I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

WARNING: This review does contain spoilers

Linda moves to a seaside town to live a quiet life. She opens a bookstore and makes new friends. Life is simple–that is until the dead body washes up on shore. Linda is horrified to find that dead bodies and disappearing tourists are common for this small town.

As soon as the sun sets, the residents and tourists are stalked by dark shadows. But this is only the beginning.

Linda and her friends receive an unsigned invitation to a party at a deserted house. They are pursued through revolving rooms and dangerous traps, barely escaping with their lives. Two of their own remain trapped in the house.

Or so they think.

They must embark on a difficult journey, chased by unnatural creatures, not knowing whom to trust, to uncover the one controlling the game and everyone in town. Who are The Dead? Are they humans or vampires? Or a combination of both? Will there be an end to their evil game? Will Linda and Todd find love? Will a second book be needed?

The Dead Game has begun.

REVIEW

I’m a sucker for horror novels. If it’s twisted and dark then I am in. There’s something about the horror genre that I find really intriguing. Perhaps it’s the element of mystery and craving answers to the burning questions that you have. Trust me, I had a lot of questions when it came to this novel.

The Dead Game had me hooked from the get-go with its eerie setting of Oasis, a small coastal town, and the peculiar people that inhabit it. The characters were a delight in the novel and really well fleshed out. From the eccentric elders to the younger residents. I loved how frustrating it was always second guessing the characters because you weren’t sure who to trust.

I adored the sinister edge this book had and how it didn’t mess around. You don’t have to spend an eternity waiting for all the good action to happen because this book doesn’t mess around unlike End House which is full of traps and tricks for our unsuspecting characters.

This book definitely had me on my toes with all the twists and turns. However, I felt the reveal of what’s truly going down at Oasis was a little anticlimactic.

Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoyed reading The Dead Game and had a lot of fun doing so, but I was hoping for something more sinister than vampires.

I think my disappointment had a lot do with the fact that I got too caught up in the cult-sy witch vibe that it was giving off so when it was revealed that this was actual an on going war between two types of vampires. (I didn’t really pay an awful lot of attention to differentiate between who was what and what it meant.) I felt like the whole atmosphere of the book changed after we found out about the vampires and it lost it’s spooky touch and instead became a bit dull. Maybe it’s because the Twilight motion pictures forever ruined my ability to take vampire orientated stories seriously.

Overall, it’s an exciting supernatural thriller which has a lot of potential. While it did fall somewhat flat at the end, I would recommend it if you’re into the thriller/horror genre because the build up was terrifically written.

RATING
★★★