I liked the book | The Forbidden Game: The Hunter; The Chase; The Kill

Incredible Heartwrenching Story | The Forbidden Game: The Hunter; The Chase; The Kill | L.J. Smith

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	• The Forbidden Game: The Hunter; The Chase; The Kill L.J. Smith Simon Pulse, 2010 - 768 pages average customer review:based on 15 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Four and a half stars!

I rarely give books five star reviews... but this one was really close! Actually I should say these books were really close because The Forbidden Game is actually 3 books all combined into one massive volume.

In the first book Jenny buys a game, from an insanely attractive sales clerk, for her boyfriend's birthday party, but when she and her friends start playing the game they discover that it's actually a game from a place called the shadow world and it was given to Jenny so that the salesclerk who is really the evil Julian can win Jenny for himself. Okay, I know it sounds cheesy, especially how I described it, but it is actually really good! All the characters are pretty dimensional, Jenny is a very likable heroine, the story is interesting, and I actually liked Julian just as much as I like Damon from Vampire Diaries. Which for me says a lot.

The other thing I liked about these books was that they all take place in the 90's, which I found widely entertaining, especially since some of the clothes the characters wear are just outrageous! Which totally lightened up the read.

The only thing I didn't like about the book was that all three stories are a little formulaic. After you read the first story even though the other stories are totally different and entertaining, they follow a bit of a similar pattern - Julian presents an impossible game that Jenny and her friends have to win-- at times it felt a little slow (just a little though) because of it, but other than that I totally loved this books. I just finished today and I actually think that I may start re-rereading the first story -that is how much I liked it.

So if you are a fan of L.J. Smith, the 90's or really interesting bad guys then you will probably like this book, and I really hope you do!

I also hope that L.J. decides to add more stories to this series in the future... and without giving any spoilers, I will say that she does wrap up the ending, but she also leaves a little room to add more later, which I hope she does!

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I liked the book

Was a little let down that there are no Vampires in this book, but L.J. Smith still got me hooked..I love to read her stories!

Incredible Heartwrenching Story

In the style of Vampire Diaries, LJ Smith delivers a book of such romance, it makes your heartbreak in the end. Jenny meets Julian at the game store he works at when she goes there to find a game to play with her boyfriend and friends. In love with Jenny for years, Julian has been watching her and wants her to join her in the Dark world. He recommends the Forbidden Game, a game that he created and which if Jenny wins, she and her friends can go free, if Julian wins, he gets Jenny. Julian is the villain, but he is also so attractive, you want him to win. Like Vampire Diaries, this series from LJ Smith draws you in until the very shocking end.

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This book has love/hate/ and a WHOLE lot of DRAMA!

Okay so I wasnt sure how I would like this book. This was the first book I had ever picked up from this author but it had such a good summary on the back that I had to get my hands on it. I was shocked at how good this book really was. It had a good backround to the core, a good villain who you found YOURSELF falling in love with and a heroine who you think could be you in some circumstances. Jenny is a likeable character who loves to help people and starts out not strong or courageous. You would think 'Wow this girl couldnt handle anything' Mann was I wrong. She endures a lot in her time in the Shadow World. Her relationships with all her friends are rocky at the beginning and slowly show her strongside. And not to mention her compassion turn into FULL BLOWN courage. Julian was another story. At sometimes I would feel like Jenny. You would think at some moments of his TRUE love for you but in a minute it would be gone and to fill its void would be PURE hatred. I didnt like him at some parts but to be completely honest I fell in love with him as Jenny did.(Not only because I fall for bad boys in books but because he was just misunderstood, OH ARENT THEY ALL)
Now for the ending. A lot of reviews are saying above that the ending made them cry and were sad and they didnt like it. To me, Im a very emotional person haha. So I thought I would be grabbing that Kleenex and crying my lights out. Nope. I read it and it made me sad yes but its the sacrifice that is made at the end of this book that makes this book so strong and a keeper. It shows that sometimes even the worst people can be overcome by love and make sacrifices for WHO they love. So even if I did cry (which I didnt) it would have been for a more of the sacrifice issue and how much love can overcome all.
It was enough to say that this book was amazing. It will forever be on my bookshelf for me to come back to in the future. This book will be forever in my heart. I loved it. I was scared in moments, feeling courageous in some, and overall smiling to myself for buying this book. I reccomend to read this book if you havent already. I will be now reading another of LJ Smiths books. She is truly a great author (:

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"I Am My Only Master..."

