Reviews

Dark Games by Anna Carey

ailedalien's review against another edition

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2.0

This could have been 1 book, specially because the ending was so confusing and not in the good cliffhanger kind of way. Just plain and confusing. Second tense is not for me. It is entertaining but not as much as Carey’s other books.

sk24's review against another edition

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2.0

2.5/5 stars
SIK Book Reviews
What you're in for: Second person narration. Mysteriousness. A list of facts. Murder. Romance. On the run. Police. Fugitives. A big twist (that I totally saw coming).

The second person narration: This was my first experience with second person narration in a novel. I was really looking forward to this rarity, but I'm not sure it was done well in this book. Well, for the most part, it was fine. However, I thought it strange when it would switch to other people's POV. I mean, since it's in second person, if you're reading about "you", then how is it possible to see other points of view? Am I wrong in thinking this??

Am I glad I read it? I was pretty disappointed in this book as a whole. There was nothing special about it, in my opinion. The story was blah, the characters were blah, and I was pretty darn bored the whole time I was reading it. It failed to captivate or impress me and I didn't find the story very unique.
I was also rather disappointed with the ending. First of all, I do not think there is a need for this story to be a duology. The story could have easily been wrapped up in one book. So, the unanswered questions and abrupt, unsatisfying ending left me frustrated. I don't have an interest in reading the companion, so I wish more things would have been wrapped up in this book. Sigh.
I wouldn't recommend this book. Maybe only to people who are huge fans of the genre and aren't looking for a very unique/creative take on it.

snowymiin's review against another edition

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5.0

4.5 of 5 Stars.
*Spoiler Free*
I give Blackbird 4.5 stars because at the beginning I was having a hard time reading with 2nd person, but after a few chapters I got used to it. I gotta say I loved this book! It leaves you wanting more! I can't wait for Deadfall (Second Book)!

Blackbird it's about a young teenage girl who wakes up in the train tracks at some subway station in Los Angeles with no memory. While she tries to discover who she is and where does she comes from, she realizes that people are trying to kill her. Along her journey she meets this teenage boy named Ben. As the story develops Ben and "Sunny"(the young teenage girl) start feeling things for each other. However, towards the end something unexpected happens.

scythefranz's review against another edition

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3.0

It is very common in novels (mostly dystopia or mystery) where the main character is suffering from amnesia (scientifically-made or not). Not that I can blame the authors for that since it was a good device to conceal the truth about the main character itself and probably, the world. So, you'd probably guessed that the main character didn't remember anything in this book and did gather some information about her as the time went by? You are right. Yay!

Blackbird started with a bang when the main character, Sunny, was lying in a train tracks without remembering anything. And with the train coming for her. That was thrilling already, for me, and it became more thrilling when the cat-and-mouse chase surfaced. Since Sunny doesn't remember anything, she can't understand what is happening. Me either. And probably that is the main reason why I read, read and read. I want to know the truth, everything. I want my questions to be answered. Who is he? Who is she? Why it is happening? Why her? and more.

Anyhow, though the explanations are limited, they were semi-concrete. I mean there is already a shape of what this book is all about, what this book is hiding. But, it is still lacking. I'm just choosy I guess and I'm giving reasons to vague the idea that I really need to read the sequel. Hehe.

Nevertheless, if I'm not mistaken, this is the first time I've read a book told in second person narrative. I don't know why the author did this but I have an idea that she did this for us, readers, so will truly feel the thrill, the suspense, the tension. I think it succeed, for me, but I still found it weird and awkward since the MC is a girl.

There are also some point of views that inserted to give information or to confuse me more. Heck! And there is a mild insta-love, yet I'm not annoyed anyway. Maybe, I'm fueled by the tension and suspense that I couldn't care about the romance anymore.

Blackbird is frightening actually, if I try to think about it; with that haunting plot and unnamed characters waiting to be revealed. It's just kinda frustrating that truth is still unclear and remained contained.

beths0103's review against another edition

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3.0

Told in second person POV, Blackbird is a book that puts you, the reader, directly in the action of the story. At first this was incredibly disconcerting because second person is not that common in literature, and for good reason: it's really hard to do it well. But after a while, you begin to settle into it more. While I never completely bought into the second person POV, I do think it helped give the story a sense of immediacy that first or third person couldn't have done. While the publisher description calls this book The Maze Runner meets Code Name Verity, I think a more accurate comparison would be the YA version of The Bourne Identity -- especially given the action-suspense nature of the story coupled with the main character's amnesia.

I enjoyed this story for the most part and am possibly interested in reading the sequel, but I didn't care for the lack of any sort of resolution at the end. Cliffhangers are one thing, but just deciding to wait until the next book to attempt any sort of resolution just didn't sit well with me. I know this is becoming a more frequent trend in YA lit these days, but it's not one I'm a particular fan of.

Overall, Blackbird was an exciting, action-packed read though I'm not sure I was emotionally invested enough to read the sequel.

