Last week, I read the All For The Game series by Nora Sakavic. I know a lot of people love it so I was really curious to finally read it.
Synopsis
Neil Josten, the runaway son of a murderous crime lord, risks his life by joining a notorious university team of Exy (a fictional sport). He joins the dysfunctional Palmetto State University Foxes, a team composed of deeply troubled athletes with their own dark secrets, forcing Neil to confront his past.
The Foxhole Court
2.78 stars
I had a hard time getting into it. It took me more than 100 pages to appreciate the book and its characters a bit more.
Everyone was so annoying (on purpose)
Neil is the least annoying of them. His backstory is compelling, and I felt for him. However, his personality might rely too much on his trauma rather than real personality traits. Which is the case of most of them.
Indeed, most of the characters have a similar behavior (rude or straight up insane). Therefore, they are difficult to tell apart. They all are two-dimensional, with anger issues as their only trait. I wish they were more fleshed out. What are their motivations, fears, wants, needs...? Anything?
Nicky was also a huge letdown with his predatory behavior (that's never addressed). The only openly gay character (for now) is described as someone obsessed with sex, which I found problematic.
Besides, everyone was trying to glorify Andrew Minyard rather than condemn his erratic and violent behavior. I was really annoyed at the excuses they were giving for his attitude. Having a treatment shouldn't excuse everything. I thought that wasn’t the best mental health representation. That said, I really enjoyed his final scene with Neil, showing his loyalty and devotion.
Concerning the team, I was expecting them to slowly lean into the found family trope, but it’s probably going to be in the next books. There, almost no camaraderie, constantly fighting and insulting. It was unlikable and no fun.
Confusing dialogues
I know this hasn't been edited, so I don't want be too harsh. My main issue was with the dialogues. Most of the time, it felt empty, like they were throwing words at each other without a real connection. For instance, when Kevin "meets" Neil, they talk as if they've already met. There are several instances when the dialogues don't reflect the relationship characters have.
Laughable mafia plot
As I stated before, Neil is running away from some criminals. He’s been hiding for years, changed names and appearance. But for the love of Exy, he decided to risk being found and joined the team. He now does interviews broadcast on TV. How nonsensical is that? The stakes have been drastically lowered.
The whole gang thing is almost an afterthought, and I’m not mad at it. To me, it was the least interesting and realistic part. It’s more a character driven plot, but I feel like it could have been more developped.
The Raven King
2.42 stars
I thought the plot was better than The Foxhole Court even though the gang elements were still the weakest parts in my opinion. I still had grief with the dialogues, this time consisting of Neil consistently asking people about Andrew and characters info dumping their backstories. The latter is often used instead of proper character development. Besides, everyone still has one personality trait but the cute team moments won me over.
I still didn’t know how to feel about Andrew. I liked him better at the end of The Foxhole Court but here his attitude was almost backpedaling.
The King’s Men
2.72 stars
I was pleasantly surprised by the writing and plot progression. There were some great twists and revelations.
However, I found the Butcher storyline anticlimactic and rushed (it got resolved within 2 chapters after 3 books teasing and telling us how dangerous he was). In addition, Neil and Andrew getting closer wasn’t handled in the most organic way, in my opinion. I was expecting better after all that build up.
The Sunshine Court
3.19 stars
My favorite book in the series!
It was so clever to switch POVs and offer us a new side of this universe.
The mental health representation was better, and I was amazed at how great the depiction of cults was. It was so interesting, unique, and contributed to the plot being less far-fetched.
I also had a blast with the new team. It felt great to hang out with characters who get along for once.
The mystery around the Ravens was super intriguing and well done. I wanted to know more every time it was brought up.
My only downside is probably the fact that Jean is quite similar to Neil. Obviously, they didn’t go through the same thing but both of their personalities rely heavily on trauma, and pretty much nothing else.
Same thing for Andrew and Jeremy. They are nothing alike violence and « psychopathy » wise but they both care deeply for their team and are the ones getting things done. Jeremy is really nice to Jean and welcomes him into the team with open arms, which develops into some kind of bond that I’d say is close to codependency. An interesting theme considering where Jean is coming from.
The Golden Raven
3 stars
To me, it was less focused than the previous book and lacked a clear plot. It was a little too long, which was obvious towards the end, where it just kept going with lesser shenanigans. Nevertheless, the writing and character development were great, with so many adorable scenes of unity and friendship.
Final thoughts
I was really curious when I heard a sixth book was supposed to come out. I wonder what it’s going to be about because this story is pretty much done for me. Perhaps we’ll change POVs again. I hope so.
Have you read this series? If you want to read it with me, my fully annotated copy is available.
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