The Forbidden Game (The Forbidden Game, #1-3)

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The Forbidden Game (The Forbidden Game #1-3)

4.17 of 5 stars 4.17 · rating details · 10,160 ratings · 690 reviews

When Jenny buys a game for her boyfriend, Tom, she finds herself inexplicably drawn to the guy behind the counter. There is something mysteriously alluring about Julian's pale eyes and bleached-blond hair. And when he places the Game into her hands, she knows their connection is comething deeper.

But as Jenny and her six friends begin to play the Game at Tom's birthday cele...more

Paperback, Omnibus, 750 pages

Published June 8th 2010 by Simon Pulse (first published December 1st 1997)

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Mar 18, 2012 Jillian -always aspiring- marked it as halted

Initial thoughts: Oh my goodness, why hasn't THIS become a TV show?! I could really see this as a show (even more so than The Vampire Diaries).

51 likes · like · see review

Apr 30, 2009 Tatiana rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya, romancelandia

I came across L.J. Smith's name on one of the Twilight forums. Her books were regarded very highly, so I decided to give one of her series a try. My first available book happened to be The Forbidden Game trilogy. A little bit about each of three books.

The Hunter
In a few words, this is a story about Jenny, an ordinary good girl, and Julian, a "Dark Prince" who is in love with her. To lure Jenny in his world, Julian tricks her and 6 of her friends to play The Game, where all of them have to face...more

25 likes · like · see review

Jun 17, 2012 Kay rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: faerie-poop, here-and-now, quite-the-romantic, teens-tweens-and-ya, urban-fantasy

Finally finished the entire trilogy, and overall, 4 STARS. I must say, this is one of the better YA novels that I've read. I would recommend this read for younger teens for optimal enjoyment, but don't let that stop you if you're an adult.

This one volume contains three books, each with its own plot and story. Here my reactions for each book as I finish:

The Hunter

This story begins when Jenny stumbles into a shop to buy a game for her boyfriend's birthday. She is greeted by an inhumanly beautifu...more

10 likes · like · see review

Jul 11, 2010 Regan ♥ rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own

First off, I have to say: L.J Smith is a genius.

I've never read anything like this, or heard anything like this before (well except for Jumanji, but this is different). Its so unique and well thought of!

I liked all the characters. Jenny can be a bit TOO good sometimes though, and with Julian you have a love/hate relationship with. I really think the author did a great job with the whole friendship aspect of it, but I don't think theres many groups like that anymore. Especially seeing as they hav...more

11 likes · like · see review

Jun 22, 2011 Michael rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Forbidden Game was a whole new experience for me. Not in terms of reading young adult but in terms of young adult with such dark themes. The Forbidden Games is split into three parts the hunter, the chase and the kill and centres on a young girl Jenny who decide's to get a game to bring to a party. But when she finds a place after being chased in a bad neighbourhood she is greeted by the incredibly handsome Julian who recommends a game in a plain white box. What she doesnt know is what is in...more

7 likes · like · see review

Sep 26, 2012 Emma rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: owned-books, terrible-endings

Alright. Here goes. I liked this book, but I also did not like it. I have so much to say about this book. Coming into this book, I expected too much. My friends kept telling me how amazing this book is, and how much I had to read it. I finally caved in, and bought the book. So this book is kind of a bind up of three books in one. All from the same story, just seperated into three other books. the hunter, the chase, the kill. As I was reading the hunter, I was telling myself, "oh hey this is pret...more

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Oct 18, 2011 Flame rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Just about anyone

Recommended to Flame by: Cynthia

Shelves: awesome-characters, young-adult, urban-fantasy, all-time-favs, simply-perfect, best-of-the-best

I’ll give the reviews for each book individually first then later, sum up everything.

The Hunter

I liked this book a lot. I never once found it dry and the Game was absolutely riveting. I must admit though, there were times at the beginning that I got kinda freaked out. I mean, it was just kinda scary about them facing their worst nightmares. I can’t say too much without giving away the plot of the book, but for me, every page I read just got me more and more engrossed in the book. I especially l...more

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Oct 15, 2010 Amber rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: ANYONE

Shelves: horror, i-read-in-2010, books-i-own, fiction, romance, sci-fi, teenage, young-adult, fantasy, 5-stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Ack!
This book was SO FREAKING GOOD! I couldn't put it down without whining about putting it down! L.J. Smith, not only did you send me off into another world with the NIGHT WORLD books, but you also put me in the middle of a horrifing adventure in this book, too.

