Wow, this was one unexpected ride. I'll admit, I've never had the opportunity to try an escape room for myself but while it seems fun, after this read, I think I'll just have fun watching other people solve them. I've seen quite a few of them over the years as a plot point on a television show and they've always intrigued me, the effort it takes to not only create puzzles to solve but to also have these puzzles interlock together. It seems like so much work and to tell the truth, the creating of these escape rooms holds just as much appeal to me as the act of trying to solve the rooms and escape. I really liked the overall story of this book and I'll admit, the creation of the world and the escape rooms in this book kept my attention just as much as the central plot.
The Escape Game follows a group of teens on season five of the show, determined to win the season and it's prizes. There's Adi, with a talent for breaking codes; Carter, a teen with a talent for solving puzzles and an influencer with a huge following; and Beck, a teen who has created a few escape rooms of their own. The team is rounded out with the addition of Sierra Angelos, a previous contestant and the sister of season four contestant Alicia Angelos, who was found murdered on the set by her sister while Sierra's team was trying to solve the escape room. Viewers think Sierra got away with murder and now that she is back for season five, tensions are running high. But Sierra has another reason to be back. She's determined to find out what happened to her sister and bring the true culprit to justice. As the team learns to trust each other, clues start to appear on the set that hint at the true identity of Alicia's killer. But someone wants to keep the truth from coming out and Sierra, Adi, Beck and Carter need to solve the puzzles if they want to uncover the truth and survive.
This world was so interesting. The puzzles, the clues and the way it all fit together kept me invested in the story. I wanted to understand the workings of the rooms and in some way, I wished this book had some illustrations to give just a little more details about the escape rooms because it feels like something that I wanted to see for myself. I had no idea something like this existed and I've been researching where to try the few shows I've found with this same premise. Honestly, I love mysteries so this feels like something I need to add to unwind in the evenings. I enjoyed every set and the puzzles given and the reveals felt earned as each page turned. There are a few questions left unanswered and I'll definitely be back for the next book.
The characters were all lovable in their own ways. Sierra and her team each have a point of view to follow, allowing readers to learn about their past as well as their present as they become friends and start to work together. I loved Beck and Carter in particular and I hope the next book has more of those two in any way, shape or form. I liked Sierra from the start and I wanted her to find justice to clear her name and find out exactly what happened to her sister. I liked how Adi seemed to be just like Sierra, wary of trusting people and his motivations concerning his family. I wanted these kids to win and I wanted them to figure out how to be each other's people. The way they started to become family made me smile and when they were on the page, I couldn't stop reading.
As much as I wanted to rave about loving this book, there were a few quibbles that made me a little frustrated. First of all, after a bit this book started to feel like it was too long. There was so much information, so many things going on, at some points I started to feel like it was a bit of a marathon. As interesting as I found the world and the people, it was a LOT to get through, and then it just ends. We find out who killed Alicia and we get a bit of setup for the next book. YES, I will read the next book, I have to find out what happens to this team, but I will take my time with reading the book if it ends up with the same page count.
The second thing that irked me was the motivations of the villain. I'll be honest, when it comes to stories like this, I have a tendency to strain the muscles in my eyes when I roll them too hard when I hear the whys behind the villainous actions. I get it, people kill for really dumb reasons, this isn't any different. But it still irks me, it makes my eye twitch and my shoulders itch because come on! The villain ends up being almost disappointing. After everything that I'd read, everything these kids had to go through, to find out the reasons behind it were something like that just made me feel a bit meh. It's not the feeling you want to end with, especially when it there was something like ten or fifteen pages left once it was all said and done. Like I said, it just ends and it left me feeling like I wanted more. Which I guess is the point but still, this book had already hooked me for the sequel, it didn't need to cut itself off without enough time for everyone to really process what had happened before they dive into the next mystery.
In the end, by the time I got to it, I didn't love this book as much as I thought I would BUT I still really, REALLY, like it. I want to see more of these kids. I want to understand the next setting and what it means for all of them to come together and figure it out. As far as I can tell, it's going to be a duology, with the next book set for release in 2027. I'll just be here, waiting for the chance to read it.
Rating on my scale: 8.5 Stars. Seriously, I think this book will prove to be better once the second one is released. There is so much set up here with the world and proving these characters are worth loving, it is definitely worth the read if mysteries and escape rooms are your jam. It's a very respectable read, no doubt about it. I'm sure I'll love the series as a whole more than individual books once the next book is released.
