Reviews

The Puzzle Master by Danielle Trussoni

elephantegirl's review

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1.0

Wow, this was hard to finish. I had to put it down multiple times because I was getting sleepy reading it.

The premise sounded intriguing and reminiscent of The DaVinci Code (which, to be fair, I never read and only know from the movie). However, the book got so bogged down by really extensive history lessons that didn't really feel necessary and lengthy descriptions and repeated paragraphs of Mike Brink seeing numbers as colors. We'd gain momentum with dialogue and then be thrust into chapters of just explanations upon explanations.

Don't even get me started with the weird romance. It made no sense from the start, and while we got some information about Lilith, the weird attraction persisted after? It felt wrong and messy.

I picked up this book, hoping for riddles and puzzles that the author can eventually parse out, but nothing is ever really solved in that nature in this book. It wasn't fun and it wasn't an easy read.

popcorn_princess's review

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

3.5


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

jordysbookclub's review

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3.0

TL;DR: Fans of Dan Brown (THE DAVINCI CODE) should definitely prioritize the latest from THE ANCESTOR author @danielletrussoni, a whirlwind action-adventure mystery about a master puzzle constructor (a Wordle Wizard, if you will) who finds himself caught up in a global conspiracy when he’s asked to meet with a mysterious woman who hasn’t spoken in almost 5 years and might hold the key to secrets a lot of very-bad-no-good people would like to get their hands on. The book is a wild ride and takes readers to some very unexpected places (I now consider myself a porcelain expert, #thankyouverymuch).

kds's review

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

words_flavors_adventures's review

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

lauralarua's review

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

3.0

amherzog's review

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dark mysterious medium-paced

4.25

aroseshaw's review against another edition

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

5.0

Read if you like:
🧩 Complex puzzles
🪄 Supernatural elements
💻 Science and Technology 
🫨 Thrillers
 
1️⃣ POV
📍 New York

“When all the horrors of life have revealed themselves, it is beauty that God sends to comfort us.”

After a traumatic brain injury, Mike Brink has the ability to see and construct intricate patterns and puzzles due to acquired savant syndrome. He’s contacted by a psychiatrist whose patient, Jess Price, is serving a thirty year sentence for murder and hasn’t spoken a word since her arrest, but, she’s drawn a puzzle. Mike agrees to help try to solve the puzzle and finds himself in the middle of a quest involving Jewish mysticism, family secrets, and technology. 

This book had so much going on but it worked for me. I loved the wild ride. I’m always fascinated by the intersection of faith/religion and science and this book was an interesting take on The God Puzzle. I’m not familiar Kabbalah so I can’t speak to the accuracy of the concepts presented in the book but I was fascinated. I really enjoyed all the intricate details and how the book was as complex as the puzzles they were trying to solve. I can’t wait to read the next book: The Puzzle Box.

jesica13's review

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

3.0

mrselizabethv's review

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0