- Title:
- These Deadly Games
- Author:
- Diana Urban
- Release:
- February 1, 2022
- Format:
- Audiobook
- Narrator:
- Kate Rudd
Oh my me. These Deadly Games is the best thriller I’ve listened to in a good, long while. There’s never a moment where the danger ceases. It’s impossible to tell who can be trusted, as you’ll likely find yourself hoping Crystal will get her friends to help her.
I did find myself wishing the “five years ago” flashbacks had been a little less spread out throughout the story. They did help me figure out who was behind the threats, to a degree. I was “in the same ballpark”, so to speak. I wasn’t able to figure it out entirely, I just had a suspicion that I couldn’t prove.
I found the lingo insufferable. I fucking hate it when people say “IRL”, to mean “In Real Life”. As opposed to what?! Fake life!? I haven’t been in school for over a decade, so I can’t comment on how accurate the rest of the dialogue was. Though I will say everything felt well researched, it was easy to follow and made sense to me. I think people who don’t use a lot of technology or are even more behind the times than I am could struggle through.
I found These Deadly Games to be exciting, intense, and fun. It’s a thriller that’s actually thrilling. When most of the thrillers I read or listen to are passable at best, These Deadly Games stand out like a beacon of quality.
As for the audio narration, it’s alright. I’m always going to knock points off from anybody who can’t tell the difference between O and Zero. “3o1” isn’t a time. Her male voices were lacking and pretty awful, to be honest. Finally, at one point, a character was supposed to be speaking in an accent and I couldn’t hear it at all. Had it not been brought up in the dialogue, I wouldn’t have even known to make a note of it. Other than that, her narration for Crystal is really the only saving point.