Read my entire review on my blog.

tobyyy's review against another edition

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3.0

You initially aren’t sure if you’ll like this book. You’ve read varied reviews of it from people you trust as well as those you don’t know. You decide to read it anyway, trying to keep an open mind since novels told in 2nd person are far from your favorite.

You set the book down, eyes wide with surprise.

You actually LIKED this book. It didn’t blow you away, but you found yourself to be fully immersed in the story despite the atypical narrative style.

You find yourself deeply curious about the second book of the duology, and since today is a weekend day with no pressing matters to attend to, you take a jaunt to the library to get the second book immediately.

Your only complaint is that Blackbird ends on a cliffhanger. You wish you could express your feelings about this to the author but instead, creating a review of your thoughts will have to suffice.

onthebookshelves's review against another edition

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2.0

Full Review from On The Bookshelves

2.5 / 5 STARS

Blackbird is a thrilling and action packed story by Anna Carey and it is the first installment in the Blackbird duology.

A girl wakes up on the train tracks and soon realises there is a train hurtling towards her so she prepares herself as the train speeds over her. The girl does not know her name, where she is or who she is. As she flees the incident in a panic, the only thing she knows is that she must not contact the police and she has a tattoo of a blackbird with the code 'FNV02198' on her wrist.


When I was reading the first few pages, I picked up that the book was being told in second person. As I kept reading, I then realised the whole book was going to be told in second person and instantly groaned. In my own opinion, I think second person can be okay here and there, but not for the entirety of a book. Why? Because you see the words such as you, he, she etc etc all the time and it becomes very frustrating.

For this book, because there was so much narration in comparison to conversation, that's where it found its downfall. The book became a little better when the main character, the girl with amnesia who names herself Sunny, conversed with other characters, but during narration? It was beyond frustrating.

However, the story was somewhat compelling. It's a very short book, only about 250 pages, so it didn't hold much exciting content and the relationships that developed happened very quickly. The only gripping thing that I got excited about was when Sunny began to have flashbacks about what happened to her, and instantly I connected it to a 'The Maze Runner' feel, and funnily enough, that's part of the Goodreads synopsis.

Unfortunately, I was hoping for a more exciting ending than what it was as it just fell so flat. Yes, there was the little fight sequence between Sunny and the people that did this to her, but it was nothing fantastic. I was a little surprised about Ben though so that was a bonus.

Overall, I give this book a 2.5 out of 5. I usually steer clear of half ratings, but I just couldn't decide between a 2 and 3! I don't think I'll be picking up the sequel to read, but I'll definitely check out the plot on the Internet to find out what happens.

trisha_thomas's review against another edition

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4.0

"We're not murderers "

What an amazing adventure this story was. I'm still reeling, a little bit of a book hangover from it. It's hard to believe I don't have book 2 sitting to me. I'm so ready to read it!!

So this book is a lot of confusion - but it works. You walk around with "you" - a female who doesn't know who she is or what she is doing or even where she is. She awakens on some train tracks where a train is heading right for her. Luckily, fast reflexes get her out of the situation - but from there she knows people are looking for her.

As the story unfolds, I found myself frantic to keep turning the pages. I knew so many things ahead "you" but that didn't make the story drag or frustrate me at all. It helped being a few steps ahead in a mystery or two because there are SO many mysteries in her new world that, for the few things I knew beforehand, there were many many I did not know/understand. I've ended book 1 still confused but hungry for more.

wrenl's review against another edition

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2.0

Title: Blackbird
Author: Anna Carey
Genre: Action, Adventure, YA fiction, Romance

Premise:
(Goodreads)
This twisty, breathless cat-and-mouse thrill ride, told in the second person, follows a girl with amnesia in present-day Los Angeles who is being pursued by mysterious and terrifying assailants.

A girl wakes up on the train tracks, a subway car barreling down on her. With only minutes to react, she hunches down and the train speeds over her. She doesn’t remember her name, where she is, or how she got there. She has a tattoo on the inside of her right wrist of a blackbird inside a box, letters and numbers printed just below: FNV02198. There is only one thing she knows for sure: people are trying to kill her.

On the run for her life, she tries to untangle who she is and what happened to the girl she used to be. Nothing and no one are what they appear to be. But the truth is more disturbing than she ever imagined.

The Maze Runner series meets Code Name Verity, Blackbird is relentless and action-packed, filled with surprising twists.