This book is about a group of kids. Jenny(the main character), her boyfriend Tom, Audrey and her boyfriend Michael, Dee, Summer, and Zach. Jenny buys this game from a mysterious guy at a game store, with indescribably blue eyes and snow-...more

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Dec 01, 2010 Aileen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Jenny Thornton starts out being the typical YA heroine: magnetic, beautiful, and universally adored. If she giggled more, she might be Cher Horowitz. She has a jock boyfriend and a group of friends that could be models for a Gap ad. She throws a party for her boyfriend and buys a game from a beautiful, alien-like boy named Julian. As you may guess, Julian is a supernatural who is madly, deeply, insanely in love with her and has been since she was a child.

All of this may seem off-putting, but ign...more

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Jul 28, 2012 Ivelisse rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: death, give-me-a-break, improve-your-writing-please, mourning, normal-teens, tolerable-heroines, better-romance-please, change, really, okay

WARNING: SPOILERS WON'T BE CENSURED ONCE YOU START READING THE REST OF THE REVIEW. AND OH, YEAH. THIS WHOLE THING IS AN ANGRY RANT. Consider yourself warned.

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Jun 18, 2010 Maggie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I recommend reading all three books in this trilogy right after each other in order to fully appreciate the story, which is exciting, creepy, and emotionally-charged. The first two books are very fast-paced (actually all three are) and end with cliffhangers, and the third book finally ties everything together. But it isn't until the third book that you get a better glimpse into the villain, who is juicy but also scary and it's hard to sympathize with him. I might even say that the plot is a bit...more

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Oct 25, 2012 Benavis1489 rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: EVERYONE

Shelves: favorites

I've been sitting here staring at the screen for over an hour trying to decide how to put how I feel right now in words; I'll try my best.

I have read a lot of books and given 5 stars for several of them... After reading this, I think I need to go back and change all those books to 3 stars. Nothing I've read so far can compare, nothing. Reading all 750 pages in less than 24 hours is proof of that. Yes, I have bags under my eyes from lack of sleep but it was so worth it.

Everything this book had t...more

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Aug 02, 2011 Fatima Bastaki rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Ghaida Abdul Rahman

Recommended to Fatima by: Fatima

To Start off, this was a book series that was completely different from all the other L.J. Smith books I've Read. I really did enjoy the whole idea of the plot, it gave off this Alice in Wonderland vibe but a little more edgier, creepier and eccentric. I Liked that. Especially how all these freakish games put nicely together come up by none other than Evil Julian. I found third book of the series especially creepy that got me excited because of the Shadow Men, the books and spells she witnessed...more To Start off, this was a book series that was completely different from all the other L.J. Smith books I've Read. I really did enjoy the whole idea of the plot, it gave off this Alice in Wonderland vibe but a little more edgier, creepier and eccentric. I Liked that. Especially how all these freakish games put nicely together come up by none other than Evil Julian. I found third book of the series especially creepy that got me excited because of the Shadow Men, the books and spells she witnessed in her Grand Father's basement and how the Shadow Men kept his soul trapped in the Shadow World for so long you'd rather wished he was dead than tortured. I didn't particularly find the characters quite amazing as I thought i would.
Julian was everything in a character you'd find as hot, dangerous and evil from his wild cool white hair to his snake tattooed wrist! But I really didn't enjoy the way he treated Jenny like she was a prize no one can take. It was sickening with the death threats to her and her loved ones, it was controlling and completely not what I would call a pleasant obsession.
Jenny, the blonde goody two shoes at first due to her picky boyfriend Tom eventually takes a big leap from being reserved and collected to strong-willed and independent. I don't like her all that much and especially not her relationship with Tom but I did admire that she can be on her own with people actually seeing that change in her.
Tom, being also one of the characters that changed through their experiences. Arrogant at first but became more appreciative yet still careless.
Zach, I actually liked his character quite a bit as he is odd with a strange artistic mind.
Audrey, although sophisticated as she is proves that she can withstand a hell of an adventure that they went through especially with her frightening elves.
I also find the pairing of Audrey and Michael quiet so adorable, the combination of their wits and charms put together make them a fun couple.
Michael, the book worm! I adore his character, he brings out the fun moments in the group from his paranoia.
Dee! I really love her, she just shines with her charisma despite her lack of fondness for technology and books. Shes like a package of her own 1,2,3 Action!
Summer, Hah don't even get me started on how dainty she is. I actually found that her nightmare bedroom eating her up quite funny.

Definitely a book that entertains! Long but worth the creeps ;D(less)

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Mar 22, 2012 Gabrielle Elise rated it 5 of 5 stars

"The Forbidden Game" by Lisa Jane Smith is a modern fiction book, written with fast-paced, beautiful language. I've read four other of her series (which all seem to be bind-ups) and I definitely think this bests them all.

