Reprieve is a book I couldn't put down; I shirked responsibilities left and right while reading this one. It's a book I've continued to recommend to so many people since reading it. James Han Mattson has a true gift for immersing you in a world and situation. I felt tense, anxious, and curious while reading this - marks of a talented author, certainly.

Reprieve has been described as "social horror," and it certainly lives up to that label. However, it approaches the genre with subtlety and nuance, rather than in-your-face shock making it more literary in nature. I was drawn to this idea of a locked room scenario, and it does deliver on that front. Yet, it's important to note that while the escape room plays a crucial role in the narrative, most of the story unfolds outside its confines.

While the pacing initially felt slow (I can see why some readers might consider giving up early on), I trusted the author and hung in there. I'm so glad I did as I experienced a roller coaster of emotions while reading Reprieve. It's important to note that the story also delves into the world of horror literature and contains spoilers for at least three well-known Stephen King books, so just be forewarned.

The narrative is skillfully woven with many impressive small details. We get to know a few central characters intimately, all of whom are linked to a tragic incident that occurred at the escape room. The book provides a multi-dimensional understanding of who they are and their motivations. At times, I found myself rooting for them all, then just as quickly despising them collectively, I suspect that was precisely the author's intention.

Beneath the surface, there's a profound exploration of what it means to be marginalized or perceived as an outsider, particularly in terms of race. There is no black-and-white determination of who the real villain is, which is something that mirrors the complexities of real life with all its shades of gray. Ultimately, this is a story that compels readers to examine their own behavior and humanity.

3.5 stars I'm rounding up. What a gruesome and fun story. It was jarring at first. I enjoyed this as an audiobook and, at first, all the characters and their connections weren't clear. It's starts with a death and a move. It jumps around to boys in a dorm room, another man in a relationship. Then a court hearing.

Finally, the story moves to a Haunted House. It is a full contact, spooky October type haunted house - with actors, fake blood and full decorations. They are drumming up business by hosting a contest - survive the house, make it from section, collecting envelopes to advance to the next area. In the "now", something horrible has happened, but first, we must meet all the characters.

I found each character fascinating. Their motivations, how they ended up in the house where they were, was a tangled string I enjoyed following to the end. I didn't like each character, they each had definite flaws and some were evenly extremely unlikable, but I still really liked knowing their role in it all.

The ultimate ending, the reveal, was shocking and I loved how dark it was. I'm so glad I finally made it this one. The story was engaging, kept me hooked, and I found the subject matter fascinating and unique. The audio was wonderful!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

I thought this book lacked some of the bite in its social commentary, mostly because it felt like every character had to be embroiled in some "hot topic" issue of our moment.

Reprieve written by James Han Mattson

This story is social horror (think, the movie Get Out) where it has horror elements with social commentary on complicity of American culture.

On April 27, 1997, a group of unlikely teammates make it to the final cell of the Quigley House, a full-contact haunted escape room in Nebraska. If they can endure all the horrors of the house without yelling the safe word, Reprieve, they win $60K! But in that last cell, one of them gets murdered.

I felt that overall the story was intriguing. I somewhat understood what Mattson was trying to say about American life yet I didn’t think it hit the mark straight on. At the end, I felt somewhat let down and annoyed. It is possible that there was just “too much” going on in one book.

I did not particularly like any of the characters. I felt horrified for the murdered victim whose POV we read when they were in the actual cells during the contest. Otherwise, the chapters were of the other involved characters, particularly, Kendra, Jaidee & Leonard. Kendra is young so I can ignore that she’s fairly annoying but the other two were so obnoxious and in real life I would never want to be associated with such “creeps”. Underneath all the layers, I hated them even more.

The horror sections were to some extent scary but because I kept getting taken out of the horror and suspense with the alternative chapters of the characters who were not actively in the cells. Having been in multiple haunted houses, I’d have a heart attack in the Quigley House and would get disqualified from attacking the actors if they touched me!

Thank you @netgalley @williammorrow for this gifted ARC.

I did not like this one. There's a lot in here that could be good, but overall, it falls flat with many of the issues presented and how they were handled in the narrative. I hope the author gets another chance to prove their writing, because there's solid talent here.

Reprieve by James Han Mattson is one of those books where I don't really know what I just read, but I know that I liked it. It is described as social horror, which is a genre I had to look up to fully understand what it meant, and now that I do I can say that it is a clear representation. The weird thing is that I feel like a lot of this book went over my head and all of the characters were really hard for me to keep track of, and yet I can't say I didn't like it. I had no idea what to rate it, but the more I thought about it, the more I knew it deserved more stars than I was initially thinking. The plot ultimately leads to the murder and which contestant was killed, but the meat of this story is really about the different characters and a ton of various social stigmas. I really liked how the characters ended up tying together, but I am sure I missed some things as well.

