This took me by surprise in a great way! Maybe I just didn't read the blurb well, but I was not expecting paranormal trials or Japanese mythology, both of which are things I love. The story also jumps right in, with short chapters and ghosts(?) to draw you into the plot and get things going.

The group of former friends have to complete seven challenges before dawn if they want to return home and I enjoyed seeing them work through their past issues and feelings, while also fighting deadly creatures. The plot kept me intrigued and the bits of romance sprinkled in were a nice addition.

What I struggled with were the uneven chapters and how long some of them were. In the beginning the chapters are fairly short, but once the game starts they become four times as long and slowed the pace down a bit. I think several of them could have been cut into two chapters and it would have broken up the story a little bit.

I had a great time reading this and I hope there's a sequel in the works!

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own. Thank you to Tor Teen and NetGalley for the copy.

This was an interesting story steeped in Japanese folklore - it was pretty fun and has a bit of the setup of a video game story in that everything was set up in levels and one level has to be solved before the characters could move on to the next. It has some interesting twists, and overall, I enjoyed it.

DNF at 26%. (I normally refrain from rating books I DNF but in this case, I will leave it with a neutral rating).

I'm really sorry but this book is just not for me. My issues with it are largely on a personal level, but they greatly impacted my experience with this book...

1. The Jumanji but heavily Japanese-inspired thing really put me off. Although Japanese culture is treated respectfully enough here, the incorporation of it didn't feel...authentic? I don't know how to explain it well, but all the Asian aspects that popped up in this book felt as though they were plucked and dropped into a Western setting. They just didn't gel well with the Jumanji part of the book and many times, I even forgot it was supposed to be Japanese-inspired.

2. The introduction of the characters by their hobbies instead of creating memorable, solid personalities resulted in lukewarm characters whose importance and memorability lessened with each chapter. By the time I finished reading the first trial, the characters gave off strong "I'm only here to move the plot forward" vibes!

3. There's just so much talk, talk, talking instead of showing or experiencing that the story lost its horror- and attention-grabbing- touch. I wasn't creeped out by what was happening and my attention wandered off a lot throughout the parts I actually managed to read.

I'm giving this book a neutral rating because I did stop reading about 40% of the way through and started skimming to the end instead.

I think this book started out really interesting, and I loved the concept of it. I liked getting to know the different characters at first. But the first two challenges they go through (out of seven) went by too quick, and left me confused after it all. I do think the horror elements are there for sure, and I honestly did not see that twist at the end coming. But ultimately, this book wasn't for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for this ARC!!
AHHHH this book was SO GOOD! The author knocked it out of the park! This plot was wild and by the end all my questions got answered; the ending line gave me goosebumps….It was such a satisfying read. I turned the last page hoping for the adventure to continue not because it felt unfinished but because I would have happily read another 250 pages of what came next but it was done 😭 There were some really creepy moments in the book that made me turn the lights on while I was reading. A seriously great book and I cant wait to see what the author comes out with next.

"AT DAWN HE'LL BE GONE AND YOU'LL BE HERE FOREVER.

Kristen Simmons's masterful breakout horror novel that's "Jumanji but Japanese-inspired" (Kendare Blake) about estranged friends playing a deadly game in a nightmarish folkloric underworld.

Four years ago, five kids started a game. Not all of them survived.

Now, at the end of their senior year of high school, the survivors - Owen, Madeline, Emerson, and Dax - have reunited for one strange and terrible reason: they've been summoned by the ghost of Ian, the friend they left for 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. A game without instructions.

As soon as they begin, they're dragged out of their reality and into an eerie hellscape of Japanese underworlds, more horrifying than even the darkest folktales that Owen's grandmother told him. There, they meet Shinigami, an old wise woman who explains the rules:

They have one night to complete seven challenges or they'll all be stuck in this world forever.

Once inseparable, the survivors now can't stand each other, but the challenges demand they work together, think quickly, and make sacrifices - blood, clothes, secrets, memories, and worse.

And once again, not everyone will make it out alive."

Because if Jumanji wasn't traumatizing enough...

A fairly typical coming of age work, interspersed with Japanese folklore told through the mechanism of a game and parallel world. The characters are fleshed out enough for a YA title, and there's about enough background for that level as well. Bonus points for diversity within the cast, and the follow up at the end.

Thought provoking and terrifying! I felt the kinship between the characters and their fear was palpable when experiencing paranormal phenomenon.