The main character, Jenny, was likable and courageable (at least, at the end). Throughout the book you could feel her personality developing. From the way it was written, I can say that Jenny was a highly realistic character, believable and someone you could feel emphatic toward...more

6 likes · like · see review

Sep 04, 2010 Indigo rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: A lot of people, L.J. Smith fans especially

Shelves: reviewed, favorite-series

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. L.J. Smith has some serious talent!!! I loved Night World and The Vampire Diaries (Well, the original four), and liked Dark Visions, so I figured I HAD to read this one. I was definitely not disappointed. I loved the characters, the plots, and everything that happened. I have never been so happy to be scared out of my wits and excited by a book.

Beyond This Point: Beware of Spoilers

The Hunter: This one probably had the best-organized plot, and a cool concept. Yes, I've seen movies where character...more L.J. Smith has some serious talent!!! I loved Night World and The Vampire Diaries (Well, the original four), and liked Dark Visions, so I figured I HAD to read this one. I was definitely not disappointed. I loved the characters, the plots, and everything that happened. I have never been so happy to be scared out of my wits and excited by a book.

Beyond This Point: Beware of Spoilers

The Hunter: This one probably had the best-organized plot, and a cool concept. Yes, I've seen movies where characters get sucked into boardgames, but nothing quite like this. This was scary and cool at the same time. L.J. Smith thrust her characters into all kinds of literal fears (Aliens, myths, sci-fi monsters...) and physiological fears (insanity, remembering...), and did a great job at it. As far as characters go, I really liked Jenny. Sure, I didn't think I'd like her at the beginning, but L.J. Smith proved me wrong. Much like the Vampire Diaries, the reader isn't supposed to particularly like Jenny in the beginning, but Jenny changes over the course of the novel. Smith has the undeniable talent to start with someone shallow and change her into someone better. I also really, really liked Dee, I liked Zach, Summer, Audrey, and Michael, and I liked Tom. In this book, I didn't see the appeal in Julian. Yes, he was dark and alluring, but he was also trying to kill them. But, judging by the good things I'd heard about this trilogy, I had high hopes for Jenny and Julian's interactions in the other books.

The Chase: This one scared the living daylights out of me at some points, because I was reading it in a silent house in the middle of the night (probably my own fault, but I couldn't stop reading). I kept expecting to get phone calls with someone whispering creepy things on the other end, or to start seeing things in the shadows. But, I did love this book. I really, really liked Jenny, because she'd changed into a better person, and I rode her emotions and fears as the book went along. I liked Dee, Audrey, Michael, and Zach better in this one too (maybe because I saw more of them), and I loveloveloved Tom. He'd changed too, and for the better. And, I finally saw the appeal in Julian. He was frightening, but had something underneath that was drawing Jenny (and me, for that matter) to him. The thing I probably liked most of all about The Chase was that it didn't suffer from middle-of-a-trilogy syndrome, like so many others have. It had a set plot (which so many middle-of-a-trilogies are missing), and the plot could stand on it's own if it had to.
Also, I don't think I'll ever look at nursery rhymes the same way again.

The Kill: Amazing. The best of them, which is so awesome because it ended on such a high note. And a lot of things I had been hoping to see (P.C. and Slug, Jenny's Grandfather, the other Shadow Men) were in this one. The characters grew even more (it's amazing that L.J. Smith still had her characters improving right up until the end). I liked Jenny even more, I loved Tom, and Julian. I was upset at the end, but it was the perfect end to the trilogy. It really couldn't have ended any other way.

But I wonder, will Julian be back?

Overall: I would say more, but I don't want to give anything more away. I could blabber on and on for hours about this book, and how brilliant it was. Did it scare the living daylights out of me at some points? Yes. Should you read it? Absolutely. It's a trilogy about games that can mess with your head, and your life. One interesting thing, I just realized, is that this is the first L.J. Smith book (that I've read) where it's another world altogether. Night World, Vampire Diaries, and Dark Visions were all paranormal/sci-fi things happening in a normal world, but in this one she took her characters and dropped them down in a world so much scarier than that. Surprisingly (because I usually don't enjoy being freaked out), I loved it. A must-read, especially for L.J. Smith fans. But I do warn you about loosing sleep to keep reading.(less)

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Jan 03, 2012 playingwithfire marked it as to-read

I saw this in the library today and couldn't help but think :Ummm, Zathura much? Because it was written by LJ Smith and I absolutely despised her writing in The Vampire Diaries (don't get me wrong....I love the TV show. Ok, ok I love Ian Somerhalder. Let a 15 year old girl live a little! Anyway, I didn't have my heart set on reading this but the librarians weren't given me their normal "Holy shit she's borrowing 50 books again" looks (I was down a couple books) so I decided "Why not mess with th...more

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Feb 06, 2009 Lindsey rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read this in 7th grade, in just a few days. I remember sneaking it into school and reading it during English class, feeling like such a nerd rebel. Now that I'm older, it kind of reminds me of Labyrinth, with David Bowie. A chick and all her friends get swept up into a deadly game because some hot evil magic guy has fallen in love with her and wants to make her his "Queen of Shadows" and will do anything to win her. Why that's such a problem is beyond me...

