The Foxhole Court (All for the Game Book 1)

Having just finished this, I must say that I'm sort of speechless. I'm not exactly sure what to say about this book. However, it's been a long time since I've felt the desire to stick with a story in one go and even longer since I've finished a book this long (82k+) in only a day. With that said, there are a lot of warnings that should come with this book. For one, there is no romance in this one. In fact, I'd be hard pressed to even call it a gay novel because the main character is more asexual than anything. There are 'suggestions' and 'impressions' that this could turn into a gay romance but that could also be taken as the MCs just getting violent. But to those readers thinking they're picking up a young adult, new adult, whatever you want to call it, romance, you'll be sadly disappointed. That out of the way, I'm extremely glad I read this. It might not be romance or m/m but I adored the characters and the journey I took with them. They're intense to say the least, psychotic and likely to fly off the handle bars but there was something about them that made me want to continue reading and find out where things were going. While I wouldn't say there's a huge cast of characters, there are more than the typical couple and a few side characters. The main contenders here are three guys: Neil, Andrew and Kevin. Neil is an asexual (kinda) who just wants to play Exy (which is like a sport that mixes lacrosse and ice hockey). He's a frightened kid but knows how crucial it is to lie low for fear of his father discovering where he is. Kevin is difficult to explain. He's mean and criticizes everything about Neil but at the same time, he's this lost soul who's been dealt just as crappy a hand as Neil has. Andrew is... psychotic. It's the only way to describe him. I don't understand how he became this way but he's got nothing to lose and he acts on that. He's five foot nothing but he's not afraid of staring down giants. He's amazing but scary and willing to keep everyone who he deems 'family' safe and right now that is Kevin. The story follows Neil along as he gets accustomed to living in such an open place and playing the sport he loves. Immediately he has issues with Andrew and his gang (who are Neil's teammates) that makes his life difficult but he loves Exy enough to put up with the hostility from everyone. It's about the trials that Neil has to go through, the panic and fear he always has about being found out and being hunted again and the consequences he has to deal with when he makes his decisions regarding whether to stay or to run. The only thing I didn't like about this book (aside from the lack of m/m romance, of course!) was how confused I was at times. The beginning will be hard to get through for some people because you're left wondering what is going on. You don't get the full back story for Neil or Kevin or even Andrew that really makes sense until well into the book so you're left wondering and probably saying WTF multiple times. I feel that I should warn readers that this isn't exactly about the mafia either. While there's an undertone of it and even the threat of a yakuza pride descending on Neil and Kevin, it's not actually shown or very prominent in the story. Given that, I didn't much mind this because I felt like the whole book was focusing on second chances and Neil finally living a life, finding a home and standing up to his past. To do that, he needs Andrew and Andrew is willing to help him because of Kevin. It sort of seems like a love triangle but, like I said, this isn't romance. It is more of a bonding between these characters over a common issue. To be honest, it's hard to explain this whole book because so much happens and is revealed that would spoiler the whole story if told. So, I'm going to leave it here. I enjoyed the novel. It has its issues but I found the whole thing fascinating and couldn't put the book down once I started. I liked that it wasn't saturated in sex but focused on such broken, and in Andrew's case, frightening characters. These characters are misfits, pure and simple and their attitudes and aggressions show that. It's a book of deceit, loyalty, dangerous situations and trust. It's not your traditional story but a gripping tale nonetheless and I'm really looking forward to seeing where the series goes from here and seriously how there's some m/m romance in the near future for Neil and Andrew!!

