Hauntingly eerie with lots of twists and turns--great narration and plotline! Kept me interested the whole way through!

I received a free advance digital copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. Working on getting through the rest of the advanced books I received in 2023.
When I started this book it felt like something I wasn’t going to be able to finish. As I kept reading the storyline and characters drew me in and I found it hard to put down. The games were intriguing and scary at the same time. Also loved the twists in the story, some I saw coming but there weee a few that surprised me. I thought the author did a really good job of including diversity within the characters of the book. Looking forward to the sequel coming out this year!

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Teen for the digital galley of this book.

Five years ago, Owen, Madeline, Emerson, and Dax’s friendship ended when they started a game that their other friend, Ian didn’t survive. Now, Ian’s ghost is back, summoning them back to the house where it all began. This time, they’ll have to finish the game, and they may not survive this time.

This book is wild! It’s posed as a Japanese-inspired Jumanji, and I can totally see that. I was hooked from when ghost Ian started showing up in each of the character’s lives, and it didn’t let go until the end. I got a little lost here and there, just because so much happened and the twists and turns, but overall, it was an exciting story, and I just sort of hung on for the ride. I liked the pov shifts from chapter to chapter. There were four main characters, plush what happened with Ian and another character or two, so it took me a minute to keep them all straight, but I think the characterizations were strong as it got going. Definitely recommend if you’re into YA Horror with lots of adventure.

This was a great spooky book for October. I loved how the author wrote this book. The pros was so beautifully written. I needed to keep reading it.

I enjoyed this book, though it took me a while to get into. I liked the concept of the story and felt that it was well executed. I recommend!

This was my first book by Kristen Simmons and I was not disappointed. I saw someone said it was like Jumanji with Japanese folklore attached and I just could not get that out of my head. Because wtf? A book that has Jumanji in it? I was thinking the like elephants and stuff, but no, it was more like the game. (And please don’t judge me lmao I know that’s crazy)

Ok so first things first, I knew this book was going to be weird. That’s why I waited so long to read it. I wanted to read it closer to Halloween, but I just couldn’t stop myself from reading. And listen, I wasn’t as scared as I thought I’d be, but it did make me put it down for a little bit. I think to truly scare me I needed some more of an explanation on what they looked like. Like it was mostly a gloss over, but I think I needed some like explanation of the monsters. Not only of what they looked like, but also exactly what a Kuchisake-onna is and what is the significance in the Japanese culture. I mean obviously I looked it up after I finished it, but I wish I could have learned it from the book.

The plot of this was crazy. All the little trials they went thorough was so out there! And that ending made me almost throw my phone. Idk what I was expecting, but it wasn’t that. And I’m usually good with picking up on twists like that. That just told me how much I was into that book. I also just wanted to scare myself so I was hanging on to everything that was said in this books. I wanted to be fully immersed. Especially since I was listening to the audio. But Idk whatever the reason I just wasn’t really paying attention. And I think that was better for me. It made it a surprise for me and of course I enjoyed this more because of it.

The characters were all off the wall tho. At the end when the big secret is told and that one person goes to visit that certain someone, does that mean that there’s going to be another book? Like I wasn’t sure if that meant she was going to try and make something happen afterward? If so, I’m here for it. Idk what else there would be to say, maybe the journey of what she finds out, but I’m here to see what it is.

This book was so much fun. I don’t want to talk too much about it because I don’t want to spoil anything. I’ll just say it was creepy, weird, and it will throw you for a loop. Everything that you could want in a monster or demon filled horror book. Definitely a great book to put me in the Halloween spirit!

Requested the book because the cover reminded me of the Monster House film, and it was just as terrifying. Despite being scared out of my wits while reading the whole thing, I could not put it down until the very last page. For all horror fans, I highly recommend this book.

I was not able to get to this book but hope to pick it up and read it soon. The description seems like something I would definitely enjoy. Everyone that has read this book also seems to be enjoying it so I look forward to it.

The comparison of this book to Jumanji is not unfounded, however the narrative felt laborious to finish rather than enjoyable.

Find Him Where You Left Him Dead is an intriguing story with interesting characters. The game the characters play was an interest concept for the story. The author did a great job writing this story and I look forward to reading more books by this author.

It was supposed to be an innocent game but it left one of them missing and now he's back to finish the game. Find Him Where You Left Him Dead combines the Jumanji with Saw. Giving the reader a terrifying game in book form. while the premise is interesting the execution was lacking. The game is Japanese but it does not explain why this origin was significant. The characters had no depth and often felt hallow and rushed. Overall it felt disjointed and had no consistent flow.

