Get ready to solve the mystery at the heart of this middle grade adventure about family—and a house with a mind of its own. Twelve-year-old Perigee has never met a problem they couldn’t solve. So when their Dad’s spirits need raising, Perigee formulates the perfect road trip to Dad’s childhood home to reunite him with his estranged mother. There's something in it for Perigee, too, as they will finally get to visit “Eklunds' Puzzle House,” the mysterious bed & breakfast their grandparents built but never opened. They arrive ahead of a massive storm and the House immediately puts Perigee’s logical, science-loving mind to the test. Corridors shift. Strange paintings lurk in the shadows. Encoded messages abound. Despite Perigee’s best efforts, neither the House nor Grandma will give up their secrets. And worse, prickly Grandma has outlawed games and riddles of any kind. Even the greatest of plans can crumble, and as new arguments fill the air, the House becomes truly dangerous. Deadly puzzles pop up at every turn, knives spin in the hallways, and staircases disappear. The answer lies at the heart of the House, but in order to find it, Perigee and their new friend Lily will need to solve a long-lost, decades-old riddle… if the House itself doesn’t stop them first.
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Thank you to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for letting me read an ARC of this book through NetGalley!
Puzzleheart
Overall Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ <:starhalf:992435547043799180>(4.5/5) or 8.71/10 overall
Characters - 9
I really enjoyed the interactions between characters in this book and how they all grew and changed as the story progressed. I thought it was especially cool to see the House's point of view at the end of each chapter as well.
Atmosphere - 8
The atmosphere of the snowed-in landscape while the House wasn't safe either was quite an interesting dichotomy that I enjoyed, since typically when you picture a snowy cabin you see the house as being warm and cozy. The little details of the animals carved into the banisters and such also gave the House an extra intricacy that helped to develop the sense that this house wasn't normal.
Writing - 9
The writing in this book really helped to set the scene and show character development well. The third-person point of view, while still following Perigee, helped to give more of a mysterious air to the book that I found enlightening.
Plot - 9
The plot of this book was vividly unique and utterly entertaining. The concept of a house full of puzzles that "went rogue" to protect itself was explored in an interesting way while still being mostly a character-driven story.
Intrigue - 9
I was intrigued the whole way through. Each part of the story captured my attention and drew me in. I also thought the additional pictures really added an extra touch to the book that helped to pull the elements together well.
Logic - 8
This book was quite logical and nothing stood out to me as incredibly confusing or illogical. As far as I can remember, every plotline reached a satifisying conclusion as well.
Enjoyment - 9
I really enjoyed this book. I liked that it had so many unique elements to draw on and I found the House pov an especially entertaining touch.
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