you won’t see coming.

Holly

kendall p

These Deadly Games is a fast faced, suspenful YA thriller that will suck you in from the beginning. 

Crystal Donavan receives an anonymous text stating she must play the game if she wants her sister to live. She only has 24 hours and the clock starts ticking as soon as the book starts. 
The story is a mix of two mysteries in one. The characters are all hiding a mistake that happened when they were eleven. We get bits and pieces of it - a few flashbacks until it all comes together. Diana does a great job at keeping readers engaged in this aspect. She sprinkles in a few hints of the past, then starts with very small flashbacks. 
This book sucks you in from the very beginning. It’s like watching a horror movie. My heart was racing the whole time. I constantly found my getting anxious, or nervous for what was to come. 
It’s been a while since I read a thriller that was this good. 
This book was shocking, and full of plot twist. I found myself getting so angry, but in a good way. It’s so easy to become completely wrapped up in the book. All the characters are fleshed out to a sublet point, but there is good representation. Reading Crystals struggles with panic attacks really tugged on my heartstrings. While she did do some things that I rolled my eyes at, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for her. Especially toward the end. She was under a lot of stress, and she’s been through a lot. It was hard not to feel sympathetic for her at times. 
The author does include a lot of modern day lingo, and mentions. Some of it made me cringe, but some of it worked. It’s just personal preference. 
The ending was shocking, it just seemed like the plot twist never ends. The reveal too, oh gosh. 
Overall, I think this is a must read for any YA thriller lovers. It reminded me why I love this genre so much.

* I was given an e-arc of this book through netgalley by St. Martins publishers for an honest review.

Megan Leprich

I've never read anything else by this author before so I have nothing to compare her writing to but the writing style wasn't bad. Maybe I'm getting too old for the young adult variety of thrillers but this one was a little too out there and farfetched for me. I'm sure a teenager reading this book would really enjoy it but as an adult reading all the scenarios that played out, it was a little too unbelievable.

Crystal receives an anonymous message on a mysterious app of her sister being bound and the kidnapper wants her to play their game. She must complete some bizarre tasks and if she fails to complete them, her sister dies. Then Crystal realizes all these tasks are meant to hurt or possibly kill her friends so she must make the impossible choice; does she keep her friends sage or save her sister?

Not a terrible young adult thriller by any means, just wasn't that great to me. The beginning did suck me in with the little sister getting kidnapped but I kind of lost interest along the way. The twists were pretty predictable and I didn't really care for any of the characters. It had an intriguing concept and was pretty faced paced, overall a solid three stars.

*Many thanks to Wednesday Books for the gifted copy for my honest review!*

Kassia Skorzewska

This book kept me HOOKED right up until the end!! I thoroughly enjoyed the plot of the book, and the fear Crystal felt for her sister Caelyn is the fear only someone who has a sibling would know. Knowing Andrew didn’t die at the end leaves the book open for a sequel, so hoping there’s a second book coming! Crazy how one little secret from years ago can lead to revenge being taken. 

Brooke Barnett

It was confusing and I still couldn't tell you what the ending was.

Ashton Reed

Holy mother of stress, this book KILLED me the whole time - yet somehow I couldn’t have stopped reading even if a psycho had texted me on an anonymous app to blackmail me… 👀

Goodreads synopsis:
When Crystal Donavan gets a message on a mysterious app with a video of her little sister gagged and bound, she agrees to play the kidnapper’s game. At first, they make her complete bizarre tasks: steal a test and stuff it in a locker, bake brownies, make a prank call.

But then Crystal realizes each task is meant to hurt—and kill—her friends, one by one. But if she refuses to play, the kidnapper will kill her sister. Is someone trying to take her team out of the running for a gaming tournament? Or have they uncovered a secret from their past, and wants them to pay for what they did…

As Crystal makes the impossible choices between her friends and her sister, she must uncover the truth and find a way to outplay the kidnapper… before it’s too late.

This thriller was EXACTLY the insane page-turner I needed to get me speed-reading again, my GOODNESS! I couldn’t tell you if anything in this book could happen in real life, but that’s why it’s fiction. I was creeped out the entire book, racking my brain as Crystal racked hers trying to figure out a dang solution to this crazy, impossible situation. The pacing is incredible, keeping my heart rate (probably too) elevated and my mind continuously blown after every twist.

