Rush (The Game #1)
   by: Eve Silver

Publication Date: June 11, 2013
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Genre: Science Fiction
Age Group: Young Adult
Source: e-ARC provided by Edelweiss and publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review
Page Count: 352 pages
Order Links: Amazon | B&N
My Rating: 3/5 stars

 

So what’s the game now? This, or the life I used to know?

When Miki Jones is pulled from her life, pulled through time and space into some kind of game—her carefully controlled life spirals into chaos. In the game, she and a team of other teens are sent on missions to eliminate the Drau, terrifying and beautiful alien creatures. There are no practice runs, no training, and no way out. Miki has only the guidance of secretive but maddeningly attractive team leader Jackson Tate, who says the game isn’t really a game, that what Miki and her new teammates do now determines their survival, and the survival of every other person on this planet. She laughs. He doesn’t. And then the game takes a deadly and terrifying turn.

                                                         -goodreads.com description
The concept behind this book was what really pulled me in. Not to mention, I'm always up for a little sci-fi! If you are not one who cares for non-realistic plots, well, this book probably isn't for you. I personally loved Ender's Game and this book was very similar in that both are fighting to ensure humanity's survival from an alien invasion.

While I overall enjoyed this book, there were quite a few elements I didn't particularly care for.

I felt like there was a lot of information overload going on in this book. I realize it is the first in the series, so Silver is setting the stage and helping us readers understand the mechanics at work in the game. However, at times I felt there was more info-dumping than there was actual plot and action. We did get some great action scenes while Miki and crew were on missions and the last 25 or so pages had me really going to see how Silver would conclude the book. (A bit of a cliffhanger, if I do say so myself.)

I liked the main character Miki, well enough. She had every right to be overly inquisitive to the point of irritation. She died and was then brought back to life and put into a game where she runs missions and then takes a break and goes back to her normal life, only to be aware that she could be pulled back at any time. So, I get the never-ending questions and her frustration with their 'team leader' Jackson. She is dealing with quite a bit, including the loss of her mother at a young age and an alcoholic father who won't admit that he has a problem. She ends up admitting she likes the rush of the game (the fear, the adrenaline, the unknown) because it actually sparks her into feeling alive- which she hadn't before. Her sadness was always there, keeping her just under enough to feel it, but not enough to make her seem depressed.

I absolutely despised Miki's best friend Carly. She was shallow, jealous, and well let's face it: a complete bitch to Miki. I realize that she was a loyal friend to her through some pretty difficult times in the past, but that doesn't make up for the way she's treating her now. Ugh. High school girl drama.

Jackson, Miki's team leader in the game, is a complete enigma. We don't really find out his deal until later on in the book. He's a bit contradictory. He tells Miki it's every man for himself in this game, but then goes out of his way to protect her. He tells her he can't talk about the game in the outside world, but continues to break rules anyway. His duality frustrated me a bit. One minute he's kind and genuinely seems concerned about Miki and answering her questions and just getting her through and the next he throws a wall up between them and is back to his cocky, self-assured attitude. He harbors a lot of secrets, which thankfully Silver does share with us bit by bit.

Then there is Luka. He is also part of the team, but has known Miki since they were kids. It seemed like Silver was going to go all love triangle on us, but I think she changed her mind and by the end there is nothing of the sort. There's not much to say about Luka, except he was kind and wanted to help Miki- he didn't think it was fair that she not know so many things about the game.

Overall, this book really showed potential. My biggest issue was all the information overload. I felt like it could have been handled differently, so that I wasn't bogged down with all the specifics and was able to flow along more smoothly with the plot. Will I be reading the second book? Probably. I like the concept and I am curious as to where Silver will take this series next. And hopefully now that we all understand (in very clear detail) how the game works, what the teams are up against, the second book can be more centered around plot and action rather than info-dumping.