Status Updates From The House Rules (The House ...

I liked the underground maze chapter.

So, I assume his mom is the one who drugged him...
I'm not sure how I feel about his survival so far being entirely due to luck...
I want to finish this book soon so I can move on to others...

The old housekeeper recognized him and said he shouldn't have come but was called away before she could finish her warning and his mom's excitement was turned on and off like a light switch.

And we learn his dad is a geneticist. The question is if that's a red herring or part of the plot.

Really... Not only did the author include an unkindness of ravens, but he included a raven tapping as well?

(Even if it's blatant, I do appreciate the reference)

8 years passed with the turn of a page.
We have a gf with a mysteriously absent brother... presumably related to the plot.
And it basically felt like a second chapter to introduce the characters.
Perhaps I'm biased from reading web novels, but I'm not seeing any hook yet to draw me in...

Based on the description it's already blatantly clear his brother was supposed to win this "game" and that our MC is the substitute.

I expect the story will be a mix of survival and unraveling what is going on before our MC destroys the game... (or the game absorbs him... depends if this is a revenge story or a corruption story... or both.)