Neil has just been recruited to a university Exy team... a life-long dream. Except that he's also been on the run from murderous criminal, so his dream has been an impossible one. If he stays in one place too long, he's dead, and playing on a top Exy team will mean he'd be dead sooner than later. But he's tired of running, and the Coach and top player who want him won't take no for an answer. This is a non-magical, but alternate world, as Exy is a highly popular game that doesn't exist in our world. But it's an exciting mix of lacrosse and hockey and hold attention even for a non-sports type like me. There is a lot of implied abuse, murder and violence. The Coach is known to recruit team-members who have had difficult lives, and Neil is a prime example... he's scarred and has witnessed murder and violence and his mother's death. Plus, hey, it's not like team sports aren't contact-free, no matter if there are penalties!-- but beyond that, the top team is positively psychotic and they are out to get Neil's team, as if he doesn't have enough problems. And the criminal organizations are about as ultra-violent as possible. Even Neil's own team members are known as psychotic and violent. A lot of the violence is implied and off-stage. That which is on-stage is enough, however. So this is a pretty dark story... BUT, beyond that, there are fascinating characters and situations and it's hard to not want to read along, even when darkness and violence isn't really what I want in a story. There is an almost fairy-tale feel to the evil. I mean, it's as bad as it can get... but then so are witches who eat children who get thrown into their own ovens, if you can see what I mean. It's nearly over-the-top, but the author manages to make it work. There are, of course, good parts, and those are fairy-tale in a way, too. I mean, Neil is living his dream even while he's living his nightmare... There are such highs and lows that it's all given a sense of wonder. It's hard to explain... but there's really something here. You root for Neil and his team (dysfunctional as they all are), and want those wins as long as the near hopelessly impossible happy ending. There are three books in this story and they end at good places but are definitely a continuous story. I nearly wanted to quit a time or two, but it was worth it to carry on. Definitely not for the faint of heart, however. There are some same-sex relations, but pretty much no romance/sex until the last book. The story is mainly a very dark YA sports fairy-tale that is probably more for mature adults, although the YAs tend to go for dark... and as I said, it's not like fairy tales aren't free from very dark themes, and those are told to kids! If you are curious, definitely try it! As I said, I'm not a YA or into sports or into dark tales or violence or extreme situations... These are very unique books... the author is definitely following a passion and that comes through. Very quirky and different, but basically compelling story-telling that is worth reading.

