Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.

Start by marking “Public Enemies (Immortal Game, #2)” as Want to Read:

Other editions

Enlarge cover

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Open Preview

Public Enemies

(Immortal Game #2)

Ann Aguirre (Goodreads Author)

3.79 · Rating details · 677 ratings · 116 reviews

Learn the rules of the game…and then play better than anyone else.

Through a Faustian bargain, Edie Kramer has been pulled into the dangerous world of the Immortal Game, where belief makes your nightmares real. Hungry for sport, fears-made-flesh are always raising the stakes. To them, human lives are less than nothing, just pieces on a board.

Because of her boyfriend Kian’s ...more

Get A Copy

Hardcover, 378 pages

Published August 4th 2015 by Feiwel & Friends

More Details... Edit Details

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about Public Enemies, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

YA Novels of 2015

1,540 books — 8,938 voters

Up Coming

96 books — 123 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

Showing 1-30

Average rating 3.79 ·

Rating details

· 677 ratings · 116 reviews

More filters

Sort order

Start your review of Public Enemies (Immortal Game, #2)

May 07, 2015 Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin rated it really liked it

Shelves: own, young-adult, fantasy-all

I loved this one way more than the first book. I'm still a little confused with some things from both books but that's alright. ***Mild Spoilers***

I will admit, until about 100-ish pages in I was getting a little annoyed thinking it wasn't going to pick up more from the first book. But I kept pushing and it sure as hell did pick up! I mean you have the Harbinger, a killer clown, a sun god's heart, an awesome blade made of out of said sun god's heart, a ghost helper, evil people and god's left an ...more

flag 68 likes · Like · see review

Aug 15, 2014 Alyssa rated it liked it

Shelves: 2015-releases

***Review posted on The Eater of Books! blog***

Public Enemies by Ann Aguirre
Book Two of the Immortal Game series
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Publication Date: August 4, 2015
Rating: 3 stars
Source: ARC sent by the publisher

Summary (from Goodreads):

In Book 2 of the Immortal Game trilogy, Edie must learn the rules of the game . . . and then play better than anyone else.

Through a Faustian bargain, Edie Kramer has been pulled into the dangerous world of the Immortal Game, where belief makes your nightma ...more

flag 13 likes · Like · see review

Jan 25, 2015 Nova Zaiden marked it as i-m-going-to-regret-wanting-this

what the actual hell is this cover? i liked the cover for mortal danger and this... this?

flag 9 likes · Like · see review

Sep 11, 2014 Karen added it

I DO NOT like this new design for this series that I just saw on the publisher website:

http://us.macmillan.com/publicenemies...

It looks cheap and I have no idea what the heck it's trying to convey. ...more

flag 6 likes · Like · see review

Dec 18, 2014 Shelley rated it really liked it

Shelves: received-for-review, 2015-release, young-adult

**I received this book for free from (Publisher) in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.**

*Genre* Young Adult, Fantasy
*Rating* 3.5-4

*My Thoughts*

Public Enemies is the second installment in the Immortal Game series by author Ann Aguirre. Edie Kramer has had her entire life turned upside down. She's gone from the taunted and bullied, to a player in a game between Immortals who treat humans like game pieces. She's lost her mother, h ...more

flag 5 likes · Like · see review

Mar 01, 2015 Fay rated it it was amazing

Shelves: books-that-mean-a-lot-to-me, e-arcs, physical-arcs, review-copies-from-publishers

I DIDN’T EXPECT TO BE THIS HURT.

I DIDN’T EXPECT TO BE THIS BROKEN.

I DIDN’T EXPECT THIS BOOK WOULD

MAKE ME CRY LIKE THIS

AND TEAR MY HEART

INTO PIECES.

Full review on my book blog: https://bibliophilesoprano.wordpress.... ...more

flag 5 likes · Like · see review

Aug 31, 2018 Colleen Houck added it

Shelves: mythology, ghosts, weapons, demons, villain, warrior

This book had a much different feel than the first. I loved the clown and the harbinger a bit more than I wanted to. The ending was a shocker so be prepared. If you're looking for happy feelings you're not going to find them here. This one's dark, dark, dark but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Middle books often are. Just crack your neck, do a few jumping jacks and get your head in a good place before you begin. ...more

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

Jun 24, 2018 Kayla rated it really liked it

This was so much better than the first book, it was a lot more action packed and thrilling. I really liked this instalment and hopefully I liked the last book.

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Jul 30, 2015 Ideally.Portia rated it really liked it

Review originally posted at No BS Book Reviews.Check it out!

