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.

The blurb does a great job of explaining the story in Find Him Where You Left Him Dead by Kristen Simmons, so I won't rehash that and I don't want to give any spoilers. I'm not a big horror reader, but I do occasionally like dark, twisty, and deadly stories, so this one really hit a button for me.

It's a Jumanji-like story, where what seems like an innocent card game ends up having long and far-reaching consequences. Five friends started the game, and one did not make it out. The book starts with a visit from the "dead" friend and had me hooked from the start.

The basis of the underworld location is in Japanese folklore, which I knew absolutely nothing about, but wow, that's some scary stuff! It's a book that you won't want to put down, but sometimes is so intense that you have to put it down, if you know what I mean. I liked that about it.

As for the friends and friendships between the four high school seniors that remain, I can't say that I liked them all, but I did find them intriguing at times, and sometimes they did things that made me want to scream and throw my e-reader. They really haven't had much contact since they first played the game, and I think that made it harder to connect with them. There are four points of view here and sometimes that can be hard to follow.

There's a nice twist at the end which I loved, and the pace in the second half is faster and more engaging than the first half. Not all of the threads in the story are resolved or explained. Was that so the reader fills in the blanks? I don't know, and it didn't bother me much, but there are some explanations that could make the story more robust in nature.

Overall, a good horror story, interesting mythology, and some twists you won't see coming.

I recieved a copy from the publisher via Netgalley for an honest review.

This novel sounded so interesting, creepy and just what I wanted to read for October! The novel started out with an awesome creep factor and hooked me in the beginning and then......just got so damn wordy and long and boring. For such a short novel this one felt like it dragged on forever and took me a really long time to finish it. Some parts would capture my attention and keep the horror factor and then other parts were awash with so many internal feelings/wants/desires that I just did not care about and did not seem to make the story move forward. Then BAM, action and crazy horror again then....back to the duldrums. The ending captured my attention again (was it because I was finally finishing it or the story....?) and had a bit of a wild ride for the last few pages and clearly ended with a cliffhanger. However, not enough to make me care or want to revisit this painfully dragged out world with a sequel.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review,

This was such a fun book - it's described as Jumanji meets Japanese mythology, and that's exactly what you get. It opens up with intense first scenes for all the characters (ghostly encounters!) and only gets crazier from there. The twists and turns this book took had me on my toes and the edge of my seat, and that ending? Please be prepared for a potential sequel - in fact, I demand a sequel! My only real issue was that at times the individual POV voices of the characters weren't overly distinct, and I occasionally forgot mid-chapter whose POV I was reading.

I had a fun time while reading this book but it took me forever to finish. The story was interesting and there was a lot of action, but the teen main characters were quite annoying in my opinion.

Find Him Where You Left Him Dead is like a horror filled Jumanji. There are multiple POVs that made it a little confusing in the beginning. The ending left on a cliffhanger but this is the first book in a series.

I did love the Japanese mythology and horror elements in the story. There were some gruesome parts and horrific imagery that made the story dark and creepy.

I don’t know if I will be continuing the series. I am curious as to what will happen in the next book, but the characters just got on my nerves.

If you enjoyed Jumanji and you like YA horror/action with multiple POVs, you might enjoy this book.

3/5 stars

Guilt prompts four people to re-visit a supernatural game to save someone they left behind in the game. Is it possible for Ian to still be alive after all this time. With trepidation, the four enter the cave where all their nightmares began four years ago. They have one night to progress through the six levels to win. If they win, they hope Ian will re-appear. Be careful what you wish for. This was a delightful horror tale to capture teen minds.
The first in a series, this should offer many hair-raising adventures for young adults.

I received an ARC of Find Him Where You Left Him Dead from Netgalley and am leaving this review voluntarily.

So, I should start by saying that horror is not usually a genre I read. I'm not a fan of horror movies or novels, though I love creepy vibes. Why did I pick up Find Him Where You Left Him Dead, then? Because Japanese mythology. You say, "mythology," and I say, "where and when?" Because I will be there. Every time. Well, almost every time. This is one of those times when I should have stayed away.

