Book: Game (Jasper Dent #2) by Barry Lyga

 ★★★★/★★★★★

“This is Billy. I think once the game ends, that's when the real trouble begins.”

First of all I want to say that I loved I Hunt Killers! That book gave me all the chills for how gruesome and disturbing it was. I loved Jasper Dent then and more in the sequel. Game was darker and more gruesome and disturbing t but it was brilliantly written.

The book picks up months after The Impressionist was caught and Billy Dent has escaped prison. Now Jazz, together with Howie and Connie, tries to figure out what's the connection between Billy, The Impressionist and the new serial killer that's terrifying the people of New York.

What I loved most in the series is the suspense and thrill that will keep you on edge. Lyga managed to put twists and turns impressively that it was unpredictable. There were times I was sure I got things all figured out but then BAM! And there were also times I got frustrated for not knowing the answers to the questions! It's also interesting and fascinating how he was able to write a series like this because we're talking about the psychology of serial killers here and there he was brilliantly writing about it. Just, wow!

The sequel also gives us more about the other characters and not just Jazz. Here we see Connie's, Howie's and Billy's close involvement and we get to see more of their side. Connie was still that smart, headstrong girlfriend and Howie was still that sometimes-stupid-soometimes-just-witty bestfriend. And I honestly found it unbelievable that Howie was still involved after what happened in the first book (almost dying) and considering that he's hemophiliac and everything his parents should've been more protective over him. Connie's parents, on the other hand, them I understand. If I were them I would do everything to get Connie as far away as possible from a killer's son. Of course I will put my daughter's safety first! But then they don't know Jazz and they don't love and trust him the way Connie loves and trusts him. And I think Connie is just the typical teenager who's smart but do foolish things for love. And I also think that she believes she can conquer everything in the name of love. Even serial killers.

Now, now, let's get to the father and son. Billy actually scared the hell out of me! He was a psychopath, a monster, a coldblooded killer! I don't know how his mind works and sure in heavens I wouldn't want to know. But I do want to know the reason why he started a career in killing. There must be a definite one because damn, he was so good at killing people. And Jazz! He still struggled to find himself as he chased everything or anything that could lead him to his father. Or was he really his father? It compromised his relationship with Connie because until now he was still worried that any second he could snap and he could hurt her. And of course it has something to do with sex because he was afraid that if they do it then it would trigger something inside him that would lead to his worst nightmare.

Jazz must've felt like he was the unluckiest person in the world! He was the son of Billy Dent -the notorious serial killer- and there was a possibility that he could be like him. But what I liked most about Jazz was he was fighting to prove everyone wrong. He wanted to show that he could be different from his father and that he could be someone better if not worse.

 “What was lurking back there in the cold, dark recesses of his memory? What secrets were hidden in his past? Jazz felt as though his own life was a minefield, one he'd lost the map for. One wrong step and he'd lose a foot or a leg. Or his mind.”

 There was so much going on inside Jazz's mind but his goal was clear. He needed to find Billy and he wanted him dead. So when a chance presented itself, though he had seconds thoughts, he grabbed it. Next thing he knew, he was working with the big guys (FBI) to bring down his Dead Old Dad. But, but, but! I was a little skeptical with regards to Jazz's skill in pointing out things that the FBI failed to see. I mean, yeah, he was the son of the infamous serial killer and he'd seen it all but still. Anyway, it didn't make me like him less. If anything, it made me love him even more because, really? Jazz was smart and witty and a sweet little manipulator! He can get away with anything but it didn't mean it didn't bother him. 

The book ended with a cliffhanger, err, so we're yet to see what happens next. How will Jazz survive in that storage building with a wounded leg? Was Jazz's mother really alive? Will Connie survive Billy? and things like those. 

So, yeah, the book was gory, disturbing, creepy and you name it! But nonetheless, a work of art. It was actually a long read for me but it was entertaining and gripping. And I. Loved. Jazz.

“You think you're gonna find your soul. Ever since I've known you, you've been thinkin' that someday you're gonna crack and end up like your daddy. And you've been looking for a proof that you won't. What you don't realize is this: The looking is the proof. Trust me when I tell you that Billy Dent never had a moment's doubt in his life about what he was and what he was doing. Your doubt is your soul, kid.”

Book: I Hunt Killers (Jasper Dent #1) by Barry Lyga

★★★★/★★★★★

"Sons aren't their fathers. Not the good, not the bad. Sons get second chances. You don't have to be what your dad is."

I always enjoy thriller and this one I enjoyed so much. I loved it! Jasper "Jazz" Dent is not your typical boy next door and believe me when I say that you wouldn't want him to be the boy next door. Well, he's not a killer, his father is, but that's the point. Just because his father is a killer, everybody thinks he is, too.

What drew me in (aside from reading a good review from a friend's blog) was Jazz's situation, being the son of a serial killer. Of course, it was given that everyone else would think "he's like his father" but he wanted to prove them all wrong. He wanted everyone to see that he can be different, that he can be good even though his father was evil. But growing up with a father like Billy Dent, the world's worst serial killer, Jazz has seen and heard and learned everything a serial killer can do. Billy has taught him things a normal kid mustn't learn. And now that his Dear Old Dad was locked up and a new serial killer was in town, Jazz told himself that he would catch this killer using what his Dear Old Dad has taught him. Because Jazz believed that he wasn't the monster his father think he was. Or what he thought he was.

"He made me what I am," Jazz said. "Bad and good alike. You can't deny that, Con."

"And my parents made me what I am. So what? We get stuff from our parents, but we also get stuff from the world around us. From the people around us. And at the end of the day, we're us."

It broke my heart whenever Jazz thought that he was like his father. That he can kill everyone and that it would be okay. That he can manipulate people and he can easily kill them.  He could, but everytime he stopped himself because there was still a part of him that didn't want to be like his father. His father might have nurtured him to be a killer but a part of him still fought to be otherwise. And that's what made me love him even more. Because he chose to fight despite everything his father has taught him.

"People matter. People are real."

Another thing I love about this book was reading how the mind of a serial killer works. I actually learned a thing or two (and I'm not sure if it was a good or bad thing). The details of the murders were also disturbing and it kinda scared me thinking that there were people who could actually think of doing those things. But nonetheless, I loved the book! 

The plot, the characters and everything else was written perfectly. I can't think of a way it could have been better!