New Year

Games #1

by Sea Caummisar

After being abducted on the New Year, Sara, Angel, and Amanda are forced by a masked stranger to play games. Losing the game or breaking the rules results in punishments. Painful punishments, either inflicted to oneself or by their friends. The masked stranger tells them there will only be one winner, and the prize is life.

WARNING 18+ This is a violent book. It starts with a little gore and ends with a bunch of gore.

Genres: Horror, Dark

169 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 26, 2019

About the author

Enter the dark mind of Sea Caummisar.
Sea Caummisar is a horror author specializing in extreme horror and splatterpunk. Titles include the Deadly Reality TV Series, Verdict Realty, Games and many more. When she is not writing, she is usually busy reading. If you want to keep up with what she is reading or writing you can follow her on Goodreads. She loves hearing from her readers on Facebook and Twitter.

Reviews

[donna backshall · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you love psychological horror that knows no bounds when it comes to gore, Sea Caummisar's books might just be what you're looking for.

In the first installment of Games, three girl friends are abducted after a night of NYE partying and forced into a disturbing kill-or-be-killed game. May the most cutthroat girl survive, literally.

The lies were easy. Faking emotion wasn't.

This game is orchestrated by a patient and deranged man, and it turns out this is actually an interview for the type of work only a budding sociopath could handle. Winner takes all, but even then, can she handle it?

As for the narrator of the audio version, Ronald Young offers a strong voice and no distracting mouth sounds, but also no inflection or differentiation between characters whatsoever. He is not an actor, merely a reader. You kind of get the feeling you're sitting around a campfire while he reads aloud a creepy story, but you wish he'd read it through first, so he could enhance the retelling, not just relate it.

The point of view switches around without warning, often within the same paragraph, which is disorienting. In a longer book, this might settle into something useful, but at only 3 hours for this audiobook, there wasn't time to adjust.

A bit of nitpicking aside, this is a solid read for the horror genre, right up there with one of my favorite movies, Hostel. I will definitely continue the series, though I may read it just because I didn't connect well with the audiobook narrator.

I was given this free copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

[E.B. Lunsford · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun read! I can't wait to check out more of this author's work.

[Vicky Lelove · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this.. Yes it's Saw meets Jigsaw and becomes Hitman with a game of tic tac minus a toe but missed out on a 5 star because of the Sarah character being a little bit too predicable and excessive at times.

[John The Crippledgimp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Games

This is the first book I've read by Sea Caummisar even though I've bought a lot of her books on kindle. I was caught sleeping on this author and I should've been reading her stuff a lot sooner. I really enjoyed this book although brutal in parts it was like the beginning of a bigger story which I know it is cuz this is a series. I definitely will be reading more from her and expect that Games #2 is going to definitely more brutal. Pick this up it's a awesome quick brutal read that kinda had a SAW feel to it.

[Shadow Girl · Rating 5 out of 5]

A new series for a new year 🎉

... with a new 'bad guy'!

🛑POTENTIAL SPOILER AHEAD 🛑

This is going to be a fun twist, and I can't wait to see where Sara goes with her new job.
Our old buddies Damon, Sly, and the rest of the guys were twisted, but I'm excited to find out what the new girl in town is going to come up with!

[Aaron Wang · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is outside of my comfort zone, and I liked it a lot, and the subject matter won't be for everyone, and if you're interested in trying this subgenre, this is a great place to start.

That's a lot of 'ands,' so let's get to the review which will explain my thoughts...

http://popcornhorror.com/genres/

This story is solidly in the Gore & Disturbing subgenre with brushstrokes from Psychological and Killer. Think 'Hostel' or 'Saw' mixed with 'Frailty.'

There is quite a bit of explicit violence, which won't be for everyone.

The basic storyline follows the kidnapping of three close friends on New Year's, who are forced into a death contest by a mysterious man and the subsequent events.

I liked that the violence and gore isn't in there for the sake of violence and gore. During the game and its aftermath, every action and decision has a definite motivation and meaning behind it. And with this level of stakes, it really develops the characters and moves the plot forward. I didn't necessarily 'like' all of characters, however, I sure as hell understood them, and the predatory part of human nature, so a well done to the author.

