Reviews

Puzzle House by Duncan Ralston

spookymidwesternreader's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

I went into this expecting a lot of Saw and definitely wasn't disappointed, either in the amount of Saw that I got or the ways it veered away and surprised me. I loved the twists and turns the story took, I loved the ways it played with expectations. I only wish that we could've spent more time with the characters to develop a little more of a connection with them before they traversed the rooms. Don't get me wrong, there were some gut punches and moments where I genuinely hated to read the next paragraph because the writing was on the wall for characters that I was hoping better for, but it would've hot that much harder with a little more time spent. 

lisa85's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

lydaalexander's review

adventurous dark tense fast-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? It's complicated

2.0

manowarfan1's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

aimlib's review

4.0

Someone get this author a movie deal cause this book is movie material!

The writing is so vivid that the scenes were playing out like a movie in my head.

I don’t think I’ve ever read an escape room sort of book, but if you are a movie buff, all I can do to explain this book is Escape Room x As Above So Below x Indiana Jones

It’s a very small book which you can read in one sitting but it takes a bit of character intro before delving into the house and its puzzles.

The puzzles in the books were NOT easy, if I was part of the group I’d have lost in the first game itself.

bookwormfaerie327's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

cobiashley's review against another edition

so boring

c_marie_writes's review

4.0

I enjoyed this one by Duncan Ralston. I didn't read any of its reviews or synopsis, but it was recommended, so I decided to go with it. It reminded me of a cross between Saw and one of those haunted house stories where people go to investigate, but it doesn't end well for most of them. But it was a good telling of that sort.

The writing is good, and so is the character building. I didn't really care for the ending, unfortunately. It definitely felt unfinished. And there were a couple of questions I don't feel we ever got answered about the MMC, Henry.

4 stars.

torchyblane's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious 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? No

2.0

saradam's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.5

The story and characters were not interesting to me but the plot had so much potential