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Rebels Playground: A Dark Supernatural Thriller
Grief changes a town.
In Coffinwood, it changes the world around it.
After her father’s overdose, Magic drifts through the rural edges of Coffinwood like a ghost wearing her own skin—half-feral, half-numb, aching for something to break the silence inside her. The fields feel wrong. The sky feels too close. Shadows move even when the wind is still.
And Magic can’t tell if it’s the grief…
or the town itself beginning to unravel.
Most nights she clings to her small circle of friends, all of them searching for distraction in bonfires, fistfights, and the endless prairie dark. It’s never enough. Not for the kind of grief that hums under the skin.
Then comes White Light—a strange drug whispered to “open doors.”
Magic takes it to feel something, not knowing it will sharpen her senses into something almost supernatural. Static in her ears. Nausea like a warning. Birds flying too fast. Lights flickering at the corner of her vision. Coffinwood shifting, bending, breathing.
Some people think she’s spiraling.
Others think she’s sensitive.
One man—quiet, magnetic, unsettling—thinks she’s waking up.
Troy’s tenderness is dangerous in its own way. Theo’s devotion burns too hot. Both boys seem drawn to her for reasons they won’t explain, and neither of them feels like coincidence. Not in Coffinwood. Not when Magic can sense something watching from the tree line.
As the town grows stranger—emptier, quieter, wronger—Magic begins to suspect that grief isn’t the only thing hollowing her out. Something is pulling her toward Shadow Lake, toward buried memories, toward the places she’s tried hardest to forget.
Something that wants her.
Something that may have always wanted her.
And the closer she gets to the truth, the more Magic realizes her father’s death wasn’t the beginning of her unraveling—it was the catalyst for a transformation Coffinwood has been waiting for.
But does she want to save herself…
or finally surrender to whatever is calling her across the veil?
In a town where the dead never fully leave, falling apart might be the only way through.
In Coffinwood, it changes the world around it.
After her father’s overdose, Magic drifts through the rural edges of Coffinwood like a ghost wearing her own skin—half-feral, half-numb, aching for something to break the silence inside her. The fields feel wrong. The sky feels too close. Shadows move even when the wind is still.
And Magic can’t tell if it’s the grief…
or the town itself beginning to unravel.
Most nights she clings to her small circle of friends, all of them searching for distraction in bonfires, fistfights, and the endless prairie dark. It’s never enough. Not for the kind of grief that hums under the skin.
Then comes White Light—a strange drug whispered to “open doors.”
Magic takes it to feel something, not knowing it will sharpen her senses into something almost supernatural. Static in her ears. Nausea like a warning. Birds flying too fast. Lights flickering at the corner of her vision. Coffinwood shifting, bending, breathing.
Some people think she’s spiraling.
Others think she’s sensitive.
One man—quiet, magnetic, unsettling—thinks she’s waking up.
Troy’s tenderness is dangerous in its own way. Theo’s devotion burns too hot. Both boys seem drawn to her for reasons they won’t explain, and neither of them feels like coincidence. Not in Coffinwood. Not when Magic can sense something watching from the tree line.
As the town grows stranger—emptier, quieter, wronger—Magic begins to suspect that grief isn’t the only thing hollowing her out. Something is pulling her toward Shadow Lake, toward buried memories, toward the places she’s tried hardest to forget.
Something that wants her.
Something that may have always wanted her.
And the closer she gets to the truth, the more Magic realizes her father’s death wasn’t the beginning of her unraveling—it was the catalyst for a transformation Coffinwood has been waiting for.
But does she want to save herself…
or finally surrender to whatever is calling her across the veil?
In a town where the dead never fully leave, falling apart might be the only way through.
240 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 8, 2026
2 people want to read
About the author
Camille Monfils
1 bookCamille Monfils writes stories about rebellion, hunger, and the spaces where humanity fractures. Her debut novel, Rebels Playground, marks the beginning of her exploration into dark, emotionally driven fiction. She lives in Québec, Canada, and is always chasing the next unsettling idea.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 9, 2026
I was very lucky to have had the opportunity to receive an early copy of Rebels Playground to read and review for Camille. I read it over the course of a couple of days and struggled to put it down. After finally finishing it, I found myself wallowing in a pit of despair for a couple of days, trying to get my thoughts together.