The plot is well-constructed with a clean midpoint and well-defined acts. No spoilers here! Because of the literal life-and-death nature of the story, the pages rushes past, and while this is a series, the narrative reaches a 'satisfying' and twisted ending.

To reiterate, this isn't for everyone, and if you like this subgenre of horror or want to sample it, this book is definitely worth the read.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is book 1 in a new series and t starts the New Year off with a deliciously dark game that three friends are forced to play. This story proves that no matter how much you plan there is always the unexpected when it comes to people and player #3 was unexpected! If you love dark macabre books, then this is the book for you. A great read from start to finish.

[Rayne Havok · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sea is one badass writer chick. This was twisted and sick, just how I like 'em.
On to the next!

[Tara Losacano · Rating 5 out of 5]

I flew through this book! It was exactly what I love about extreme horror, the quick pace and the brutality. Though this book was definitely original in it's storyline which I appreciated. It took turns I wasn't expecting and made the story that much more satisfying. Every twist of the knife (or corkscrew😉) had purpose and intention. This was my first book by Sea Caummisar but I've already ordered the second one in this series! 5/5 decapitated skulls 💀

[Pat Eroh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this horrific but horrible stories by this author. I have read Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and now New Years' stories and they are all awful - awfully good if you like horror. Not for the squeamish!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Sharon Leung · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great storyline

This is a great read. Love the storyline and how the games progress. The characters are really good and with a few twists this makes for what looks to be another great series from Mr Caummisar and I have already purchased the 2nd book. I'd definitely recommend this book and I'm off to read the next.Good reading.

[Renee Marski · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like the Saw movies this is the series for you! Three girls are kidnapped by a masked man and put through what he calls the games. After the games, one girl struggles to remember what happened and figure out who she really is.

Super creepy but in an interesting way.

[Kris Galvan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Saw meets Death Wish. I'm here for it!

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely gave me the squid games feel, only they're American kids games and this is 50x gorier. The only thing I didnt like was the ending seemed to slow down significantly, I think they could've just ended the book at one point 🤔

[Michael Cushing · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you're a Fan of this type of Horror Fiction, then chances are you've seen Re-animator and probably love Jeffrey Combs. If so, there is a slight chance that you might have watched his 2012 Movie, Would You Rather, which Sea lifts the plot of this Novel from. This isn't surprising, as if you actually read one of Sea Caummisar's Novels, you will notice that she's not very skilled at stringing words or plot lines together. She needs something that she can base her work off of. Obviously, like Verdict Realty's complete lifting of Jeff Lindsay's Dexter character, Sea throws in a few little character and plot twists that most adolescent girls would be capable of if they were writing this as part of their Fandom. Whether to accept this as an acceptable writing practice? Come on...

So would you rather read something truly sick and original, or read something that is so horrible it's funny?

[RJ · Rating 1 out of 5]

I cannot support literature such as this. This is not horror as far as I’m concerned. I don’t experience pleasure at torturing, maiming, and murdering human beings. I understand the emotion of finding pleasure in fright, but this is different. This is experiencing pleasure from another’s pain and misery. Does it go even deeper? Does one derive pleasure over controlling another, similar to a rapist? This is beyond me, I am no psychologist, but this type of entertainment cannot be healthy. I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

[D.J. Doyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

For extreme horror lovers only! you have been warned.
Three women end up in the clutches of a killer who likes to play games... with gruesome rules. They must endure what is requested of them even if it means ruining their friendship. Who will survive?

I didn't expect this story to go much into detail about the aftermath, so I quite surprised, in a good way. The ending leaves us wanting to read the next one, if you can stomach it that is.

[Billie · Rating 5 out of 5]

After being abducting on the New Year, Sara, Angel, and Amanda are forced by a masked stranger to play games. Losing the game or breaking the rules results in punishments. Painful punishments, either inflicted to oneself or by their friends. The masked stranger tells them there will only be one winner, and the prize is life.
WARNING 18+ This is a violent book. It starts with a little gore and ends with a bunch of gore.

