Thursday, August 27, 2015

Public Enemies by Ann Aguirre: Review

Synopsis:

Learn the rules of the game…and then play better than anyone else.

Through a Faustian bargain, Edie Kramer has been pulled into the dangerous world of the Immortal Game, where belief makes your nightmares real. Hungry for sport, fears-made-flesh are always raising the stakes. To them, human lives are less than nothing, just pieces on a board.

Because of her boyfriend Kian’s sacrifice, she’s operating under the mysterious Harbinger’s aegis, but his patronage could prove as fatal as the opposition. Raw from deepest loss, she’s terrified over the deal Kian made for her. Though her very public enemies keep sending foot soldiers—mercenary monsters committed to her destruction—she’s not the one playing under a doom clock. Kian has six months…unless Edie can save him. And this is a game she can’t bear to lose.

***

Sorry I haven't been posting in a long time. Who would have thought summer vacation is even busier than normal school days?

Immortal Game is a little bit weird. The strangeness continues in Public Enemies. After the events and the sacrifice that is made at the end of the last book, Edie is trying to find a way to save her boyfriend. But with enemies - immortal, powerful, and public enemies, gunning her everywhere she goes, she has to choose wisely who she can trust. The secret organization that is trying to end the game? Previous enemies? Or an unwilling ally?

I like how everyone has an agenda other than helping the main protagonist, Edie. Other than her close friends and Kian, temporary alliances are made, and often come in a price. While you may be certain of their wanting Edie alive, you can never be 100% sure about their true intentions, and whether they may come back and haunt Edie. She herself is trying to find a way to end this game once and for all, but at a cost of humanity. Things get infinitely darker in this book. There's no air of innocence other than some certain moments. Its pace is kept at an excellent speed. No rush, but also no dragging. I love reading books like this.

Speaking of certain moments, you can see a lot of bonding sections between Edie and Kian. They remind me of normal couples in real life, which makes them relatable, but also fictional couples with fantastic chemistry. Even in dire situations like this, they can still joke and have cute conversations that never fail to make me giggle. Too bad that... okay, this is most likely a spoiler, but it seems like those moments may not appear again anytime soon. I will miss those.

The ending is most surprising. Not because Edie has discovered something that had been fermenting behind their backs and had to make an important decision, the events itself are something that you probably will never expect to read about. Edie will be on a new mission, to end this cruel game haunting her life once and for all. And I'm excited. Very excited.

Rating: 8.5/10

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