Summary is kind of stupid, but the bo...more

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Jul 22, 2008 Mai rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, fantasy-contemporary, horror, mystery, romance, ya, paranormal, coming-of-age, god-religion-afterlife, devils-and-demons, fantasy, feminist-themes, friends, redemption, speculative-fiction, good-strong-females-role-models, to-buy, series-trilogy, series-finished

What is amazing about this series is how easy it would be for L.j .Smith to have given into fans and just let Julian have Jenny and turn her into a prop. Instead, Jenny grew stronger as a character - something that the feminist in me loves. Her friends are not merely props to make Jenny look better, in fact, they have their own subtext and growth. Tom, the boyfriend, isn't made to look like some abusive boyfriend, but learns to appreciate Jenny.

And then, there's Julian, who is evil and yet prov...more

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Feb 03, 2013 Jaz rated it 5 of 5 stars

I loved this book...of corse just like everyone else I love JULIAN and I think they should always and forever be with Jenny I think the book the forbidden game was well written and very detailed. I would have never read the book if it wasn't for my friend. I am definitely giving this book 5 stars for being a great book and a great author to go with it...

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Feb 02, 2013 Amina rated it 5 of 5 stars

The Hunter: Jenny Thornton's boyfriend, Tom Locke, is turning seventeen. For his birthday, Jenny has their closest friends over to celebrate. Summer is the sweetest of the group. Zach is the geek. Dee is an ebony huntress. Michael is the huskiest. Audrey has been Jenny's friend the longest and still competes with Dee (the newest member of their group) for Jenny's friendship. While searching for an interesting game they can all play together, Jenny finds herself in a bad part of town with two thu...more The Hunter: Jenny Thornton's boyfriend, Tom Locke, is turning seventeen. For his birthday, Jenny has their closest friends over to celebrate. Summer is the sweetest of the group. Zach is the geek. Dee is an ebony huntress. Michael is the huskiest. Audrey has been Jenny's friend the longest and still competes with Dee (the newest member of their group) for Jenny's friendship. While searching for an interesting game they can all play together, Jenny finds herself in a bad part of town with two thugs stalking her. She flees into a strange game store and meets a teen boy with the strangest blue colored eyes and white hair. He convinces Jenny to purchase a special game, promising her that all the players will be treated to mystery, suspense, seduction, temptation, and secrets will be revealed. Once together and the adults out of the house, Jenny and her friends construct a Victorian house and paper dolls to represent themselves as the game instructions dictates. Then they pledge the oath on the box that the game is real and that they understand that by playing the game they put their lives at risk.

But this is no ordinary game. The players soon find themselves actually within the Victorian house they made. The Shadow Man, named Julian, is the boy from the game store. He informs Jenny that her friends have been scattered around the house, with has three stories and a turret on the top. Jenny is the main player. She must locate each friend's room and then help them face their greatest nightmare. If Jenny reaches the top, the door out of the game is there, waiting for them. However, Julian also informs Jenny that not all of her friends may survive and the game has a time limit. It began at nine o'clock in the evening. Jenny has until sunrise, at six-eleven, to get out of the game with her friends. If she loses, Jenny will be trapped in the Shadow World and belong to Julian.

The Chase: Jenny and her friends are still haunted by what happened to them while in Julian's game. One of her friends did not survive and they feel the loss. They told the truth of events to their parents and the police, but no one believes them. However, the nightmare is not really over. The two thugs who stole the game from Jenny's house had opened the game's box and played. Julian has been released and he wants Jenny. Another game is to be played. Julian will hunt each friend, one-by-one, and take them back to his secret base. Jenny must figure out where the base is hidden and reach it before Julian stops her, who is to be taken last. If Jenny wins, she will be released from the binding vow she made Julian previously. If she loses, Jenny must go with Julian to his world and stay with him forever.

The Kill: With Julian holding two of her friends in the Shadow World as hostage, Jenny and the others must go on a treasure hunt at a carnival. But horrible creatures await the teens as they fight for their survival and Jenny's freedom from Julian.(less)

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Nov 16, 2012 Paula Phillips rated it 4 of 5 stars

