Cherry Blossom Time

It was the artwork and the bright colors that attracted me to this puzzle. It was a bit of a shock to open it up and see that the puzzle maker had decided to reinvent the wheel when it came to the shape and design of the pieces. I've been doing puzzles for fifty years, and it took me a while to get the hang of it. Every piece is an odd shape and many go together in a nontraditional fashion—flat sides butting against other flat sides, etc. After I caught on, it was as difficult as any "hard" puzzle, but didn't become "extreme" and frustrating. I recommend that one does not try the traditional approach of putting the edge pieces together first, as it will lead to confusion. Many of the pieces have flat edges but are not part of the border. Instead, I found that it was better to sort by color and tackle obvious images within the puzzle. Eventually, the border comes together. All in all, a good time.