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hayleygoudreau 's review for:
Playground
by Aron Beauregard
Caution: This book is within the EXTREME HORROR/SPLATTERPUNK Genre - Proceed with caution!
I went into this book with pretty high expectations - considering this book was heavily reviewed/criticized/applauded/hated-on within the confines of “BookTok”. It seemed that whoever read this book either completely loved it, or completely hated it - so I had to see for myself.
The premise of this book centers around a deranged elderly lady (Geraldine), her partner-in-crime (Dr. Fuchs), and her adopted foster son (Rock Stanley). It all takes place within Geraldine’s mansion that’s described as a castle. Geraldine tasks Rock Stanley with finding families - specifically families with low-income - to offer them money in exchange for the parents allowing their children to come test out Geraldine’s “state-of-the-art new playground”. The deal is that they’ll get some of the money up front, and after their children test out the equipment they will be paid another couple thousand dollars.
Given that these families are struggling with multiple-child families, and are likely living in poverty, the families that Rock Stanley approaches take the offer.
There are a total of nine children who show up to Geraldine’s house on the day of the playground test.
This is where the carnage ensues.
What starts out as a relatively normal playground experience, gives way into the most sadistic, disgusting, heart-wrenching test of these character’s lives.
The parents are forced (literally) to watch the carnage ensue, and only have one opportunity each to communicate with their children. As a parent myself, this book was incredibly difficult to read at times, and at other times was difficult to put down.
Surprisingly, however, there are a couple of people/children that are able to make it out of there alive. But I will say that it’s not who you think!
Aron Beauregard gets a lot of hate - and in my opinion it is unsubstantiated. He literally advertises his work as splatterpunk, meaning it’s going to be gross! It’s going to make you squirm! Shoot…it might even make you physically ill-feeling! But that is literally what you sign up for when you pick up one of his books!
I went into this book with pretty high expectations - considering this book was heavily reviewed/criticized/applauded/hated-on within the confines of “BookTok”. It seemed that whoever read this book either completely loved it, or completely hated it - so I had to see for myself.
The premise of this book centers around a deranged elderly lady (Geraldine), her partner-in-crime (Dr. Fuchs), and her adopted foster son (Rock Stanley). It all takes place within Geraldine’s mansion that’s described as a castle. Geraldine tasks Rock Stanley with finding families - specifically families with low-income - to offer them money in exchange for the parents allowing their children to come test out Geraldine’s “state-of-the-art new playground”. The deal is that they’ll get some of the money up front, and after their children test out the equipment they will be paid another couple thousand dollars.
Given that these families are struggling with multiple-child families, and are likely living in poverty, the families that Rock Stanley approaches take the offer.
There are a total of nine children who show up to Geraldine’s house on the day of the playground test.
This is where the carnage ensues.
What starts out as a relatively normal playground experience, gives way into the most sadistic, disgusting, heart-wrenching test of these character’s lives.
The parents are forced (literally) to watch the carnage ensue, and only have one opportunity each to communicate with their children. As a parent myself, this book was incredibly difficult to read at times, and at other times was difficult to put down.
Surprisingly, however, there are a couple of people/children that are able to make it out of there alive. But I will say that it’s not who you think!
Aron Beauregard gets a lot of hate - and in my opinion it is unsubstantiated. He literally advertises his work as splatterpunk, meaning it’s going to be gross! It’s going to make you squirm! Shoot…it might even make you physically ill-feeling! But that is literally what you sign up for when you pick up one of his books!