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

So. I finished it. This was by far the best of the series. We finally get lose ends tied, conclusions to major plot lines, and so much more depth and character development. I was so excited to get more information on Neil's backstory, and the shock of what happened was crazy. I can remember putting the book down and just staring at the wall when Neil got that call. I also really, truly loved seeing Kevin finally break free from the Ravens, or I suppose begin his journey of breaking free. Obviously I can't not comment on the relationship between Andrew and Neil. Honestly I relate heavily to Neil's queerness and Andrew's difficulty with relationships, so seeing them grow together made my heart happy. I also love, love, love how it was much more subtle than I was expecting. We still see the passion and the love but it didn't feel over the top or forced. I think I'd have liked maybe a bit more of deeper exploration of their relationship but I also fully realise that's not really what this series is about. Besides, that's what fanfic is for. I have some maybe unpopular opinions about how things ended, and I think the last handful of chapters weren't fleshed out enough. But I don't think it really detracts from the whole. I don't really know if I'll ever be able to articulate how this series made me feel, it's been a real journey and I can't really believe it's over. I'm so amazed I'd never even heard of this series before this year, and yet very quickly it grabbed me and is never letting go. Go, Foxes! Edit: Now I've had a minute and got over my intial reaction I honestly have to say I feel the same way about this as I do whenever I finish a series that hit me pretty hard, and that's unfortunately sort of disappointed? And reading some of the extras actually didn't help, they sort of ruined things a bit for me by building up these futures into canon that I don't really like. I'm left just thinking about all the things I wish had been different. I don't think I'll read Book 4, but I'll see what the fics have to offer.

I am a broken woman. I don't know how to describe exactly how this series made me feel. Is it cause I binged it in an entire weekend? Immersed myself so fully in Foxhole Court world that when my hands were pried from it I didn't want to let go? Didn't want to leave my precious broken characters behind? This series is so beautifully done I know that Neil, Andrew and crew have carved themselves a little space in my black heart and they won't be leaving. The handling of trauma, of mental illness and of LGBT+ representation for me was fantastic. You could look at this series and view it as a simple sport contemporary with dark themes but honestly it is so much more than that. Though full credit to Nora, she's made me want to play Exy (an entirely made up game) and I'm really not much of a sportsperson - I much prefer a punchbag to team sports if you know what I mean. This is due to the excitement of how she writes the games, the passion you feel from the characters in your bones and you tell me who doesn't secretly love an underdog story? My favourite part of this series though through all the crazy action, sport excitement and wild plot points? The relationships. The relationships in this book go from the very conventional (dad figure Coach) to the highly unconventional and I adore it. Throw a bunch of misfits from sketchy backgrounds together and you are sure to get all types of connections under the sun and this is what really carried the series from page 1 to the end. The slow burn in this one is so slow I didn't even see the couple coming until end of book 1 but it's perfect that way. I'm normally not one for slow burns, I'm a secret marshmallow that needs romance but any other way for these characters would of be disingenuous - excuse me now while I go to Nora's Tumblr to stalk all of the extra content and look into the Foxes future because I don't know when to let go.

My favourite book of all time, I just keep coming back to it. I will never get over these characters.

Oh my days, this was REALLY hard going in places. My heart was breaking at times but I’m so very glad I stuck it out and read all the way through. Fabulous read

I binged this series in two days. The Foxhole Court is free, and The Raven King and The King's Men are only 99p. Go get them. The All For The Game series is self-published. I emphasise this because it still needs a good edit. Some parts are seriously hyperbolic and the pacing drags in places, mainly where Sakavic tries to refresh the reader's memory with facts and history from the previous books. Her betas did a great job, but it needs one last vigorous edit before it's right. Despite that, I still give it five stars. Here's a few paragraphs why: “I want—I know I shouldn't stay, but I can't—I don't want to lose this. I don't want to lose any of you." I adore stories with good characterisation and these characters have come so far since the first book, especially the lead protagonist Neil Josten. Although the series is told through his eyes, by the end of The King's Men I not only feel like Neil has changed but the rest of his team. It's difficult enough trying to get the reader to empathise with your protagonist but when they make you root for TEN different people? That's good. "He’d come to the Foxhole Court every inch a lie, but his friends made him into someone real." The complex team dynamic really drives the story as we get to know each person, slowly bringing the team closer together. Members have their own individual traits and backgrounds and progressions so when the final page closes it feels like saying goodbye to a set of friends who had become a family. Relationships and sexuality are also really well written. "Fight because you don't know how to die quietly. Win because you don't know how to lose. This king's ruled long enough—it's time to tear his castle down" Dialogue is spot on. My personal favourites are anything from Coach Wymack because of his uplifting speeches and sarcastic comments. But it's the subtext, secret sharing, and slow trust between Kevin, Andrew and Neil which is the best. "Neil twisted his fingers through the metal links and wished he could break the fence down. 'Let me in.'" It took me a little while to adjust to Exy but I loved everything about it. Neil's competitiveness is something I've experienced first hand and the game and team's drive made me ache with how much I miss being part of a sport. It made me want to run miles, to get back into sports, to feel like I belonged to a part of something. It made my heart pound like I had just played a game and, more than anything, it made me wish Exy was a real thing. Guys and girls on the same team? Sign me the hell up. "Show me your scars." Trigger warnings for abuse and rape and violence. The violence is a little over the top in places to the point that it isn't believable, but other scenes and backstories are heartbreaking. It's a trademark that the Foxes come from dysfunctional or difficult backgrounds, and how they come to terms with it is what brings them to life. tl;dr: I can't recommend the All For The Game series enough. Read it with an open mind and heed the warnings. It's not as heartbreaking and miserable as A Little Life , or as happy as Kings Rising : Book Three of the Captive Prince Trilogy , but it left me with the rare heavy daze inside my chest that so few books do. I wanted the story to go on after the final page, to follow each and every character into their future, but it ended in a way that gave me closure. I only hope other people will give the series a chance so they can feel the same way. (Or even better: that it gets picked up by a publisher and given the edit and distribution it deserves <3)

