Welcome to Litsy!

This was an intriguing audio. It‘s classified as Science Fiction but I didn‘t think of it as Sci-Fi. The characters are brought to a compound in a desert to be filmed for a reality tv show. As time goes on and players are sent home, antics are upped, and trust begins to dwindle.I was most interested in how the game changed the characters personalities and thought processes over time spent within the compound. Kinda creepy.

A low pick or high so-so. It was fine but I think any boredom or “meh” I feel about it has to do with what I thought it would be vs what it actually was. I wanted more dystopia and climate fiction, and while there are *nods* to those things in here, that‘s not what this is. Rather, it‘s a commentary on reality TV, what‘s real vs what the media wants you to see, and corporate sponsorship of entertainment. It‘s fine-even enjoyable-but WHY…

A cuppa, a fresh book to start, and one of my daughter's dogs, the very handsome Tobi. Ahhhh Saturday morning.

This was an intriguing and uncomfortable near future speculative thriller? It doesn‘t fit well into any category. It is solid commentary on “reality” television competitions and what people will do for fame and material possessions. My main criticism is that the book have gone further and darker. It seemed to want to stay more realistic which I think took away some of the fun. Still an overall solid read. 3.5⭐️

3.25⭐
Despite being invested in the story, overall, I was disappointed. I expected this to focus more heavily on dystopian elements. When in reality, it can only be vaguely referred to as such. Very vaguely. Also, focusing on a single POV undermined the reality TV premise. We were trapped in a single perspective rather than getting multiple viewpoints. The result was a thought-provoking but agonizingly slow burn that ultimately didn't deliver.

I loved this so much!
I think the pacing is absolutely perfect. Not too slow, but slow enough to really catch onto how reality TV breeds corruption & manipulation. 👌
I definitely wanted more from the ending though, like seeing how the contestants adjusted to the “outside world” after leaving the show.
#dystopian #thriller
#survival #spookyseason

⬇️ Rawle explains her inspiration of voyeurism
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0Su76qCXfvU

#Read2025

Finished in August & read this #BOTM novel for #FictionalTraveler August #Hot (it‘s set in a desert compound in the summer).

I am a sucker for reality television drama even though I rarely watch it these days so I quite enjoyed this dystopian version. For a debut novel, it was well done & I liked the elements of reality tv & looking at what is truth versus fiction. It had both dark humor & a few mild thrills & twists thrown in.

Lily is a contestant on a reality show where contestants must bunk next to a member of the opposite sex each night or be kicked out. While the compound can provide big rewards when things go right, the contestants must complete challenges designed to create drama and follow certain rules or risk terrible punishment. Lily just wants to have nice things, relax, and escape a tedious life, but how much does she want to win? I really enjoyed this one.

This book is so in my wheelhouse. I love the weird dystopian (but you don‘t really know why it‘s a dystopia) setting, the reality show and the boundaries it pushes for the sake of “entertainment,” and the view of consumerism. How much of yourself would you give up for stuff, especially with it being televised? My jaw dropped a couple of times, and these are some fleshed out characters. I loved it. Gave me Chain-Gang All-Star vibes.

🌟🌟2/5