THE ESCAPE GAME By Marissa Meyer and Tamara Moss
I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Escape Game by Marissa Meyer, Tamara Moss Published by G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers on 4/7/26
Genres: Mystery & Detective, Thrillers, Young Adult
Pages: 413
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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It’s all fun and games until someone ends up dead.
Six months ago, season four of The Escape Game ended in horror when contestant Alicia Angelos was found murdered on set.
Now season five is underway, and new contestants are ready to put their skills to the test solving the show's trickiest escape rooms. There's Adi, the cryptographer; Carter, the math whiz; Beck, the wannabe game master; and . . . Sierra Angelos, the girl who got away with her sister’s murder. Or so everyone believes.
But Sierra’s not just here to win. She’s here for justice.
When the contestants begin uncovering clues that hint at the identity of Alicia’s true killer, it becomes clear that the stakes aren’t high just in this competition—they’re deadly. If these teens want to win—and survive—the game, they must solve the biggest mystery of all: who killed Alicia Angelos?
Short and Sweet Review
The Escape Game is a popular tv show where teams compete to complete escape rooms. Six months ago on season four, Alicia Angelos was found dead on one of the sets and her sister Sierra was a suspect but never convicted of the crime. Now season five has rolled around and there’s new teams and rooms with puzzles to solve. Adi is.a cryptographer, Carter is the math whiz, and Beck is a wannabe game master, and Sierra is back not only to win but to finally get justice. The puzzles seem normal but some of the clues start to point at the identity of Alica’s killer, and the contestants realize that this game is deadly.
When I heard about this book and read the synopsis, I knew I had to get my hands on it, plus I’ll buy anything with Meyers name on it. Love that this book was a mystery filled with puzzles and we got to see how the team would use the clues to solve the puzzles and escape the room. Adi, Carter, and Beck all sent in audition tapes to join the show and they don’t know each other they’re strangers who have to learn to work together, so they’re shocked when its revealed that Sierra is also apart of their team. Last season Sierra and Alicia were on different teams, but the sibling rivalry was apparent, which is why when Alicia died Sierra became the main suspect. Sierra is back to see if she can find some clues about who actually killed her sister, but winning also wouldn’t be too bad. The team doesn’t immediately click, they each have their own strengths but they don’t know how to work together yet. Sierra is a bit closed off but is determined to accomplish her goals, Beck is really sweet, Carter has some self confidence issues but is really smart but just needs to believe in herself, and Adi is brooding and has a lot to deal with when it comes to his parents. I did like watching how their relationships grew throughout the book, they eventually learned to trust and help each other. The rest of the team also decides to help Sierra find out who actually killed Alicia. It was fun to see all of the different sets but also seeing the clues that would help solve Alicia’s murder. There’s also a lot of competition between the other teams and it always seems like our group of characters are barely making it, so it was nice to see them improve throughout the book.
Overall, I loved this book, it’s a page turner that’ll have you wanting to finish it in one sitting. I’m excited to see what the next book has in store. If you love mysteries, solving puzzles, or escape rooms then you definitely need to get your hands on this book!