The book reads like a fever dream where the reader follows the protagonist down a dark spiral of grief, obsession, and self-loathing while she tries to self-medicate with sex, drugs, and alcohol. The narrative itself is fragmented and disjointed from start to finish, which pulls you into the mindscape of Magic as she tries to piece together the dark past of her hometown of Coffinwood. Brief journal entries and poetry try to centre the character in the narrative, but as we near the final third of the novel, the tidal wave of madness proves to be the only one in control.
At its heart, I would call this folklore horror. I would almost describe it as a slow burn, but a slowburn of a thousand cuts. Page by page, the book morphs and changes. We go from death and grief to small-town rot, to folk horror, and finally cosmic horror. At no point do you feel safe. There is always someone, or something, lurking in the shadows watching your every move. At time, especially in the end, I wish there were a couple more pages, a few more answers, but alas, this is not that kind of book.
There was a quote I copied when I read it, as I think it perfectly encapsulates this novel: “Take your time. There’s a lot to process. Not everything is meant to be understood at once.”
Check it out if you get a chance. Heck, go out of your way to check it out. I think that’s a tremendous accomplishment in a debut novel. It’s a wonderfully dark and twisted tale that you wont easily forget.
The book reads like a fever dream where the reader follows the protagonist down a dark spiral of grief, obsession, and self-loathing while she tries to self-medicate with sex, drugs, and alcohol. The narrative itself is fragmented and disjointed from start to finish, which pulls you into the mindscape of Magic as she tries to piece together the dark past of her hometown of Coffinwood. Brief journal entries and poetry try to centre the character in the narrative, but as we near the final third of the novel, the tidal wave of madness proves to be the only one in control.
At its heart, I would call this folklore horror. I would almost describe it as a slow burn, but a slowburn of a thousand cuts. Page by page, the book morphs and changes. We go from death and grief to small-town rot, to folk horror, and finally cosmic horror. At no point do you feel safe. There is always someone, or something, lurking in the shadows watching your every move. At time, especially in the end, I wish there were a couple more pages, a few more answers, but alas, this is not that kind of book.
There was a quote I copied when I read it, as I think it perfectly encapsulates this novel: “Take your time. There’s a lot to process. Not everything is meant to be understood at once.”
Check it out if you get a chance. Heck, go out of your way to check it out. I think that’s a tremendous accomplishment in a debut novel. It’s a wonderfully dark and twisted tale that you wont easily forget.
January 20, 2026
Rebels Playground is the kind of book that feels cursed in the best way eerie, unsettling, and impossible to forget once you step inside its world.From the very first pages, this story drags you into a playground that isn’t meant for innocence. What should be a place of laughter and safety becomes something twisted, supernatural, and deeply wrong. Camille Montils takes familiar ideas rebellion, youth, survival and warps them into a chilling thriller where the rules don’t apply and consequences are brutal.
The atmosphere is thick. Every scene feels heavy with dread, like something is always watching from just outside the page. The supernatural elements aren’t flashy they’re quiet, creeping, and psychological, which makes them hit harder. You don’t just read this book… you feel it.
What really stood out was the symbolism. The playground isn’t just a setting it’s a reflection of chaos, lost innocence, and rebellion taken too far. The writing doesn’t hold your hand. It trusts you to sit with discomfort, connect the dots, and question what’s real and what’s not.
This is not a comfort read.
This is a late-night, lights-off, heart-pounding kind of book.
If you love:
• Dark supernatural thrillers
• Creeping psychological horror
• Stories that blur reality and nightmare
• Symbolism that lingers long after the last page
…Rebels Playground deserves a spot on your shelf.
🔥 Highly recommended for readers who like their stories dark, strange, and unforgettable
The atmosphere is thick. Every scene feels heavy with dread, like something is always watching from just outside the page. The supernatural elements aren’t flashy they’re quiet, creeping, and psychological, which makes them hit harder. You don’t just read this book… you feel it.
What really stood out was the symbolism. The playground isn’t just a setting it’s a reflection of chaos, lost innocence, and rebellion taken too far. The writing doesn’t hold your hand. It trusts you to sit with discomfort, connect the dots, and question what’s real and what’s not.
This is not a comfort read.
This is a late-night, lights-off, heart-pounding kind of book.
If you love:
• Dark supernatural thrillers
• Creeping psychological horror
• Stories that blur reality and nightmare
• Symbolism that lingers long after the last page
…Rebels Playground deserves a spot on your shelf.
