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Amusement Park Arcana
Riley’s best friend Tara went missing last October from the shitty amusement park where she worked. By spring, the police are no closer to having any answers, so Riley’s taking it in her own hands.
She just knows Tara’s still at the park somewhere, and an uncanny phone call on Riley’s first day as a park employee only confirms that. The quest to bring Tara or her body home draws Riley further from her family and her boyfriend as she spends more time in the park’s liminal spaces and opening day looms large.
She just knows Tara’s still at the park somewhere, and an uncanny phone call on Riley’s first day as a park employee only confirms that. The quest to bring Tara or her body home draws Riley further from her family and her boyfriend as she spends more time in the park’s liminal spaces and opening day looms large.
- GenresHorror
94 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 15, 2026
About the author
Jennifer R. Donohue
43 books20 followersJennifer R. Donohue grew up at the Jersey Shore and now lives in central New York with her husband and their Doberman. A member of the SFWA, she works at her local public library where she also facilitates a writing workshop. Her work has appeared in Apex Magazine, Escape Pod, Fusion Fragment, and elsewhere. Her debut novel, Exit Ghost is available now. She tweets @AuthorizedMusin and you can subscribe to her Patreon for a new short story every month: https://www.patre-
on.com/JenniferRDonohue
on.com/JenniferRDonohue
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 21, 2026
After a reading slump where I was having trouble feeling engaged by the books I was sampling, I was thrilled to pick up this novella and immediately get sucked in. Riley's best friend, Tara, disappeared from a creepy amusement park leaving behind a pool of blood that hints at dark doings. Determined to get to the bottom of the mystery, Riley signs on as a reluctant employee, hoping to carry out her own private investigation in the quiet period before the park opens to the public for the summer season. What follows are a series of unsettling events that she has to try to deal with while still processing the grief of losing the person she was closest to in the world.
The author does an efficient and effective job of setting the scene at the second-rate amusement park and populating it with memorable characters. There's a slice-of-life quality to the story as Riley goes through her days in a kind of anxious daze punctuated by moments of sheer terror. It's a realistic portrayal of someone caught at that confusing juncture between childhood and adulthood who's trying to manage a complex mix of emotions while still continuing to function as well as can be expected.
The horror is just the kind I like: inexplicable, unknowable, seemingly malevolent, uncanny. The early 90s setting in the days before we had access to a communication device in our hands at all times adds a nostalgic appeal. The ending is slightly ambiguous but I think the best stories leave you questioning what's gone before and trying to imagine what happens next. A well-written tale that works as a riff on a classic ghost story as well as an emotional exploration of friendship and loss.
The author does an efficient and effective job of setting the scene at the second-rate amusement park and populating it with memorable characters. There's a slice-of-life quality to the story as Riley goes through her days in a kind of anxious daze punctuated by moments of sheer terror. It's a realistic portrayal of someone caught at that confusing juncture between childhood and adulthood who's trying to manage a complex mix of emotions while still continuing to function as well as can be expected.
The horror is just the kind I like: inexplicable, unknowable, seemingly malevolent, uncanny. The early 90s setting in the days before we had access to a communication device in our hands at all times adds a nostalgic appeal. The ending is slightly ambiguous but I think the best stories leave you questioning what's gone before and trying to imagine what happens next. A well-written tale that works as a riff on a classic ghost story as well as an emotional exploration of friendship and loss.
September 13, 2026
As has been my experience with most novellas, I wish this was a full length novel with the space to fully flesh out its ideas. There were a lot of aspects that could have been explored more, namely the liminal areas of the park. As a whole, it felt like every occurrence was happening so soon after the last that there was little time to build up any tension or sense of foreboding. Some of the incidents did well to establish a sense of unease while others bordered on cliche. Regardless of how successful these scenes were at putting me on edge, they did their job of conveying that something wasn’t right at the park (and perhaps with Riley), even if they were at times very in-your-face about it.
As for the writing, I’m torn. On one hand, this book is filled with run ons. On the other hand, it kind of works? I find it annoying in most books (it makes the book feel unedited), but when Riley is panicking and the narrative starts to spiral alongside her, the style does work in the book’s favor. At other times when her fear has subsided, the constant flow of thoughts gives the impression that Riley just isn’t all there. Would I have preferred the author to use this style more sparingly? Yes. But so much of life is a blur for Riley after Tara disappears that it does serve the narrative and I can excuse it, if it was a deliberate choice of the author’s.