Now, that's not to say that the book was bad. I don't think that that's the correct term. I just don't think that it was complete. Crucial pieces were missing from this puzzle that were glaringly difficult to overlook. The characters felt like caricatures of people. They looked 3D but turn the picture over, and obviously, they're not. There was a single thing about their personality that was propped up as their entire personality. There was no development beyond that, which was unfortunate because a lot that could have been done with them. On top of that, I continuously got confused about whose perspective I was in because, as I said, there was a single detail of each person that was focused on, but beyond that, they all sounded the same. If you're going to give me multiple perspectives, I need them to be different so that I don't forget who I'm with. That was not the case here.

And the game itself? Well ... I was confused. The whole point was that there were no rules except that the characters had to finish the tasks by dawn, or their friend would die permanently. Understood. But I needed something. Something to go off of so that I could try and follow what in the world was going on. There was no development on that front either, at least not until towards the end. Also, tell me why it took four years for the game to finally continue because the author didn't. I have no idea why these friends were given four years before they had to come back. And that bothered me because that's the whole point of the story, that they have to finish this game. But why did it take four years? I don't get it.

So, in essence, the characters weren't developed, the story didn't make sense, and the game was nearly impossible to follow. I did finish this book, mostly because I wanted to see how they would complete the tasks. However, I don't think that Find Him Where You Left Him Dead is developed nearly as much as it should have been, and that was particularly disappointing.

A Japanese-inspired Jumanji is a perfect description for this novel. I had fun with all three Jumanji movies and looked forward to the Japanese folklore incorporated into this game. The underworld setting made it even more enticing.

Four years ago, five good friends started a game – one didn’t survive. The estranged survivors are now finishing their senior year of high school and have dealt with the trauma in different ways – Emerson plays video games and rarely leaves her room, Madeline threw herself into her studies and swimming, Owen made new friends in theater, and Dax practically disappeared, now playing guitar at coffee houses. When the ghost of their friend Ian appears to each of them, the four former friends quickly reconnect at the tunnel where they played the game. If they finish it, they may be able to bring Ian home.

The seven challenges the teens need to complete are nothing to sneeze at. Full of danger and spine-tingling imagery, their lives are endangered numerous times. Grudges, secrets, and memories are uncovered, and a pretty cool game of Truth and Dare is played. A lot of dynamics are going on and although they may not get along now, I liked that the four teens are committed in their determination to help Ian.

It’s a short read, and pacing is brisk, with the inciting incident occurring in the first few pages. A shocking twist near the end caught me completely unaware – trust me, it’s a good one. I also didn’t expect a sequel, but the last chapter leaves the impression one is in the works.

Recommended for readers who enjoy dark fantasy, Japanese folklore, and Jumanji-type games.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

DNF at 35%
I've spent over a month trying to get into this book and I just can't. There are 4 pov characters who all sound the same to me so I had trouble keeping track of who was saying or thinking what. The action sequences are ok, but seem to come out of nowhere. The Japanese mythology parts are cool, but I am missing the context to really follow what is happening. I'm sure some people will really enjoy this book, but its not for me.

Japanese mythology in a YA horror tale!

17yo Madeline is swimming laps in the empty pool when she sees a boy that shouldn’t be there. The boy looks like an emaciated Ian, her friend who died four years ago. Emerson lives for video gaming and when she sees a sickly Ian trying to get to her, she panics. Dax takes a break from playing his guitar at the coffee shop and while he’s in the bathroom, a ghost creeps out of the toilet and beckons him to gather The Foxtail Five. As Owen acts on stage, he sees Ian, so he runs after him and realizes that it’s not Ian. It’s actually a demon. The four friends meet up and learn they have to defeat seven challenges presented by Japanese Shinigami and receive a stone for each one before they can reach Ian and save him from the demonic spirits.

Likes/dislikes: I like the concept of the characters going on a quest to save their friend from the Japanese underworld. The book didn’t keep my interest like I thought it would. The creepiness made the story more fun.
Mature Content: PG for kissing.
Language: R for 32 swears and 5 f-words.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody death.
Ethnicity: Madeline is Black. Ian and Emerson are white. Dax has brown skin. Owen is Japanese American.