A Game of Life or Death by Triona Campbell: Review

A Game of Life or Death is a thrilling, futuristic novel centred around the growing empire of VR technology and eSports in London. The protagonist, Asha, is a sixteen-year-old girl who has never had it easy. She grew up in the care system and her sister, Maya, is the only support she has. However, when Asha comes home one day to find Maya dead, her world is thrown into chaos.

She delves into her sister’s world of coding and technology in a search for answers. Danger lurks around every corner for Asha, both in the virtual and real world, and it seems like there is no one she can trust.

A Game of Life or Death is one of the most complex novels I have ever read, with plot twists in almost every chapter that kept a tight grip on my attention throughout. Although I am not extremely interested in the realm of technology and online gaming, there is so much more to this plot which helped me to become invested in Asha’s story. I found her to be an extremely well-developed character. While Campbell illustrates Asha’s strength and intelligence in this murder mystery, she also gives readers a glimpse into her more vulnerable and romantic moments. This makes Asha a relatable and realistic teenage character.

This book is an enigmatic whodunit, but it also explores serious themes of grief and death. Overall, this novel is ingeniously written to appeal to many different readers. I would describe it as a modern Agatha Christie – exhilarating and mysterious, with the added component of modern-day technology.

Lara Fanning, 15