REVIEW WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED AT DEAR AUTHOR Neil Josten is the newest addition to the Palmetto State University Exy team. He’s short, he’s fast, he’s got a ton of potential—and he’s the runaway son of the murderous crime lord known as The Butcher. Signing a contract with the PSU Foxes is the last thing a guy like Neil should do. The team is high profile and he doesn’t need sports crews broadcasting pictures of his face around the nation. His lies will hold up only so long under this kind of scrutiny and the truth will get him killed. But Neil’s not the only one with secrets on the team. One of Neil’s new teammates is a friend from his old life, and Neil can’t walk away from him a second time. Neil has survived the last eight years by running. Maybe he’s finally found someone and something worth fighting for. Dear Nora Sakavic, I bought (that is, I downloaded since the book is free on Amazon) your book several months ago on the strength of a great review by someone whose tastes are quite close to mine. However, the book has been sitting in my TBR mountain until recently, when a friend whose tastes coincide with mine about 95 percent of the time highly recommended it. Of course whatever she recommends I have to read. I loved your voice very much. I have not read a book for a while where I simply fell in love with the raw energy of the writing; it almost literally swept me away. This is also a most unusual book – which is both a good and a bad thing as far as I am concerned. First and foremost this is not a romance or a love story – *at all*. I have heard that the writer has promised some romance in the last book of the trilogy, but I have not read that comment myself, so I cannot guarantee anything. Right now this is a book about a teenager on the run who loves a particular sports game and who gets drafted to play for the most unusual University team in this most unusual game. When we learn that Neil is running from his father who is a mafia Boss (Don, whatever you want to call him), I understood that this book would have a lot of violence. After I read it I think that while the book is bursting with hints of future violence and we learn about some past violent things which took place in the narrator’s (and some of his teammates’) pasts, there is no graphic violence happening in this book. The interactions between Foxes definitely had violent undercurrents, but for me it did not go over a line that would disturb me. I have heard that the second book “Ravens king,” which is already out, does have a lot of on-page violence though. What I loved the most in this book are the characters. Neil is someone who lived through the violence his father unleashed on him and people around him, so his everyday concern is to survive, run, and never stop in order to survive. Neil is not your typical angsty teenager. He is sarcastic and angry with good reason, but in fact while I can definitely call him a tortured character, there is very little angst in this book. There is a lot of anger, but not angst. “He glanced up at the sky, but the stars were washed out behind the glare of the stadium lights. He wondered – not for the first time – if his mother was looking down at him. He hoped not. She’d beat him to hell and back if she saw him sitting around mopping like that”. The only problem is Neil still loves one thing in his life – Exy. Exy is a fictional game that is very popular in this world and to be honest, because it is taking place in a world equivalent to ours I could not fully accept it as fictional. The author’s brief explanation of Exy as a mixture of several games known to us also did not help me to see this game as something completely abstract, which was both a good and a bad thing. “Exy was a bastard sport, an evolved sort of lacrosse on a soccer-sized court with the violence of ice hockey, and Neil loved every part of it from its speed to its aggression. It was the one piece of his childhood he’d never been able to give up”. Neil lets himself be convinced to sign up with the Foxes and play for a while until his past catches up with him. The problem is that this happens faster than he expected. One of his teammates was somebody Neil knew from his violent past and he appears to have so many issues on his plate that he just does not recognize Neil from several years ago. The Foxes turned out to be a strange team – their coach basically formed a team of second chances, team of misfits, who almost all of them had different kind of problems. A lot of this book is devoted to this sport and how much these men and few women love Exy (almost all of them anyway), but also the violent dispositions of many characters bring very interesting tensions in their everyday communications even when they were not on the training field. Remember when I said that it was a good and bad thing that Exy felt to me just as another game from our world – it has college tournament, it has governing body, etc? Well, one of Foxes has to take antipsychotic medications on the regular basis as a part of the plea bargain he struck after doing something bad. He is allowed to play by Exy’s governing body and I could not completely suspend disbelief about that. I also could not completely suspend disbelief about a coach striking a private agreement with this boy and allowing him to get off his medications when he is playing. It kind of felt too real world for me and meds making him feel worse than he felt without them? He was described as feeling high while *on the medications* and experiencing the symptoms of withdrawal without them. What? Change the medication people. Neil’s conflict between wanting to run and wanting to stay is one of the main themes in the book, along with his process of building some kind of communication with his teammates. The guys were all very interesting; especially Andrew and Kevin, and I can safely call these two tortured characters as well. I was also trying to guess who will be romantic couple in the book (if any), but I keep going back and forth between several possibilities. There are couple other things I was really having trouble suspending disbelief about when I was reading this book (I did not get it for review initially so I read several other reviews and there is a review on Goodreads which is called “A Book of No” by Julio, which described those issues really well), but the sheer drive of the story and characters made me enjoy it despite that. The ending was not an ending of a separate book and I heard it is worse in the book two. Apparently it feels more like one novel split in three parts rather than a trilogy. I am not starting book two till book three is out. 3.5 stars