When I first saw this series available at Whitcoulls for like $5 , I literally was overjoyed and excited with glee as I had asked the library earlier to buy this series but recieved a response to say it was out of print. So imagine like my surprise when I saw it at the local bookstore and for $5 - SO CHEAP. The Forbidden game is an collection of the three stories in the trilogy and starts with the first book where we meet the main character Jenny whose boyfriend Tom is about to celebrate his bir...more When I first saw this series available at Whitcoulls for like $5 , I literally was overjoyed and excited with glee as I had asked the library earlier to buy this series but recieved a response to say it was out of print. So imagine like my surprise when I saw it at the local bookstore and for $5 - SO CHEAP. The Forbidden game is an collection of the three stories in the trilogy and starts with the first book where we meet the main character Jenny whose boyfriend Tom is about to celebrate his birthday and Jenny wants to buy a game - something special and unique. She ends up finding an odd game store and purchases a game. The game though has black magic attached and ends up being a portal to another world - the shadow world . The characters of the story are then transported into this paper house where they are to live out their worst nightmares and the scary thing is - these nightmares can be deadly and one of them won't make it out alive. This story in a way reminded me of the movie starring Robin Williams "Jumanji". At the end of the first book, the main characters chuck the game away but of course they are not quick enough as the game is stolen by Jenny's arch-enemies two bullies named PC and Slug who end up disappearing and are trapped in the game , releasing Julian - the master of the game into the world who wants to take Jenny back to the Underworld as his Queen and wife. In Book #2 , Jenny and her friends must play the game once more before anyone else gets hurt in their neighbourhood , but can they play the game and remain friends with the knowledge of what happened last time they played it. Will more members of the group remain stuck in the game or will they be released ? How many people will have to get killed before Jenny realises that Julian isn't leaving without her one way or another. In Book #3 , the final chapter of the Forbidden Game - the friends are off to an amusement park and Jenny's grandfathers house to discover how to trap Julian and what better place to head than where the game first created and where Julian first met Jenny when she was 5yrs old.
The Forbidden Game is a great trilogy and awesome for fans of the Supernatural realm . It mixes well together aspects from the game "Jumanji" and the hit TV show starring the Winchester Brothers "Supernatural".
LJ Smith is more famously known for her series "The Vampire Diaries" which were made into a TV series and her books "Nightworld". However, my all time favourites of LJ Smith's was the "Dark Visions" Series.(less)

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Oct 20, 2012 Georgiana Derwent rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: all-time-favourites

Like many reviewers on here, I'm now in my mid-twenties and first read and loved this series in my teens . When I saw this new edition which collects the whole trilogy together in one book I couldn't resist revisiting it, despite my reservations that it wouldn't be as good as I remembered. I needn't have worried - I read the whole thing in a few days and despite my tastes nowadays being rather more literary, still enjoyed it more than almost any book I've ever read.

It's difficult to pin down qui...more Like many reviewers on here, I'm now in my mid-twenties and first read and loved this series in my teens . When I saw this new edition which collects the whole trilogy together in one book I couldn't resist revisiting it, despite my reservations that it wouldn't be as good as I remembered. I needn't have worried - I read the whole thing in a few days and despite my tastes nowadays being rather more literary, still enjoyed it more than almost any book I've ever read.

It's difficult to pin down quite what makes it so fantastic. On the surface at least, it's not much different from any of the hundreds of "paranormal romance" titles that dominate the teen sections of bookshops. There are however lots of factors that make it special:

*The plot is rather unusual. Yes, it's your standard girl meets mythical being, but rather than the endless vampires/witches/angels etc it's focussed on Norse mythology, which I at least have never seen used before.

*Speaking of mythology, there's lots of detail about runes and the Nine Worlds and German legends, which really adds depth without ever weighing the story down. Similarly, there's some clever stuff referencing history and literature and even surrealist painters, all of which is neatly weaved into the plot

*At times, especially in the first book, the supporting characters seemed in danger of being a bit 2 dimensional - the glamorous one, the sporty one, the geeky one - but as the story goes on, they really develop and they become one of the most interesting supporting casts I can remember in a book like this. I could really visualise all of them and imagine how they'd react to any given situation.

*Moving away from the supporting characters though and on to the star of the show - Julian. He's one of those characters who are half villain/half love interest which pop up in lots of books of this kind, but my goodness, never have I seen it done so well. This is a book for teens and as such there's no sex scenes, but seriously, there are scenes in which Julian is just talking to the heroine, Jenny, or at most kissing her, that are more romantic and almost more erotic than anything I've read in more adult books.

As this is meant to be a review and not a eulogy, I should briefly mention some of the bad stuff, but I promise that these don't detract from the overall effect:

*Some of the description, especially of how the characters look, is incredibly repetitive. In particular, there must be literally about a hundred references to how blue Julian's eyes are. There also appear to be some paragraphs that are almost repeated word for word.

*More seriously, there never seemed to be enough justification for why Julian was so utterly obsessed with Jenny. She seemed like a nice enough all-American high school girl - not really enough to catch the attention of an all-powerful, devastatingly handsome supernatural being. Clearly you always have to suspend disbelief a bit with this kind of story, but she didn't even seem the most interesting one out of her circle of friends. Julian being into the uber-chic, cultured Audrey or take no nonsense, super-physical scared of nothing Dee would almost seem to make more sense.

