Wednesday, February 25, 2015

The Lazarus Game: A Book Review

I was given a copy of the Lazarus Game to review.  

The Book:
   Carter Chance is the boy who thinks he has it all figured out. He is a boy genius, still in high school by choice of course as he is a boy-genius, smart enough he could already graduate.  He likes to use his genius and the help of his friends to solve crimes around the city. 
   When a new video store comes into town, the entire town soon seems to be sucked into and addicted to this new store and the games it offers. While Carter is trying to figure what it is about this game that has the whole city's attention, he meets the creator of the store and the Lazarus Game. Carter is offered riches and opportunities beyond his wildest dreams in exchange for his help to create the new version of the Lazarus Game. The more Carter learns, the more he realizes there is much more to the game than he originally thought.  

The Lazarus Game by Stephen J. Valentine is a fast paced adventure story that leaves you wondering what sacrifices are okay if it means helping the greater good. 

My review:
    I will admit, it took me a while to get into this book. Carter is extremely intelligent and extremely arrogant because of it. Not only was he not very relatable but also annoyed me quite a bit. While I knew right away there was something off with the game store and the game, I did not predict or guess the true depth of the game.  
   As Carter begins to realize the truth, his understanding and his character become much more likable. In that sense, it feels like someone truly growing and maturing in a way that made me almost forgive him for how he was in the beginning.  

   As the true nature of the Lazarus Game is discovered it raises some great questions about the value of life and what should and should not be sacrificed. This book is free of language. It does have fighting, death, and even some subject matters that might be a little intense for a younger reader, however it is written in a way that makes it not too morbid or graphic.

While this book was a very rough start for me, I did enjoy the story and the progression of the characters in the end.   I think teenage boys would truly enjoy this book and it raises a lot of good questions to discuss in the end. 


You can find out more about the book and the author on his website or on Facebook

You can purchase your own copy of the book at: Amazon// Barnes and Noble 

16 comments:

  1. This sounds like a really great read. I think the author probably did TOO good of a job with the Carter character. I'm assuming that he didn't want you to like him because of the changes that come later. That's the mark of good writing. However, if you go too far, it can make the character COMPLETELY unlikeable and unrelatable, which is what happened to you.

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  2. Sounds like a great book! It takes me awhile to get into books as well - but once I hit the 4th chapter or so I'm usually hooked! :)

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  3. I hadn't heard about this book. It seems I should have it on my summer reading list!

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  4. I also have a super hard time getting into something when I can't relate to the character. Although there are times where I want to KEEP reading just because I dislike a character so much, haha!

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  5. Sounds like a great book! I haven't heard of this one before.

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  6. I have a 16 year old son, and I think that he would probably love this. :) Thank you for sharing your thoughts on it.

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  7. This is something I would read!!

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  8. This sounds like an interesting read!

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  9. I usually give up when I can't relate to the main character.

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  10. Ooo, I'm definitely going to read this! I am such a book nerd and I'm always on the lookout for new books to add to my collection!

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  11. Interesting - the movie reviews have been out but will hold off for my boys for now. I'll read it first!

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    1. The movie out now is the Lazarus Effect, I just watched a trailer and totally different feel from this book and different story too, so not the same story. This book is good for teens.

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  12. If it takes too long to get into it I usually put it down. I feel like if I went through the books I might end up liking them but .. who has the time lol my son will probably check it out when he's older ;) I think the movie looks good!

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  13. Sounds like a good read. Glad to know it got better after the rough start.

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  14. Sounds like the type of book my friends daughter would love! I'll have to recommend it :)

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