This review is going to be missing quotes, because I got wrapped up enough in the story that I forgot to mark the ones I liked! This review will also be very different from Mortal Danger (the first book in the series) because it is much darker, and so much more is happening! So I am going to do my best to review this without getting into too much detail. I feel this book is better that way.

Edie becomes a force to be reckoned with in th Review originally posted at No BS Book Reviews.Check it out!

This review is going to be missing quotes, because I got wrapped up enough in the story that I forgot to mark the ones I liked! This review will also be very different from Mortal Danger (the first book in the series) because it is much darker, and so much more is happening! So I am going to do my best to review this without getting into too much detail. I feel this book is better that way.

Edie becomes a force to be reckoned with in this installment. But she had no choice. She neither wants to give in or give up, so she has to fight immortals, Gods, demons… all sorts of things. After the losses she experienced in the previous book, she is out for revenge (again, just for different reasons this time) and is desperate to protect the ones she loves. The relationship with Kian has changed completely, in both good and bad ways. Speaking of their relationship, I will say things got pretty steamy between them, more than I am used to from a YA novel, that’s for sure. So that was interesting. Her friends from the previous book are still loyal, no one is evil or anything -yet- and some of them even know whats going on now, and as crazy as it is, haven’t run away. She also ended up with some VERY unexpected allies, which was interesting and funny. Buzzkill has a great sense of humor! (I just realized that sounds like an oxymoron, but seriously, he is hilarious!)

Everything about this book is darker and bloodier. At one point I even looked twice at the shadows in my bedroom after I got done reading at night. I love when things get that creepy! I was constantly on the verge of my seat, waiting for the next crazy thing to happen. I loved using my imagination to conjure up the images described, and I wanted to post some pics, but I couldn’t find any that did the book justice or fit the image I had created in my head.

But my favorite thing about this book is The Harbinger. I tried and tried to find an image to show his wonderfulness, but none would do. He has so many unique elements about him that everything was just to simple. In Mortal Danger, I didn’t really get the feels for Kian. But now I have found my guy (demon? Sure). He appears to be so plainly evil, but is so much more complex than that, and is more of an anti-villain. Like, he is bad and does bad things, but only because that is how humans created the image of him. He has a soft side (somewhere in there). He is basically my Warner (from Shatter Me series- he is my One True Book Boyfriend) of the series. If you mash up a demon that needs to suck souls to survive with Jareth from Labyrinth, you have The Harbinger. How is that not appealing? I love him and he is mine.

So Edie had many paths to choose from, and the one she picked at the end was definitely unexpected. I almost forgot that element was possible, so it made me really excited about continuing the series (along with needing more of the Harbinger, of course). There is still an epic battle to be fought, and at this point I have no idea how that will be going down. So now I wait. A year.

On the bright side, the author mentioned that she is also so obsessed with Harbinger that he will be getting his own story, a novella I assume! YAY!!!

If you enjoy mythology, demons, and the things that go bump in the night, the I suggest you pick up this series! ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Aug 02, 2014 Debby marked it as did-not-finish

Shelves: sold-or-gave-away, for-review, series-dropped-lost-interest

DNF on page 100.

I was nervous going into this one because I didn't remember much about Mortal Danger, other than that Edie almost committed suicide, but then got into a Faustian bargain for favors that she'd have to repay to some immortal beings playing some game with puny mortals. Then there was a lot of scary and gory shit and a lot of people died.

Public Enemies spends almost NO time getting you back up to speed. I remember nothing of Edie's friends - who apparently know about some of the supe DNF on page 100.

I was nervous going into this one because I didn't remember much about Mortal Danger, other than that Edie almost committed suicide, but then got into a Faustian bargain for favors that she'd have to repay to some immortal beings playing some game with puny mortals. Then there was a lot of scary and gory shit and a lot of people died.

Public Enemies spends almost NO time getting you back up to speed. I remember nothing of Edie's friends - who apparently know about some of the supernatural stuff that happened but not all. Like, some "Amanda" person interrupts Edie and Kian making out outside of school to tell her SOMEONE CAN STILL HURT HER YOU KNOW. Uh. Wut? Who are you? I also have no idea what happened to the "Teflon crew" (view spoiler) And I do remember (view spoiler), but Edie doesn't seem to be particularly sad or traumatized by that at all! She's more disappointed by how her father is in grief, and excuses away her lack of emotions as "SOMEONE having to keep it together".

