This book was just not my cup of tea. It had potential DONT get me wrong and the characters were ok I found them likable at least but that’s about it for me. Jumanji meets the grudge meets zathura… i think it was just a little too far out there for my taste. Too much was happening at once I found myself confused most of the time. Also was not anywhere near as scary as I thought it was going to be!

This book reminded me of Jumunji, but Japanese horror edition. The book starts out with each member of the friend group having a horrific supernatural experience involving the ghost of their friend who had died 4 years prior. You don’t find out much about the game, other than the fact that it was a card game they found in a cave they explored, but half the cards were missing. Once the supernatural experiences occur, they decide to go back to the cave aka the scene of the crime, and quite literally sink through the ground and end up in a dark wood. They are invited inside a cabin by a mysterious old woman who already knows their names and tells them that the only way to find their friend (who may not be dead like they initially thought) and get out of the game is to retrieve seven stones. If they don’t complete this by morning, they are stuck in the game forever.

I was super excited to read this but honestly…it wasn’t scary. I suppose Jumunji isn’t really scary either, but it’s also not intended to be a horror movie. I went into this expecting horror, but I don’t know if I’d even categorize this as that. Before even the first 30% of the book when they were still on the first of the seven challenges, I was already checked out. I kept finding myself procrastinating reading the rest of this. I could feel myself slipping back into what a reading slump feels like while I was trying to get through this, which is discouraging because I JUST got out of a reading slump. To be completely honest, I got super bored before I was even halfway through and just skimmed the rest. Which was a bummer because I was really expecting to like this one a lot!

This was a hard one for me to get through. Which is strange because a creepy horror game sounds like something I would love, so I wasn’t expecting to not enjoy this. I wanted to like this one, but I guess it wasn’t for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and Tor for sending me an advanced copy in return for my honest review.

Like the game night from hell, Jumanji by way of Japanese mythology, “Find Him Where You Left Him Dead” starts with a bang and doesn’t let up. It’s a fresh, exciting horror fantasy unlike anything I’ve ever read. Owen, Maddy, Emerson and Dax lost their friend Ian 4 years ago after an excursion into a cave went wrong. Now they begin seeing Ian again and reunite to try to finally figure out what happened to their friend and what occurred that night in the cave. What transpires is an adventure like none other that will terrifying and thrill you. I couldn’t put it down and I can’t recommend it highly enough. What a breath of fresh air to see mythologies that aren’t always explored. More of this please. Would love more books in this vain. And definitely gonna keep this author on my radar. Thank you Netgalley for this ARC

Terrifying and exhilarating! Simmons deftly weaves Japanese mythology and urban legends with a "Jumanji"-esque tale of friendship, loyalty, and love. Perfect for teens who love gaming, manga, or just a thrilling story!

On so the storyline is great, and I really loved the twist at the end however I found it a little confusing at times to follow what was happening, sometimes it was really slow and then all of a sudden a lot would happen all at once and I’d find myself confused about it. The characters are great and the storyline itself was great it was just a little all over the place in parts which made it hard to keep focused.

What can I say Kristen Simmons has done it again. When I read the blurb that compared this to Jumanji I thought... ohhh interesting... let's see what this is about!

I don't know much of anything about Japanese Folklore so I'm not sure where Simmon's story rates on an authenticity level but I will say that I was absolutely enthralled with finding out where it would go. From the get go I could see why it was compared to Jumanji and it had me turning pages as fast as I could to see what the "game" would throw at these teens next and how they would handle it, and if you are a fan of horror I think you're going to absolutely love what Simmon's does here.

The characters and their relationships just felt completely authentic and true and I honestly never saw the ending coming ... let's hope there's another book in the works!!

Thank you to TOR for an early copy!

A little bit of Jumanji meets Stranger Things in this Japanese folklore inspired scavenger hunt meant to return what was once lost.

“Find Him Where You Left Him” reunites a group four years after tragedy when the spirit of their missing friend returns asking that they find him before dawn. In a series of quests and cruel games the group must face monsters, each other and finally the truth of what happened the first time they played and with the hope that all will make it out alive.

