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The Game at Carousel: The Bystander - The chilling new LitRPG horror
🎬DO YOU LIKE SCARY MOVIES?🎬
When horror fanatic Riley Lawrence arrives in the eerie town of Carousel for a local festival, he expects awkward tourists and maybe a disappointing haunted house.
Instead, he and his friends are drafted into a deadly horror-movie game run by an all-knowing theatre system that assigns each player a trope-based role.
Riley gets the worst one.
🎬 FILM Knows the killer’s identity. Dies first anyway.
Now the group must survive slasher flicks, cursed creature features, and increasingly deranged nightmare scenarios by exploiting classic horror tropes. But the deeper they get into the game, the clearer it
Carousel isn’t testing whether they know horror movies.
It’s testing whether they can survive one.
The Game at Carousel is perfect for fans of Dungeon Crawler Carl, Scream, and meta-horror with sharp humour and characters who know exactly how doomed they are.
_________
🎠Readers can't escape The Game at Carousel🎠
🪞 'I could not put this book down!'
🏀 'The perfect book for horror movie fans!!'
🔦 'Refreshingly original'
📚 'A whip-smart rollercoaster of a story'
When horror fanatic Riley Lawrence arrives in the eerie town of Carousel for a local festival, he expects awkward tourists and maybe a disappointing haunted house.
Instead, he and his friends are drafted into a deadly horror-movie game run by an all-knowing theatre system that assigns each player a trope-based role.
Riley gets the worst one.
🎬 FILM Knows the killer’s identity. Dies first anyway.
Now the group must survive slasher flicks, cursed creature features, and increasingly deranged nightmare scenarios by exploiting classic horror tropes. But the deeper they get into the game, the clearer it
Carousel isn’t testing whether they know horror movies.
It’s testing whether they can survive one.
The Game at Carousel is perfect for fans of Dungeon Crawler Carl, Scream, and meta-horror with sharp humour and characters who know exactly how doomed they are.
_________
🎠Readers can't escape The Game at Carousel🎠
🪞 'I could not put this book down!'
🏀 'The perfect book for horror movie fans!!'
🔦 'Refreshingly original'
📚 'A whip-smart rollercoaster of a story'
294 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 15, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
October 15, 2026
A fun, LitRPG where everyone is trapped inside an ever-changing horror movie, and knowing all the classic tropes doesn't necessarily mean you'll survive…
When horror fan Riley Lawrence and his friends visit the creepy town of Carousel, they end up caught in a deadly game where they're each assigned a character type straight out of a horror film. There's the Final Girl, the Athlete, the Scholar… and Riley, who gets the rather unfortunate role of the Film Buff. He knows exactly who the killer is, but that doesn't mean he's safe.
As the group is thrown into increasingly terrifying horror scenarios, they must figure out how to use the rules of the genre to their advantage if they want to make it out alive. But there's something much bigger going on behind the scenes and escaping Carousel might be a lot harder than they think.
This was a whole lotta fun! Riley are his friends are trapped in this strange town where they are forced into taking part in various mini horror movies where they must fight to stay alive. As long as least one of the team survives the story, everyone who dies comes back to life at the end. Whilst all this is going on, they are also trying to work out how they can escape Carousel and get back to their lives. I loved all the different horror movies they experience. They're so inventive and, at times, gruesome. It was very meta with lots of mini stories being set within the wider story and the self-awareness of horror films and all the various tropes was really good. The pacing was good and drives things forward without feeling rushed and really kept me engaged.
I did find the characters to be a little flat and underdeveloped and I didn't feel much loyalty or connection to Riley, or anyone else. I understand this to be the start of a fairly lengthy series of books so maybe this improves as the story goes on. I'm very new to the LitRPG sub-genre and I did struggle with all the stats. I started to find that I couldn't be bothered to read them so would gloss over them at times. I don't think this really hampered my experience with the story or understanding of what was happening as often a lot of the stats would be revisited and explained during a mini movie sequence.
As said, this is the start of a series and therefore ultimately the story wasn't resolved for me as you need to keep reading, obviously. I'm torn now because I really want to know what happens next and what the bigger narrative around Carousel is, but I'm a bit of a commitment-phobe and don't want to commit to a long book series. We shall see.
If you love LitRPG, slashers, classic horror movie tropes, dark humour and stories that play around with the genre, you should definitely check out The Game at Carousel.
Thank you to NetGalley and 3AM Books for the ARC.
When horror fan Riley Lawrence and his friends visit the creepy town of Carousel, they end up caught in a deadly game where they're each assigned a character type straight out of a horror film. There's the Final Girl, the Athlete, the Scholar… and Riley, who gets the rather unfortunate role of the Film Buff. He knows exactly who the killer is, but that doesn't mean he's safe.