*A related problem is the human love interest, Tom, Jenny's long-term boyfriend. Nominally, this story is meant to be a bit of a love triangle, but the author seems to have little to no interest in Tom. At best he's totally normal, at worst a bit of a "you can't wear that sexy dress" type control freak. For most of books one and three he barely appears and when he does, he has no real romantic scenes with Jenny. If the two could have been a bit more balanced (like with Stefan and Damon in the same author's other series, the Vampire Diaries) it would probably have added that bit more narrative tension.

So there we have it. It isn't a literary masterpiece, but it is more intelligent and interesting than you might expect from a paranormal romance aimed at teenagers. It's enthralling, very sexy in parts and quite nerve-wracking in others. I'd recommend this to any teenage girl without a second's hesitation. If you read it when you were younger, I'd also recommend revisiting. If you're older and it's new to you, you might well notice some of its faults rather more, but if you're remotely into this genre, I'd still give it a go. At worst it will be a quick fun read, at best you could still be totally blown away. I challenge anyone not to fall a bit in love with Julian and not to be caught off guard by the amazingly emotional ending.(less)

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Sep 23, 2012 Tessa rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Une nouvelle saga en trois parties de L.J. Smith qui est une auteure que je lis beaucoup.
Un synopsis qui nous donne un avant goût de Jumanji mais qui finalement réussi à sortir de ce thème pour nous proposer une intrigue tout autre.
Julian et Jenny se rencontre alors qu’elle cherche un jeu pour fêter l’anniversaire de son copain. Rien de très original question suspense, on sait très bien qu’elle est mal tombée en atterrissant dans cette boutique mais la suite se révèle intéressante.

Nos protagonis...more Une nouvelle saga en trois parties de L.J. Smith qui est une auteure que je lis beaucoup.
Un synopsis qui nous donne un avant goût de Jumanji mais qui finalement réussi à sortir de ce thème pour nous proposer une intrigue tout autre.
Julian et Jenny se rencontre alors qu’elle cherche un jeu pour fêter l’anniversaire de son copain. Rien de très original question suspense, on sait très bien qu’elle est mal tombée en atterrissant dans cette boutique mais la suite se révèle intéressante.

Nos protagonistes se retrouvent plongés dans un “autre monde” dans lequel ils sont confrontés à leur plus grande peur. De quoi laisser place à l’imagination. J’aime assez le fait que ces peurs ne soient pas de simples phobies comme le vertige ou les araignées. Non, elles révèlent plutôt nos secrets les plus enfouis, ceux dont on ne parle jamais à personne.
Voilà pour la première partie, et c’est sans doute la plus intéressante des trois.

Les parties 2 et 3 ont leur propre histoire mais elles sont peut être un peu trop calquées sur la première au niveau du principe. On s’attend au dénouement car la traque est la même mais au moins le terrain de jeu change tout en devenant plus sombre (un parc d’attraction peut aussi bien respirer la joie de vivre que devenir vraiment glauque).

Un point assez négatif du livre est celui des personnages. Il y a toute une “équipe” et celle-ci est composée du petit-ami parfait, de la sportive, la craintive, le bon pote, etc. Un peu trop cliché et rien de nouveau.
Un point assez positif de l’histoire concerne l’intrigue autour de Jenny. On en apprend au fur et à mesure sur son passé, sur qui est Julian et pourquoi un “lien” les unis.

Le peuple dont fait parti Julian est assez original, un peuple qui vit dans l’ombre et qui nous attend au tournant, ça a de quoi nous faire nous retourner dans une rue mal éclairée.

Une histoire entre réalisme et fiction qui marche assez bien. Ce n’est pas la saga de l’année mais c’est un bon moment de lecture ou le bien et le mal se mène une bataille avec un soupçon de magie pour couronner le tout.(less)

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Jul 15, 2012 Jensen Sturzenegger rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: eng-356-13-25

The Hunter: Jenny Thornton's boyfriend, Tom Locke, is turning seventeen. For his birthday, Jenny has their closest friends over to celebrate. While searching for an interesting game they can all play together, Jenny finds herself in a bad part of town with two thugs stalking her. She flees into a strange game store and meets a teen boy with the strangest blue colored eyes and white hair. He convinces Jenny to purchase a special game, promising her that all the players will be treated to mystery,...more

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Jun 21, 2012 C rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: porn-or-is-it, iwishicouldkeepyouforever

The Forbidden Game is another masterpiece from L.J Smith (although I might be biased, seeing as she's one of my favorite authors). It is a collection of three stories that link together in ways that are seamless and perfect. The flow of one story to another is amazing.

Everything -- up to the last word -- stems from (view spoiler)...more

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Jun 08, 2012 Claire rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book holds a lot of promise, with an interesting premise and believable characters. The events flow smoothly, with a nice balance of description and dialogue. L.J. Smith stays true to each character, having them use certain phrases to set them apart from one another, and succeeds in making them all utterly human (meaning that they're flawed, but have characteristics that make up for their shortcomings).