I put this series off for a while, partly because the covers were not inspiring, partly because American sports are not my thing. We don't have ice hokey here, and sports as a whole just work differently here. But I'm so glad I did finally pick it up. Each of the three books centers around Neil Josten. Who isn't really Neil Josten at all. He's the son of a criminal known as The Butcher, and he and his mother ran away. He's in hiding and has changed his name, but he loves Exy, which is a variation on ice hockey. He joins his university team, but makes sure he plays a different position to what he was trained to play, in order to help him fly under the radar. His plan backfires, because he's asked to join the high profile Palmetto State University (PSU) Foxes. He declines, of course, because it's safer that way, but one of the players on the team has a connection to Neil's father, and Neil feels like he let him down once already. Neil reluctantly agrees to join the team, but the fear of being found out is always at the forefront of his mind. The PSU Foxes are a ragtag team of skilled players who don't fit in to any of the more conventional university teams for whatever reason. They all have issues, and they're an interesting bunch. In the book we start to get to know them all, but there are depths that will not become evident until later in the series. All the members of the Exy team, plus the coach and some rivals, feature pretty consistently throughout the books, but the books center primarily around Neil, Andrew and Kevin, with Nicky as the comic relief. It's hard to get a read on Neil. He is playing a role and he's constantly in fear for his life, so how do you know who the 'real' Neil is? Despite himself, his passion for Exy comes through. The reader isn't the only one who finds it hard to understand Neil - the other players do too. As the books progress, we get a better understanding of Neil's character and he slowly finds his place among the other characters too. Andrew is the most difficult character in the series to understand. He's mentally ill, and he does things that no one would (or should) condone. He is violent without apologies and his motives are often bewildering or entirely hidden. It is impossible to get a read on him because he is under the influence of drugs for most of the books. It is easy to hate Andrew, especially in the first book, but as the series progresses, some of Andrew’s heartbreaking history is revealed and he starts to make more sense. Kevin is the celebrity of the team, and the one that Neil knows from his previous life. Kevin is all about Exy, to the exclusion of everything else. Andrew basically acts as Kevin's bodyguard, and it's an interesting dynamic. It's hard to see much depth to Kevin at first, although there is skill and passion, because he's very single-minded. Eventually you learn more about what Kevin has had to deal with, and why he has become the way he has. Despite the surface similarities of three characters who have traumatic backgrounds that hide their vulnerabilities from everyone, these three characters couldn't be more different. I guess Neil is somewhat halfway between Andrew and Kevin because he has some of Andrew's protectiveness and a lot of Kevin's passion for Exy. There is on-page trauma, and there is no denying that this series is dark. It is violent and there is on-page substance abuse. I got completely enthralled with these characters, all of them, in the first book and quickly moved on to the second book and then the third. If I could have given this series more than five stars, I would have. I had the worst book hangover ever after reading this! What can you possibly read after this that would measure up? The romance in the series is the slowest burning romance ever, and by the end of the first book you won't even be able to imagine the characters as a couple. It takes time for that relationship to develop, and I think it's incredibly well done. By the end of the third book, you'll be satisfied with what the author has managed to achieve. I will say, you don't need to be familiar with American sports or indeed anything American to thoroughly enjoy this. As a New Zealander, I never felt like I was missing out on any of the nuances. I highly recommend this series. It's dark, but it's so rewarding. And although none of the three books are standalone, as a trilogy it is complete.

3.5 stars. I'm late to the party with this book, however I can absolutely see the appeal for die-hard fans. While the writing is on the weaker side, especially in terms of scene transitions, Nora Sakavic absolutely dominates with her skill in characters, tension, and inventiveness. The tension is an immediate 10 and remains a 10 nonstop, similar, in my opinion, to the levels of tension that can be found in Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros. The characters are unbelievably raw, gritty, complex, and fascinating, which made it impossible for me to want to put the book down. The inventiveness of the setting: a South Carolina University and an invented game that seems to be a cross between ice hockey, lacrosse, and rugby. The first drawback for me, similar once again to Fourth Wing, is that the tension never breaks and doesn't break even by the end of the book, which left me feeling a high amount of anxiety for no reason without the cathartic fulfillment. Second, this is a slow-burn romance of epic proportions. There is absolutely no romance, no hint of romance or romantic feelings. I couldn't even tell you who the romantic LI is supposed to be. Personal preference, but I definitely wished for more complexity in terms of the emotional intensity. Knowing what I know now about this book, would I still read it if I went back in time? Maybe. I'd need to be in a very specific mood and one that I'm rarely in. See below for the four criteria I use to decide whether and when to read a book CHARACTERS: The characters are the true highlight of this book. A motley group of college kids from all different areas in the school of hard knocks, had me glued to the page. Every single one is fascinating and complex. The main character, Neil Josten, lives so completely in survival mode that I both felt for him and couldn't help but want to see him succeed and have just a single moment to breathe. His story is almost overwhelming in the intensity of his belief in how unsafe he is at any given moment. Even down to his real name, so much of who he really is is kept a mystery from us. Andrew, Aaron, Kevin, and Nicky are the other main characters, each with such a fascinating way of moving through the world. None of them shy away from pain, and none of them are strangers to pain. It's a very brutal, raw world they live in, despite it seeming so normal (re: a university sports team). PLOT: Overall, the plot centers around Neil caught between needing to keep himself hidden, and finding his past sneaking up on him in the form of an old friend, Kevin, who recruits him as part of an infamous Exy team. To stay and risk exposure or run away (again) and remain safe in anonymity plague Neil throughout the novel. The majority of the novel's scenes focus on Neil becoming part of the team, preparing for the first games of the new season, and finishing with the first season game. EMOTIONAL INTENSITY: There is no good/bad here. Sometimes I just want a low-investment entertainment read whereas other times a high-stakes 'I need a therapist to recover' is what I need. 5/5: off the charts high. This is not for the faint of heart. Please read the list of triggers before reading. Every single one of these characters is intensely flawed and the world they live in is brutal and harsh. CATHARTIC FULFILLMENT: Is the emotional journey worth it? Do I finish this book feeling that I've crested the wave of the climactic moment and everything has been settled, leaving me settled and fulfilled? 10%. As mentioned, this is the main drawback for me. Absolutely no romance, but not even a hint of it that would even give clues as to who the MLI is going to be. Additionally, there was no catharsis. The pain just kept going and going and honestly, it didn't end. Nothing 'broke'. So I wasn't fulfilled at all and I finished the book feeling like I'd gone through all of that for nothing. I've since looked up reviews of the next books that include spoilers just to see if I want to keep reading and I couldn't help but be surprised when I found out who the MLI is. So ultimately, maybe someday I'll read the rest of the series, but not very likely. Still, I understand the draw of die-hards for this series. It just isn't for me.

