Book Review: Rush by Eve Silver

Rush
The Game #1
Author: Eve Silver
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Science Fiction | Dystopia
Released: June 11th 2013
Review Source: Katharine Tegan Books
 

So what’s the game now? This, or the life I used to know?

When Miki Jones is pulled from her life, pulled through time and space into some kind of game — her carefully controlled life spirals into chaos.

In the game, she and a team of other teens are sent on missions to eliminate the Drau, terrifying and beautiful alien creatures. There are no practice runs, no training, and no way out. Miki has only the guidance of secretive but maddeningly attractive team leader Jackson Tate, who says the game isn’t really a game, that what Miki and her new teammates do now determines their survival, and the survival of every other person on this planet. She laughs. He doesn’t. And then the game takes a deadly and terrifying turn.

Imagine this: You’re in a life threatening situation. You’re on the brink of death, nearly tipping over the edge, but, you don’t die. Instead you’re taken to a different realm. You’re there to play a game. Complete that game and you’re taken back to your old life, free to live your life as if you never nearly died...until the next time you’re pulled back into the game to complete another mission. The catch: you die in the game, you die in real life (did that remind anyone else of Freddy Krueger?). They say no good deed goes unpunished, Miki learns this when she was hit by a truck in an attempt to save a girl's life. Now she's stuck in the cycle of Game playing and battling sadistic aliens.

I swear, this book isn't as crazy as it sounds, well, it kind of is but not in a bad way. Rush was fantastically executed. I haven’t read a massive amount of YA science fiction novels but this one was by far the best I've read. I got pulled into the story like the teens get pulled into the game, unexpectedly and without a choice. It was fun, new and intriguing and the fact the author was hesitant to share the answers we all wanted--well, needed--only made the appeal more likable.

Personally, I think Rush should have focused more on the Game side of things more. The romance was a nice touch to the novel, but I feel like it was overpowering sometimes and the sci-fi part should have dominated and been explored more, but I'm only saying that because I loved that aspect of the novel!

It was fast paced, with Miki being half action girl, half normal gal, it was a good balance. The gaming characters were really well developed considering the fast paced nature, but, her friends and father outside the game felt left out. But I’m not worrying, there’s still book 2 for that development.

This does end in a ciffhanger, which is all the more reason to dig into Push straight away!

Favourite quote: 

“Of course. I died today, and now I'm going to fight aliens with a light saber. Maybe after that we can look for mermaids. Or unicorns."
"No," he says. "Just aliens."
Was that the barest hint of humour in his tone?”