Everyone who wrote a customer review on our website in 2023 was automatically entered into our 2023 Customer Review Writing Contest, which was judged by 4 past winners of this somewhat annual contest (a big thank you to Shannon, Rachel, Peter and Diane!).
Here are the winning reviews - if you wrote one of these reviews, please email us at artifactpuzzles@gmail.com to claim your prize:
- 4 "Best Of 2023" reviews, each get $100 gift certificate
- 8 Honorable Mentions reviews, each get a $50 gift certificate
The Best Of 2023 Reviews
Erin of CA's review of Library of Spells and Sorcery:
Many mice! Ghoulish green goblets! Waxy, wilting fiery flaming candles. And what about that iguana? Plenty of purple pieces helped us power through the plethora of piled-up bookcases in brown. Colorful columns also came through for us. Dozens of details worth delving into. Took some time, was worth it!
Isabelle's review of Kandinsky Squares and Concentric Circles:
This puzzle is very effective at tickling your eyes and your mind at the same time. Kandinsky made this study in 1913 to see the effects of colors on each other. These circles of colors are so vibrant and mesmerizing, as if you are drawn into each: this puzzle is meditation-friendly. As for the meta structure of the puzzle, the hexagon connectors and the trapezoidal shape of the pieces make it not too challenging if you pay close attention to the colors. Which is definitely what you want to do when facing such a masterpiece! Kandinsky was a synaesthete, i.e. he could ‘hear colors’ and ‘see sounds.’ A deep dive into these combination of colors is a very pleasurable and sensuous adventure.
Joanne's review of Jaguars:
I love Artifact puzzles (and I can guarantee they love me back based on my purchase history). I'm always perusing for a new, super hard challenge. So I picked this one, thinking it would be a breeze. Oh how wrong was I. This puzzle is deceivingly difficult, and when I feel like I can do any puzzle in a snap, I pull this one out and get my unequivocal reality check. Colors start to blend, and despite the background being unique it's subtle, and finding matching pieces can make you want to pull your hair out. Plus there's the whole diptych (two panels) thing which I sorta knew from the black line bisecting the puzzle image but didn't register until I started dealing with things that should but weren't connecting together (duh). Get cozy, make sure you have good lighting, and plan to spend alot more time than you expect working through this one. Great fun!
Betsy's review of Fishies:
This puzzle schooled me! A truly challenging combination of design and depiction. If it weren't for the whimsies and the tiny clownfish and other oddballs among the larger look-alikes, I might have failed entirely. At first glance this puzzle appears to support the popular notion that fish are simple animals, interchangeable with others of the same species, devoid of personality. But this idea is misguided — for the fish in this puzzle, and for living fish as well. Science has shown that fish are full of personality: zebrafish can be introverts or extroverts; you can guess the social rank of a rainbow fish based on his personality; shy sticklebacks are less predictable than bold ones. And, upon closer inspection, each of the schooling fish in Jethro Buck’s painting is a unique individual. It was those differences that kept me from a failing grade. Though the fish — perhaps a species of seabream — almost all have adorably optimistic expressions on their little fish faces, their appearance is quite variable: some are spottier, some are stripier, some fins are more brown while others are pinkish, there are chubby ones, flashy ones, elegant ones, and dorky ones. Those little quirks kept me going, despite Alison Boyd’s devilish split-tendril puzzle design. I do enjoy a difficult puzzle, so for me, the frustration was easily outweighed by the fun. And the extra time required for this one gave me the opportunity to ponder piscine personality.
Honorable Mention Reviews
Pat in NC's review of Fishies (see picture above):
split tendril, and almost nothing but blue and white - oh dear god, this one is hard --I've done about a third of it, I think I'm giving up!! on the other hand, this description might be exactly what you want!
Martha's review of Renoir Pears:
I can’t recall solving a puzzle quite like this before. The way it came together made it feel like the puzzle was growing itself and bringing me along for the ride. It wasn’t hard really, so much as it was fascinating! For those who’ve never experienced solving a puzzle without referencing the image, this might be a good one to experiment with. The piece shapes are amazing. As I worked, the desire to look up the designer was relentless but I found it impossible to step away from the puzzle at all to go and check. I can tell you now that Chandler Millwood has knocked this out of the park. It goes against my nature to tell you what to do, but you might not want to miss this one. ;-)
Ashley in Portland's review of Sky Village:
We did this puzzle as part of the pair contest (so had the whimsical edges). It was a huge hit with my teammates (my 5 year old son and 75 year old mother-in-law). Difficult enough for us elders to stay engaged and stymied, while enough color variety and distinct imagery to give the 5 year old a sense of accomplishment. I thought we were really zooming as compared to our usual pace until the winners clocked in at under 40 min! Still, our 2hr 58min completion time felt like a victory. Highly recommend this (and all Artifact puzzles, really) as a great way to foster multigenerational fun.