A major hit apart from the “thriller” things was the cast of characters; Diana Urban did a fantastic job of crafting relatable, realistic, and lovable characters that you really didn’t want to die, you know?? I honestly loved them all, which contributed a lot to my stress because I was so scared for them HAHA.

I have to say (partially to brag but also because it feels necessary) I did predict the culprit around 50% into the book 😶. Honestly, I was actually surprised when I went back into my ebook to find the actual percentage, because I didn’t think it was that early. BUT I consider that a positive; so much happens in the last 50% that it didn’t matter than I had my suspicions early on. Plus, I don’t think it was Diana Urban’s fault. In fact, I thought she did a fantastic job of creating red herrings and making me question my own predicting abilities. From a literary standpoint, I realized there was only person it could be; however, there were a lot of blanks I still needed filled in by the end reveal, and I was SO shocked by how all the various threads weaved together. But that’s definitely all I’ll say on that because I don’t want to spoil it for you!

I don’t read thrillers often so I’m no expert, but this was definitely a hit for me! I felt so stressed the whole read but in the best way, and I so so enjoyed everything about this story! I highly recommend if you enjoy thrillers or are in a thriller mood, or if you’re looking for a fast-paced YA with great characters and an intense plot!

*I received an e-arc of These Deadly Games from Wednesday Books and Netgalley; all opinions are my own. It was published February 1st, 2022.*






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Maegan Kennedy

** spoiler alert **
           Rating: 4.5⭐️ 

Thank you to Wednesday Books for gifting me an arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Diana Urban’s debut novel, All Your Twisted Secrets, is one of my favourite YA mystery novels, so I was extremely happy that I got accepted to read her upcoming release! 

This book follows Crystal as she tries to save her sister’s life while also trying to keep her attempt a secrets from those she loves around her.

There is so much deceit, lies, and vengeance I’m this story making it insanely intense. While I had my speculations of who “anonymous1” was but this book kept me second guessing myself with every new chapter. I was on the edge of my seat while reading this one, desperate to figure out what was happening alongside Crystal. 

The characters were fun to get to know and they’re friendship was goals. They’re a tight nit group of gamers who don’t care what other people think of them, all while trying to win a gaming tournament and some money to help each other out. 

Even if you’re not the biggest fan of murder-mysteries, I highly recommend checking out Urban’s debut as well as this one when it comes out February 2022! You won’t regret it!

Genesis (@whisperingchapters)

The way that my heart is racing after what I just read, especially the last few chapters… 

Diana Urban truly knows how to craft a heart-pounding YA thriller. 

When the book says, “These DEADLY Games”, take that very literally. Crystal has been obsessed with games. Unfortunately, she ends up becoming the game when she receives a message from An0nym0us1 telling her to complete a series of games and if she doesn’t, or tells anyone, her sister will die. 

The games started very innocent, but later on you learn they have a deadly ulterior motive, ones I couldn’t have seen coming. As each game gets worse, you truly feel like you’re right there with Crystal. I would be gasping out loud every time one answer would start unfolding, only to get a million questions back. 

This book makes you doubt and second-guess left and right with all the plot-twists and turns. You really can’t trust anyone, not even Crystal’s closest friends. They all collectively have a deadly secret they’ve kept quiet for years, which changes everything. 

Overall, THESE DEADLY GAMES is a heart-pounding YA thriller that will take you on a roller-coaster ride of twists and turns you won’t see coming.

Josie

I received this novel from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion and I loved it! When our main character, Crystal Donavan, receives a picture of her little sister bound and gagged, she’s forced to play the kidnapper’s sick, twisted game. The catch? She can’t tell anyone about the messages or go to the police; if she does, her sister dies. This book kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I loved Crystal’s drive and her dedication for wanting to save her sister. Although the plot twist was unexpected, it didn’t seem logical to me, but it was still enjoyable. Diana Urban is an author I will continue to support and whose books I will continue to read. 

laura

* I got this book review for the publisher*
I overall really enjoyed this book. I thought it was a ver pull no punches thriller. This book was one that caught me be suprise in the first half, sort of GRMM... Nobody is safe book. I also really enjoyed the characters we meet in this read. I also really loved all the games at the heart of this read!! It was very quick read and one that I had hard time putting down!! Being in the main character head was hard at points but I am curious to see if we will see thesse characters again. It was really engaging thriller and def a new favorite by this author!!