Then just before I stopped reading, she muses on how all she wants is to get revenge though she SHOULD be focusing on how to save Kian's life, when literally all she has been doing is putting her life on the line to save Kian without really giving the revenge another thought - at least before that point. I don't know if it'll play a bigger role later in the story, but I felt like it came out of left field and I don't appreciate it.

Nope, all we're really left with (aside from all my confusion) is Edie and Kian recklessly trying to throw their lives away to save the other. I care absolutely 0% for this ship, and I don't like this kind of self-sacrificing bullshit in the first place, so all in all, it's time to leave. Especially with THIS kind of sentimental crap:

His beauty was so remarkable that I had to search for flaw every time I saw him. But from the sharp line of his jaw to his kissable mouth, there were none.

I would have to reread Mortal Danger to understand what is going on in this book - especially the knowledge and emotions of the side characters and Edie's thought process, not to mention what the fuck the immortal game is in the first place - and I just don't care enough to do that since the story will be bogged down by this ugh romance and irrational behavior anyway. So bye. ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Aug 04, 2015 Van (Short & Sweet Reviews) rated it it was ok

Disclosure: I received a review copy from the author in exchange for a honest review.

I read Immortal Danger last year and loved it. Actually, I’ve read most of Aguirre’s work and I haven’t been disappointed…till now. Comparing Public Enemies to the first book in the trilogy, it definitely did not live up to my expectations. And like the curse of many middle books in a series, Public Enemies suffered the sophomore slump.

Like many reviewers stated, the author didn’t do a good job at rehashing the Disclosure: I received a review copy from the author in exchange for a honest review.

I read Immortal Danger last year and loved it. Actually, I’ve read most of Aguirre’s work and I haven’t been disappointed…till now. Comparing Public Enemies to the first book in the trilogy, it definitely did not live up to my expectations. And like the curse of many middle books in a series, Public Enemies suffered the sophomore slump.

Like many reviewers stated, the author didn’t do a good job at rehashing the details of the previous book. I couldn’t remember what happened in the last book. The only thing I did remembered was that I loved the book, but all the events totally escaped my mind. Which is to say; it obviously didn’t make a lasting impression on me like I thought it did. In Immortal Danger, Edie’s now boyfriend Kian did everything in his power to save Edie, not only from herself but the immortal gods themselves. Now the tables have turned and Edie is the one trying to save Kian, who only has a few months to live.

I vaguely remember liking Edie in Immortal Danger and while she’s gotten more confident and bad-ass in this sequel…I don’t feel the same anymore...can’t put my finger on exactly why, but she just came off as unlikable. Edie’s mom just died, her boyfriend only has a few months to live, school is out the window, and life at home with her dad is in shambles…and yet, I found myself not caring about her or her problems. Then there’s her relationship with Kian. I still find it creepy how fast they got together and fell in love. Does anyone recall he was stalking her for god knows how long? The relationship is still unrealistic and like Edie…I didn’t find myself caring about them as a couple either.

I thought the plot was okay. In my opinion there were just too many things going on. Too many monsters, bad guys…that I didn’t know what was happening half the time. The gods and monsters didn’t have much distinction or personality and I had trouble remembering who was who. I’d say 99% the characters were one-dimensional; they lacked complexity and character growth. The only one that was interesting and stood out from all the characters was The Harbinger. Now, that’s a character I wouldn’t mind reading more about.

It is such a shame that I didn’t enjoy Public Enemies as much as Immortal Danger or Aguirre’s other novels. While the ending was super unexpected, I’m not sure if I will be continuing this series. I honestly wouldn’t recommend this book; there are other great books that feature gods/monsters. However, if you’re still curious about this series or sequel, I’d suggest borrowing from a library or friend.
...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Jul 12, 2016 Tamara rated it did not like it

I skipped the whole book. I read the first few chapters and the last few while skimming ten pages at a time in between.

The book was STUPID, ANNOYING, OVERDRAMATIC, and RIDICULOUS.

Edie is a stupid girl. She is stupid. Stupid. And stupid.

The writing is stupid. Stupid. And stupid.

Everything had to favor Edie and she pretended she didn't care. She is stupid. Stupid. And stupid.

Apologize to those you read this. ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

May 16, 2015 Tee loves Kyle Jacobson rated it it was amazing

Shelves: around-the-world-arc-tours, 2015-arc, may-2015

Okay Okay Okay........ I have to get this out first because there are two things that bugged the heck out of me about this book. The first is what the hell happened to the cover?????????? Did I miss something and the cover designer changed? The second thing that bothered me was that it took me a few chapters to get into the story. I mean The Immortal Game the first book had me on the edge of my seat from page one and I could not put the book down but it took me a few days to read Public Enemies. ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Aug 06, 2014 Alexandra rated it liked it

Shelves: 2015

I really liked the contnuation of this story! There was mystery, fear, horror as monsters from the darkest thoughts emerged against Eddie and her friends, yet I felt like the plot went really slow until the action picked up. I really need the next book on this series and I am anticipating it!

