Tag, You’re dead by J.C. Lane

Publication Date: July 05, 2016

Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press

Targeted Audience: Young Adult

Genre: Adventure/Mystery/Thriller

 

This young adult thriller was an interesting read. It’s basically about a game of tag where if you happen to be the unfortunate person who is tagged, you’ll end up dead. Yep, just a tiny upgrade to a classic game.

There are a lot of characters in this book. On on hand we’ve got the rich brat Brandy, the untalented basketball player/rich brat Robert and the genius and rich Charles, these three are the taggers a.k.a the ‘Its’ a.k.a the people who are so rich that they pay a random stranger to orchestrate a game of tag to kill the people they most despise. On the other hand we’ve got the nice girl Laura, the athlete Tyrese and the gamer genius Amanda, the three Runners a.k.a the ones on the line to die.

The rules are to reach ‘Home Base’ before their respective taggers can tag them.

I didn’t find the book to be very seat-grippingly intense but it was a good thriller. It was sort of an AU where Hunger Games happens in real life. I liked the idea behind the whole thing and I loved how it all ended. However, I disliked that it felt very teenagy. I mean, of course the book has all teenagers in them and so naturally that is how it will feel but I just couldn’t take the whole thing super seriously.

But I wouldn’t discourage people from reading it cause that was the only thing I had a problem with. The element of mystery was done very well and the way the characters solved the issue was amazingly done. I also love how the ending is not exactly final. It would be interesting to know what happens next.

Why would you want to read this book? Because it’s a great idea that revolves around people who think that because they are rich they can get away with murder if only all the cards are played right. And I guess it makes you wonder if something like this would actually be possible because all you would need is a computer genius with enough brains to play with the feelings of angst and spite of rich people.

Blurb: Six young people play a dangerous Game of Tag in public, chasing through the crowds, streets, and buildings of Chicago. This secret, one-of-a-kind, wildly expensive Game offers a macabre twist to the childhood version if you get Tagged, you get Dead. Three “Its” have their reasons for buying a place in the Game. 

Surgically enhanced Brandy is obsessed with destroying a naturally beautiful girl. Untalented Robert covets his target’s position as superstar of the basketball team. Brainiac Charles craves a battle against an intellectual equal. Given their elite social status, they reject any possible downside to the contest. Each expects the satisfaction of killing their prey, then walking away. Hand-picked innocents play as Runners, under threat to their loved ones should they refuse to participate: lovely, small-town Laura; celebrated athlete Tyrese; and Amanda, gamer extraordinaire.

Alone, hunted by their adversary, each feels a single hope to survive. Technological wizardry controls the Game. As soon as Runners receive the Go signal on smartwatches locked to their wrists, the Game rockets them through the city, from the El to Michigan Avenue to the Lincoln Park Zoo.

There is no time to rest. Every thirty minutes the Runners location is transmitted to the It, which steadily diminishes the Runners chance of ever reaching Home Base alive. The Game will not end until someone is Tagged, so the Runners must choose how to play. Will they accept death? Murder their Its? Or find a way to use individual strengths to stop the Game before anyone dies?

Lots of love and blood,

Raven