Reviews

JEU MORTEL A ECHO BAY by Jacqueline Green

justasmidge's review against another edition

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2.0

This felt like a knock-off of Pretty Little Liars/Burn For Burn. While I liked both those books, I just couldn't get into this one. It did start off well, and I was intrigued till about mid-way into the book. After that it just got boring and I wanted it to end. The pacing was terrible, and the ending was just so typical that it left me unsatisfied and disappointed. If it weren't for the cliche ending and the fact that it was way too long, I think this book could of been redeemable. Another issue I had with this book was the constant physical descriptions of Emerson. Every single page she was on, the author had to drag out a long description about how beautiful-gorgeous-breathtaking Emerson was and the amazing way she can wear a dress or a pair of shorts. There was barely any description for the main 3, yet Emerson was described every scene she was in. I just thought it was kind of odd.
With that said, I did love the cover art of the book, and I did enjoy the three alternate character views. It was cool to have three different takes on what was going on in the story.

kricketa's review against another edition

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3.0

basically a re-working of "pretty little liars"... but it was well-written and really fun to read. i'll probably pick up the next one in the trilogy (although i'm not really sure why this had to be a trilogy.)

astalavista's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

dblue236's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

michellesantiago's review against another edition

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4.0

My initial rating for this was 4/5 stars but after some reflection, I'm giving it 3.5/5 stars instead.

I liked Truth or Dare a lot. It gave me the run around, trying to figure out who the sinister darer was. I had a theory as to who it was by the middle of the book but I was not one hundred percent sure until about the last fourth of the book. My theory was right but I really liked that it kept me second guessing myself throughout.

I did feel that the book glazed over some parts of the final confrontation with the darer and the overall ending felt a little rushed.

There were unanswered questions and ending was one of those cliffhanger types. Full review to come.

mckenziestaley23's review against another edition

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3.0

Truth Or Dare is basically like Pretty Little Liars (the TV show, I haven't read the books) it has the same setup. the same kind of messed up premise, and lets be honest, kind of stupid characters, though always lovable. So if you like Pretty Little Liars and you want another story like that, I'd say go pick this one up.

WARNING SPOILERS AHEAD!

I'm heartbroken now... Caitlin, my favorite character is dead. The whole time I'm thinking-
-Why couldn't it be Tenley?-
I mean yes Tenley wasn't THAT bad, but come on guys, was she Caitlin? No! No she wasn't! I mean I would have even been more okay with Sydney dying then Caitlin. Though I really wanted it to be Tenley.
So what I'm wondering is why Tenley is even apart of this, I mean I was thinking about it and-
-Sydney's secret is that her fire using problems.-
-Caitlin's secret is that she is overusing her anxiety meds.-
-And Tenley's? She had a boob job.-
It just doesn't make any sense, here are two girls with REAL problems, that make sense as to why they don't want people to know, and then there's Tenley who just doesn't want to be kicked out of a pageant because she had a boob job.
Anyway, I'm sure it's safe to say that I really wasn't that fond of Tenley. Hence wanting her to die instead of Caitlin.
I don't even know whether I am looking forward to reading the second one now, I mean I want to, that's a no brainer, I HAVE to know what is happening, who the other crazy stalker is, and who kidnaped Caitlin, because Green didn't think it was necessary to provide us with that information before killing her off.
Okay enough ranting, on to other things.
I didn't suspect Trisha, I really thought it was going to be Guinness (I hope I spelled his name right) He just was way TOO creepy to me, what with waning to date his stepsister while dating Sydney, and then getting pissed at Sydney when she broke up with him because of it, like she should be, oh so happy, about him having a crush on his stepsister. I just felt like he was creepy and messed up enough to be Green's version of A. But who knows? I still might be right, what with Trisha being dead and there being another note in Tenley's bag.
Unless... Trisha is still alive... In which I'm going to be SO pissed! Because she survived and Caitlin didn't.
I really hope Sydney and Calum get together, I really loved Calum, even though we didn't see too much of him, because she was too busy running around with Guinness. But the parts I did see of him, I loved him!
Do I think I'm going to like Tenley in the second one? Highly doubt it.
Do I think Emerson is going to get notes? I think she was already getting them, and didn't tell anyone. This is going off of the weird text she got. But that also could have been from Sydney's dad. who apparently she has been having sex with... I wonder how that's going to play out in the second book.
Who do I think the typewriter person is? My suspects are, Guinness, Trisha, (Given she is still alive) Calum, (because of the shock it would give the readers, NOT because I actually think it is him) and Caitlin's kidnapper (whoever it is).
Overall I really enjoyed this book, though it did ruin how good I was doing at the BookTube-A-Thon, because after I finished I just couldn't get it off of my mind to read another book. And even though Caitlin is dead I will be continuing on with the series.

