Mortal Danger (The Immortal Game, #1)

by Ann Aguirre

[inlibrisveritas]

Mortal Games is a creepy twist on the ‘be careful what you wish for’ idiom and one that I find myself torn over. The overall story is pretty good and I loved the inclusion of all of the paranormal and horror aspects…but the main character made me want to scream.

When we start the book Edie is on the low in of life and ready to opt out, but she’s given the chance to turn things around with what seems to be a simple deal. She gets three wishes and they get to call in their favor whenever they want, easy. She wants to get revenge and those three wishes are perfect…until she discovers just how deeply things go and she finds herself growing closer to people around her. I loved seeing the horrible things that skulk in the dark and their outlook on life, but some of it bordered on silly at times though it was a rare occurrence. The story does move quickly at first but it slows down quite a bit as Edie falls in to her new life, so adjusting to pace was a bit of a trail in itself.

The other problem I had was Edie. I liked her toward the beginning. She was intelligent and completely analytical about everything…but as soon as she changes the way she looks she also seems to change her thinking. She suddenly decides relying on numbero uno is the best option. I’m all for a strong self-reliant main character, but there is a level of common sense that is needed for that. When dealing with monsters talk to the people who know monsters…seriously…There is a touch of insta-love, which I was able to move past but it’s there.

Regardless of my issues I actually did enjoy the storyline and I loved Aguirre’s writing style, so I’ll be reading the second one when it comes out!