School Library Journal (Mon Sep 01 00:00:00 CDT 2014)

Gr 8 Up-Meteors have crashed into the Earth all around the globe, signaling the beginning of Endgame. Twelve teenagers, who have trained all their lives for this moment, must put their knowledge and deadly skills to the test as they play the game set up thousands of years ago. Only one will win Endgame and save their family line from destruction by the Sky People. The losers will be destroyed and the rest of mankind with them. Frey's new teen novel is full of action and adventure. Unfortunately, this takes precedence over other aspects of the novel. There is very little world-building or explanation of Endgame. Instead, the characters know far more than readers, despite the omniscient third-person narrator telling every aspect of the story. And while the 12 protagonists are interesting, they remain two-dimensional. It's doubtful this confusing novel, the first in a series, will collect many fans. Heather Miller Cover, Homewood Public Library, AL

ALA Booklist (Mon Sep 01 00:00:00 CDT 2014)

Twelve young people between the ages of 13 and 19, each representing "the original lines of humanity," are fighting to win Endgame and secure the survival of their particular segment of the population. There can only be one winner; all other Players d the peoples they represent ll be destroyed. The similarities to Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games trilogy are obvious, but Frey and Johnson-Shelton have created a unique dystopian adventure with anchors to the real world. Inspired by Kit Williams' picture book Masquerade (1979), which had readers searching for a real-life golden hare, the authors have created a global scavenger hunt, and the prize is $500,000 in gold coins. This "super puzzle," with connections to related social media and Internet clues, is sure to attract wide interest. But the story also stands on its own. The third-person narratives from the Players are clearly labeled with characters' names and locations, making the intricately plotted action easy to follow, and readers will easily be caught by the authors' gripping, often gory descriptions of young people confronting the fight for which they've trained all their lives. High-Demand Backstory: With massive promotion announcing a film adaptation, a spin-off online game, and, of course, the treasure hunt, this is set to become a phenomenon.

Voice of Youth Advocates

Twelve teenagers around the world have been training for this day their entire lives. On this day, not only will their internal world shatter, but the physical world will begin to crumble as well. They are called into action by twelve meteorite attacks that send them to China for their first clue. From these clues, they have to piece together where the first of three keys are located and obtain that key. Though they are teenagers, they are from lineage that has been in existence since the beginning of time. Solving the clue means encountering each other, but only one can win this "Endgame." Hidden within the book are clues layered into the text, some of which will take readers to the Internet and social media, some to the real world, and some into their own minds. If readers can solve the puzzle, they will be led to a location with a hidden key that will unlock a case full of gold coins.Endgame is like The Hunger Games on steroids. It is a much more violent book, since these teens are warriors trained since birth to fight and kill. Frey tells the story from each of the teens' points of view, which can make the story disjointed if readers are not paying attention to who is speaking at that moment. Further into the book, the teens' personalities emerge, and it is easier to tell the perspectives apart. This is not a class-wide read, but it has great potential for libraries and high school students. The puzzles the readers have to figure out on their own enhance the appeal of this title.Brandi Young.