As for the writing, I’m torn. On one hand, this book is filled with run ons. On the other hand, it kind of works? I find it annoying in most books (it makes the book feel unedited), but when Riley is panicking and the narrative starts to spiral alongside her, the style does work in the book’s favor. At other times when her fear has subsided, the constant flow of thoughts gives the impression that Riley just isn’t all there. Would I have preferred the author to use this style more sparingly? Yes. But so much of life is a blur for Riley after Tara disappears that it does serve the narrative and I can excuse it, if it was a deliberate choice of the author’s.
September 14, 2026
Amusement parks can creepy even when they're not closed and defunct.
The vibes of the book are impeccable, focused on the liminal space that is an empty, but functional, theme park. It's like the vacation version of being in your school on a weekend. It's not overtly creepy, with darkness and rot or whatever. But there's still something uniquely disturbing. Admittedly, I wish there had been more of that liminal... ness? spread out across the book. More on empty rides being tested or stuffies hanging in front of silent walkways. Really settling into that feeling of nothing being truly wrong...but nothing being entirely right either.
The actual plot is fairly short and I do wish there'd been just a bit more to it. Not a full novel length, perse, but maybe 20 or so more pages. Just to settle into the liminal setting and give one or two more scenes with the supernatural. We only get one scene in the tiled place before the finale and I think the rule of three could've done really well here. Still, I can't complain too much about a story when my main critique is I liked it enough to want more of it.
I did like the ending and the theme it gave, but I can't even explain what the theme was without giving it away. Hell, just me saying "the theme gives it away" might give it away. Still, it's a quick and atmospheric read. Perfect for spooky season.
The vibes of the book are impeccable, focused on the liminal space that is an empty, but functional, theme park. It's like the vacation version of being in your school on a weekend. It's not overtly creepy, with darkness and rot or whatever. But there's still something uniquely disturbing. Admittedly, I wish there had been more of that liminal... ness? spread out across the book. More on empty rides being tested or stuffies hanging in front of silent walkways. Really settling into that feeling of nothing being truly wrong...but nothing being entirely right either.
The actual plot is fairly short and I do wish there'd been just a bit more to it. Not a full novel length, perse, but maybe 20 or so more pages. Just to settle into the liminal setting and give one or two more scenes with the supernatural. We only get one scene in the tiled place before the finale and I think the rule of three could've done really well here. Still, I can't complain too much about a story when my main critique is I liked it enough to want more of it.
I did like the ending and the theme it gave, but I can't even explain what the theme was without giving it away. Hell, just me saying "the theme gives it away" might give it away. Still, it's a quick and atmospheric read. Perfect for spooky season.
October 28, 2026
This was so immersively evocative of its time and place and so incredibly creepy, I'd give it TEN stars if I could. I could practically feel my sneakers sticking to the hot asphalt and smell the funnel cake grease starting to turn rancid in the evening air. The horror elements are immensely effective precisely because I wanted Riley's quest to be a success. This is an exceptionally deft story that hasn't left me since I put it down.
August 21, 2026
This was SO MUCH FUN. An amusement park mystery with just a touch of horror--Twilight Zone levels, if that gives you an idea.
If you have heard of--or better yet, remember--Action Park, you MUST read this.
(I learned about Action Park from an episode of the podcast "Criminal." You should listen to it, and then come back and read this novella. A great time all around.)
If you have heard of--or better yet, remember--Action Park, you MUST read this.
(I learned about Action Park from an episode of the podcast "Criminal." You should listen to it, and then come back and read this novella. A great time all around.)
October 4, 2026
A delightful horror tale of a woman's hunt for her missing friend.
All told my favorite thing is that it didn't rely upon the usual amusement park tropes. It also has an otherworld in it, and I loves me an otherworld.
Definitely a good read for the spooky season.
All told my favorite thing is that it didn't rely upon the usual amusement park tropes. It also has an otherworld in it, and I loves me an otherworld.
Definitely a good read for the spooky season.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews