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A review by lizlegge
Puzzle House by Duncan Ralston
4.0
3.5 stars
I read “Puzzle House” over the course of three days- it was fairly short and I couldn’t wait to see what happened next. If “Saw” and “The Cabin in the Woods” had a baby, it would be “Puzzle House”.
The puzzles were very creative and I was trying to solve them alongside the characters. Some of the descriptions of the puzzle rooms were a bit confusing, and I had trouble picturing it in my head. There were also a few bits of dialog where a lot of characters were having a conversation, and sometimes it wasn’t explicit who said what. This took me out of my reading “rhythm”, as I had to back track a bit and try to piece the conversation together.
I wish the author had included a bit more about the motive behind the puzzles. It is kind of glossed over and generalized, but I would’ve preferred more details, and how all the characters were wrapped up in it. The last 20-15% of the book also felt a bit rushed.
There is a bit of gore, but nothing that made me squeamish. If you can make it through the “Saw” movies, gore-wise this novel will be a piece of cake.
Overall, it was an enjoyable, short read that was perfect for the start of the spooky season
I read “Puzzle House” over the course of three days- it was fairly short and I couldn’t wait to see what happened next. If “Saw” and “The Cabin in the Woods” had a baby, it would be “Puzzle House”.
The puzzles were very creative and I was trying to solve them alongside the characters. Some of the descriptions of the puzzle rooms were a bit confusing, and I had trouble picturing it in my head. There were also a few bits of dialog where a lot of characters were having a conversation, and sometimes it wasn’t explicit who said what. This took me out of my reading “rhythm”, as I had to back track a bit and try to piece the conversation together.
I wish the author had included a bit more about the motive behind the puzzles. It is kind of glossed over and generalized, but I would’ve preferred more details, and how all the characters were wrapped up in it. The last 20-15% of the book also felt a bit rushed.
There is a bit of gore, but nothing that made me squeamish. If you can make it through the “Saw” movies, gore-wise this novel will be a piece of cake.
Overall, it was an enjoyable, short read that was perfect for the start of the spooky season