Strong YA horror (honestly scary enough that at times I would argue it could easily make the leap to the grown up horror shelves) with richly envisioned Japanese mythology and vivid stakes. It's almost too uncompromising at times, and readers may wish for a moment to take a breath -- but therein lies the success of the book: you can't take a breath, you have to keep going, just as the characters do.

When I first heard about this book I put it on my radar. I loved the author's debut trilogy and the premise for this sounded excellent. Unfortunately I found the writing style to be very off putting the moment I started reading this book. It drops you right in the middle of the story and rather than build up the world around it, the narrative just told you everything. You didn't get to read the characters experiencing things, you were just told that's how they felt or did. I really struggled with this book the entire time reading it. I loved the idea of the lore, but it just never got fully established. In the end this wasn't one that I enjoyed as much as I had hoped.

Truly an enjoyable horror novel that told such a unique and gripping story. Find Him Where You Left Him Dead explores the lengths to which you’ll go for friends—even to a purgatory-like underworld. This novel has great character development, incredible, atmospheric worlds and a story that felt fresh, new and exciting. I had a great time. I’d give this a solid 4.5/5 stars only because I felt like there were a few plot points that could have been explained away but were glossed over so there would be drama or suspense. Very minor things and overall didn’t take away from the story. For fans of Jumanji but with the creepiness of the Grudge, I’d highly recommend.

What I Didn’t Like:
-There are a lot of POV characters introduced in the beginning. The chapters are headed with their names, which is nice, but in the beginning I kept forgetting who they were. I caught on though and it was worth it to have a bit of all of them.
-Japanese mythology is used but not really explained. Be ready to google! Although, if you want more explanation, the author's note (which is at the end) can be read first. There’s some notes there.
-Questions left unanswered, which I like, but I mention because some readers may find this annoying. Content warning, I guess.

What I Did Like:
+Intriguing opening. Ghost stories are always fun! You can’t help but want to keep reading after an opening like that.
+The Japanese myths are great if you don’t mind googling things you aren’t familiar with (or if you’re already familiar with them). I like the way they’re spun with a little interpretation and I found them fascinating.
+Fast paced. They’re moving through these challenges (one character equates it to levels of a video game) and it all moves quickly. The story sort of flies by. Compelling and interesting.
+Ending works both to solve the mystery/problem in this book and to give the idea that life continues. I, personally, like the kind of ending that keeps me thinking. Of course, in this case, I also like these characters enough that I’d read a sequel.

Who Should Read This One:
-Fans of underworld mythology stories.
-Fans of horror monsters, particularly if you enjoy the less common ones. This book is loaded with them.

The first few chapters of this book really drew me in, we are meeting our group and getting to see their first glimpse of their missing friend in years and those interactions are definitely creepy. The story did lose me a bit after that, all of a sudden our group is going to the caves where their friend Ian went missing presumed dead after they all played a random Japanese card game they found. Then they are transported somewhere else, and this is where the Jumanji comparison comes in. It seems they have found themselves in some sort of video game and they must find 7 stones in order to rescue their friend.

The environment and Japanese folklore are really interesting, but for me at least I felt lost a lot of the time, and the characters weren't really compelling enough for me to get sucked in. However once we get to the last quarter or so of the story things really picked up and we get a huge twist that had me reeling, and I flew through the rest of it. There is also a bit of a.. not really cliffhanger but something that makes me think we could possibly get another story, and with the way it ended, I would definitely be interested in reading more about this world.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

The premise of this really drew me in, but I had a hard time getting invested into the story. The characters felt relatively surface level, and the resolution to a lot of the "drama" felt convenient. There were some scenes that really were great, but a lot of them kind of just dragged.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley.

I'm a sucker for horror books. While this book may be young adult, don't let that steer you away from it. This has quite the kick to it.

This is my first read by Kristen Simmons... and wow.
The worldbuilding here was so impressive.
The multiple POVs are a huge favorite of mine. In my opinion, they help keep the storyline moving at a faster past.. which may not be the case for everyone.. but for my add brain, it really helps.
As others have mentioned, this definitely has a Jumanji feel to it.
There were a few twists to the storyline, which were great.
And honestly, this book was pretty unique. Well worth the read.

Find Him Where You Left Him Dead is easily a five star read for me, and something that should be picked up when it is released in September.

Being a YA horror novel, I felt it a bit more face paced to what I like, however if you keep in mind that that's common to find in YA books due to the audience, it can be looked past. That isn't a writing issue at all because the writing is so good.

