By Jenny Tran
Disclaimer: This review contains minor spoilers for the “All For the Game” series.
The last time I finished a book series was probably years ago. Not only that, but it had taken me years to get through all the installments. Getting to even the second book is a rare occurrence for me. Finishing an entire trilogy is practically impossible, especially with my attention span nowadays.
So, the fact that I practically inhaled all the books of the “All For the Game” series in the span of two weeks speaks volumes. It was even during AP testing, and I have to admit that I might have spent more time reading than I did studying.
But me willing to sacrifice my AP Biology exam score is just a testament to how addicting these books were. I am still reeling long after I had finished, a part of my mind still trapped in the world that had unraveled in these pages.
Just a fair warning though: these books were not what I had expected, and I don’t mean that in the way that they were shockingly great or anything. (Which they are, but we’ll get into that later.) In the way that there is an extensive list of trigger warnings that you should keep in mind before you decide to dive into the series, many of which are pivotal themes you can’t skip over.
That being said, some scenes were definitely difficult to stomach, and it felt like I was being perpetually stabbed by a dagger of discomfort going through them, partially because I may or may not have forgotten to check the content warnings beforehand. Just know that some parts get pretty intense, so take precautions if need be.
Other than that, though, let’s dive into my thoughts for each individual book. (Just a warning, there will be minor spoilers amongst my incoherent rambling.)
The Foxhole Court
The first book of the series, “The Foxhole Court” sets the stage for the rest of the trilogy. We get introduced to a cast of characters, all of who have their own distinct personalities and arcs, and the fictional sport Exy, which the entire series basically revolves around.
Our main protagonist here is Neil Josten: an astonishingly capable Exy player, and also the child of a serial killer. He has moved around a dozen times trying to run away from his murderous father, and he just so happened to stumble upon an opportunity to move to Palmetto State University to play for their Exy team. His real name isn’t even Neil, which we quickly find out in the beginning.
The book mainly reads as a sort of prologue for the rest of the books as we learn more about his teammates at Palmetto and also his background trying to escape from his dad. The Japanese mafia is also involved, which out of context seems confusing, and it actually does complicate things a lot. Several Exy games are also described in a pretty thorough, play-by-play manner, which really captures all the action that a lacrosse-soccer combination has to offer.
Honestly, not much happens in this one. And, I know I rated it five stars on Goodreads and all, but I understand why it might be off-putting for some people, especially if they choose not to go through with the other two books. For me, at least, the writing style takes a while to get used to, and you’re put through some unnecessarily dragged-on passages of description at some points.
There was one character in particular I did fall in love with within the first few pages, though: Andrew Minyard. He’s five foot flat and a bit of a psychopath, but there was just something about his apathetic energy and his ability to not care about anything that captivated me from the start. Honestly, his relationship with Neil was one of the reasons I pushed myself to keep reading in the first place.
And I don’t regret it one bit, because it started to get so unpredictably good from there.
The Raven King
If you thought you’ve exhausted all the insanity about the mafia and the sons running away from their serial killer dads already, you are not prepared for “The Raven King,” or the second book. Things take a wild turn here, and some scenes had me full-on gaping at the page (or well, the Kindle screen).
Remember those trigger warnings I was talking about at the beginning? This is when you might need to heed that list more extensively, because the text does not shy away from getting into the more detailed side of some explicit themes.
The backstories of a few characters are shown in a brutally raw light, which can get emotional, especially when you’ve already gotten emotionally and spiritually attached to every single one of them. There are some characters you’ll hate too, which includes this other Exy player from the Ravens, the Foxes’ rival team, who is also involved in the whole mafia situation (it’s complicated, like I said).
And Andrew—I felt so bad for him. I think I nearly cried in the middle of AP US History reading a particularly heavy scene that centered around him. Neil also begins to crack his shell bit by bit with every chapter, which was refreshing to see knowing how traumatized he is. I actually laughed out loud at some of the dialogue from not only him but other characters like Andrew’s twin (oh yeah, he has a twin, by the way, which he had no idea either until recently).
I can’t really get into too much without spoiling a bunch, but let’s just say I was bouncing off the walls at this slowburn that was cooking up like a five-star well-done filet mignon. I knew a certain two characters were going to get together, and they were rapidly growing on me. I loved them, but I needed them to start loving each other before I went insane.
I finished this one already hungry for the next one. (And that steak was smelling really good.)
The King’s Men
I just want to preface by saying that this was probably the best book I’ve read in probably, like, two years. I wish I was joking, but I am not, so you need to stay with me for this one.
First of all: the two characters…got together. I screamed out loud, and kept screaming with every other interaction they had with each other after that. This literature graduate student on Tumblr called it one of the best written romances they’ve ever read, and I whole-heartedly agree with them. Seriously, if you don’t care about made-up lacr-occer or weirdly obsessive mafia children, you need to pull through at least for them. You’ll know who I’m talking about as soon as you start reading. I’m already scanning the fanfiction sites, because they simply have not left my mind since I’ve finished.
Apart from that, I think I would give up my first-born for any of the Foxes. I feel like they have all become my best friends after this. All of them and many other characters were just so complex and well-written, and they all had distinct personalities and arcs that made them each their own. Even the twins read so differently from each other. This, of course, made for some hilariously contrasting dynamics between the teammates, which I relished so deeply.
It’s not all fun and games though, because the plot reaches a heightening climax in this book. And I mean so high you can’t even see from a mile away, because there were definitely some parts I had not been expecting. But every twist and turn just made it so much more captivating to read. And the violence gets turned up to a volume I didn’t think it could reach, honestly. It gets incredibly emotional, again, which was expected but still made me sob uncontrollably nonetheless.
When I clicked to the last page, I felt like a piece of my soul had just died and then revitalized itself. I honestly think I’ve become a changed person after this experience.
Overall thoughts
If there is anything you can take away from this review, it’s that I loved reading these books. But, I’m not saying you should read them, because it’s definitely not for everyone and there are some flaws about some of the content and representation too. But I’m glad I took the risk and at least tried this series out (even during AP season), because I fell head over heels with it.
However, I think I am emotionally wrecked after finishing and I’m not sure I will recover. Just be mindful before you start, that’s all.