🔥 Highly recommended for readers who like their stories dark, strange, and unforgettable
January 20, 2026
For 2026 I set a goal to try different genres and let me just say I was blown away by this book.
This is one of those stories that balances chaos, chemistry, and emotion in a way that feels effortless and addictive.
The characters are bold, flawed, and unapologetically messy — which made them feel real and compelling. I loved how the tension simmered throughout the story, building naturally instead of relying solely on shock value. The chemistry is undeniable, but what really stood out for me was the emotional depth woven beneath the rebellion and bravado.
The pacing was strong, the atmosphere immersive, and the “just one more chapter” feeling was very real. This is a book that makes you feel everything at once — excitement, frustration, anticipation — and then leaves you thinking about it long after you’ve closed the cover.
If you enjoy intense dynamics, morally grey choices, and stories that walk the line between chaos and connection, Rebels Playground is absolutely worth picking up.
This is one of those stories that balances chaos, chemistry, and emotion in a way that feels effortless and addictive.
The characters are bold, flawed, and unapologetically messy — which made them feel real and compelling. I loved how the tension simmered throughout the story, building naturally instead of relying solely on shock value. The chemistry is undeniable, but what really stood out for me was the emotional depth woven beneath the rebellion and bravado.
The pacing was strong, the atmosphere immersive, and the “just one more chapter” feeling was very real. This is a book that makes you feel everything at once — excitement, frustration, anticipation — and then leaves you thinking about it long after you’ve closed the cover.
If you enjoy intense dynamics, morally grey choices, and stories that walk the line between chaos and connection, Rebels Playground is absolutely worth picking up.
February 6, 2026
Rebels Playground by Camille Monfils is dark, eerie, and deeply unsettling.
This isn’t just a small-town story — it’s a slow descent into something that feels wrong from the start. The horror doesn’t scream at you. It lingers. It creeps. It bends reality until you’re not sure what’s drug-induced, what’s memory, and what’s something far more supernatural.
The psychological tension builds steadily, layering paranoia, ritualistic undertones, and an almost cult-like atmosphere. The supernatural elements unfold slowly — subtle at first, then impossible to ignore — turning the story into a nightmare you can’t fully wake up from.
It’s haunting.
It’s disorienting.
It feels like watching reality unravel in real time.
If you love dark, atmospheric psychological thriller/horror where reality bends and something sinister simmers beneath the surface — this one delivers.
This isn’t just a small-town story — it’s a slow descent into something that feels wrong from the start. The horror doesn’t scream at you. It lingers. It creeps. It bends reality until you’re not sure what’s drug-induced, what’s memory, and what’s something far more supernatural.
The psychological tension builds steadily, layering paranoia, ritualistic undertones, and an almost cult-like atmosphere. The supernatural elements unfold slowly — subtle at first, then impossible to ignore — turning the story into a nightmare you can’t fully wake up from.
It’s haunting.
It’s disorienting.
It feels like watching reality unravel in real time.
If you love dark, atmospheric psychological thriller/horror where reality bends and something sinister simmers beneath the surface — this one delivers.
February 8, 2026
ARC Review
First I want to thank Camille Monfils and her team for the ARC read!
This novel follows Magic, who’s struggling after losing her dad and feeling completely stuck in life. When she gets pulled into a new crowd and a mysterious place called Shadow Lake, she finally starts to feel the belonging and understanding she’s been craving… but it quickly becomes clear that everything comes with a price.
This book is super atmospheric and moody — think dark thriller vibes with a hint of supernatural and a lot of “something feels off.” It’s less about big twists and more about the slow, unsettling feeling of watching someone drift toward a life they may not be able to come back from.
If you like stories about grief, belonging, dark romance and supernatural thriller, you’ll probably enjoy this one.
First I want to thank Camille Monfils and her team for the ARC read!
This novel follows Magic, who’s struggling after losing her dad and feeling completely stuck in life. When she gets pulled into a new crowd and a mysterious place called Shadow Lake, she finally starts to feel the belonging and understanding she’s been craving… but it quickly becomes clear that everything comes with a price.
This book is super atmospheric and moody — think dark thriller vibes with a hint of supernatural and a lot of “something feels off.” It’s less about big twists and more about the slow, unsettling feeling of watching someone drift toward a life they may not be able to come back from.
If you like stories about grief, belonging, dark romance and supernatural thriller, you’ll probably enjoy this one.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews