3.75⭐️

📖 This was a different ride for me, and I think given the ideal audience this would be a 5 star read! This had puzzles and mystery galore with plenty of twists and turns. Mike, the MC, is a puzzle master after a childhood brain injury left him with the ability to see the world in a new way, making connections and seeing patterns that others don't. When he's invited to solve the world's hardest and deadliest puzzle, one that only comes up every 12 years, he can't say no. Solve or die trying... and keep your eyes open for what else might be coming!

This was an interesting read. I highly recommend it to anyone that enjoys books about puzzles and solving puzzles. It definitely gave me like The DaVinci Code vibes and I really liked it.

I look forward to more from this author especially about puzzles.

I didnt even realize this was a part of a series! I feel like I understood it enough as a standalone but I am interested in the first book! This was a great adventure, mystery/ suspense story. If you enjoy these things you will like this story!

Ⓑⓞⓞⓚ Ⓡⓔⓥⓘⓔⓦ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
𝕋𝕙𝕖 ℙ𝕦𝕫𝕫𝕝𝕖 𝔹𝕠𝕩
𝘔𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘉𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴
𝐃𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐢

Although this is the second in the series, it can be read as a standalone. I haven’t read the first one but jumped into this with no problems.

The Puzzle Box is set in Japan, and the story includes Japanese words and culture throughout.

Mike Brink is a puzzle master. He accepts a major challenge from the Imperial family to open the Dragon Box which holds a treasure wanted by many. This challenge could prove deadly as it has in the past. Will he break the code, or will it break him?

This action-packed book takes the reader from the Imperial Palace to Kyushu as Mike follows the clues the puzzle builder, a blind and brilliant man, left behind.

This wasn’t a book I’d typically pick up, but I’m glad I did. It lured me in and proved to be a nail biter for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing me with this book to read and review.

I was thrilled to receive an advance ecopy of this book - thank you to the publisher! It reminded me a bit of The DaVinci Code in the way that it combined fast-paced mystery and adventure with cultural history. Although there's another book in this series, I have not read it and through this one was great as a stand alone.

I really loved this book - puzzles, beautiful country, intrigue and fast paced plot. I didn't realize it was a sequel until after I had finished the book and started reading feedback on it. (I will definitely go back and read the first one).

There is a race against the clock which always make the book seem faster paced - and at times I found myself holding my breath as the main character races to finish the puzzle box. I had no idea there were such things and I loved learning the history. Really fascinating.

Some of the parts read like an action movie but it was part of the fun and enjoyment of the book! Kept me on the edge of my seat!!


Thank you to Danielle Trussoni and Random House publishing and Net Galley for the EARC!

Thank you to the author, Random House Publishing Group and Netgalley for a copy of this novel. Here are my thoughts!

Mike Brink is a genius, but he wasn’t born that way. After a head injury in high school, Mike can solve all puzzles. He is invited to Japan to attempt to open The Dragon Box, a legendary puzzle box that hasn’t been solve in 150 years. Once he arrives, he soon realizes his life will rely on him opening this box and countless dangers stand in his way.

I didn’t read the first novel in this series, and I don’t think it’s required. I felt like I understood Mike’s backstory right away. I enjoyed reading Mike as a character, he isn’t your typical just naturally smart scholar. The trauma that allowed him to have this intelligence follows him around. I also like his companion dog, Connie.

The plot moved quickly with a ton of great twists and turns. The life-or-death aspect of the puzzle solving heightened the suspense throughout the book, and he moves from task to task at a great pace that kept me very much engaged. The supporting characters were pretty good, and I felt they carved out their own space in the novel. They also added a little bit of family complications to the mix which always adds to the conflict.

I would recommend this if you like puzzles, books that move quickly, and suspense! I would continue this series in a heartbeat, if the author decides to continue it!

This was a great book. I loved every paragraph, every sentence and every word of this masterpiece! I read it in 12 hours, which is a lot for me to do! It had everything and more laid out in the novel! I sure hope There is more to come from this author! I am totally hooked!

