Playground – Aron Beauregard

4 stars

Well, Aron, you made me root for the villain, damn you. I’m the biggest sucker for a redemption arc, and boy, did I get one with Rock! His character growth throughout the book was really well done, and I found myself solidly in his corner.

Aron also made me temporarily forget I was reading a horror book because I got so wrapped up in the characters and desperately wishing for their survival that I completely blew past the fact that, as Lance Archer says, Everybody Diiiiiiiies! This story had such a diverse cast of characters, and I was so absorbed in their stories and their survival, but also waiting for certain people to get their just desserts.

I have to give major props for the sheer creativity of the playground devices, too! The meat grinders, especially, practically made me burst into hives. I can’t imagine being in any of the scenarios that these characters faced, let alone doing what I had to in order to survive. As each nightmare device came up, in my head, I was putting myself in the situations, and I’d have absolutely died very, very quickly 🤦‍♀️

What is the most fascinating thing about this book, however, is seeing the effects that horrible living environments/parents and guardians have on a child’s psyche. When a child is forced to grow up in uncaring, violent, or perverted circumstances, it can have devastating effects on their psyche and warp them, and Aron captured that really well with several of his characters.

My copy of the prequel, Child of Divorce, just came the other day, and I can’t wait to meet some of these folks again and see how this horror show began!