I had not read Kristen Simmons for a decade with her excellent dystopian Article Five trilogy (2012-14) so was happy to read Find Him Where You Left Him Dead which Kendare Blake has said was "Jumanji but Japanese-inspired". Blake’s assessment is a fairly accurate one and ultimately this book reminded me of many others, including Marie Lu’s Warcross and Ernest Cline’s Ready Player One. Although it was a very solid read, its major problem was the fact it is not as good as the many novels it has been namechecked against. It deliberately has a computer game feel to it (with the characters completing levels) and like many computer games it got repetitive and I found the horror action sections to be too similar. The basic concept of the novel is also derivative of the classic Lois Duncan I Know What You Did Last Summer as the four former best friends the story is built around the disappearance of their best friend four years earlier. As Ian ends up getting trapped in a game which transports him to another dimension then Owen, Madeline, Emerson, and Dax cannot exactly tell the truth to the police!

The novel has a great opening, a ghostly vision of Ian starts appearing to his former best friends who meet up when they realise he might not be dead. Together they return to the place where their friendship ended with one goal: find Ian and bring him home. So they restart the deadly game they never finished, an innocent card-matching challenge called Meido. Much of the book concerns the tense friction and guilt between the teens, also four split narratives, who have followed completely different paths since they parted company four years earlier abandoning Ian. The setting for their challenges was a threatening (but still cool version) of a creepy Japanese underworld, even if many of the creatures they faced did not really hold much fear or went beyond the light Jumanji level of fear. The four have one night to complete seven challenges or they'll all be stuck in this world forever. The Japanese references were interesting, but never really went full in and that interests you then check out Courtney Alameda’s Seven Deadly Shadows (2020). This was a solid fast-moving read but it never truly captivated me. AGE RANGE 13+

Find Him Where You Left Him Dead imaginatively weaves familiar horror tropes with Japanese-inspired stories. Kristen Simmons skillfully brings to life the world of Meido, a underworld to which four teens return to find their missing friend. The surreal landscape is vividly described, making it easy for readers to picture the struggles experienced by the teens. The characters themselves, feel genuine in their fears, confusion, and their emotional distance from a once strong friendship. I did not realize their will be a follow up and can't wait to read the next installment.

What a horrifying and creepy tale! I was taken aback by world Kristen Simmons brought to life and how terrifying it was. The world-building and mythology were excellent, the characters were sometimes leaning more towards one-dimensional but they got better mostly. I'm interested about where book 2 will go.

I selected this book after hearing the author talk about it on a podcast. I was instantly drawn to the inclusion of Japanese-inspired folklore and loved the cultural ties. It was a very unique angle on a concept similar to Jumanji where the characters are drawn into a deadly game. This story was deeply immersive and painted such a clear picture that I felt like I was in the middle of my favorite scary movie. It was truly an adrenaline rush with twists and surprises at every turn!

A strange story of 5 teens who started a game with cards found in a cave. One of them doesn't make it out and the rest decide to lie about where they were and what happened to their friend. Jump 4 years and the missing boy is haunting them, trying to make them return to finish the game they started.

I can't say I have a lot of love for this book. One- there is no reason or explanation as to why so much time passed before they were summoned to finish this odd game. It also is too familiar a trope to interest me much.
5 go in only 4 come out...yeah ok.
I see why this is a young adult book. It basically is a video or card game where you have to finish a task before you can move on to the next. The game, for a reason I couldn't figure out, is based on Japanese folklore.
I think the characters could have been fleshed out more. I really found myself not caring if they found their lost buddy or were killed trying.
The writing itself is sound, but the story left me cold.
Thanks to @netgalley for the opportunity to read this eArc in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

Find Him Where You Left Him Dead is told in multi-POV (multiple points of view) and is pretty spot on for what the description says. One problem I have with the book is, why does it take four years to complete/continue the game? This irked me, to be honest, because there is literally no explanation as to why a charaters ghost took this long to decide to want to continue. For the most part, this was a fairly well-written book. It has a good creepy aspect, but there was something missing for me to fully enjoy the book in whole, and I can't quite put my finger on it.

There are also multiple races of the main characters, and I rather liked this.

Rating:
3.5 rounded to 4 out of 5

Thank you to Netgalley and Tor Publishing for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

An amazing horror YA book! I especially loved that the darker elements of the book begin immediately and don’t take time to develop into a subtle eeriness. I would have loved a bit more character development but as it’s book one it’s totally understandable that we didn’t dove deep into it and stuck to the main premise instead.

Quick, easy read.
Four teenagers must return to the beginning - where they left their friend behind.
Years before, friends started a card game in a cave. Forced to return to save their friend, these kids journey into another realm. Filled with lore and legend.
Will they all make it out this time?
A good start to a new series.

Woah! This book was horrific, in the best way possible. I loved reading it and couldn't put it down. Definitely add it to your list.