River's review of Captive Unicorn:
Lots of fun - you think there's an endless sea of green that will make it challenging, but it's really not that bad as the piece count is low, and the flowers are all quite different colors if you look close enough. I'm fascinated by this tapestry - it's a classic, beautiful tapestry loved by fans of medieval fantasy, yet the entire set depicts the hunting, capturing, and taming of the unicorn. The destruction of the pure and beautiful, perhaps even the conversion of the Pagan. But this single frame almost has none of that, it's just the unicorn surrounded by beauty, and you can almost (almost) forget the larger story. But the unicorn is still in captivity. Anyway yeah. I love this tapestry too but I can't ever stop thinking about that when I see this.
Dawn's review of Old Friend:
Finally a puzzle that steals Plum Blossom's title of most difficult puzzle. This is quite the challenge. I completed all but one piece. I couldn't figure where the last irregular edge piece went! I decided to walk away from it for a bit and try again with fresh eyes and a rested brain. Then I forgot about it for a couple of weeks. When I finally sat down to finish it, it took less than 10 minutes to drop it in place. If you enjoy extremely challenging puzzles, this puzzle is for you.
Gary H's review of The Heist:
I can't even begin to count all the different art references in this picture, but that's not going to stop me from trying! This picture is chock full of hilarious scenes of people posing for selfies mimicking the pictures, absolute chaos everywhere, and at least a few art heists to spot. Plus ducks everywhere, because why not? The piece design is pretty interesting as well with lots of circular patterns and a few different bulb style connectors. All the detail and mixed colors can make it a little busy and overwhelming while putting it together, but like a good heist movie it all comes together in the end in a spectacular fashion. Definitely give this a try if you like this style of comic artwork. It's lots of fun spotting all the different references!
Barb and Larry's review of Dilaram Harp:
The serene and beautiful image of this Mughal miniature painting shows a herd of deer being mesmerized by the Dilaram Harp. The colors are warm and comforting, and the details show a stunning mountainous countryside, complete with babbling brook. All of this is being enjoyed by the the numerous wild creatures, and they are posing for your pleasure. However, do not make the mistake of lapsing into a state of relaxation!! David Figueiras, the puzzle designer, has organized a great challenge for you, and you will need your full, alert concentration to rise to the occasion! For those puzzlers who are looking for the "harder" puzzles, we can recommend this adventure; it looks completely "innocent" and even offers a straight edge. I mean, how hard can this be! Well, we were challenged by this puzzle, and yet we enjoyed every minute of the fun. There are numerous whimsey pieces to help you along, and an amazing plethora of finely-carved connectors in the pieces. But despite these helpers, the puzzle designer managed some very tricky maneuvers. These just made the successes all the more rewarding. For beauty, fun, and challenge, we recommend this one!!
LL's review of Lady Of Shalott:
Jump aboard the Lady of Shalott's boat and set yourself adrift. The start of your journey will be pleasantly smooth: Putting together the Lady, her tapestry, and the distant landscape is not too difficult. But then the coal-colored bow of the boat reaches the equally dark, inky water of the river, and suddenly you're caught in a whirlpool of solid black, hard-to-match puzzle pieces that may have you circling for hours. (Nevermind that some of the dark pieces that you think should go in the water actually belong to the shadowy trees onshore.) Eventually the river's murky eddies spit you out and into some tall, tan reeds: They are not easy to assemble, but at least they're not black! At last you're at the braided edge.... In Tennyson's poem, the Lady is under a mysterious curse that keeps her trapped in her tower and weaving incessantly on her loom. You'll be under the curse too, as lacing together this tricky border will have you glued to your seat for quite some time. Of course, if you choose to set out in the opposite direction, by completing the border first and then working inward, that will give you a different sojourn altogether! In any case, if you enjoy pastimes that whisk you away to imaginary lands in bygone days, you cannot go wrong with this elegant puzzle.
... and a shout-out for these
3 Dithyrambic Reviews
Lastly, here's a shout-out to 3 especially dithyrambic reviews that really made us here at Artifact Puzzles smile (sorry, we're out of prize money, but a big thanks for the joy!):
Susanne Giordano's review of Cercles Et Des Carres:
THIS WAS SO MUCH FUN I TURNED IT ALL OUT INTO PIECES AND IMMEDIATELY STARTED PUTTING BACK TOGETHER AGAIN! OMG. I love love love irregular edges, extremely abstract pieces and not too many pieces making a largish picture (so the pieces are kinda big). As a 70-yr old I thoroughly enjoyed the beauty of the cut of each uniquely abstract piece and the colors of the artist's design. This was the best puzzle yet. In summary, abstract art, abstract cuts, larger pieces and irregular edges: bravissimo!
Hronir Jones' review of our gift wrap:
Much better gift wrap than those awful bags Amazon will give you, feels like a proper present!
Ruth in AZ's review of Tall Tower:
We're too old to waste time on sky, but we enjoyed the rest of it.