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jacki0486's review against another edition
2.0
I love escape rooms, so I was excited by the premise of this book... I was sadly disappointed.
The novel switches back and forth between the present action in third person, to the past which is narrated in first person by one of the characters. It’s a bit of a jarring transition.
It’s pretty clear that it’s a revenge story right from the outset, but it doesn’t really give away the ‘why’ behind the the revenge until late in the book. And quite frankly, the amount of time and effort put into the revenge plot by the perpetrator is pathetic... I just wanted to scream at the character, “Stop being a victim and get on with your life!!!”
My biggest issue with this book was that it dragged on. There were moments where it was great, but those moments were so far apart that it wasn’t really worth it. The entire story could have been condensed into a heart-pounding short story or novella and had a much greater impact. Instead, the author drones on for 300 pages about things that don’t add to the story at all, before finally getting to the good stuff.
The novel switches back and forth between the present action in third person, to the past which is narrated in first person by one of the characters. It’s a bit of a jarring transition.
It’s pretty clear that it’s a revenge story right from the outset, but it doesn’t really give away the ‘why’ behind the the revenge until late in the book. And quite frankly, the amount of time and effort put into the revenge plot by the perpetrator is pathetic... I just wanted to scream at the character, “Stop being a victim and get on with your life!!!”
My biggest issue with this book was that it dragged on. There were moments where it was great, but those moments were so far apart that it wasn’t really worth it. The entire story could have been condensed into a heart-pounding short story or novella and had a much greater impact. Instead, the author drones on for 300 pages about things that don’t add to the story at all, before finally getting to the good stuff.
hughnoble's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
snoopyfanclub's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Sexual harassment, Murder, Death of parent, Grief, Gun violence, Sexual assault, and Fire/Fire injury
ingo_lembcke's review against another edition
4.0
Recommended Goodreads Review Chelsea Humphrey, will be interesting how I will find it. Saw one of the Escape Room movies and have one other bought (iTunes) and still to see.
orang3_w0rld21's review against another edition
challenging
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
It was pretty boring. The story focused on the four main characters, but they felt like they weren’t in story. I was really confused about Sara’s POV until like half way through. If the story focused on four characters, why am I getting a pov about someone who eventually died? It would’ve been more effective if there were clues sprinkled in about Sara and the conditions of her work life, than a pov about her.
It was pretty predictable and cheesy, and I knew I wouldn’t give the book a good rating because of the writing, but I read through because I thought something would give. It did not.
It was pretty predictable and cheesy, and I knew I wouldn’t give the book a good rating because of the writing, but I read through because I thought something would give. It did not.
bookph1le's review against another edition
3.0
I have mixed feelings about this book, and I'll try to give a brief summary of them without getting too spoiler-y. However, read this review at your own risk as I will give a few details away.
On the one hand, I struggled with this book at times. I think the author does far, far too much summarizing. Examples of the dreaded telling instead of showing abound, especially when it comes to the group trapped in the elevator. We don't get to *see* any of them doing anything from their own perspective, outside of what they do in the elevator. The Sara Hall sections tell us what she sees them doing and what Lucy tells her she's witnessed, but Vincent, Sylvie, Sam, and Jules first-hand accounts are never heard. The author gives all of them motives for the things they've done, but rather than let the reader see why, she tells us. We're told about Jules's alcoholism, about Vincent's underhanded nature, about Sylvie's feelings for her latest man, and about Sam's wife driving him to the brink of bankruptcy, but at no point does the reader get to see any of these things. Honestly, I felt like a lot of these sections read more like the author's notes, as in "Okay, this character is motivated by x because y happens and z is in his/her history..."
On the other, I did enjoy where this book went. It didn't surprise me one iota, but I was okay with that. I knew what the twist was going to be, but I was all about discovering the how behind it as well as the revealing of the various whys. Without giving too much away, I will say I felt a deep sense of satisfaction at this novel's ending. It was basically exactly what I hoped the author was going to do with it, as far as what happens to the person behind the fake escape room.
One thing I think this book does well is take a cast of pretty unsympathetic and unlikable characters (with the exception of Lucy, who I wish had been given more page time) and make their story compelling. I wouldn't have wanted to touch any of these people with a fifty-foot pole, but I was very drawn into their saga and curious about where it would go next.
Yet on the downside, the book is also very repetitive. It's like the author is pounding the reader over the head with the idea that these are bad, bad people, that these investment bankers make great villains because they are greedy and ruthless. I think for most of us who weathered the financial downturn, it's not at all unbelievable that investment bankers would act this badly. However, I didn't need the author to tell me six million times that these people were profligate with their wealth, that they would stop at nothing to achieve their ends, and that Stanhope was an evil institution. I'm starting to feel like authors and/or publishers think readers are stupid and incapable of picking up on subtlety in writing, and so they need to beat us over the head with a book's themes just in case we might have missed the 11 billionth reference to how harsh the working atmosphere is at Stanhope. I. Get. It. Already.
So in the end, I think this book felt kind of half baked. It had an entertaining idea and a compelling plot, but it could have used some more thought and revision.
On the one hand, I struggled with this book at times. I think the author does far, far too much summarizing. Examples of the dreaded telling instead of showing abound, especially when it comes to the group trapped in the elevator. We don't get to *see* any of them doing anything from their own perspective, outside of what they do in the elevator. The Sara Hall sections tell us what she sees them doing and what Lucy tells her she's witnessed, but Vincent, Sylvie, Sam, and Jules first-hand accounts are never heard. The author gives all of them motives for the things they've done, but rather than let the reader see why, she tells us. We're told about Jules's alcoholism, about Vincent's underhanded nature, about Sylvie's feelings for her latest man, and about Sam's wife driving him to the brink of bankruptcy, but at no point does the reader get to see any of these things. Honestly, I felt like a lot of these sections read more like the author's notes, as in "Okay, this character is motivated by x because y happens and z is in his/her history..."
On the other, I did enjoy where this book went. It didn't surprise me one iota, but I was okay with that. I knew what the twist was going to be, but I was all about discovering the how behind it as well as the revealing of the various whys. Without giving too much away, I will say I felt a deep sense of satisfaction at this novel's ending. It was basically exactly what I hoped the author was going to do with it, as far as what happens to the person behind the fake escape room.
One thing I think this book does well is take a cast of pretty unsympathetic and unlikable characters (with the exception of Lucy, who I wish had been given more page time) and make their story compelling. I wouldn't have wanted to touch any of these people with a fifty-foot pole, but I was very drawn into their saga and curious about where it would go next.
Yet on the downside, the book is also very repetitive. It's like the author is pounding the reader over the head with the idea that these are bad, bad people, that these investment bankers make great villains because they are greedy and ruthless. I think for most of us who weathered the financial downturn, it's not at all unbelievable that investment bankers would act this badly. However, I didn't need the author to tell me six million times that these people were profligate with their wealth, that they would stop at nothing to achieve their ends, and that Stanhope was an evil institution. I'm starting to feel like authors and/or publishers think readers are stupid and incapable of picking up on subtlety in writing, and so they need to beat us over the head with a book's themes just in case we might have missed the 11 billionth reference to how harsh the working atmosphere is at Stanhope. I. Get. It. Already.
So in the end, I think this book felt kind of half baked. It had an entertaining idea and a compelling plot, but it could have used some more thought and revision.
austiiin5543's review against another edition
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
karleebailey11's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0