Lily D

*thank you to Netgalley and Diana Urban for the arcs in exchange for an honest review*


Okay y'all this book blew my mind! In this book we follow Crystal who is forced to play these games or else her sister will die. At the first the games are bizarre but then they get deadly. 
First of all I loved the characters, I loved how they all interacted with each other. I also loved how many little mysteries us readers were trying to solve before the reveals. I am warning you that if you read this book pain is in your future! I nearly cried like 3 times. 
This book was faced paced and the action started on page like 26! I never wanted to put this down!! I was always on the edge of my seat wanting to know what happens next, yet not wanting to because I didn't want anything bad to happen. This twist and turns had me gaping and questioning my sanity. This book I can't tell how good it was, you just have to figure it out yourself! (By reading it plz)
If you love complicated characters, intriguing mysteries, lots of pain, and deadly stakes I highly highly recommend you picking up a copy of These Deadly Games when it comes out! (Feb 1st 2022!)

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A brand new YA heart pounding thriller that will definitely keep you guessing until the end! 

I literally can’t compose myself enough to type out this review. I’ve been in a thriller slump for a bit and These Deadly Games is exactly what I needed to pull me out of it! As soon as I saw a this game-inspired trope while scrolling on my instagram feed, I knew I NEEDED to read it. Not only was I able to read it, but I was lucky enough to read it early and now I’m here to tell all of my fellow thriller fans, PICK THIS UP (once the book releases or course.) 

We follow a crew of six friends who’s only worries are seeing which of the five of them will compete in a gaming tourney for a chance to win three million dollars— but is that their only worry? Or do they all of something at stake if they’re not one of the five? Or .. maybe.. is there a deeper darker secret? One that’s been haunting them? BUT THEN Crystal (our main characters, little sister goes missing and she is forced to play a game with deadly consequences. 

Never have I ever doubted what I knew about a story as much as I did this one. Even when I was pretty sure I THOUGHT I knew what was going on, I still couldn’t trust myself to be thinking right and putting things together right. I will say, I did guess who was behind everything but I never figured out why until later on in the story. This book is full of plot twists and a ton of doubt which made for a fantastic thriller. 

There are TW that Diana has listed herself in the review section on Goodreads of her book in case you were curious about any! 

I’m 100% a believe that Diana Urban is the kind of author that only gets better with each of her book releases and I can’t wait to see what she has in store for us next! 

Aubrey Erskine

Crystal is obsessed with video games and she’s good, like really good. Good enough that her and her friends have a chance at some serious prize money at a huge competition. Then her sister is taken and her priorities shift. Her friends and even Crystal herself are hiding secrets and one might have just come back to bite them all in the as*. 

These Deadly Games was a fast-paced thriller that really left no room for character development but instead is all plot. I really couldn’t tell you anything about Crystal or her friends beyond that I have no idea why they’re friends because no one seems to like each other. There’s some major blackmailing, kidnapping and even death. I was so into this book though and sped read it just to see who the heck was behind it all.

Take the title seriously. Obviously I knew this was going to be a book about a girl completing tasks to save her sister, but it seemed kinda low stakes at first. Steal a test, bake some brownies, make a prank phone call. It all seemed so simple at first, but that changes fast as the games get more deadly. We know something happened in the past, just not what or how/if it even connects to what’s happening now. 

I was immediately suspicious and had some possible suspects but it seemed too easy. Glad to say I was initially wrong but the dots are easy to connect the deeper into the book you get. The plot kept me enthralled and I was trying to figure out who was behind everything up until the very final pages. These Deadly Games is a very dark book that had me at the edge of my seat and embarrassingly unable to sleep after.

These Deadly Games

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