My only problem was the main character, Jenny, and her relationship with the two boys, Ju...more

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Jun 07, 2012 Shirlyn rated it 5 of 5 stars

Like Dark Vision, this book is hauntingly beautiful.

This book cannot be more different than Dark Vision, but it still has the beauty that proves they are written under the same person.

First, I have always appreciated different personalities in one book, and this book provides me with many of them. Jenny-Tom and Audrey-Michael are such different couples, one is always obvious in showing their love, another is less obvious but no less true. In the Jenny-Tom situation, I like it that Tom is protect...more

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Jun 05, 2012 Tati rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: irp-bookshelf

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. First and foremost, I would like to state that I absolutely love this book and it is one of my favorite trilogies, and by far one of L. J. Smith's best works.

The Forbidden Game is three books in one, entitled The Hunter, The Chase, and The Kill. The story flows seamlessly though, so it's not of real importance.

Jenny, the charismatic, good-girl decides to throw a party. IN an attempt to find something to do before they get there, she is chased in the dark streets of town to this small toy store....more First and foremost, I would like to state that I absolutely love this book and it is one of my favorite trilogies, and by far one of L. J. Smith's best works.

The Forbidden Game is three books in one, entitled The Hunter, The Chase, and The Kill. The story flows seamlessly though, so it's not of real importance.

Jenny, the charismatic, good-girl decides to throw a party. IN an attempt to find something to do before they get there, she is chased in the dark streets of town to this small toy store. There she meets a eerily attractive boy named with electric blue eyes and icy white hair who convinces her to but a white box. When she gets home to her boyfriend Tom, her friends Dee, Audrey, Michael, and Summer, and her cousin Zach, they become entranced with the mysterious game. Little do they know, the boy that sold Jenny the game is really the prince of another world, and holds complete and utter control of the game. Oh, and he's obsessively in love with Jenny.

The way the game works is that he makes each player face their deepest darkest fears, and they have to survive. If they win? They get out free. If not? Julian gets to keep Julian in his Shadow World forever.

This book took a head-first dive into what happens when love becomes obsession, and fighting your fears turns into the key to your survival. This story was gripping, terrifying, heart-breaking, and genuinely shocking. It's one of those books that you start and you don't stop reading until you're done. It is literally impossible to put it down once you've started. I recommend this book to anyone and everyone who likes an amazing literary adventure. L. J. Smith is a master storyteller.
It was absolutely marvelous. The characters were so well thought-out and relatable. You could really get a sense of who everyone was and how they connected and interacted with not only the other characters, but the fears and situations that put them to the mental, emotional, and physical test. It was riveting. Julian is one of the best characters I have read in a long time. His character development throughout the books was amazing, and he is one of those characters ha are completely irresistible. With every turn of a page you had to question if you loved him or hated him, if he sadistic or just too involve to see clearly. He was truly one of the best-written (that's horrible grammar, but I don't know how to fix it.)The idea of the Shadow World was horrific, as well as kind of beautiful. The imagery was absolutely wonderful. When Summer had to deal with those humungous bugs, I could feel how she felt. Or, when Jenny was reliving the incident with her Grandfather, I could feel all the terror she felt and I could picture everything that was happening. I was intense. I went through so many extreme emotions throughout this book. And, oh my gosh the ending! I can't even talk about it! EVERYONE SHOULD READ THIS BOOK!

I gave this book a 5 out of 5 stars because it is one of the best I've ever read. It was amazingly well- written, the characters were well developed, Dan it was an interesting and original plot. I will definitely read it again.
(less)

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May 21, 2012 Hannah rated it 4 of 5 stars

Review originally posted at Books Worth Remembering

The Forbidden Game was originally published in 1994 and republished in 2008, with its new and improved funky cover. I first read Dark Visions, another three - in - one book by L.J. Smith; and thoroughly enjoyed it. I went in search for more and found this great book. The Forbidden Game is about a girl, Jenny, who buys a board game from a very creepy shop and whilst playing with her friends they become trapped in the game - pandemonium and advent...more Review originally posted at Books Worth Remembering

The Forbidden Game was originally published in 1994 and republished in 2008, with its new and improved funky cover. I first read Dark Visions, another three - in - one book by L.J. Smith; and thoroughly enjoyed it. I went in search for more and found this great book. The Forbidden Game is about a girl, Jenny, who buys a board game from a very creepy shop and whilst playing with her friends they become trapped in the game - pandemonium and adventure ensues.

I love L.J. Smith's writing and the three part style of this series in one easy to read bind up. This allows the story to have a more complicated and in depth plot, but without the waiting for other books and it's always nice when after finishing one section you can go straight onto the next part - Which you will definitely want to do!

