Book Review for A Good Game by D.D Shaw
A Good Game, by D.D Shaw, is about overcoming personal struggles and finding comfort in the freedom love offers.
Charlotte is a twenty-year old woman who longs to see the world. One night, she meets a young man who, while rough around the edges, she can’t help but be drawn in by. Before long however, she is thrown into a world filled with deception, technology, and possibilities, a world that attracts both her curiosity and horror. Trent, on the other hand, works for a foreboding company known as Vision. After being sexually abused over and over again, he meets woman whom will become yet another pawn for Vision. As time goes on, the eventually fall in love with each other, only to realize that it might just be too late. Shaw weaves a romantic tale where love isn’t limited by boundaries and, despite all our struggles, we can still earn our happy ends, regardless of how much suffering we’re put through.
The characters were enjoyable to read about. Charlotte was written in a way that made her fiery, despite her being incredibly condescending at times. I liked how she was humbled, not just by the maids, but by everyone around her. What’s more, when she realized the truth of what was happening, I was proud that she stood up for herself, despite making a few strange, if risky, choices along the way. Trent, meanwhile, appeared to be just another typical bad boy heartbreaker. However, as the story continued on, and I got to know him more and more, I realized how screwed up his life is. He’s enslaved by his family legacy, and his being taken advantaged of over and over again. Even so, he manages to find the strength to love Charlotte. I liked watching their relationship blossom, and though it was an interesting way to embrace both the past and present.
The theme was much darker than I’d anticipated. Sexual abuse and emotional neglect were prevalent in the story, whether it be from Trent’s own past, or even Charlotte’s experiences at her boarding school. In spite of the pressures of family and work and even an obsessed stalker endeavoring to separate them, the couple still made it through somehow. It denotes that love really can make you stronger, that having that support system will help you overcome anything life throws your way. It was inspiring, to be honest.
Still, there were a couple of things that didn’t sit well with me in this book. For example, Trent just decided to have sex with Charlotte right there, even with everyone watching. It was an immature decision on her part, mainly because she could’ve forced him off, and that clearly Trent didn’t need sex right then. I was also a bit confused in the beginning. Charlotte could’ve called for help, since, of course, there was a strange man in her room who admitted to practically watching her, and she didn’t do anything. She was flattered, more often than not. And it didn’t sit well with me; at the very least I would’ve expected her to put up more of a fight.
Overall, the book was a good read. The interesting plot line, flawed characters, and their subsequent development made the story all the more fascinating. What’s more, it dove into issues not a lot of fiction books would explore, and was something that Shaw did well. There were some aspects of Charlotte’s and Trent’s relationship that didn’t make sense, but other than that, I liked it well enough. As such, I would give this book a rating of a 3.5 out of 5 stars, and would recommend it to fans of The Girl of Glass by Megan O’ Russell and The City of Dreams by Hailey Griffiths.
