Friday, June 24, 2016

All for the Game Trilogy



You know, I truly consider myself an avid reader. There are definitely people who run book blogs who read a lot faster than me (and put up better reviews) but I still think I'm a well-paced reader. That said I can't remember the last time I read a book in 24 hours...let alone for 3 days in a row.

Meet the series that changed that: All for the Game trilogy by Nora Sakavic
Book I. The Foxhole Court, finished 6.20
Book II. The Raven King, finished 6.21
Book III. The King's Men, finished 6.22

Spoilers to follow...

I picked up this series upon recommendations after completing the Captive Prince trilogy (I will maybe do a full review for King's Rising later, but to skip to the end I gave it 5/5 stars). I didn't know what to expect but it sure as hell wasn't this. It sounds typical, yes, but it's the truth. Part of me was prepared for a story taken over by 'the college experience' aka drinking, partying, hooking up. And while there were those elements in the book, it didn't consume the story. Another piece of me was expecting lighthearted tones despite the premise of the book. I laugh thinking about that expectation now because it was CRUSHED.

Pictured right: Foxhole fanart by squidwithelbows.tumblr.com. She's great check her out!! (Top to bottom: Neil Josten, Kevin Day, Andrew Minyard)

Every character in this series is a mess, which is exactly why they're brought together at Palmetto State to play Exy. I will not attempt to explain Exy to you but it is violent (like ice hockey violent) which makes it very exciting for a person like me. Contact sports are my shit to play and watch and now read about lol.
Back to characters. The team has a natural rift between them. There's the upperclassmen: Dan, Matt, Allison, and Renee. These guys have their own layers of problems (not with each other but themselves) but they have nothing on the other half of their team: the monsters, as the upperclassmen refer to them as.
Kevin, Andrew, Aaron, and Nicky. All of them have their shitty problems, probably with Nicky getting it off easiest with his homophobic and hyper-religious parents who think he is pure sin. Sounds pretty lame, but just read about everyone else's situations. But I love Nicky as the only open gay character in the first book. He's flirty despite having a boyfriend back in Germany but also the safest out of the monsters to approach. Out of the four I think he is the only one that would say hi to me. But that doesn't keep me from loving the monsters, especially Andrew!!
Andrew and Aaron are twin brothers, though they didn't know each other for most of their lives. If there wasn't the reminder that they are brothers, you would think they hate each other (and maybe they kind of do. Like I said, everyone is messed up). Andrew is dubbed a sociopath by even his own group and fits the part with his violent spells, calloused personality, and psychotic smile, as caused by his meds. I do not have the heart to spoil or talk about what happens to Andrew in TRK but to summarize: it crushed my spirit and this boy will always be very important to me as a character.
The protagonist of the series is Neil Josten. Just another boy with a messed up past and uncertain future? Yes! But while he has a screwed up past like his new teammates, his is a lot more lethal and deadly. As the only son of the Butcher, a notorious mobster who loves his cleaver and carved up bodies, Neil has been on the run for the last eight years. He was raised in a horrendous way that causes him to react differently to what seems to normal to us. He has a mental breakdown over getting a phone, guys. This boy is precious to me I mean just look at him (once again amazing art by squidwithelbows.tumblr.com)

I don't really know what made me so addicted to this book. Some of my favorite things to see and write about in stories is a group dynamic, and All for the Game nails this. The rift between the Foxes seems impossible to mend at the beginning of the series but by the last game of their season you see that they're a family. They may not all get along but that doesn't matter. They are jagged pieces that fit together to make a whole, beautiful family. Even before their win over the Ravens, Neil can see that his team is a home like he's never had before, and he's willing to fight for it, no matter how much it will hurt him. He went to Evermore Castle, literally the hellhole that is their enemy's lair, just to make sure Andrew got out of the hospital fine and the Foxes were safe over winter break. TRK destroyed me, from Neil turning himself over to the biggest demonic asshole to exist, Riko Moriyama, to Andrew in general. I think it might be my favorite book in the trilogy but that is very hard to say.

This series was suspenseful, wonderfully written by Sakavic, and composed of some of the best characters I've ever read. As I write this review, I realize that I can't embody the pure emotion I have for this series. I laid on the floor, blasting music and staring at the wall, after finishing TKM because it was over. This trilogy I sold my time and heart to for 3 days had met THE END. I haven't dared to open another book because this book hangover is severe. It is even affecting my writing, which is not appreciated but I would never have missed out on the opportunity to read this. I can genuinely say that this book series has impacted me as a person, reader, and writer.

The Foxhole Court- 5/5
The Raven King- 5/5
The King's Men- 5/5

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