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'I've brought you a gift.'

Marissa Meyer and Tamara Moss, from The Escape Game

#Marissa Meyer #Tamara Moss #The Escape Game

The Escape Game by Marissa Meyer & Tamara Moss

"'I swear I am not a psychopath. My brain is ninety-five percent empathy and five percent confetti.'"

Year Read: 2026

Rating: 4/5

Thoughts: I had a lot of fun with this book. I went in it for the escape room puzzles but ended up staying for the characters, though both are quite good. I would be useless in an escape room, so I can't speak to the authenticity of those, but I thought they were creative and well thought-out. The book also doesn't linger so long on any one room that I started to get bored. I was having some cute flashbacks to Legends of the Hidden Temple with all the cute puzzle-solving and dexterity challenges.

It helps that there's a lot more to this plot than game show puzzles, though. We're trying to help Sierra solve the mystery of her sister's murder, and the further we get into the book, the twistier it gets. Everyone has a motive. Everyone has hidden connections to each other. It kept me guessing, and I rarely saw the twists coming.

However, the characters were the real draw of the novel for me. Sierra is the grumpy outsider with a marshmallow center, Beck the cheerful optimist who creates escape rooms, Carter the anxious influencer who's more comfortable hiding behind her avatar, and Adi the poor pretty rich boy with a brain. Their developing friendships almost have a found family element to them, and I enjoyed seeing them come together as a team. While the current plot wraps up to satisfaction in this book, there's an obvious lead-in to a sequel, and I'll be looking forward to it! I received a free e-ARC through NetGalley from the publishers at Penguin.

#book review #marissa meyer #tamara moss #the escape game #ya thriller #ya contemporary #penguin #netgalley #4/5 #rating: 4/5 #2026

The Escape Game by Marissa Meyer and Tamara Moss

A twisty YA thriller where puzzles, performance, and survival collide on a reality show with deadly stakes.

Pre-Reading Thoughts

A reality competition built around escape rooms felt like a perfect setup for a high-concept YA thriller, and I was hoping for smart puzzles, a contained cast, and tension that comes from out-thinking rather than outrunning the danger.

Post-Reading

As I thought… This hits a really satisfying balance in terms of cast size - enough contestants to keep things interesting, but not so many that it becomes hard to track who’s who. Each character brings a distinct skillset to the game, and watching those talents play out inside the escape rooms was one of the highlights. The puzzles themselves are clever and layered; I never would have made the connections the contestants do, which made their successes genuinely impressive rather than convenient.

It surprised me by… How well it handled the “reality show gone wrong” premise without tipping into excess. The stakes escalate naturally, and the tension comes as much from sabotage and manipulation as from outright danger. It’s also worth noting that while this is the first book in a series (something not made clear in the blurb), it avoids a hard cliffhanger - there are threads left dangling, but the main arc feels complete.

Overall Thoughts

The Escape Game is a fast-paced, puzzle-driven thriller that rewards attention and cleverness. It plays with performance, deception, and strategy, asking how far people will go when they know they’re being watched - and when survival depends on staying one step ahead of everyone else.

A strong recommendation for readers who enjoy high-concept thrillers, contained settings, and mysteries that hinge on intelligence rather than brute force.

Vibe Check

Colour Palette: neon lights, stark white rooms, warning red accents

Soundtrack: ticking clocks, electronic pulses, rising tension

Season: anytime, but best read in one sitting

Mood: sharp, suspenseful, competitive

Scent: cold metal, ozone, recycled air

Tarot Pull: XII of Scythes (Buffy the Vampire Slayer Tarot) Featuring Ethan Raine lurking behind the scenes, this card reflects the book’s focus on deception, manipulation, and games played out of sight. In a story where cleverness and sabotage are as dangerous as any physical threat, victory depends on knowing who is really in control.

For Fans Of

Young Gothic by M.A. Bennett and reality-show thrillers where the games are just as dangerous as the people playing them.

#bookblr #bookreview #tarotandbooks #newreleases #gp putnam #the escape game #marissa meyer #tamara moss

Marissa interviewed me on her podcast! We talked all things world-building.

Check and out and let me know what you think!

#marissa meyer #tamara moss #lintang and the pirate queen #the happy writer podcast

LINTANG AND THE PIRATE QUEEN is now officially available in the US!!!

#lintang and the pirate queen #tamara moss

Lintang and the Pirate Queen [Tamara Moss] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Gutsy girls and strong women make up the diverse and appealing crew of a pirate ship that battles intrigue and deadly monsters in an action-filled fantasy adventure. “Combine a pirate adventure of mythic proportions

To anyone who doesn’t know, my own book (MG fantasy adventure filled with female pirates and mythical creatures) is out already in Australia and is due out in the US in October. You can preorder it by clicking on the link above xo