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Feb 27, 2015 Kristen added it

Shelves: arc-or-galley, dnf, 2015-releases, up-for-trade-or-giveaway, macmillan-2015

Lots of telling, the connection I had in book 1 wasn't there and just wasn't working. I'd love to ask someone who's read it a question about the romance. ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Apr 13, 2015 Becka Grieco rated it really liked it

That ending broke me! Can't wait for book 3. ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Apr 27, 2017 Jessica (a GREAT read) rated it liked it

I really, really, ought to be binging series more often! Once again, I found it a bit of a struggle to dive into a world I haven’t visited in a few years. But at least this time, I’m able to binge the last two books. If only finding recaps for older books was as easy as it is to find recaps on the newer ones. Le sigh. I read my own review of Ann Aguirre’s Mortal Danger and was able to get the quick and dirty version of events, though all the outcomes were a mystery to me. When beginning Public E I really, really, ought to be binging series more often! Once again, I found it a bit of a struggle to dive into a world I haven’t visited in a few years. But at least this time, I’m able to binge the last two books. If only finding recaps for older books was as easy as it is to find recaps on the newer ones. Le sigh. I read my own review of Ann Aguirre’s Mortal Danger and was able to get the quick and dirty version of events, though all the outcomes were a mystery to me. When beginning Public Enemies, I was able to grasp some concepts and characters but not all of them. A lot of Edie’s friends were a mystery to me. I couldn’t remember if they were her friends from before or after her Faustian bargain. But as always, I just try to carry on!

Edie is to be a part of the immortal game, I couldn’t quite remember what this was, only knowing that it’s something dangerous and scary. As we have demons who run it and Edie is “employed” by one. Her boyfriend, Kian, is her predecessor and he now is more human, I guess you could say? He no longer works for Wedderburn or has all the perks. But his lifeline is dwindled down to a few months. He and Edie must make the best of the time that they have. Edie wants to find a way to get him out of the bargain he made that resulted in his time of dying coming much quicker than it should, another thing I couldn’t really remember. But Edie also wants to put an end to the game itself.

I feel like the last part of Mortal Danger was where all these new things and plot points came to life. And typically, I can’t really remember those points! Well, I guess not too oddly. I could recall her wanting to change how she looked in order to get back at her bullies and how they ended up dying by other demonic forces and all. So part of this book was a struggle for me since I couldn’t remember the demonic side of things. Edie is much more immersed with the dark side in this one. Try as she might to get out of it, it has a deep hold on her and Kian.

Edie is a remarkable character though! I love how she’s grown so much in this book (from the little that I can recall previously!). Edie is a force to be reckoned with, and yet she still comes across to you as relatable. I like that! Though she has tough time ahead of her in this one, I love her strength.

The romance between Kian and Edie continues to grow! It’s a sweet kind of romance and it doesn’t take over the entire storyline either. It’s merely there, yet you can still see the bond between these two is strong. I love these two together, in a kooky way of describing it, they complete each other! LOL! Yup, I went there!

The pacing to this one was good. Again, I had quite the bit of struggles trying to reacquaint myself with this world and the not-so-human varieties of it. Remembering Kian and Edie wasn’t a hardship, it was pretty much everyone else who came across as new to me! At times I wasn’t really sure who was friend or foe, but that’s just my burden to bare.

The ending was quite shocking! Sooo many twists and turns! I don’t know if I quite understand all that happened that led to the big finale, but again, rolling with things is what I do! I’m eager to see what will happen next after the cliffhanger that was thrust upon us at the end! This trilogy is definitely a unique one! I don’t think I’ve ever read one that was quite like this, and I must say even with my poor memory involved, I liked it! I just wish I could remember things better! LOL!

Overall Rating 3/5 stars ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Apr 10, 2019 Karen Barber rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: owned-kindle-copy, ya-readers-buddy-read

Picking up from the events of book one we can see Edie is ready to fight, but she also has to deal with the knowledge that her time with Kian is limited.
The story develops the game a little, with further info given about some of the key players. We encounter some new characters and see that sometimes how we choose to do things is just as important as having the choice.
There’s a sense of inevitability to this, but I liked the way things are set up for part three-and even though he’s a very damage ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Mar 25, 2018 star_fire13 rated it did not like it

Ugh finally! I hate how long it took me to slog through this, only for the last couple of paragraphs to be intriguing!