As the group is thrown into increasingly terrifying horror scenarios, they must figure out how to use the rules of the genre to their advantage if they want to make it out alive. But there's something much bigger going on behind the scenes and escaping Carousel might be a lot harder than they think.
This was a whole lotta fun! Riley are his friends are trapped in this strange town where they are forced into taking part in various mini horror movies where they must fight to stay alive. As long as least one of the team survives the story, everyone who dies comes back to life at the end. Whilst all this is going on, they are also trying to work out how they can escape Carousel and get back to their lives. I loved all the different horror movies they experience. They're so inventive and, at times, gruesome. It was very meta with lots of mini stories being set within the wider story and the self-awareness of horror films and all the various tropes was really good. The pacing was good and drives things forward without feeling rushed and really kept me engaged.
I did find the characters to be a little flat and underdeveloped and I didn't feel much loyalty or connection to Riley, or anyone else. I understand this to be the start of a fairly lengthy series of books so maybe this improves as the story goes on. I'm very new to the LitRPG sub-genre and I did struggle with all the stats. I started to find that I couldn't be bothered to read them so would gloss over them at times. I don't think this really hampered my experience with the story or understanding of what was happening as often a lot of the stats would be revisited and explained during a mini movie sequence.
As said, this is the start of a series and therefore ultimately the story wasn't resolved for me as you need to keep reading, obviously. I'm torn now because I really want to know what happens next and what the bigger narrative around Carousel is, but I'm a bit of a commitment-phobe and don't want to commit to a long book series. We shall see.
If you love LitRPG, slashers, classic horror movie tropes, dark humour and stories that play around with the genre, you should definitely check out The Game at Carousel.
Thank you to NetGalley and 3AM Books for the ARC.
October 15, 2026
Riley Lawrence is surprised to receive an invite to a weekend at a lakehouse with a group of friends. They're supposed to be his friends but Riley has always felt like an outsider - still it's nice to be included for once. When they arrive in the town of Carousel there is a local festival celebrating horror films (which are Riley's speciality) & they decide to check it out.
The group line up to take tickets from an odd animatronic dispenser & they all receive role playing tickets alongside tropes & scores for various talents. There's a Scholar, a Final Girl, & an Athlete amongst others but Riley is dismayed to get the role of Film Buff - a low ranking role. At first they are excited to see what the festival is all about & as the group are thrown headlong into literal survival of slasher flicks, cursed creature features, & other nightmare scenarios, it becomes clear that this is a deadly game with real-life stakes & there's no way out. Ever.
I haven't read many LitRPG books so wasn't sure how this would translate on the page, but it was great fun. The whole concept of Carousel is creepy yet addictive, & the reader is completely immersed in this strange world. The reader only sees Riley's point of view but he is possibly the most interesting of the archetypes. Some reviewers have wondered about the characters accepting everything so readily but I have a feeling this may be addressed further down the line. For the moment though, if you just go with it it's very entertaining. 4.5 stars (rounded up)
SUMMARY:
Plot: 4/5 - Good world-building, the reader is completely immersed in the strange world of Carousel.
Characters: 4/5 - The reader only sees Riley’s point of view but he is possibly the most interesting of the archetypes.
Enjoyment: 5/5 - Haven’t read many LitRPG books so wasn’t sure but this was great fun. The whole concept of Carousel is creepy yet addictive.
My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Random House UK/Transworld Publishers/3AM Books, for the opportunity to read an ARC.
The group line up to take tickets from an odd animatronic dispenser & they all receive role playing tickets alongside tropes & scores for various talents. There's a Scholar, a Final Girl, & an Athlete amongst others but Riley is dismayed to get the role of Film Buff - a low ranking role. At first they are excited to see what the festival is all about & as the group are thrown headlong into literal survival of slasher flicks, cursed creature features, & other nightmare scenarios, it becomes clear that this is a deadly game with real-life stakes & there's no way out. Ever.
I haven't read many LitRPG books so wasn't sure how this would translate on the page, but it was great fun. The whole concept of Carousel is creepy yet addictive, & the reader is completely immersed in this strange world. The reader only sees Riley's point of view but he is possibly the most interesting of the archetypes. Some reviewers have wondered about the characters accepting everything so readily but I have a feeling this may be addressed further down the line. For the moment though, if you just go with it it's very entertaining. 4.5 stars (rounded up)
SUMMARY:
Plot: 4/5 - Good world-building, the reader is completely immersed in the strange world of Carousel.
Characters: 4/5 - The reader only sees Riley’s point of view but he is possibly the most interesting of the archetypes.
Enjoyment: 5/5 - Haven’t read many LitRPG books so wasn’t sure but this was great fun. The whole concept of Carousel is creepy yet addictive.
My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Random House UK/Transworld Publishers/3AM Books, for the opportunity to read an ARC.
October 21, 2026
Welcome to Carousel – where horror movies come to life!
