Kaleidoscope #1

Bogarts, 340 pieces. I ordered a set of kaleidoscope puzzles from Bogarts, and was not disappointed. These are solid, heirloom pieces, with repeated almost-but-not-the-same piece patterns or parts of pieces that interacted very well with the kaleidoscope pattern.  A delightful challenge.  8/10 Stave scale.

Geode puzzle

Nervous System, 169 pieces. I really enjoy the way that the organic/algorithmic cut breaks up the image, making pieces stretch and flow.  3/5

Stave Valentine's mini puzzle

Stave, 27 pieces. Very cute!

Cat and Mouse

Corgi Puzzles, 151 pieces. Returning with a new-to-me cutter, American, roughly $1 a piece and thus a decent hand-cut price. The quality is good but not Stave-level.  The whimsies were, appropriately, cat, mouse, and tool-themed.  3/5 would try again.

Arabic Mosaic, St. Petersburg

Wentworth, 1000 pieces.  Low color variation (including pools of similar color scattered throughout the puzzle) makes this one not for the faint of heart, but it was doable with careful attention to piece shape and minor color variations.  1000 pieces is a lot of Wentworth--I think 750 might be the ideal balance of challenge and doability.  3/5

A hearty appetite

Unknown, 306 pieces. A Pears ad initially?  The cutting style was interesting--not quite color line but close enough to be more challenging than it might've appeared.  3/5