Going forward: we're now in the past, trying to fix our mistakes. ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Mar 10, 2015 Heidi rated it really liked it

Three and a half stars: A unique and interesting book that takes the series in an entirely new direction.

Edie Kramer's entire life has turned upside down. In less than a year, she has gone from the bullied, ugly girl with no friends, to a girl who is now caught in a life and death struggle. She is a pawn in the ongoing war between the Immortals. Edie has already lost her mother, and now she is in a race against the clock to save her boyfriend Kian, who sacrificed himself to make a deal with one Three and a half stars: A unique and interesting book that takes the series in an entirely new direction.

Edie Kramer's entire life has turned upside down. In less than a year, she has gone from the bullied, ugly girl with no friends, to a girl who is now caught in a life and death struggle. She is a pawn in the ongoing war between the Immortals. Edie has already lost her mother, and now she is in a race against the clock to save her boyfriend Kian, who sacrificed himself to make a deal with one of the Immortals to save Edie. Now Edie must try and find a loophole, but there are few she can trust in this deadly game. Can Edie find a way to save Kian?
What I Liked:
*What a fascinating, creepy and interesting read. Public Enemies is a book that blends suspense, mystery, paranormal and horror as well as mythology into one unique read. This book is completely different from the first, and it takes the series into a whole other direction.
*I was intrigued by all the gods, their origins and their part in the war. The one that steals the show is the Harbinger. He is creepy, mysterious, mischievous, funny and untrustworthy, but you can't help but be drawn to him. I was left wanting more and more of this strange guy. Is he truly evil or is there perhaps a smattering of goodness in him?
*I was pleased that this book left the whole revenge theme behind that was so prominent in the first book. The teen angst and high school drama are gone. This book focuses on Edie trying to fight back against the monstrous Immortals who see humans as nothing more than throw away pawns in their deadly game of war against one another. The plot revolves around Edie growing and changing as she learns to take a stand against the diabolical Immortals, and fight for those she loves.
*I am enjoying the mythological angle of the series. Many gods are presented, and I am intrigued as to how they fit into the story. The unmasking of Lilith and the meeting with Death were particularly memorable. Surprisingly, one of my favorite characters ended up being Buzzkill, the murderous clown from the first book. Buzzkill is an internet invention, urban legend come to life. He actually ended up being kind of funny, and I liked the unlikely partnership between he and Edie. I hope there is more of the killer clown in the third book.
*The story builds to an exciting battle scene after plenty of twists, and then there is a big development that sets up the third book, and again promises to take the story in a whole other direction. I am eager to see where it will go from here, and how it will all work. It does end on a cliffhanger, so reader beware.
And The Not So Much:
*What really held this read back for me was that I was struggling from severe book amnesia. It has been a year since I read Immortal Game, and I was lost for the first portion of the book as I couldn't recall who was who when it came to the Immortals and who they were pitted against. There was very little recap in this one, and it was hard to pick up the story and fit it all together, I think the reason for that is the story is so different from the first book. I can honestly say that this a series that I would recommend waiting to read back to back as the complexity of the story is hard to follow if you are reading them a year or more a part.
*Speaking of the Immortals, it got to the point where I felt like I almost needed a glossary to keep them all straight because they often had more then one name. For instance, Fell is actually Death and Dwyer is the sun god. Confusing!
*The romance was one of the weaker story lines in the first book, and it continued to be unimpressive in this book. I am relieved that there aren't any love triangles, and there isn't unnecessary drama, but Kian was weak in this book, and it bothered me that he took a passive stance regarding his fate. Why wasn't he fighting harder to be with Edie, and why wasn't he actively trying to help her find that elusive loophole? His all about showing love through altruistic sacrifice, which is admirable, but I want a guy who is going to fight.

Public Enemies is an interesting unique read that moves the series out of the worn out tropes of the YA genre and instead takes it into new and exciting territory. I am liking the story of the Immortal Gods using humanity as their pawns and the endless and ongoing war. I did struggle, though, with severe book amnesia and I found myself lost because there was little recap. I think this series is one that is best read back to back to avoid confusion. I am eager to see how the third and final book will play out.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own, and I was not compensated for this review.

Posted@Rainy Day Ramblings.

...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Oct 15, 2013 Carina Olsen marked it as to-read

Shelves: dnf

This is breaking my heart, but it has to be done. I had mixed feelings about book one, Mortal Danger. But I still really wanted to read the sequel. But then I got it months ago, and I didn't feel like reading it. But this week I wanted to try. But I'm so sad to say that I did not like it one bit. But I wanted to so badly.