I know bits and pieces of Japanese mythology/folklore so the representation here I can’t speak to in terms of how accurate it may or may not have been but I truly loved every second we spent going through the levels and meeting the other players and monsters that we meet along the way. Each new task was interesting as it paired almost the stages of grief and vulnerability this group was going through and needed to pass in order to have the strength to recover.

I really loved every character and some of their moments were heartbreaking as they try to piece together what happened the first time and what old relationships meant in the after that fracture. The little jokes that stir shame and guilt rather than joy verse the childlike innocence they once had that had now soured in the face of betrayal and death was very well done.

I really enjoyed every second of this and was surprised at how quickly I tore through it trying to reach the ending and I hope to see more from not only this world but the author in the future.

*special thanks to the publishers and netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for a fair and honest review**

Really good, so vibrant and original. I loved the concept and the story and would love to read more from this author in the future. Their writing style was especially promising. I hope fans of both horror and weird plots in general will read this upon release.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing for this opportunity to read rate and review this arc which will be available Sept 26,2023.

Ok first things first this read to me like it was a horror novel. It was insidious creepy and edge of your seat anxiety fest. I bloody LOVED it.

4 yrs ago 5 kids started a game. Not all of them survived.

Now seniors in high school the 4 survivors have reunited for one reason: the ghost of their dead friend is summoning them to finish the game and bring him home. They are dragged out of our world and into a hell scape of Japanese underworlds that are more horrifying than the stories told to them.

Sounds freaking awesome right? Well it was and it was well written! Go pre order this Horror fans!

This was such a fun, fast paced read! I really enjoyed it and it had an ending I didn’t see coming. I would definitely love to read more from this author!

I requested this one because it might be an upcoming title I would like to review on my Youtube Channel. However, after reading the first several chapters I have determined that this book does not suit my tastes. So I decided to DNF this one.

How can I express the ways I enjoyed this book?

I was so eager to read this book, being I Know What You Did Last Summer meets Jumanji, and it didn't disappoint. The book follows the story of four estranged friends, when the ghost of their old friend, summons them to return to the game that resulted in their friend dying four years ago.

I loved each of the individual characters. They were well-fleshed out, and I found the story moved through their individual POVs seamlessly. The author had such a gift for imagery. The descriptions of all the scary things the teenagers faced in the game was incredibly well-written and vivid. Definitely sent chills up my spine. The exploration of Japanese mythology, the identity issues around being biracial, the emphasis of loyalty in friendships, all of that was done super well!

Would wholeheartedly recommend to anyone!

Wow, I should of seen those twists coming but I didn't. This book did not disappoint. I was glad we got to see pov from all the characters. And as a person who loves morally grey characters, Dax was definitely my favorite.

“Jumanji but Japanese-inspired” is one of the blurbs for this horror novel by Kristen Simmons. I do not disagree with that, but I think the comic series Die (by Kieron Gillen and Stephanie Hans, published by Image Comics) is even more precise. So “Jumanji-esque Die comic book series, but Japanese-inspired”.
It is a wild ride, I must say. Different point of views take turns to narrate what is happening and never go back but forward, forward and forward in such a hectic pace that it becomes a problem after a couple of hours of reading and not knowing where to stop.
The characters are interesting and have some depth to them, although it does seem that some are more fleshed out than others. The same happens with the enemies, even if in this case I am pretty sure readers with more knowledge in Japanese mythology will not be of the same opinion. Regarding this, I found the “From the author” at the end of the book to be incredibly interesting and the culprit of me going through the rabbit hole in order to get all the mythology references I know I missed. I am discovering several creepy Japanese ghosts and meeting some I had completely forgotten about, so that is also another positive point for this book.
In fact, the only thing I disliked was reaching the final pages and realizing there was more story to be told. So, no pressure to the author, but… where’s the second part?

First book that I’ve read by Kristen and I really liked it! When I saw the cover, I knew I needed to read this book. It definitely gave Jumanji vibes. I couldn’t put this book down. It was so different then the books I’ve been reading recently and I really enjoyed it!

Thank you NetGalley, Tor/Forge and Kristen Simmons for the ARC!