i hate this series so much. it was haunting my tiktok fyp for almost TWO YEARS(!!) until i finally decided to give in and read. Now, i’m aware that the author didn’t originally write the series in english (i think), but this is beyond a language barrier. The characterisation of basically everyone is really poorly done. It’s definitely a series written by someone who would totally write fan fiction on ao3 and decide to turn it into a 3-book series with their own original characters. at least, that’s what it feels like when i’m reading it. it’s on-par with the likes of twilight, except dare i say twilight was better. My main issue is how one of the main characters, Andrew, was portrayed. I resonate with some traits and experiences of his, and it became abundantly clear, very early in the series, that the author had probably never been on antipsychotics. The meds he took were treated like an on-and-off switch for his “real personality” and violent tendencies. It was glamourised to the point of blatant misinformation. Antipsychotics often don’t take effect as they were described in the books, and they’re not some sort of “drug” either. Not to mention all the drinking and party scenes felt forced and as though the author was just copying what they saw once in a party scene in a movie. The overall plot was interesting, enough so to keep me reading, but not very well put together. There were jumps in random places and i didn’t feel like any of the books “flowed” together. The third book was a little overwhelming because it felt so action-packed compared to literally NOTHING happening in the first two books. I’m sure you’ve noticed by now that despite being a negative review, i gave this book/series 5 stars. Everyone i have interacted with (that has read the series) will agree that they would NEVER recommend this book to anyone. However, the common factor between all those who have read it is that you just *can’t* put it down!! There must be actual cracker dust (drug featured in the story) in those pages because DAMN ITS ADDICTIVE!! I read the ENTIRETY of the series within 4 days because it drew me in so much. i was in a reasonably dark place mentally when reading, and i believe that aided to my love and obsessive tendencies with the books. i treated the books as my sole method of escapism, which is NOT HEALTHY! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do NOT read it when you’re in a bad headspace, the content is very potentially triggering, so i’d strongly advise googling all the trigger warnings before ordering. It’s certainly not a series for those sensitive to violence, drugs, drinking, mental illness, runaways, sexual assault, murder, and gangs/mafia/yakuza. If you spend hours up at night reading angst tags on ao3, then this book is literally perfect. In fact, i’ve even been thinking of rereading it purely because i’m so magnetically drawn to these god-awful books. There is an epilogue, but not much closure, so i’d recommend heading over to the author’s tumblr for the extra content. Ultimately, the found family trope would be the best way to describe the story, so if you enjoy VERY messy family dynamics, fictional sports, violence, and gay slow-burn enemies to lovers, then by all means!— take a gamble and see what you think of it.

I really enjoyed this book. I'm a sucker for martyrs. Neil feels trapped and out of control, without a reason to live, but willing to seize an opportunity to be happy for a moment despite being certain it will become lethal. The writing is lyrical and descriptive. I think that the author made interesting characters and gave them fascinating tics. Neil is occasional too sharp/insightful to be believable and the criminal stuff tends to be ridiculous, but it's nothing a little suspension of belief can't handle. I have the eBooks, the audiobooks, and the paperbacks. Safe to say I'm a fan.