An interesting story. Fun if you like puzzle boxes. It was really slow in the beginning. I thought it was over mid-way through, but it kept going. The second seemed a little forced. But overall, a fun read.

I really liked this book. It was a quick book that kept me guessing and rooting for the two main characters to solve the puzzle. I found Jameson Sedge's character particularly terrifying especially with how AI is taking over. Sedge was unlike any bad guy I have ever encountered.

The Puzzle Box is about Mike who has to solve an ancient puzzle that is from the Japanese empire but what happens when other people have tried to solve this and end up dead? Can Mike solve this deadly box? Make sure to read this one to find out what happenns. The author was new to me and I was turning pages until the very end. All of the characters in this were interesting and I was captivated with this from the beginning. One thing I learned is this was book two in the Puzzle series but I had no problem reading this as a stand alone. I highly enjoyed this one and would recommend it to any reader who loves adventure or mystery books. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for this read in exchange of my honest review of The Puzzle Box by Danielle Trussoni.

This second in the series was absolutely fantastic I've read this author since her angel series and I will always read her!

Thank you for the chance to read and review this book

Overall this was really fun! I love all the puzzles and watching Brink think through the logic of it all. The last quarter felt anticlimactic especially compared to the strong first half. I'll definitely be back for Mike Brink #3 though!

The first Trussoni book I read was Angelology…if you haven’t read it, you should. Since then, Trussoni has written a number of books, one of which was The Puzzle Master, where our protagonist is Mike Brink, a fascinating character with ‘acquired savant syndrome. You see since Mike suffered a traumatic brain injury whilst playing football, he’s been able to create and solve intricate puzzles. He sees and, at times, feels patterns and solutions to the most complex and compelling puzzles. In the novel The Puzzle Box, Mike is challenged by Japan’s Imperial Family to open the infamous Dragon Box. But solving this puzzle is more than problematic. It’s deadly. Scores of individuals have died attempting.
This novel is great fun. I find the character of Mike Brink fascinating; he is brilliant, socially awkward, and silently lonely, and it is hard for someone to understand him and his gift. The premise and plot of this book are highly engaging, and you will have read it in its entirety in a day.
This novel would make a compelling read for high school students, especially those who enjoy logic puzzles and mysteries.

2nd in the series that I really enjoyed. Full of intrigue and twists and turns and puzzles…love this kind of book!!!

Thank you for the chance to read and review this book.

Danielle Trussoni's sequel to The Puzzle Master is SUCH a triumph! I loved being pulled back into this twisty, intelligent world. I need these adapted to TV or film asap!

This is the second book I the series, but does work as a stand alone book. In the year of the dragon, Mike Brink travels to Japan.to unlock the legendary dragon puzzle box. The story is filled with puzzles within puzzles, adventure, intrigue, and twists. I found that I did not enjoy the arrogant, know it all attitude of the main character. Possibly the plot was too complicated for me to enjoy, although it does have some interesting sections.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the chance to read an advance copy. The opinions and review are voluntary..

The action starts right away, with Puzzle Master Mike Brink being personally invited to Japan to open a deadly puzzle box, which can only be opened during the year of Dragon. The box can kill you, and no one has been able to solve it in 200 years. Inside the box is a secret that will shake Japan to its core.

If you think solving this puzzle is just the box, think again. Brink ends up on a wild ride around Japan with a woman he's not sure he can trust. And obviously nemesis Jameson Sedge is back and as ridiculous as ever. Is anyone else picturing him as Bobby Flay?

I enjoyed this book overall. Yes, it's silly and overly dramatic at times, but it's a fun and interesting read. Mike does a little bit of introspection in this book and shows more personality.

I love this author's writing, but this book was not for me. I was confused and felt dumb. Maybe if I was smarter or more into The Da Vinci Code and American Treasure is he more into this book.

I didn’t realize this was a sequel when I started reading it which made me want to go pick up the initial book before continuing the series. Will come back in the future - DNF 20% for now

From what I read it was decent.