Welcome back to “the game” where the Five’s (yes, 5 with both Dax and Ian the most at risk) lives are once again hanging in the balance. but it’s not just Meido any longer, and it’s not entirely clear where they are for half the story. While I may be older than the target audience, I love a mythology inspired story and quite enjoyed the first book, so I gave this a try, and I’m going to be honest with my review. It’s hard to describe where this story went exactly right, because in many ways that is where it went wrong. We again get POVs from 4 of the 5 main teens, but sometimes we jump too often and with Dax going in and out of his Yurei mindset, that can be confusing. We have new “levels” of the game that are beautifully described (like the death spiral with a Huge scary skeleton) but then we jump around so often as the group is not together for much of the story, I didn’t enjoy following those jumps.
I also grew to REALLY not like Owen in this sequel. And he narrates the most I think. The tasks were easily solved or obvious and not as exciting as the first game of Meido, and the resolution (which was almost a sweet love story) didn’t happen until the last 10 pages where it felt very rushed.
My favorite parts, silly as it is, often involved Kuchisake (my favorite quotes were “on the count of spleen (best over rice)” and “I’ll be outside eavesdropping if you need me”)…
Thanks to Net Galley and McMillan for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! Overall, if you have a teen in your life interested in horror or mythology, I think they’d rate this higher and enjoy it quite a bit!!!

She Waits for You Beyond the Dark is the second and final installment in author Kristen Simmons's Death Games duology. This book has Five main characters: Ian, Emerson, Maddy, Dax, and Owen. The story takes place a month after the events of Find Him Where You Left Him Dead. Billed as “Jumanji but Japanese-inspired” by Kendare Blake, this duology has carved out a unique niche, and Simmons sticks the landing with a blend of supernatural suspense, diverse representation, and raw human connection.

It’s been one month since Ian’s reunited friends escaped the hellish game of Meido and saved him. The survivors may have sealed the gate to the world of the dead shut and destroyed Empress Izanami, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t still reeling over the challenges they endured in her grim game. They can relax back in the world of the living, taking solace in the fact that they rescued Ian from the nightmare that tried to steal him away. There’s just one problem―Ian didn’t come home alone.

While Maddy chases a lead to find their yokai friend, Dax, and Emerson is haunted by a new, deadly creature, Owen is forced to face the empress—now possessing Ian's body—by himself. She tells Owen that the only way to free Ian is to find the artifacts—three sacred objects—which have been hidden across the realms of Hell, Heaven, and Earth. Unwilling to leave Ian behind, Owen dives into a new deadly game, but even when he’s joined by Maddy and Emerson, the challenges prove impossible.

If they don’t solve each terrifying task and get the artifacts by the time the giant’s eye closes, Ian will be lost forever, but if they do, it's the end of the world as they know it. The stakes feel personal this time, amplifying the tension as the friends splinter and reunite across a fractured, folklore-rich landscape. From chilling encounters with shape-shifting yōkai to the eerie beauty of realm-crossing quests, the settings pulse with dread and wonder. The artifacts—echoes of the Imperial Regalia of Japan—add a layer of cultural depth that rewards readers familiar with the lore, while still being accessible to newcomers. The horror elements are visceral: think blood-soaked challenges and psychological terror that lingers long after the page turns.

In conclusion, this book doesn’t quite reach the same heart-stopping intensity as its predecessor, but it does a great job tying up the duology. The pacing is much better, and the mythology becomes richer and more detailed, which helps to offset the somewhat reduced intensity of the gaming scenarios.

I really enjoyed the first book in this duology, so I thought I would enjoy this one as well, but sadly, I just couldn't get into this one.
I'm not really sure why it didn't work. I"'m hoping it's just the current mood I'm in, so I'm definitely going to give this one another shot in the future.

She Waits for You Beyond the Dark is CONCLUSIVE GREATNESS!

She Waits for You Beyond the Dark is the epic conclusion to Kristen Simmonns's Death Games duology. This story is chock full of adventure, romance, mystery, puzzle-solving, and excitement. Kristen Simmons knows how to write exhilarating fiction. This novel grabs readers by the first few pages, picking up with an intimately cute moment (right where the first book left readers). Owen and Ian start us off, and then the pace is set at a blistering rate.