I loved the representation of Japanese myths and spirits that are the stage for the entire story. Oni, shinigami, yokai... there's so many there and it had me looking up all the lore and stories I could find, which I find a huge bonus. The trials in Meido did want me yearning for more flesh to them just because I wanted more visuals, more flesh to it, however this goes back to the more quicker paced writing you find in most YA books so this is no fault of Simmons and in fact speaks to her ability to pull a reader in. The ending comes up on you, finishing phenomenally and extremely satisfying, with the climax one that did not feel rushed at all.

This is one that would appeal to those who like a slight bit of horror but can't handle heavy stories, and those on the opposite end who need something a bit lighter in between the intense horror novels.

This was more suspense thriller vs. horror. Which wasn't a bad thing. I liked the similarities to Jumunji. The dark woods and setting of the story was great. The pacing in this one was wonderful and I loved the characters. I do wish it would have been a tad darker but this was great for the middle ground for ya. I think for this spooky season this would be a great addition to your TBR.

3/5 stars

Thank you to the publisher for the early review copy!

What I liked about this book: the different characters, their backgrounds, and etc. I also like how they kind of questioned each other and why they are the way they are in their heads, it felt authentic for how a teenager would wonder about their friends to me.

The game and the way they had to beat the different challenges. Each challenge was a bit different and they didnt realize they were breaking the rules until later on and what the rule they were breaking was.

What I didn't love:
Something was missing about the characters for me, both in how they interacted with each other and alone. I feel like I was being told how they had this great bond more than I was shown. And in general they just kind of fell flat, I never really felt like I was rooting for them.

It wasn't really scary at all, even by YA horror standards in my opinion. It definitely has some horror elements but it didn't hit the mark.

I liked the book some, but not enough that it will really stick with me. I'd recommend if you're interested in dipping your toes into horror, but horror can be too scary for you

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝘼 𝙢𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙗𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙠𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙤𝙧 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩'𝙨 "𝙅𝙪𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙟𝙞 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙅𝙖𝙥𝙖𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙚-𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙥𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙙" 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙙 𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖 𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙡𝙮 𝙜𝙖𝙢𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙣𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙝 𝙛𝙤𝙡𝙠𝙡𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙘 𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙.

I’m pleasantly surprised by how much I ended up enjoying this one. It’s not something I would typically pick up, but I found myself super engaged to the story.

Four years ago, five friends walk into a cave to play a game, but only four of those friends walk out…

This is a YA story, but I feel like each character was thoroughly developed. I was intrigued by all four of them: Madeline, Emerson, Owen, and Dax. We also get all four POVs!

This is definitely an intense horror-action story, and I can see why it’s being compared to Jumanji but Japanese-inspired. The book is disturbing and creepy. I was kept on the edge of my seat after finishing each chapter. I had to know what happened to the fifth friend and why he never came out.

I have not read anything like this horror fantasy book, but I had such a fun time reading it. There were a few twists thrown in that I didn’t see coming, and I surprisingly liked these characters. The ending was completely wild and compelling, I cannot wait to read more from this author.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Tor Teen for the review copies in exchange for my honest review!

One of the most commendable aspects of this novel is its seamless incorporation of Japanese folklore. Kristen Simmons masterfully weaves together elements from the rich tapestry of Japanese myths and legends, creating an eerie and mesmerizing hellscape that transports readers into a world beyond imagination.

The integration of game theory in the plot is another standout feature of the book. As the characters face the deadly challenges, they are forced to apply their wits, strategize, and work as a team to overcome the life-threatening obstacles. The concept of a card-matching challenge with no instructions adds an element of mystery and suspense, keeping readers on the edge of their seats as they try to decipher the rules alongside the characters. This creative use of game theory elevates the stakes and keeps the story fresh and unpredictable throughout.

"Where We Left Him Dead" also deserves applause for its portrayal of an asexual main character. In a literary landscape that often lacks diverse representation, the inclusion of an asexual protagonist is a refreshing and welcome change. Kristen Simmons has handled this aspect with sensitivity and authenticity, normalizing asexual experiences and shedding light on the significance of diverse identities within storytelling. The portrayal of each of the characters' personal journeys of self-realization in the midst of life-threatening challenges adds an extra layer of intricacy and relatability to their persona, making them all the more compelling and inspiring.

The book's exploration of the complexities of friendship and the evolution of relationships is another aspect that deserves praise. As the survivors grapple with their past and present conflicts, they are forced to confront their differences and learn to work together once more. The emotional depth in the character development is palpable, making the readers deeply invested in their struggles and triumphs.

"Where We Left Him Dead" is a mesmerizing and horrifying tale filled with suspense, mystery, heartbreak, and profound character arcs.