(Photo taken from Goodreads).

Title: Stuck in the Game

Author: Christopher Keene

Genre: Young Adult/Sci-Fi

Publisher: Future House Publishing

Format: Kindle Edition

Pages: 187

Rating: 4/5

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

After a terrible car crash puts seventeen-year-old Noah Newbolt into a coma, he is hooked up to the innovative Dream Engine—a virtual reality helmet that immerses the player in an online fantasy game. The Dream Engine keeps Noah’s mind alive while doctors frantically work to heal his body, but his death in the game could result in irreversible brain damage.

While Noah learns to navigate the Dream Game, his girlfriend, Sue, suffers injuries from the same crash. Then the doctors’ attempts to connect her to the game result in her apparent death. When a mysterious avatar drops notes suggesting the last remnants of Sue’s consciousness are being held prisoner in the most dangerous part of the game, Noah takes it upon himself to rescue her.

He allies himself with a group of high-level players to help him in his quest, but his rise through the ranks earns him a bounty. With top players across the world gunning for Noah, can he stay alive–and awake–long enough to save Sue and escape the game?

Review:

I received a copy of Stuck in the Game from Future House Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

Happy book launch day to Christopher Keene! This was an amazing book!

I do not play video games, except for maybe Wii Sports and Mario Kart. However, I was completely engaged in this interesting read. The set up was intriguing, the characters were well written, and the plot was carried out well. I enjoyed the detail the author went through to describe the game world, and I was kept on my toes through the whole book. There was just enough mystery to keep me engaged in what I was not sure I would like, since it was about someone being trapped in a video game.

In addition to the story, I also enjoyed how the author included how addictive video games can be. In the book, you had to take a drug to enter the dreamworld of the game, but in real life, video games can be just as addictive as drugs. The author wrote this warning in a nice and subtle way, while still making the game seen fun when it id done in moderation.

I would definitely recommend this book to young teens, especially young teens who are not avid readers, yet like to play video games. I am hoping Keene has a sequel in the works!

Here is some additional information regarding the book if you are interested in reading it, which I recommend you do:

Stuck in the Game will be available for $2.99 US August 4-11 (discounted from the regular price of $4.99 US)
Readers can enter to win an autographed copy of Stuck in the Game on launch day on the Future House Publishing blog (August 4th)
Future House Publishing will be giving away some physical copies too on their Goodreads giveaway starting on August 9th.

For more information, go to http://wp.me/p4x4ek-SN

Please let me know if you have any questions about the book!

Happy Reading!