Whoa. This book was such a BIG disappointment. I've been waiting for it for a WHOLE year and what did I get? Nothing remarkable, nothing special, nothing worth remembering. Let's just say that I ALMOST felt nothing throughout the whole 352 pages. in love with the previous books. Both ended with intriguing cliffhangers that kept me wondering for a whole year until the next book. Both also had the thing that kept me glued to my seat and refused to let me relax because of the anticipation and suspense. Both also made me recommend the series to most of my friends. But I got none of those privileges while reading The Game Of Lives.
I actually liked the description of coding and hacking and the world-building. It kept my imagination running wild and spoiled. But sometimes it got to the point where it was all just too overwhelming. I could've sworn ⅔ of the book was Michael and his friends (but mostly only Michael himself) coding and diving into a pool of code, or being in pain, or having unfortunate events randomly happen to them for the umpteenth time.
Overall, I'd say The Game Of Lives was an unsatisfying finale any series could've ever asked for. The Mortality Doctrine was one of my favorite series so far, but I guess now I have to scratch it off my list.