I liked it so little that I had to DNF it at page 148. This does not happen often. I do not stop reading books. I don't like it. But with this one, I don't think I will be able This is breaking my heart, but it has to be done. I had mixed feelings about book one, Mortal Danger. But I still really wanted to read the sequel. But then I got it months ago, and I didn't feel like reading it. But this week I wanted to try. But I'm so sad to say that I did not like it one bit. But I wanted to so badly.

I liked it so little that I had to DNF it at page 148. This does not happen often. I do not stop reading books. I don't like it. But with this one, I don't think I will be able to read more. I have no want to read more. I don't care what happens next. And it is the worst thing to feel. I will try to explain why I'm not finishing it.

I had a lot of bad thoughts about this book. I will try to not talk too much about it, as it will only be negative. Sigh. But I do love sharing how I feel, so I'm going to do that. My first issue with this book was the writing. I didn't enjoy it. It wasn't bad, so I didn't have any hate towards it, but it wasn't good either. I did not feel connected at all. And nothing happened. So little talking. And the kissing scenes and such were described badly, I thought. I didn't like how Edie was thinking and talking. You know, shit hitting the fan, was mentioned so many times in these 148 pages. That annoyed me a lot. Sigh. Didn't like it. I'm weird that way :)

I really wish I could have loved this one. As I adore Ann. She's such an amazing person. And I have loved a lot of books by her. But this series was not for me. It was so overdone. All the monsters and what not. I felt nothing for them. It didn't make sense to me. That whole immortal game or whatever. First, I didn't remember it that much. Second, it just annoyed me so much. It made no sense. It wasn't exciting. I felt nothing for it. And that is just heartbreaking. I'm sure others will love it. Probably. I don't know.

Then there was the characters. I did not care for Edie at all. She was being silly. And Kian. Why does he love her? I saw nothing about her. The romance wasn't good. A few kissing scenes that weren't exciting. Then there was the potential love triangle with the Harbinger. Sigh. So annoying. Probably nothing, but I don't know. Point is: Nothing about this book excited me. I was bored. I didn't like what was happening. I didn't like how they talked. I just couldn't stand to read any more, and that is depressing. Didn't like it.

Not saying more about this book now. Just a maybe spoiler. I peeked a tiny bit ahead. Someone important dies. There is time travel at the end. What the hell. This is just so not a book for me. I wish it was, but it wasn't. There is too much of everything, I felt like it could have been better without all the weird things. But yeah. This book just was not for me. I'm sad about not finishing it, but I also do not want to pick it up at all. So I guess I'm done with this book. Depressing, but true. Not a book for me.

I'm so sorry that I wasn't able to finish this book. That I didn't enjoy it more. But it just was not for me. I wanted to love it, but I could not. I'm curious to know what others feel about this book, though, as I have seen some mixed thoughts already :) Either way, I adore Ann. And I have loved four of her books, and two short stories by her. But not every book is for me. This wasn't. But I'm forever thankful to Macmillan Kids for sending me this ARC for review. <3 Thank you so much. You guys are the best :) ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Mar 04, 2017 Tony Boggess rated it it was amazing

The book was really good I loved how she didn't do any stallage and just went on with the story.The book is sad and I can't wait t read the third book in the story. It has to have good scenes. I was so into reading the book and I was really into the book and she needs to continue to have the good work she does on the books. ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Aug 06, 2015 Melissa rated it really liked it

Twists and Turns Aplenty!
This is the second book in the Immortal Game Series and after the way that the first book in the series ended, I really had no idea what I was in store for with this installment. We meet a bunch of new characters, and don't know who to trust and who not to trust. The story goes off in a very unexpected direction, and I'm pretty sure I got a brain cramp while sorting and shuffling everything around in my mind as the story progressed. Kian was so much better in this book t ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Aug 29, 2015 Tiff rated it it was amazing

Shelves: own, book

The Harbringer. The Harbringer. The Harbringer. Loki and Jareth and The Cheshire Cat had an enigmatic, spellbinding baby and he is The Harbringer. Just saying.

I loved this book more than the first, and the ending broke my heart. Then I squeed over The Harbringer with the author on Twitter for a while. She confirmed how I saw him with a picture, and yup. In love with him.

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Feb 02, 2013 Ade marked it as to-read

Shelves: let-me-love-you, you-sound-magical

Oh man. I need this book in my life like, right now.

