Room Escape Artist

The Un-happiest Place on Earth

Location: At home

Date Played: September 28, 2025

Team size: 1; we recommend 1

Duration: 316 Pages

Price: $13.99 paperback; $4.99 on Kindle

REA Reaction

As an escape room enthusiast, I’ve daydreamed about overnight and multi-day experiences on a grand scale. So, I was excited to find out more about the escape-room-esque attraction Kayla Hicks invented for her new novel Escape City. Escape City fictionalized a city-sized playground where patrons could experience the danger and thrill of a zombie apocalypse paired with puzzle laden streets hiding secrets and safe houses.

This fast-paced novel took me on a wild ride through a high-tech amusement park gone wrong. Though I didn’t connect with the ultra-rich influencer characters on a personal level, it was fascinating to see them stretch their intellect to overcome the hurdles placed in their way. I chewed through this book at a impressive rate. Kayla Hicks’ writing style kept me glued to the page and itching to find out what happened next.

My biggest disappointment was that the reader could not solve the puzzles and riddles that the characters encountered with the information provided. However, there was enough context to deduce what the character’s next step should be, which was satisfying up to a point.

Overall, Escape City provided a unique tie-in between escape rooms and literature outside of “puzzle books” and classic murder mysteries. Although Escape City was targeted toward YA readers, I believe the book would be enjoyable for anybody who likes escape rooms and zombie survival stories.

Who is this for?

• People looking for a pulse-pounding adventure story
• Anyone who likes puzzles, escape rooms, zombies, and survival games

Why read?

• Digestible characters and a fast-paced survival adventure
• Commentary on the potential dangers of cutting-edge technology
• Portrayal of escape rooms in “mainstream” media

Story

Noah Bronston, heir to an amusement park empire, invited his friends to his dad’s newest attraction, Escape City. The teens expected to embark on a multi-day, low-stakes survival romp. By solving puzzles, they could evade the animatronic zombie horde and make their way to the evacuation zone at the heart of the city.

Something unexpectedly went wrong, and the metal monsters acquired a taste for flesh. Now our heroes’ lives were on the line. Would their wits and wiles be enough to get them safely through the deadly streets? They had three days to find out before the rescue helicopter left for good.

Setup

Download the e-book or buy the paperback and start your adventure!

Gameplay

Kayla Hicks’ Escape City was a novel with some escape room elements sprinkled throughout.

Core “gameplay” revolved around reading about the characters’ experiences. The puzzles were not presented in a way where the reader could solve them, but there was enough information that I often deduced how they needed to solve the puzzle before it was revealed.

Analysis

➕ There never was a dull moment. Even the safe zones maintained a level of tension as the story progressed.

➖ The characters felt flat. There wasn’t a good reason to root for them or against them. My apathy toward Noah and his friends detracted from a deeper connection with the adventure.

➕ Escape City was geared toward a YA market and fit that audience well. I would have gobbled this book up as a teen.

➕ The e-book that I received included a short story that gave insight into the experience of the theme park employees. It was a fun peek behind the curtain to understand what caused everything to go sideways. There were also some fun world-building materials in the appendix, including a “Zombie Survival Guide” and handouts or posters that park patrons would encounter. 

➖ I would have liked a map of Escape City in the front of the book to help follow along with Noah and his friends’ escape. There was a map in the appendix, but it wasn’t very detailed.

Tips For Players

• Space Requirements: A comfy chair
• Required Gear: An e-reader if purchasing the e-book

Buy your copy of Kayla Hicks’ Escape City, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.

Disclosure: We received a complimentary e-book.

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