The writing style Mattson uses in Reprieve is very unique as well, which I think is something major that will make it not for every reader. It was interesting to see how this translated into the audiobook, and I think if I ever do a reread, I would read the actual book and make a LOT of notes. The narrator of the audio is JD Jackson, and I'm not entirely sure how I feel about his narration. On one hand, I really liked it, but when I was looking at the book in comparison to how he was reading it, I think I missed out on a lot of inflections and emphases on certain words. This is a pretty long book, and the audio is at over 12 hours, so if you don't see yourself being able to sit down and read it, the audiobook would still be a good option. And do prepare yourself for lots of blood and gore. The Quigley House is downright terrifying, and I can tell you right now there is no way I would ever step foot in that place. I loved the escape room bit, but the things they had to do to get out are very graphic and disturbing. Reprieve is not a story for the faint of heart and that's for sure.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This is not your standard horror novel. This is the most brilliant social horror novel that gives some gore but comments on important social and racial issues. Stunned and impressed.

Quigley house is a full contact, haunted escape room. Contestants must survive macabre, booby-trapped rooms, collecting envelopes in order to win a big cash prize.

I went into this one expecting horror because that's what it was marketed as. I wanted to be scared. Sadly, I wasn't. We get way too much back story, with more time spent outside of Quigley house than in it. The focus isn't on horror. It's more of a social critique - with commentary on racism, politics, greed, etc. As a narrative of social justice - it shines. As a horror - not so much. Go into this one with an open mind and you'll enjoy it more.

QUICK TAKE: I liked the idea more than the execution. The events that take place in the house were scary and really thought-provoking, but the stuff outside of the house, in particular all the toxic masculinity stuff, ultimately not for me.

Welcome to Quigley House. If you can make it through each of the rooms filled with gore, actors who will get in and invade your space, and other craziness and find the tickets without yelling the safe word "Reprieve," you and your 3 teammates win $60,000. Sounds like the basis for an intriguing thriller, right?

That's what I expected going in. What I got instead was a searing social commentary and character study - and I can't really say that I was upset about it. This book pulled me in and with the alternating timelines and different points of view, I desperately wanted to know what happened. This was a hard read and I definitely didn't feel good after I finished it, but I was glad to have read it.

Thank you to William Morrow/Scene of the Crime and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed this book. It was a super quick read. I didn't have to think much. I didn't really connect with the characters. But was I supposed to? I couldn't really tell. I knew how the story would end, but enjoyed the set up to get there. It was also enjoyable to read a book about a place I would 100% never go to in real life.
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a free and unbiased review.

'Reprieve' was a bit slow in terms of the pacing for my taste, but the atmosphere makes it a perfect spooky season type of read. Once you get into the plot the story feels like it picks up a bit and it definitely gets interesting, I just wish the backstories for each character could've been a little less, but that's just my personal preference and impatience, If there is one thing I know for sure I will never take part in a "full contact" haunted house for any amount of money.

I just couldn't get into this book and couldn't finish it. I thought it would be exciting and fun but it just wasn't for me.

I had a really hard time getting into this one and I'm not sure why. Maybe the way it was told through several POVs and by different means but I found it hard to follow. It wasn't really the thriller I was hoping for, It seemed to be written in an attempt for a shock value but it didn't work for me.

This was one of the most confusing books I have ever read. There is a murder and we know who does it but there really is no reason given except maybe evilness and greed. They are a lot of disturbing elements to several of the characters that I felt could have been explored more so we could truly understand what motivated the murder. We get slight closure in the end, but not enough to really feel that you enjoyed the book. I can’t say the book was a complete waste of time, it just could have been so much better. Thank you to Net Galley for an advanced xpcopy of this book and this is my honest review.

In 1997, four contestants made it to the final cell of Quigley House, a $60,000 prize hangs in the balance, but by the end one is dead.

Social commentary blended with literary horror, Reprieve is told via court transcripts after a murder in a fill-contact haunted escape room. Gory as well as timely, the novel tackles societal inequity, politics and race.

I always try to not read Goodreads reviews prior to reading a book so it doesn't ruin my first impressions of a book, however, I did and they were so mixed, that I went into it with an open mind.

I am so glad I stuck with this book, because it was such a unique and creepy story of Quigley House, a full contact haunted house. There are 6 cells and only one other group has successfully completed it. There is money on the line, so this story follows a somewhat seemingly random group of 4 as they work their way through the house.

Once I learned more about each character, the book ended up intertwining their stories while taking us through their Quigley House journey every few chapters. The cells in Quigley House are so twisted and disturbing that I couldn't stop turning the pages.

I would say to go in to this story with an open mind, because I actually really ended up enjoying it!

I was hoping this would be a little more on the horror side, but it was solidly literary fiction in my opinion. That being said, I enjoyed it. I loved the escape room "chapters" and the social commentary in this novel. I think I wanted a little more of an ending, but I also kind of get why we didn't get it. I'd read whatever this author writes next.

A big old slice of literary fiction that is nevertheless ready to dance with why we read -- or experience, or like to experience -- horror. We know, from the outset, that there will be blood; someone dies at a full-contact haunted house, in the 90s. It's to Mattson's credit that while I <i>knew</i> who was going to die, he made me hope it would be someone else more than once. It's also to his credit that the frights in the haunted house are rendered chillingly indeed (I shudder to think what he could do if he went full-on into the horror space), and that the people feel very alive right up until they aren't. There's a lot going on here: racism, grappling with sex and sexuality, capitalism and commodification. But more than all that, it's a hell of a read, one I demolished in under 48 hours.