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Two weeks ago, Elena Essex Designs released four new puzzle designs, and among them was the stunning 1,000-piece puzzle called Journey. Captivated by its vibrant and colorful scene featuring patchwork mountains, a beautiful striped sun, and people following a distant path, I knew I had to have it. I impulsively purchased it last week. In person, this puzzle is even more breathtaking and quite simply, one of the more beautiful puzzles I’ve ever completed.

Elena Essex puzzles are renowned for their bold and vivid colors. Her designs are vivid, often incorporating a gradient rainbow that has become a hallmark of her brand. Even her puzzles with dark backgrounds are still bright and cheerful. When she released her new designs, I was immediately drawn to this puzzle and knew I had to get it right away rather than hoping to find it at a thrift store or puzzle swap someday. I’m pleased to say it was absolutely worth it.

The puzzle arrived in a sturdy box sealed in plastic and designed with Elena’s signature packaging style. The box features a full-bleed image of the puzzle on the top with dark sides and gold type detailing the puzzle specifications. The back has another full image of the puzzle, smaller but unobstructed by branding, serving as a reference while puzzling. The image on the back is quite small so it’s more likely that one would use the included poster reference but it’s nice to have another full image if you puzzle with a partner or group. Inside, the puzzle pieces are sealed in a non-reusable plastic bag and come with the previously referenced large, full-color folded reference poster, along with two small cards detailing the Elena Essex brand. The beautifully designed boxes look great together on a shelf if you have more than one Essex puzzle.

In terms of quality, Elena Essex puzzles are on the nicer side. Priced around $25-27 on Amazon, the packaging design is so well-executed that it feels like a higher-end puzzle even though the puzzle is a mid-budget level. The pieces have a varied ribbon cut, allowing them to line up neatly while still offering enough variation for shape sorting if needed. Made from “premium quality, non-toxic, recycled materials,” the pieces feel nice in your hand and are unlikely to peel apart upon disassembly. I noticed a couple sections where the bottom paper was snagged, but this is typical for paper-backed puzzles and didn’t bother me much as I quickly tore off the offending areas. Since I bought this new, I can confirm the dust level was nearly non-existent. The pieces are of average thickness, a little thin but not overly so. The finish is smooth and not shiny, meaning minimal glare. The pieces fit together well, though a few might crumble if you move sections too quickly. I did experience a couple of false fits, including two in the sky section, which momentarily threw me off. For the price, the quality is about right. The false fits aren’t ideal, but they are manageable and understandable in the solid color section I was working on.

Every regular puzzler knows the moment of excitement at obtaining a puzzle you really wanted, followed by a bit of panic when you open it and think, “…um, this might be harder than I thought it would be.” I had that moment with this puzzle. Elena Essex puzzles are gorgeous but relatively simple illustrations. When broken down into individual pieces, the illustrations become small patches of mostly solid color, making the whole thing feel quite abstract. Having completed another puzzle by her, ‘Roar Power,’ featuring a roaring tiger face emerging from jungle foliage, I anticipated this but still found it intimidating.

Thankfully, once I got past the edges and started piecing the puzzle together, I found it quite enjoyable. Like a gradient puzzle, the key was focusing on specific blocks of color. Each section of mountains is a different color, making it relatively easy to focus on one area at a time. If you have a good eye for color, finding the pieces you need is satisfying and easy. There was a thrill each time I switched to a new section and could quickly pull the correct piece from a large pile. I did struggle with two sections: the red portions of the hills and the sky. With the red section, I realized I have a harder time discerning different red tones, so I work slower on warm-toned parts of a puzzle because of that. The sky wasn’t terribly difficult, but I’ve been trying to avoid moving to the top of my desk to work on the top of puzzles to maintain better lighting in my videos. This makes it harder for me to see those sections, slowing me down when working on areas like the sky, which had subtle color changes.

I wholeheartedly recommend this puzzle to most people. It could be a bit challenging for newer puzzlers or those who have trouble discerning similar colors, but it’s not so difficult that they wouldn’t be able to complete it. I would liken this puzzle to a challenging gradient puzzle. Gradient puzzles are relatively easy if you have a good eye for color, and if you’ve enjoyed a gradient puzzle in the past and want a similar but slightly more challenging experience, this might be the puzzle for you.

Links & Details

Looking to purchase this or other Elena Essex puzzles? Check out my links below.

Want to put this puzzle together for yourself?

Buy Journey the 1,000-piece puzzle from Elena Essex here.

Other Puzzles from Elena Essex on my Wishlist:

Sunset Valley | 1000 Piece Puzzle for Adults
Fig Tree | 1000 Piece Puzzle for Adults
Starlight Scuba | 1000 Piece Round Puzzle for Adults
Night Reef | 1000 Piece Puzzle for Adults
Patchwork | 2000 Piece Puzzle – This is the first 2,000 piece puzzle from Elena Essex and it also comes in a 1,000 piece size!

Brand: Elena Essex Designs
Title: Journey
Pieces: 1,000
Artist: Elena Essex