The King's Men (All for the Game Book 3)

Wow. This is a long review but this series deserves high accolades. Rather than review each book, I waited until I finished the The King’s Men to process and then attempted to write a review that does justice to this remarkable series. Amazon’s new “descriptive” blocks simply don’t apply; the story, characters, and emotions are too complex to neatly check a box. I ordered the first book, The Foxhole Court not only because the premise sounded unusual but because it was free. I ordered The Raven King and The King’s Men before I even finished it. Having said that, it took several chapters for me to not only get a handle on the storyline and characters, but to take an interest in them. But when I did, I was completely invested. Each character is unique and each is broken and/or recovering in some way. Together, they fit but it is not always a comfortable fit. They are brought together through Exy – a fictional NCAA sport, which sounds a bit like Lacrosse/ice hockey on steroids and played on a basketball-like court surrounded by glass walls. I’ll be honest, I could never “picture” how it was played, but that didn’t matter. Sakavic is such a talented writer, I became completely invested in the game, which is not only complex, but has a violent overtone, wrapped in passion, determination, perseverance, courage, and teamwork. To me, it mirrors the struggles of the characters as they achieve the impossible in college athletics against all expectations, including their own while also conquering far more personal issues and dangers. (I promise it is not a "movie of the week" angst!) While Neil/Nathaniel is the primary voice, he does not overshadow Andrew or Kevin or the “minor” characters: Coach Wymack, Aaron, Nicky, Dan, Matt, Allison, Renee, and Abby. Each of them is part of the tapestry. In addition to Exy, they are entwined in the connections of a crime syndicate that moves the plot through several twists and turns, including Riko and several other despicable characters. At one point, you will guess that a character has faced abuse. I was certain. I was right, but that did not prepare me for the sheer emotional power Sakavic creates as you see it through the eyes of an emotionally divested victim and those who love him. The hard part of reviewing this series is not giving spoilers. If I listed key plot lines, some might go "melodrama" and not read the books, which would be a mistake. The plot is intricate - but never slow. There is cruelty but it is balanced nicely with finding support and friendship. I did not like many of the characters in the first book, but by the series conclusion, I not only liked them, but understood how well-crafted they were in the hands of a very skilled author. And, there is a strong conclusion – well deserved after the trials faced. I hope that Ms. Sakavic might revisit Palmetto in senior year. Quite simply, I loved these books.