This is a brilliant extreme horror novel!!
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believeable.
Great suspense and gore with wonderful world building that adds so much to the story.
Can't wait to read more of these. I am a huge fan of this author and love her work so much!
Recommend reading.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

WARNING
*extreme gore and torture*

First book I've read by this author. I have the box set but thought I'd review each book separately. I heeded the warning of not for the faint of heart and by god yeah even I cringed and I've read plenty of Jon Athan books which I'd deem worse than this Author when it comes to gore. It really comes down to subject matter I guess. Should I say I enjoyed this book? Maybe not but hey I did. It did its job in making me cringe and say WTF quite a few times. A passage made the other half cross his legs when I read it out to him and dare I say mine too!
Intrigued to read on so we will see how the writing and story progresses.
Given free by the author via voraciousreaders.com

[Travis Poole · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the usual fun disturbing story I have come to expect from this author. If you are squeamish at all you need to stay away. I think the most disturbing part of this story is not only is it possible but there is a very good possibility similar things can and do happen.
A deranged individual kidnaps three drunk women from a bar and proceeds to torture them. He forces them to play games and the loser is punished in various bloody ways. Body parts are removed and everyone does not make it to the end. A fun disgusting story that I really enjoyed. Not for children or those with weak stomachs.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Splatterpunk has been defined as a "literary genre characterized by graphically described scenes of an extremely gory nature," and that is what you will get with this horror series by Sea Caummisar. Not for the faint of heart, Sea will take you on a journey that is reminiscent of the movies Saw and Hostel. Imagine being abducted with two of your friends and being told that as long as you do what your abductor says, he won't hurt you. Of course, you want to obey, right? But what if that means hurting yourself, or your friend? What if it means killing a friend? Talk about survival of the fittest! Book one introduces you to the game itself, the gamemaster, and his three victims.

These are short novellas, about 1-1.5 hours long each to read.

Decent story, but three stars for editing.

[Cait Parsons · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bloody good time!

I loved everything about this story and can't wait to read the next one as soon as possible. There's nothing I would really complain about except maybe a couple more runs through editing but it was easy to overlook with how much I enjoyed what I was reading. I would recommend this book to someone who has no triggers like me! I have honestly enjoyed every book by Sea Caummisar.

[Breanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Games 1: New Year by Sea Caummisar is a brutal start to the series. Three friends ring in New Year’s Eve with drinks, kisses, and dancing, completely unaware of what’s waiting for them once they leave the bar. They wake up chained in a room and forced to play deadly games where only one can survive. The story is fast-paced, grotesque, and absolutely unforgiving. It’s dark, vicious, and exactly what I’ve come to expect and love from Sea.

[Jeanne Richardson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the 1st book I've read written by Sea Caummisar; she has done a great job at writing a good book; I can’t wait to read more of her books.

The story line caught my attention at the very beginning and kept me interested throughout the entire book.

I loved the chemistry between the characters.

I received a free copy of this book via booksprout and I’m voluntarily leaving a review.

[Tanya · Rating 5 out of 5]

She was abducted on new year and she will be in a fight for her life. She is there with others and they will have to punish themselves or others if they fail a task. Can she survive? Can she do what she needs to survive? See how she gets on

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Sarah Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were parts of this book that I enjoyed, the more intimate relationships between trainer and trainee.
For the most part the book played like a list of ways to kill people. It needed more personal time with the characters so that you could relate and some compassion/no compassion for the characters.
Thank you voracious readers for the copy.

[Janelle Halstead · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting story. Love this author. She has a very creative mind. I listened to the audio book, 1-6 of these books. The only complaint I have is the voice the narrator uses for Sarah. Lol. It’s annoying. But otherwise great narration.
I love all of Sea Caussimar’s books I’ve read so far, I’ve read many. I will continue to support and read her books.

[Alexandra Huffaker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first by Caummisar. And it was so f*cked up. In the best way. It was in third person and thats not my favorite but that's more me than the writing. It's like Saw and Squid games but better. Sea captured the fragile psyche fracturing in the characters to the point they'd do the unthinkable and maybe enjoy it? Quick read if you wanted something New Year's themed.

[Matthew Hudson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great start to a series. Very brutal but also quite entertaining and Sea always writes in a very easy to read style with great pacing. Not as humorous as the Boss series (which in one of the books has a character contemplating escaping from the Boss by crawling up an elephant’s anus) but it wouldn’t really suit this one as much. Looking forward to the rest of this series.

[sara reynolds · Rating 3 out of 5]

Food for thought

The first half of the book was a little juvenile I thought but the second half did get a little more interesting. I think Mr. Caummisar needs a little more experience.
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