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Sep 17, 2014 Julie added it

Shelves: dnf

While I am more than 50% in this book ...I am not feeling it. I am enjoying only Harbinger.

I finally finished this book and still only enjoyed Harbinger.

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Aug 25, 2015 Mskychick rated it it was ok

Shelves: dnf, alb-ebook

DNF at 53%. This book simply isn't holding my interest. And it's creepy in a squirmy kind of Stephen King "It" sort of way. ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

May 09, 2016 Running With Wolves rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2016-books

this was good but the ending was so unexpected

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jan 10, 2017 Meredith Mara rated it liked it

3.5/5 stars ... but one of my fave series nonetheless. Absolutely love The Immortal Game trilogy.

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jun 25, 2018 Adia Madjaric rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2018, june-2018, summer-reading-2018

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Shockingly, I didn’t cry. It was a dark, intense book, and, although it was made very obvious that Kian had sacrificed himself to keep Edie safe, I didn’t expect his end to be the way it was. I’m not going to go into how, exactly, he died. If you read it, you know what I mean, and, if you haven’t read it, I’m not going to spoil it for you. Normally, I’m willing to spoil everything, but, in this case, you just need to read it.
The middle of this book wasn’t as good as the rest of it. At some po Shockingly, I didn’t cry. It was a dark, intense book, and, although it was made very obvious that Kian had sacrificed himself to keep Edie safe, I didn’t expect his end to be the way it was. I’m not going to go into how, exactly, he died. If you read it, you know what I mean, and, if you haven’t read it, I’m not going to spoil it for you. Normally, I’m willing to spoil everything, but, in this case, you just need to read it.
The middle of this book wasn’t as good as the rest of it. At some point, it just got kind of slow, maybe? But slow isn’t the right word to describe it exactly. It wasn’t slow, exactly. It just lacked some of the things the first book had and some parts of this book had. Edie knows a lot more about the Immortal Game now, which is good, since that means that the reader knows more about what’s going on. I always like to know literally everything going on, so I like it, but her not knowing added some suspense to the first book. Part of what I liked so much about the first book is that, although it’s not a suspense novel, it has enough suspense to keep you on the edge of your seat, and, although it’s not a horror novel, it has enough aspects of that to get under your skin (more on that later). The atmosphere that this creates is amazing, and it so easily pulls you in. This book has some, but not all, of that atmosphere in the first third, and the last hundred pages or so. A good part of what makes me like a book is the atmosphere it has. Obviously there are a lot of other aspects of a book I take into consideration. A book with a great atmosphere can have other things that are terrible, and, in turn, make the rest of the book terrible, but atmosphere matters to me. (Maybe I like a book’s atmosphere so much because it’s almost like that book’s aesthetic, and, if you’ve seen my instagram, you know how seriously I take my aesthetic. I realize, after writing that, that only a few people who read this blog have seen my instagram. If you’re one of the many people who hasn’t seen it, just know that it’s very serious.) Anyway. Since this is the second book in the series, I had assumed that it would feel the same way. Obviously, it makes sense for the second book in a series to not have the exact same feeling as the first book in a series. I didn’t expect it to necessarily have the exact same feeling as the first one, but I hoped it would because I liked that feeling, and I at least expected it to have similar suspense. But it didn’t. It could be that I read the first book in this series at the beginning of the year, and I don’t remember the atmosphere as well as I should. It could be that my mind has slightly altered my memories of the first book to make it seem even better, and, in reality, it could be that the first book has the same atmosphere this has, but I don’t think that’s it. All of that said, I don’t think this made a big impact on how much I liked the book, so it’s more of an observation and less of a complaint.
Something that is still an observation, but slightly closer to a complaint, is that this book lacked the casual creepiness that the first book had. I think part of what’s left lacking with the creepiness in this book is that all those random, evil, supernatural creatures that Edie would run into have almost all been replaced by The Harbinger. At first, I had no problems with him. He was creepy, mysterious, and had descriptions that could just as easily work for some terribly beautiful faerie from one of those old fairy tales I used to read late into the night. He’s so different from the things that had been in the book before, and he was interesting. Not that he stopped being interesting as the book went on, but I’ll get more into it in a minute, and it will all make sense. Part of what made the creatures from the first book good was that they were wantonly evil. There was a man with a sack full of heads. There were horrifying demon children. I am writing this at three minutes ‘til midnight, the weather is seventy eight degrees, and thinking about those monsters sent a chill down my spine and made me check to make sure my blinds were closed and that there was nothing behind me. Those monsters weren’t in your face creepy: They were just creepy enough get under your skin and show up in your mind again when it’s late. My favorite kind of horror is the kind that just gets under your skin, and so little horror you find these days does that. Far too much of what’s written now is trying to sound like something Stephen King would write, and, from what I’ve seen, a lot of that is more monster-coming-to-get-you horror, and less get-under-your-skin horror.
