4.0 out of 5 stars
Just as One Game Ends For Liliana a New One Beings…Welcome To The Devils Playground
Reviewed in Australia 🇦🇺 on 22 June 2021
The nefarious game continues for Liliana, Mel, and Grace as they are pulled further into the underworld created by their families,the founding fathers.
Now, they enter the “The Devils Playground.”
As Liliana wakes in a tiny cabin,separated from her friends, it soon becomes clear that she has entered a new phase in the twisted game she is being forced to participate in.
Riddles, notes, and well placed maps lead her to a new ally in the kidnapped Dion, searching for his girlfriend, who he was separated from Morrigan, he is just as confused as her (if not more so) as they are both lead into “The City” in their quest for answers.
If your a big gamer, you’ll probably get elements of “Silent Hill” from The City” as the two navigate their way through riddles, and clues to find their friends, all while fighting off psychopathic, deranged, masked murders.
Eventually, both Dion and Liliana manage to meet up with Mel and Gracelyn, but not before witnessing some harrowing scenes as other “players”, and groups are taken out.
While all this is happening Ciaran and his band of friends continues to assist Liliana’s group from the sidelines, allowing her to avoid a particularly nasty end on more than one occasion.
Ciaran is like playing the game and referring back and forth to the “walk through”. So you can solve all the puzzles and NOT DIE.
He is there to help Liliana deal with some of the more dangerous, tricky elements of survival.
Why?
Because Ciaran and “ his people” have their OWN plan to overthrow the ruling elite.
And, with Liliana at his side - once she get “woke”
He firmly believes this will be the case.
I didn’t mind this book all.
It sang to all my dark places.
Natalie Bennett descriptions of “The City” and then “The Carnival” shows she has a very warped mind, and I’m here for it.
There were some elements that got me frustrated, though re: Liliana.
Sometimes I found her to be to compliant when it came to following the maps, and all the clues leading the gang to navigate their way closer to solving clues in playing the game, their kidnapping, and finding their friends.
Also, she was supposed to be smart, and in some situations, she was, but some of her decision making…Ugh!
She was completely being manipulated, and it was frustrating.
I thought she would have realised this.
It was obvious they were all being played by Ciaron and the boys, or the game itself, and she went right along with it.
Where as If it was me, I would have to be defiant through the whole process.
Plus!
They weren’t supposed to “trust anyone” however Liliana constantly trusted strangers to get her, and the rest of the group through the Devils Playground, and The Carnaval, just assuming..
Oh!… this must be Ciaron trying to help us.
Yeah sometimes when the game was forcing them forward like a bunch of sheep, and telling them to go straight head, I just wish she would have gone, Nope,…not doing that.
I just wanted things not to maybe not go as planned for the cocky Ciaron.
But overall a cool escapist read.
****