Plot: The plot is action filled. I do think there were spots that were unbelievable. How did Ivan know to put a tracker in? Did he put it in? He had to.
But let me get down to what happened.
We have the you narrator waking up in a subway, about to be run over by a train. She isn’t run over and runs away. She ends up going into a supermarket and borrowing a cell phone to call someone. She is led to a location and goes there. We have her breaking in and getting caught on camera. She runs away. She finds the guy whose cell phone she borrowed and becomes his friend. And his lover, in case you were wondering. We have her looking for who she was. She ends up realizing she is being tracked, after being followed by people. She traps the person tracking her and demands for information. This guy is kidnapped, and she turns to the police. She tells them her story. They don’t believe her. She escapes and finds Ivan the guy who was tracking her. She races back to the police. They don’t believe her and think she set fire to the house Ivan was in. She leaves and goes to where the police lady tells her she thinks she was born. Or lived at least. The you narrator discovers a house belonging to the two people chasing after her, one is dead, though. She ends up finding out her lover is actually keeping an eye on her. She escapes on the train, going to a new city to start anew.
We end with a cliffhanger and the introduction of a new character. One who has been in the you narrator’s dreams.
I know that is a really quick summary. I can’t say there were any major events until the last bit of the book. It is actually a quick, two hundred or so page read. There are many points I might have left out. Mind you, I try to write the plot from memory, and my memory is scratchy at best.

Character Development: The main character isn’t actually ever named. We get the name ‘Blackbird’ but nothing else. Therefore, I named her ‘you narrator’.
You narrator. Oh god. There was something that could have been so right with this girl. She falls in love quickly. Within a few days. She trusts someone she barely knows. And she is described as witty. You are left with many questions. This book doesn’t answer anything about the you narrator or her past. We are given a character with so much potential. She could be a deadly killer. Instead, she’s a flirty teenage girl. How she ever survived on that island is a mystery to me.
Ben. I feel like Ben is a bad character. He makes friends with the you narrator. And somehow cons her into loving him. If that is even possible. He turns out to be one of the bad guys. And he sells pot. I don’t think that it is possible to have a character with that many aspects. I feel like there should have been a Ben and another character. One lover. One pot dealer. Why is the pot dealer thing there? Where doe Ben get pot? I don’t know. He can’t just magically have pot in his hand to sell.
Izzy. She is the best in this whole book. I like Izzy’s character. She is more real. Problems at home. Tattoos. Ear rings. She isn’t a cookie-cutter character. She has a past to her. She is surprisingly my favorite. I don’t feel like Izzy is fake. She is someone who has spunk and sass.

Problems: This book has so much potential. It could have been something else. Instead, it isn’t. There were amazing things that could have happened. That didn’t.
The romance was a big problem for me. It felt fake. How do you love someone so quickly? You barely know him. You barely met him. You narrator, get a head. Really. Get some brains.
The you narrator is a terrible character. Childish. Girly. Flirty. She isn’t the hardcore survivor. Why is she all flirty? Ben. Why is she with Ben? No clue. No clue at all. She seems to have the potential. And I feel like she tries to live up to the mysterious girl potential in the end. But we introduce a second love interest, and the potential fades. She acts like some superwoman, and I know she’s human. It’s like a character with too much romance and teenage-ness when there should have been ‘The Walking Dead’ kickass heroine.
The plot was dull. There was just something wrong with it. It was more romance. There was no action. Reading this book was something I had to stomach. It seemed so wrong to have this amazing premise and have a lackluster plot. And lackluster characters in general.

Good points: To your surprise, you might read this book and throw it down because it is in second person. For me, that’s exactly why I kept reading. I wanted it to be amazing. To prove critics of second person wrong.
But this book proved them right.
Izzy was the only good character. She had something to her. That spark. That energy. That life. Ben and you narrator had none of that. They were flat, cardboard characters.
The other good thing was the ending. I hate cliffhangers, but the you narrator grew into half the woman I wanted her to be. Which was a good thing. We are left with her leaving Ben behind. Thank goodness.
I felt like this book could have been more. I might have repeated that a million times in this review, but it’s true. I won’t give it anything lower than a five for its potential. It might sound weird to you to read that I can’t wait for the next book. I hope that doesn’t let me down.

Score: 5/10
Recommended: If you like mystery. If you like stories written in second person.

remivfoliage's review against another edition

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2.0

You wake up on the rail and the train is coming. You survive.

You don't know who you are.

You meet a boy in the supermarket. He tells you that he is Ben. You ask him to give you a ride to a building.

Where some weird man asks you to go. You find out that he set you up. You start to run away from the police.

Some weird woman tries to kill you. The weird man shoots her. You survive. You run away.

You stay with Ben. You meet a girl named Izzy.

The weird woman's husband tries to kill you. You run.

You run. You run. You run. You RUN. YOU RUN. YOU RUN!!!



Damn it! This book honestly has no plots at all. I mean...yeah, it does have some plots, but the whole book is so predictable.

(spoiler alert!!!)

At first, I just don't trust Ben. How can you befriend with someone who is totally okay of you not even knowing yourself? (I am not that stupid and yet this book keeps making me stupid!!!) That girl should have already sensed that Ben wasn't a normal kid; besides he selling pots simply because he wants to earn extra money.

However, this book doesn't deserve to have just one star. There are still something I want to find out and I guess I'll pick up the sequel.

Happy Reading ~