Well, I do have to thank the Twilight phenomena for one thing at least, and that's that the collected trilogies of Lisa Jane Smith have been pulled out of the Simon and Schuster publishing vault, given brand spanking new covers, and re-released for a both a new reading audience, and old-time fans who are ready to fill in the gaps on their bookshelves.

Out of all Smith's body of work, it was "The Forbidden Game" that I was least familiar with. First published as a trilogy, the middle book was on the shelf of my school library, but the preceding and concluding installments were impossible to get hold of. For the last six years or so, all I had experienced was a story with no beginning and no end. As such, it was with immense satisfaction that I settled down with all three books handily bound together in one omnibus volume, previously published separately as The Hunter, The Chase and The Kill.

Jenny Thornton is preparing a party for her boyfriend Tom, and is exploring the neighborhood in search of a game that will entertain her core group of friends. Escaping from a couple of intimidating young men leads her into an unusual shop that seems to have exactly what she's looking for: a unique and unforgettable game: or so the shop owner promises her. Unnerved by his white hair and intense gaze, Jenny buys the game and hurries home where her friends await: sophisticated Audrey, spunky Dee, introverted Zach, cheerful Mike, winsome Summer, and of course, her football star and ruggedly handsome boyfriend. Though Jenny is having second thoughts, her friends immediately pounce on the mysterious game.

They're going to get more than they bargained for. Though I don't want to give away the specifics of a marvelously twisty plot, the teenagers find themselves sucked into a real-life game in which they are forced to confront their darkest fears, all of which has been planned by the Shadow Man, a mysterious and malignant youth who gets a kick out of tormenting them, but has a particular interest in Jenny...

Divided into three books, each one is based on a particular type of game that the protagonists are forced into: a race, hide-and-seek, and finally a treasure hunt, with the stakes escalating each time. Amazingly, this formula avoids getting repetitive, mainly because the characters grow and change over the course of their adventures, the format of each game is radically different, and the prize at the end of the game changes each time.

In terms of genre, "The Forbidden Game" sits squarely between Smith's usual paranormal-romance fare, and her earlier (and less known) work: two fantasy-adventure stories for children; in this case it's also quite reminiscent of the cult-classic Labyrinth. Since I still harbor suspicions that Stephanie Meyer was very heavily influenced by the writing of L.J. Smith, it's safe to say to any young YA reader who slavishly worships at the shrine of Edward Cullen will also find something to enjoy here. Smith uses the same storytelling elements to great effect: love triangles, a basis in well-known myths and legends, the power of friendship, and the melding of teenage issues with the supernatural realm. She also excels in her creation of what is generally known among literary types as "the cute but troubled bad boy". Put a supernatural spin on an insanely good-looking suitor who is completely undone by our young heroine and you'll have your target audience swooning in the aisles.

I must say however, that I found myself slightly puzzled over Julian's obsession over Jenny; not because she wasn't a strong and likeable female character, but because she was flanked by two best friends that were far more interesting: Dee, the brave and reckless Amazonian, and Audrey, the worldly yet sensitive Intellectual. If I was an immortal with a fascination for humanity, I'd have my eye on those two...

Still, Jenny deserves the title "heroine," particularly by the end of the three parts. Amusingly though, Julian admits to Jenny at one stage that he's been watching her throughout her lifetime, even at night when she's sleeping. Being a sensible young woman, Jenny is hardly impressed by this; rather she feels disturbed and violated. Are you listening, Bella Swan? Despite my uneasiness about the *entire* mindset (not just here, but in YA books in general) that postulates that a dangerous, abusive, malevolent male can be "saved" or "redeemed" by the love of an innocent young woman, I appreciate that Jenny's entire story arc is ultimately summed up in the mantra: "I am my only master." I can get behind that message for young girls.

"The Forbidden Game" ends up being Smith's best trilogy since The Secret Circle, a frantic and exciting story, littered throughout with clever riddles and twists, in which the teens must rely on their wits, courage and each other in order to survive the ordeal ahead of them. Smith can make situations truly frightening without veering off into gore or vulgarity, and has a wonderful grasp of these characters and what they're capable of. The bittersweet ending is handled well, and like many others have admitted, I too was up reading till the early hours of the morning.

As far as lightweight YA reading goes, L.J. Smith's nineties material is still relevant, and a welcome re-addition to the bookstores.

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To lose the game is to lose your life in bestselling author L.J. Smith's THE FORBIDDEN GAME.

reviews: page 1, 2, 3

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