I just enjoyed a wild, wild ride! From a trilogy I owned for 3 years (but, as I have numerous bks on my Kindle, I only recently remembered it was there. And bc of its name, I merely assumed it was a paranormal book and not something I would want to read at the moment.) Once I saw how many 5* ratings it had, tho, I realized it was *obviously* worthy of more attention. The book involves a sport called Exy, sort of a combo of lacrosse and hockey? (I won’t say I now understand all the rules, regs, and how the sport is played; merely that I understood enough to throughly enjoy the games and be excited about the outcomes.) The protagonist is on the run from his father, affectionately known as “The Butcher”, and altho he expects to run away first chance he gets, he ends up being signed onto a college team called the Foxes (at the start, on a par with the Bad News Bears). The team is mostly a bunch of so-called rejects, sort of a Glee popularity level (albeit, since the Glee club was mainly filled w football players and cheerleaders, I never truly understood why they wouldn’t be popular. But I digress.) There is one person on the team that he knew prior to running away; but in disguise and a decade later, he thinks there’s a good chance that the boy won’t recognize him. And he actually wants a chance to play at least one time with Kevin (from his old life) bc Kevin is a huge star in the world of Exy. Without giving away spoilers, just be prepared for a trilogy about a college sport that, in actuality, will include murder, torture, rape, abuse, drugs, alcoholism, numerous mob families, and continuous moments when you believe “this is it” for the MC (Altho, while the story isn’t entitled “Neil and his life...”, it’s unlikely the main character will be killed in the first 2 books of a trilogy.) I should probably mention that Karin Slaughter is one of my favorite authors, and if anybody has read her work, you’ll realize that the above will not scare away anybody who loves her novels. Indeed, altho this might be the “slowest burn” romance in the history of slow-burn romances, Neil eventually does get involved in a relationship, and likely not with the person you’d expect. (Or maybe I’m just really slow on the uptake. One or the other.) I was surprised by how very much I enjoyed this trilogy (certainly I should have been prepared due to the trilogy’s popularity) but I rarely, if ever, watch shows or movies involving the mob and, like I said, Exy was like me attempting to understand quidditch. Nora Sakavic managed to get me involved in the lives of almost all of the members of the Fox team (sort of like OITNB) and while there were some I took a really long time warming up to (and some I never liked) she did manage to capture my attention. I SHOULD mention that some of the plot line requires one to remember offhand remarks made at odd moments in time; but enough of an explanation is given to make you remember too and, possibly, think to yourself: wow, these kids are really bright (to pick up on tiny details that explain major issues). Even tho this is the end of the trilogy, if somebody happens to be reading my comment who hasn’t yet read the first two books, I don’t wish to ruin anything for them so there isn’t much else I can say except that I read the entire trilogy straight through (to the extent I had time over these past 3 days). There was never a moment I got bored or thought “god, why are we dwelling on this?” and the books are paced pretty damn fast. Other than the thought that few, if any of the students, seemed to truly care about actual coursework, I honestly loved the books, and am pretty sad that I didn’t read them just a bit slower. But I highly recommend them as something enjoyable to do while not worrying about the pandemic or the upcoming election!! Edit: Just for the record, my favorite character in the trilogy was Andrew. He was multilayered, had depth to his character, was beyond intriguing. (If it helps, my fav character in the show Justified was Boyd Crowder, by far. Even tho Raylon Givens (Timothy Olyphant) was quite nice to look at for lengthy periods of time. And Boyd & Raylen’s interactions (for me) were probably the highlight of the show.) In any case, I’m sure different ppl have dif opinions on the subject, but I was particularly interested in how Andrew became more and more layered as each book in the trilogy was written. This is not to say I didn’t enjoy the other characters. I already said that above. But it occurred to me that in this ridiculously lengthy comment, I never mentioned this straight out.

Item arrived, all good,

THIS WAS SO GOOD! 👏🏻I binge read the trilogy this weekend and am now feeling completely bereft🥺Why do I always do that?! Such a brilliant conclusion to the series though - passion, heartbreak, blood, guts and glory - I loved it all. I always have a soft spot for a tortured anti-hero and Andrew is all that and more. And Neil - seriously how did he survive everything that came his way?! 💔 Such great characters and honestly why isn’t exy an actual sport?! Missing my Foxes already 🦊🦊🦊 Five ‘you must read this’ stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This has to be my favourite book of the series yet. The complexity of every single character and the loyalty they show towards each other is unmatched. I love how Neil slowly comes to terms with his past, his present, and how everyone in it has become important to him—something he has never been able to experience before. Sakavic has to have created some of the most complex and interesting characters who each have something to add to the story of equal importance. Possibly what striked me the most is how Andrew and Neil come to terms with their trust and feelings towards each other. They are so different, yet so similar and Andrew's ability to protect and ground Neil when necessary is—again—amazing and beautiful. Nora Sakavic has written yet another beautiful book, and I am sad to have only just found out about the series. Sakavic has a genious mind for fitting each segment and character into the story and I never once lost interest throughout the book. 5/5, would definitely recommend. I hope All for the Game receives the recognition it deserves!

Personnellement une de mes séries préférée. L'intrigue est riche, les personnages et les relations qui les unissent d'une complexité à couper le souffle. Une fois que j'ai commencé la série, je n'ai pas réussi à la lâcher jusqu'à la fin du 3ème tome. En bref une série qui nuit à votre temps de sommeil et qui ne vous lâche pas même une fois le livre refermé. Un seul regret pour moi, c'est qu'il n'y ait pas encore de suite à l'histoire des Foxes. A acheter absolument !

Just amazing. It's the perfect ending.