My favourite of the three was 'The Hunter', maybe because it introduced the characters and starts the story's ball rolling, showing the beginnings of this big adventure for this group of teenagers. The concept of creating people's nightmares into reality was intriguing even though it scared me at the thought of it, inside of the board game there were many scary scenes that kept me guessing and on the edge of my seat.

The story progressed steadily with this complex intertwining plot - even in the last part it still incorporated previous developments and events from the other two parts. To begin with the characters got on my nerves for falling into the obvious traps – Why play the creepy board game? Have you not seen any horror movies? - but by the last part, after learning more and seeing them suffer through the different trials and tribulations I couldn’t help but admire their bravery and like them.

I also liked how the characters developed when dealing with what they'd learnt and seen within the game, this aspect - the aftermath - is something you don't always see so it was interesting how character grappled with this knowledge, without being able to tell anyone else for they could potentially be seen as insane.

The strangest thing about the book was when L.J. Smith was describing some things, such as how attractive Julian was, it didn't really work for me and other descriptive aspects of the story so I had to repeat, “Imagine you're in 1994” to myself and guys with ponytails and leather pants are the in thing.

Three times the fun with this great easy read.(less)

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Oct 05, 2011 Soa rated it 5 of 5 stars

Демоны, призраки, духи, мифические существа - сон или видение?

Если бы вы только знали, какого было мое удивление, узнав я о том, что «Запретную игру» переиздали. Это был всплеск искрящихся эмоций в мурлыкающей от удовольствия тишине. «Царство ночи» я сознательно не приобретала из-за старинных, мягких обложек, отталкивающие своим никудышным образом создать подобие нормального арта на тему темного мира. В стране много прекрасных дизайнеров и художников, где же они, когда мы так в них нуждаемся. Сл...more Демоны, призраки, духи, мифические существа - сон или видение?

Если бы вы только знали, какого было мое удивление, узнав я о том, что «Запретную игру» переиздали. Это был всплеск искрящихся эмоций в мурлыкающей от удовольствия тишине. «Царство ночи» я сознательно не приобретала из-за старинных, мягких обложек, отталкивающие своим никудышным образом создать подобие нормального арта на тему темного мира. В стране много прекрасных дизайнеров и художников, где же они, когда мы так в них нуждаемся. Словом, приобрела я наконец-таки «Охотника» и прочитала залпом. То ли соскучилась я по обыденному тексту подростковой травы, то ли меня настолько увлек сюжет и привлек главный персонаж, что я отсчитывала минуты, чтобы быстренько пробежать квартал до дома и усесться на гостеприимный диван с чашкой горячего чая в руках.
Текст не отличается какой-то сверхъестественной красочностью – я бы назвала это заурядной попыткой неплохого фикрайтера преодолеть стену между избитостью и должной остротой. Однако стремление воссоздать столь масштабную формулировку сна и параллельных миров поистине каверзна для любителей хорошего фэнтези с примесью сентиментального любовного романа. Естественное и неестественное, правда и ложь, добро и зло – все должно находиться в равновесии и в сочетании друг с другом. Тьма тянется к свету, а свет привлекает тьма – в нынешнее время самый популярный и хорошо оплачиваемый мотив для юных авторов и не менее юных читателей. Другие миры с их сказочными героями, мистическими происшествиями и преодоление собственных потаенных страхов. Главный злодей и по статусу один из самых обворожительных героев примечательнейшая личность, обладающая всеми качествами sexybadboy, с истерзанной душой изгоя, мечтающего о человеческой девочке. Заполучить желаемое готов любыми способами – реальными и нереальными – надменный и самонадеянный, одним словом настоящий дамский угодник. А своей смертной возлюбленной не может простить ни ее любви в реальном мире, ни ее характера, отвергающего любые попытки на малейшее сближение.
Хотите верьте, хотите нет, а кулаки сжимаются сами собой и хочется выкрикнуть: «Выпускайте же вторую книгу, однако!». :) (less)

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About L.J. Smith

L.J. SMITH has written over two dozen books for young adults, including The Vampire Diaries, now a hit TV show. She has also written the bestselling Night World series and The Forbidden Game, as well as the #1 New York Times bestselling Dark Visions. She loves to walk the trails and beaches in Point Reyes, California, daydreaming about her latest book. She also loves to hear from readers (info@lja...more

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The Awakening and The Struggle (The Vampire Diaries, #1-2)

The Fury and Dark Reunion (The Vampire Diaries, #3-4)

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“Nothing really dies as long as it's not forgotten” — 185 people liked it

“I need you like - like light. You're light, all right - like a flame to a moth. I told you once that you shouldn't mess with forbidden things - I should have taken my own advice.” — 179 people liked it

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