wombat_88's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

willablaise's review against another edition

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3.0

interesting... don't really know what to think about this one.

screamking's review against another edition

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3.0

Surrounds the lives of three teenage girls who begin getting dares from an anonymous "darer". Each girl has their own dark secrets and storylines separate from the main mystery surrounding the story. The dares that the girls begin receiving threaten to expose their lies unless they follow through with the game.
This book is pretty much just like Pretty Little Liars. You have a group of girls who are juggling romance, pressures of being a teenager in high school, and personal insecurities that most girls in high school deal with. Above all that, they're being tormented by someone anonymous who is threatening to expose their secrets. As a huge fan of Pretty Little Liars, I relatively enjoyed the book. Tenley, one of the main girls, I feel was written in a way that the author didn't know how to write. It's like she was trying to hard to write Tenley as the It Girl, instead of just letting the character herself flow. There are several occasions where the author doesn't do that well with explaining or going into detail some occurrences and scenes. She quickly browsed over them and did little explaining of what happened and how we got to where we are now. The twist at the end wasn't shocking but it did make sense for the culprit's motive. One thing I did enjoy about Green's writing is that she definitely developed the three main leads by the end, which I enjoyed seeing. Hoping they stay developed in the sequel.

missprint_'s review against another edition

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3.0

When Tenley returns to Echo Bay after four years away, she is eager (maybe even a little desperate) to reclaim her place at the top of the social ladder. It's time for her to reconnect with her best friend Caitlin and throw a legendary party to let everyone else in town that Tenley is back and she is still a perfect Ten.

Caitlin is excited to bring Tenley back into the fold of popular kids in Echo Bay. She also knows that Tenley's party is the perfect way to relax and stop thinking about the tortured memories from her kidnapping years ago or worrying about how to uphold her reputation as an angel. With so much pressure, it's only a matter of time before something has to give.

Sydney doesn't have much use for Tenley or Caitlin. Sure, she remembers that the two of them were known for legendary games of Truth or Dare. Big deal. Sydney has enough going on with her summer job and her photography.

Tenley knows her party will be memorable when she starts a wild game of truth or dare. But what none of the girls realize is that they are about to be recruited for a game of Truth or Dare where the stakes are much, much higher and making the wrong choice could be lethal in Truth or Dare by Jacqueline Green.

Truth or Dare is a campy read that will appeal to fans of Pretty Little Liars (the television show or the series). Before reading this book it is worth mentioning that Truth or Dare is the first in the series and is as short on closure as you might expect.

Green shifts focus between the three girls Sydney, Caitlin and Tenley. All of the girls have the potential to be interesting heroines but all of them are also mired in deeply problematic storylines.*

With a lot of misdirects and decoys, Truth or Dare will definitely keep readers guessing as they try to piece together who is behind the escalating dares. A picturesque setting and a sprawling cast of characters add to the story's atmosphere.

Truth or Dare is a great escapist read. If, however, you think too hard about any aspects of the plot the entire premise falls apart under the scrutiny.

*SLIGHT SPOILERS:
SpoilerI was really uncomfortable with Caitlin's nickname being "angel." Aside from being vaguely ludicrous I intensely disliked the idea that it made her untouchable and "pure"--the whole device left a bad taste in my mouth. Nicknames in general were strange. I don't know if it's just me but I never had a nickname as a teen and all of the ones in this book were ridiculous. (Perfect Ten? Angel? Blue? Guinness--because I refuse to believe someone actually named their only son GUINNESS.)

Speaking of Guinness: How old is he? I know this was an edgy book and the girls were older teens. But, really. Guinness is even called a grown man and he is chasing after not one but two teenaged girls. Forget a love triangle. That's just gross.

Then of course we have Tenley and her cosmetic surgery. I disliked how unbalanced the whole issue was (I know it wasn't the focus of the story but I would have appreciated a little more nuance) and also, given the fact that I doubt Tenley was 18 I'm not even sure that plot thread would have been possible in the real world.


Possible Pairings: Burn for Burn by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian, Clarity by Kim Harrington, Swoon by Nina Malkin, Fury by Elizabeth Miles, This is W. A. R. by Lisa Roecker and Laura Roecker, Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shephard, Gossip Girl by Cecily Von Zeigesar

*This book was acquired for review from Paper Lantern Lit*