Emerson & Maddy are both seeking their own versions of answers and then everyone winds up back in the game. I enjoyed the lore of this series the most. It is creative with inventive new ties and connections for readers to explore while having some fun mythology to learn on the side. This book in the series has more mythology involved while giving us some of the favorite side characters from the first book. The puzzles in this book have a new sort of life with some of the revealed twists. These puzzles are at times daunting, but altogether are fun to solve with the characters and I found myself shouting the answers when I could because of the tension and suspense that comes with solving them.

Kristen Simmons knocked this series out of the park and gave readers an exciting conclusion to an excellent series. Readers are surely going to love this finale to a cast of fantastic characters!

I found it hard to relate to or like any of the characters. Every one of them had thought processes in their POV that made me not like them. I didn't have any emotions in general while reading this book. I wouldn't have cared if any of the characters died or had been left behind. I didn't hate the book, I didn't love the book. Overall I just think it was okay.

I also felt like the pacing was off and the book in general was all over the place and didn't flow well.

This was an excellent conclusion to the duology that started with Find Him Where You Left Him Dead. I loved that we got to dive a bit more into the Japanese folklore that inspired the series and a lot more was revealed about Dax. I did feel less connected to the characters in this one, but loved the action and plot more. It is hard to balance all pieces of the story and fit it nicely into just 304 pages. The pacing was still good, given the length, but now that we were familiar with everything, it did not feel quite as creepy as book one. I still got lost in the story and the game and really enjoyed how this book wrapped up the overall story, especially as the characters started to find themselves and accept themselves more.

“She was not broken, she was a mosaic. A glittering, rainbow collage.”

Enjoyable sequel. Great sparky writing. Non stop adventure yhat keeps you engaged.. interesting characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!!

This was a fun fast paced and suspenseful novel. Having read the first book back in September of 2023, I was unfortunately very forgetful of the plot. It mostly came back, but some things I was still confused on. I loved the group of friends even though it’s always weird to see them all fall in love with each other. I identified with Emerson a lot with her being very aro ace coded. Or at least aro. There was a lot of talk about how she couldn’t feel romantic love but she loved her friends. I loved the Japanese mythology and was only familiar with a little bit of it so that was nice to learn. I also like books about deadly games so this was cool. Honestly poor Ian had the roughest time in this series. Gone for 4 years and then having to deal with this shit after a month? I would be just anxious as he is. I really liked the ending too. Although it seems very cookie cutter, I’m a sucker for it.

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

"Death is not an ending, it's simply the next chapter. Do not be afraid to turn the page...."

It's been one month since Ian's reunited friends escaped the hellish game of Meido and saved him. The survivors may have sealed the gate to the world of the dead shut and destroyed Empress Izanami, but that doesn't mean they aren't still reeling over the challenges they endured. Trying to relax back in the world of the living, they take solace in the fact that they rescued Ian from the nightmare that tried to steal him away. But there's just one problem - Ian didn't come home alone.

The empress - now possessing Ian's heart - hitched a ride into their world and the only way to free Ian from her grasp is to find three artifacts for her, sacred objects which have been hidden across many realms. Unwilling to leave Ian behind a second time, his friends dive into a new deadly game, with terrifying challenges that not only test their mettle, but demand sacrifices - including their very lives.

If they don't retrieve the empress's artifacts, Ian will be lost forever, but if they do, it could be the end of their world as they know it."

Always beware hitchhikers!

I loved this book! It was an excellent sequel, and wraps the storylines up nicely. I figured out some of the things before they were revealed, but enough has me surprised I kept turning pages.

Thanks to Netgalley and Tor Teen for the pre-release copy of She Waits for You Beyond the Dark. Below is my honest review.

This is the direct sequel to Find Him Where You Left Him Dead, and you *need* to read that one before picking this one up. It picks up almost immediately after the events of that book, so this one will spoil it drastically and continues the story.

