This was such a fascinating premise! A wild playground, puzzles, competition but with a sinister angle.

I read an eARC of this book on NetGalley so thank you to the author and the publisher.

We have a woman who years early lost a competition that she felt she was cheated out of. She has spent her life avoiding anything to do with the competition since. However to pay for her mother’s care she must return to the fold. She’s convinced to return by the kid who beat her, now an adult and working for the competition. The more she gets back involved the more she realises something isn’t right and she starts to uncover nefarious intentions.

I really loved the idea of the competition and the world built around this, the parks, the puzzles and the drive for giving children access to this immersive world. I would have gladly seen more of this particularly around the puzzles they solve as part of the competition. This was fascinating and such a rich part of the story. The trauma that this caused the main character too and how this rocked her foundations, leaving her with long-lasting issues was really interesting. We see her reluctance to get back involved juxtaposed with her need for the money to support her mother who is in dire circumstances.

We see how she’s tried to shape an identity outside of the competition but how it has coloured her decisions and relationships. Her difficulty connecting and the frictions with her family. This was an interesting look at what a significant impact these types of competitions can have on children and the long lasting ramifications of this sort of pressure and disappointment.

I found this a really interesting and compelling read.

Many thanks to Datura Books and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of the contest.

I found this tricky to get into at first as it set the scene on the dynamic between all of the characters.

The pace really picked up towards the middle and I was especially gripped, and that pace continued until the end, which I feel tied up the story really nicely.

A great mystery which is perfect for puzzle lovers!