This review originally posted at More Than Just Magic 
 Countdown begins with a familiar-ish premise. Two teens are "volunteered" to play a game where they compete for their lives. Sometimes they have to work together and sometimes they are pitted against one another. It's very similar in tone to The Culling by Steven dos Santos and of course The Hunger Game trilogy, but with notably less social commentary. There are some neat twists which do set the story apart, but it can still feel quite repetitive at times. 
 I started off liking the female protagonist -Kira but by the end of the novel my feelings were more mixed. She's a street kid. Fending for herself. And she's tough, I'll give her that. But she also has a lot of character flaws - she's selfish, short sighted etc. All of which are understandable given her recent living situation. However as the novel progresses I expected to see her grow a bit. And she did sometimes, but other times she would flip back. Her character on the whole seemed very inconsistent. Countdown is more about action than characters, so it may work better for some readers than others. 
 Countdown is a fast paced and tension filled read. It's quite formulaic and somewhat predictable but does offer some interesting commentary on our over reliance on technology. If you're looking for something quick and action packed Countdown is for you.