I requested this one not realizing it was a sequel, and once I added it to my Goodreads shelf, I saw it was marked as #2, so I bought and read book #1 to be ready. And I loved BOTH of them.

This one finds our little group up one and down one, basically a wash. But that doesn't stop Meido from creeping its way back into their lives and sucking them into a new game, one that holds the fate of the friend group AND the entire living world by a thread.

The fictional take on Japanese mythology and lore and horror is absolutely wild fun, and I highly recommend this duology for fans of YA horror with a cultural take.

An intense second chapter (really the final book in the duology not a second chapter specifically) to what Simmons introduced readers to which is a mashup of Japanese folklore and myth with the mysterious games of popular series like [book:The Inheritance Games|52439531] with a multiple point of view cast.

As with the first one, the constant back and forth with all of the characters actually slowed the pace a little but it's an intricate story with horror elements and a race to save Ian from the clutches of the Empress who will not release her grip. But his friends want him back, for good this time.

Readers will also enjoy a story like [book:The House Where Death Lives|195861998] or [book:Damned If You Do|65212969].

I tried to read this book after reading the first one and honestly I had a really hard time. The characters are not the most likeable and the game itself felt forced. I really want to like this more but I just didn't.

Thank you, Kristen Simmons and NetGalley, for the ARC. I leave this review voluntarily and happily. Also, thank you publishers for your hard work!

I will definitely say I enjoyed this one better than the first book. The chapters were definitely better as in length, and they didn't drag. The story I really enjoyed as it dealt more with the empress and the emperor, but not only that, the characters are definitely more likable, and I rooted for them the whole time. I had so many emotions reading throughout this book. And the ending was truly spot on. It left me feeling satisfied, and everyone went what they deserved in the end. I also think this book was a lot smoother from chapter to chapter. It was easier to understand what was going on and I do say you will need to read the first book to understand certain friendship dynamics that have happened and to understand certain things that are mentioned in this book.

What's happened since Ian and his friends returned from Meido? Well, a lot, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. Things are not as they seem. The Empress is still very much alive and wants to bring her world to ours still. Now Owen and the others are back for another round but for the Emperors game. Will they win and make it out? Will they finally end the empress terror and stop her before it's too late? What's going to happen to our main characters, and what challenges will they face this time? Read and find out.

I truly enjoyed this book. It took me on a roller-coaster of emotions, and I just about cried here and there for our heroes. I had a hard time putting this book down, and when it ended, I was very satisfied with how it ended.

Amazing book will definitely recommend to friends and family love the characters development. Love the plot line

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.

I loved this one even more than the first book! Warning this one does seem darker in its content. The games aren’t as clear to begin with since the group and cards are split up at first. I found the further look into Izanami’s backstory very interesting. A little sad this is only a duology because I love these characters and the games.

Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. This was a fantastic sequel. I felt like I picked up right where I was last dropped off, and I had no issues getting back into the world. I loved that we got to expand more on our characters, and got to see even more insanity that these worlds have to offer them. It felt like I was reading a mix of.... later Teen Wolf seasons (kitsune-era) and Stranger Things, but really in the best way. The sequel might have ended up being even better than the first for me honestly! A more formal review will be available on my IG/TikTok and Goodreads for release.

This was a great sequel to the first book. It gave Stranger Things season 2 mixed with Japanese mythology vibes. It wasn't too gorey or explicit in the violence.

I was so excited for She Waits for You Beyond the Dark and it did not disappoint! After I read the first one last year I was excited to jump into this strange and wonderful world again. I found the characters to be just as relatable and I like that the author took their time with each one. There is plenty of representation and diversity among the characters that I really appreciate. The world wasn't quite as creepy as the first book but we are visiting it again so there weren't as many surprises. That being said there are new places to explore as well. I really enjoyed the ending. It wrapped everything up with a nice little bow and though I am sad to leave this world, I know its one I'll come back to.

Make sure to read the first book or you’ll be utterly confused. This is a fast paced novel The characters are both likable and hatable. i liked the conclusion of this duo