The third in the All for the Game series for me, was by far the best in the trilogy. Not only are the Foxes in on Neil's secrets and most of each other's, they are more of a team than ever. Yet, more and more and more is thrown into their paths. I sobbed reading about Andrew and what happens to him, which then causes a domino effect on the other team members. This book is also the main element of the M/M romance that is hinted at and alluded to in the previous two. It's a real slow burn and almost a fight to actually be considered a romance. What it is tough, is a natural progression of these characters and I found myself internally cheering for them. Finally, Wymack steps up and fights for his team and shows the respect he has for each member and I can now understand why he seems as hands off as he has been in the previous books. In fact, the adults are all a lot more 'responsible' in this last book and feel like they are doing the jobs they're employed to do. This book is the ultimate culmination of what Sakavic has set up in the first two books. Speaking to other people have read this trilogy, I found that they've had the same kind of reactions to me in different parts of this book. I cried, I laughed, I smiled, and I cheered as each of the characters matured and dealt with the things in their past that was holding them back. As a team, they are working together and fighting for what they want and deserve. Neil and Kevin especially, deal with some horrible things in a way that I would never have imagined from the way they behave in the first book. The character progression for these characters is brilliantly done and I applaud Nora Sakavic for this. Trying not to give spoilers, I think the ending was perfect. Anything more 'pretty' or 'neat' would have been a disservice to these characters, but I also feel as she's left it open a little to maybe, possibly write more about The Foxes. I wouldn't be averse to this idea.

This is becoming way too dark, maybe even for me. It was hinted in the previous other two books just how twisted Nathan Wesninski is, but finally getting him in the story is not the same. Honestly, how can someone be so unfeeling towards his own wife and son? I do hope that Neil gets to get to know his uncle better. Kevin isn't just an incredibly rude person (can't write what I want if I don't want this review to be censored), but I always saw him as a bit of a coward. I'm glad to see he's finally getting some spine. Andrew, well I think he had the most growth out of all the characters in the series, even Neil. I hope he lets that numbness fade away and allow himself to care, and once and for all get his happy ever after. Neil is incredibly reckless and strong, but as soon as he's faced with his father (and Riko, before) he just becomes a meek little bunny. I get it. But I don't think submitting is the only way to keep his Fox family safe and sound. It's a bit confusing, how brave and loudmouthed he is in one moment and retreating unto himself the next. This part is kind of a spoiler - though I predicted it long before I started reading this book - but I totally saw Neil and Andrew getting together. It makes weird kind of sense. Also makes sense why Neil is the only one who can get to Andrew and make him do something. I know this is the end, but I feel strangely dissatisfied. I want to see what happens next. I know what happens, but I NEED another book to close these wounds opened while I read the three books. I need something light-hearted and mellow to get closure. I need to see Neil and Andrew when they're in a more healthy part of their relationship. I need to see Nicky finally free to go to Germany and be with Erik. I need to see Aaron letting go of his anger and making Andrew properly reconcile him and Katelyne. I need to see Kevin and Wymack getting to know each other, as father and son should. I need to see Jean and Renee ending up together. I need to see Allison and Matt graduating and becoming professional Exy players. I need to see the new Foxes starting next year and how they're going to fit into the team. I could wait to finish and wash my hands of these books, but now I find myself wanting more.

Amazing! Excellent quality and an excellent book! I have re-read it multiple times!

Holy gods. What a ride. I just had this funny feeling at the end of book 1 that I'd want to come back and scale up my rating, and here we are. I've only done that for one series before, Captive Prince, and now I understand why Goodreads kept recommending them both as though they were linked. It's the only time I've been confused by the first book in a series, unsure that I really was reading what I expected, because at no point was there romance. This book was gritty, gory, and dramatic. Neil went through a lot - and deserved that ending. Andrew's slight shifts throughout the book were slight enough to be realistic, and also huge enough to delight his fans, me being one of them. I can't get enough of Andrew - he's an absolute nutjob, but he's been through a hell of a lot, and is finally getting his chance to be more. Thank goodness Kevin finally shifted his mindset at the end there - I was honestly getting sick to death of him, he was the only one I didn't like at that point. Andrew's response to Neil at the hotel with the FBI was stunning, and his little gift he bought him. I just want more of those little moments. The touch-him-and-die energy has never been higher than in this book. Riko got what he deserved.

Item arrived, all good,

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!

❝ Fight because you don't know how to die quietly. Win because you don't know how to lose. This king's ruled long enough—it's time to tear his castle down. ❞ this book was a wild ride. the end was everything but the journey to get there through all the violence and the hurt was something precious. andrew minyard is an amazing character, so broken yet so protective, so strong and complicated. who knew these white and orange covers contained so much beautiful souls, well not me. all for the game made my favorite series of all time cut and I don't see it ever leaving it.

When I received the book, the back was very dirty, and the edges were badly bent. It arrived with two other books, so that might have had something to do with it. Otherwise, the book was excellent, and I would recommend it to others.