<strong>Book Review: Game On</strong>

lapetitepritt

Oct 5

Hello, bookworms!

Happy Wednesday, what are you currently reading? My life at the moment in utter chaos, I have so many things to do everyday that I'd need 72 hours each day to even come close to everything I should be done with. Also, House of Leaves is slowly killing me, it takes up so much of my time… If I had known how dense and complicated it were, I would have asked Juls and Syl to postpone our triddy, because October is Hell month, for me.

Anyways, today I am here with the review of one of my most anticipated releases of 2022, Game On edited by Laura Silverman, an anthology based on games.

About the book
Title: Game On. 15 Stories on Wins, Losses, and Everything in Between
Author(s): Laura Silverman et al.
Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers
Publication date: 18 January 2022
Pages: 448

Plot, as stated on Goodreads
A charming and inclusive YA anthology all about games—from athletic sports to board games to virtual reality—from editor Laura Silverman and an all-star cast of contributors. From the slightly fantastical to the utterly real, light and sweet romance to tales tinged with horror and thrills, Game On is an anthology that spans genre and style. But beneath each story is a loving ode to competition and games perfect for anyone who has ever played a sport or a board game, picked up a video game controller, or rolled a twenty-sided die. A manhunt game is interrupted by a town disappearing beneath the players' eyes. A puzzle-filled scavenger hunt emboldens one college freshman to be brave with the boy she's crushing on. A series of summer nights full of card games leads a boy to fall for a boy who he knows is taken. And a spin the bottle game could end a life-long friendship. Fifteen stories, and fifteen unforgettable experiences that may inspire readers to start up that Settlers of Catan game again.

My rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Review
As usual, I am going to individually review each story, then I am going to give you some general thoughts about the anthology. This time, I have specified the game behind each short story, as the anthology is based on games, sort of.

Let It Spin - Sona CharaipotraThe game was spin the bottle. Does anybody sense a bit of a queer vibe here? I liked it, but wasn't 100% satisfyied, especially by the ending. At first I thought I did like it, but thinking about it, I really didn't. The game was central but at the same time it wasn't, so I'm not sure.

Hell Week - Amanda Joy
The sport was cheerleading. It was a cute story and I think that it would have worked out very well as a full length novel, because that way the "rivals" part would have been longer and the payoff better. Nevertheless, for a short story with this plot it was enjoyable.

The Liberty Homes - Katie Cotugno
The game was Manhunt. I didn't like this, to be honest. The game was central but otherwise useless, and the plot felt very reminiscent of both IT and Stranger Things with a dash of Under the Dome. There were too many characters and I just didn't care.

Mystery Hunt - Gloria Chao
The game was a Linguistics treasure hunt. This was cute. As you may or may not know, aside from publishing, the other field of study I love the most is linguistics, so the idea was very nice to me. I didn't care for the romance, but I still found the overall vibe soft and fluffy.

She Could Be a Farmer - Nina Moreno
The game was a videogame. The story was too sweet for me, there wasn't anything that made me interested in it, especially because it was extremely boring and extremely predictable. I also did not like the writing style. It's the second short story by this author I dislike, so she probably just isn't for me.

One Of the Good Ones - Isaac Fitzsimons
The sport was football. This short story is the reason why I initially found out about the anthology, after having read and loved The Passing Playbook. The story itself was good, but I think it would have worked better as a full length novel and I hope the author will maybe one day write a book based on this one.

[I am not going to read/review Just Tell Them You Play Soccer by Anna Meriano, because I do not engage with content inspired by JKR books. I don't think this story should have been allowed in a 2022 anthology]

The Girl With the Teeth - Kayla Whaley
The game was a horror survival videogame. This story was strange but not my kind of strange. It was a weird mix of sci-fi and horror and unfortunately it didn't do anything for me. I found myself bored for most of it. I have read other short stories by this author, but I don't remember if they were as strange as this.

[I am not going to read/review Spite and Malice by Shaun David Hutchinson, because I do not support the author nor engage with his works, after his acephobic behaviour before the release of The State of Us]

Game of the Gods - Francesca Zappia
The sports were football and cheerleading. Sort of. I am sorry but this gets a gigantic no from me. I read Zappia's Eliza and Her Monsters some four years ago and I remember liking it, but after having read this short story, I am beginning to wonder: does she even know how to write? The laziness of the world building was astounding. If you decide to make life harder for yourself with a urban fantasy world, at least write something decent.

Do You See It Now? - Laura Silverman
The games were board games. It was really funny reading this story because yesterday I went to a board game, eat & drink bar with my friends. What wasn't funny was the theme, and while I think it was a bit rushed, I am a huge supporter of "All Men Sucks" kind of stories. It was good to see how it ended and I overall enjoyed this, despite its flaws.

Plum Girls - Kathleen Glasgow
I am not sure what the game was supposed to be. Some kind of initiation game to a sorority or something. Overall, I didn't like the story and I think it didn't fit the theme of the anthology, if not in the loosest of ways. It also didn't make any sense, the characters were flat and the writing style was too fake for me. You could tell the author was writing to make things quotable and to make you say wow, but spectacularly failed.

World of Wonder - Kimberly Jones and Gilly Segal
The games were various arcade and amusement park game plus a competition. I didn't like this either, things are going downhill... My main complain is the constantly shifting point of view, without any graphic breaks, between two characters with zero personality. I couldn't tell them apart. Moreover, the story was boring as heck.

Weeping Angels - Yamile Saied Méndez
The game was a game of tag inspired by Doctor Who. I am sorry, but it was boring. I was not the biggest fan of this author debut novel and I don't think I am going to pick up anything new by her, unless it's anthologies, because her writing always feels to surface level for me. While the topics are usually interesting and somewhat deep, the writing style and character building doesn't match that, which is a shame to be honest.

Night Falls - Kika Hatzopoulou
The game was a game of Mafia. Quick note: I don't like that it is called Mafia, in Italy we call it Murderer and I think everyone should adopt our terminology. This aside, I liked the story, even if the game was explained in too much detail for me that I already knew it. In general, I enjoyed it, despite some weird stylistic and typographical choices.

In general, I was expecting more sports, to be honest. Also, I thought the games were going to be more central to each story. With the exception of a few of them, they did not fully use the game aspect, in my opinion. Overall, it was a huge disappointment.

I will talk to you soon with a new recommendation post for Halloween!

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