Anyway. A big part of this book seems to be emphasizing the fact that the monsters are monsters because that’s what humans have made them. These creatures have sprung into being because enough humans believed in them, and that has given them the power to be whatever their myth/legend/etc portrayed them as - like American Gods. I like this and how it’s done so well. I like the idea that people spreading urban legends on the internet can create new monsters. Even if all the old gods and monsters die, humans can always create new ones, so the immortals and what they do is never really over. I like this a lot. The fact that this is so prominent in this book isn’t my issue. It adds more depth, and it’s done so beautifully, how could anyone complain about it? My issue with it all comes back to The Harbinger. Like I said before, in the beginning he was magnificent. If I’m remembering correctly, he wore a top hat. Sure, his character didn’t have too much backstory, but neither did the characters of any of the other immortals, so it’s not weird, and it doesn’t leave you wanting more. He’s beautiful and he’s terrible, and it’s all he needs. And then everything starts with how these monsters are only as bad as people have made them. And then The Harbinger is a monster, yes, but he has something else, too. Underneath everything, there’s something small and sad, and not monstrous. He becomes someone that maybe you could sympathize with. He offers to let Edie kill him, and she sees something underneath everything where he’s just a sad creature who doesn’t want to do this, and, in that moment, I feel like I’m meant to feel bad for him. But I don’t know if I can. Up until this point, he gave off creepy, predatory vibes, and I can’t forget those so easily. You can explain the way he acts as being a product of how people saw him, but that’s an explanation, not an excuse. He’s still creepy, and he should still be held accountable for his creepy actions. In addition to that, it’s the brief moments and not the rule where he’s kind or where he’s sad, so, even if, deep inside of him, there’s something that doesn’t want to be this way, he seems fairly content being like this. I may be reading too much into this. If I sound pretentious, feel free to tell me. Maybe there’s something I’m not seeing.
Maybe I’m just in the wrong mood for The Harbinger as a sympathetic character. Maybe, at some other time, I would have no issue with it. I don’t know. It didn’t make me dislike the book, and I see how it worked with the rest of the book. There are reasons for him to have his kind moments, and they’re important to the plot, but I don’t know if I can entirely see it with this specific character. I loved how he was at the beginning, and I think I probably will grow to like this other side of him, too, but I don’t know. With the lack of creepiness, and the lack of atmosphere, I think this small thing I didn’t love was made even more apparent, even though, in other circumstances, it wouldn’t have been something I thought about that much.
I’m interested to see how Edie will be in the last book. Kian’s death seems to have changed her a little, and I wonder how it will turn out.
One last thing before I end this review. Edie travelled back in time to change the events of the past so what happened will never happen. That would mean that she never ended up going back in time to change things because she wouldn’t have experienced the same things, which means no one would go back in time to change things, which would mean that she would end up going through the same things, which means she would go back in time to change things, which would mean that none of that ever happened, and you see where I’m going. She’s creating a paradox. She’s a science nerd, how does she not think about how she’s creating a paradox? She watches Doctor Who. How many times does this sort of thing come up there? I’m also curious to see how that’s dealt with in the next book because it shouldn’t end well.
I plan to read the next book in this series soon so I don’t forget anything from this one before I get to it. I’m giving this book four and a half out of five stars.

You can read more of my reviews at https://haphazardlyreading.wordpress.... ...more

flag Like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
YA Buddy Readers'...: Public Enemies (Immortal Game #2) by Ann Aguirre - Starting April 6th 2019	8	11	Apr 11, 2019 06:50PM

Readers also enjoyed

See similar books…

Genres

Young Adult

45 users

Fantasy

36 users

Fantasy > Paranormal

22 users

Romance

18 users

Fantasy > Mythology

10 users

Fantasy > Supernatural

8 users

Horror

6 users

Fantasy > Urban Fantasy

6 users

Fiction

5 users

Paranormal > Demons

4 users

See top shelves…

About Ann Aguirre

Ann Aguirre

6,028 followers

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Ann Aguirre has been a clown, a clerk, a savior of stray kittens, and a voice actress, not necessarily in that order. She grew up in a yellow house across from a cornfield, but now she lives in Mexico with her family. She writes all kinds of genre fiction, but she has an eternal soft spot for a happily ever after.