If you are considering this book in particular, know that it is part of a trilogy of incredibly violent books. You can potentially read it as a standalone work, but given the ending of this book, you will probably be considering the rest. Ask yourself whether you want to be put through the wringer. The review above is taking into account this book as a part of a series. The series does not shy away from brutality, and while some of the gore or torture is averted, know that the next two books, if you plan on reading them, will not be as kind. The following books will depict or discuss: Torture, murder, rape, parental abuse, self harm, addiction, ableism, and the list does sort of go on for a while. This book probably looks tame in comparison, but will still discuss a number of those, just not usually in the present tense. Things have yet to hit the fan, so to speak. The plot is pretty intense, safe to say. Things start at a solid speed, and only get more desperate as things move along. The main character, Neil, and his motivation of survival on one hand, and exy on the other, make for a good man versus himself conflict that is intriguing and original. Side characters are fleshed out in ways that do not necessarily correspond to Neil, and this depth allows readers to sink into things quite well, though, many of their secrets will not be revealed until later on. Dramatic irony does count for something though, and on a second read through, it is pretty easy to give a chortle. The antagonists in this book are perhaps too numerous and unfocused. Neil's past, situation, and demeanor put him at odds with many different forces and characters, and it is only in the following books that we have the clarity that comes with the effective Two Antagonist Model. So... Many antagonists. That said, these books build up to one of the strangest, and most rewarding portrayals of a healthy relationship that I have ever seen. The slowest burn delivers the best payoff. Suspend your disbelief for a while when the book discusses the medication a court has ruled that Andrew take, as the effects of SSRIs on someone with bipolar disorder are pretty similar, but the situation itself is questionable. Perhaps also with the multilingual fluency. And again with how long you can live with organ damage. (Hint: If someone gets your kidneys, you probably are not going to make it from northern Oregon to northern California.) Also, the ability for young people to hold jobs. Just... Maybe suspend disbelief for most of this series. The sport invented by the author is creative enough, and Sakavic defines all of the scenes involving very clearly. Most of the unclear points are covered in the author's posts on her now-inactive blogs, as well as a good amount of bonus content. Some of the material should have made it into the books, but given the depth and detail, it was probably a good idea to cut things as they are. Opposing themes could be slightly more remarkable, but again, the lack of detail is understandable. Summed up? Be wary. This series is not for everyone. Think twice before devoting time to something you might not be able to stomach. For those willing to proceed, enjoy the ride.

Wow this book is so absorbing!!! It's so good that I wanted to ignore everything else to keep reading. XD Damn, Andrew is such a fascinating character. I grew to like him near the end. Kevin is...I still dislike him, but I sympathize with him. Neil is a sympathetic character too, but like with Andrew, I took quite a while to warm up to him. I felt fine towards Matt, but didn't feel very strongly about him. As for Allison, Seth, Renee, Abby, David, Aaron, Nicky, I have conflicted feelings towards them. The only person I can say that I like with no reservations, is their team captain, Dan (Danielle). She's so tough but also kind at the same time. 😁 The slow-burn romance is really getting me, in a good way. The suspense, tension, and uncertainty are wonderful! I like that the romance is not that obvious, either, especially as I found the blurb a bit misleading. But since most of the popular highlights on my Kindle were about a certain character, there's no doubt about who the love interest is anymore, haha. The popular highlights function was a fun extra dimension of experience to the book.

A rollercoaster ride to read this story!

The book hooked me from the first pages. Hell, from the pitch. I never read contemporary books, less alone sports ones with (kind of) young chacarters. But it's not a sport book. It a beautiful story about broken characters and twisted past, and it will play with your feelings and make you feel like you're in a roller-coaster. I don't know how many times I had to close the book or read a passage 10 times because I was shocked (in a good and terrible way). I mean, just read it.

Excelente producto, a pesar d este usado está en excelentes condiciones, muchas gracias

Mi sono innamorata di questa saga! Letta in pochissimo tempo