Wow what a ride! This was a completely new genre to me – LitRPG horror (literary role-playing game) and I found it really fun following Riley and his group of friends entering this real life horror movie set, and building their game-playing stats to survive the different movies they’re forced to star in.
Riley thinks he’s been invited for a weekend away with friends, but they soon realise they’ve been lured here by Carousel, and deliberately selected for being typical horror movie archetypes – the Film Buff, the Scholar, the Athlete, the Final Girl, etc.
They have to work together to survive horror movie settings, at different skill levels, to stay alive. And as they go along, they earn more tropes and intel.
It was such a cool take on a horror book – and I loved how we got to experience a few different classic horror movie stories within the book, and see how the characters navigate them whilst being forced to play out their archetype. At times, the stat cards were a lot to read and I was skimming them a bit, and it was hard to get to know the characters in any depth with them being forced to be their film character stereotypes, but it felt so fresh and original! I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like this in a horror movie either, and kept thinking it might be even more fun as an actual movie, with the stats popping up on screen.
This book is part 1 in a 5-part series – and it is clearly meant to run straight into book 2, so I was a bit disappointed to end up with so many questions still buzzing around in my head! I normally like everything to be a bit more conclusive by the end of a book – and I desperately want to know and understand what the endgame of Carousel is! I guess I’ll just have to read on in book 2!
Wow what a ride! This was a completely new genre to me – LitRPG horror (literary role-playing game) and I found it really fun following Riley and his group of friends entering this real life horror movie set, and building their game-playing stats to survive the different movies they’re forced to star in.
Riley thinks he’s been invited for a weekend away with friends, but they soon realise they’ve been lured here by Carousel, and deliberately selected for being typical horror movie archetypes – the Film Buff, the Scholar, the Athlete, the Final Girl, etc.
They have to work together to survive horror movie settings, at different skill levels, to stay alive. And as they go along, they earn more tropes and intel.
It was such a cool take on a horror book – and I loved how we got to experience a few different classic horror movie stories within the book, and see how the characters navigate them whilst being forced to play out their archetype. At times, the stat cards were a lot to read and I was skimming them a bit, and it was hard to get to know the characters in any depth with them being forced to be their film character stereotypes, but it felt so fresh and original! I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like this in a horror movie either, and kept thinking it might be even more fun as an actual movie, with the stats popping up on screen.
This book is part 1 in a 5-part series – and it is clearly meant to run straight into book 2, so I was a bit disappointed to end up with so many questions still buzzing around in my head! I normally like everything to be a bit more conclusive by the end of a book – and I desperately want to know and understand what the endgame of Carousel is! I guess I’ll just have to read on in book 2!
September 22, 2026
I'm not a huge fan of LitRPG books (I find it difficult to sustain my disbelief as the 'stats' appear in-text, so I guess I prefer the author leave their workings behind the page). However, I am very much a fan of scary movies, so I put my preconceptions aside and stepped into the world of Carousel feeling hopeful.
It was everything I'd imagined and so much more - I found myself captivated virtually from the start! Yes, those stats are there for all to see, but they're simple enough that they don't impede the plot at all. What we have is a real fourth-wall-busting adventure that asks just what you might do to survive one of those 18=rated tales when your own life is the one on the line?
The writing here is quick and functional, without any feathery flourishes; this book knows where it's going and wastes no time getting there. I initially thought protagonist Riley was female (Final Girl, anyone?) until I quickly realized that he's not - but it doesn't matter, because he's such an effective audience surrogate that it doesn't matter. He's a Film Buff and so am I. I'm with him for the duration with that movie moxie, and it's just huge fun.
Thee author knows that we're in on the joke too, and delights in playing with expectations. Is the first villain a vampire, a cultist, Dr Jekyll/Mr Hyde... nope, he's something very different. Zombies lurching on-screen? Not quite in the way you thought. It's marvellous and so refreshing as a relative newcomer to this sub-genre.
I gather that the author is quite a way into this series, so I'm very excited to see what comes next for our survivors. In the meantime, I'm definitely recommending that you visit Carousel yourself soon!
I was kindly sent an early copy of this book by the publisher, but the above opinions are entirely my own.
It was everything I'd imagined and so much more - I found myself captivated virtually from the start! Yes, those stats are there for all to see, but they're simple enough that they don't impede the plot at all. What we have is a real fourth-wall-busting adventure that asks just what you might do to survive one of those 18=rated tales when your own life is the one on the line?
The writing here is quick and functional, without any feathery flourishes; this book knows where it's going and wastes no time getting there. I initially thought protagonist Riley was female (Final Girl, anyone?) until I quickly realized that he's not - but it doesn't matter, because he's such an effective audience surrogate that it doesn't matter. He's a Film Buff and so am I. I'm with him for the duration with that movie moxie, and it's just huge fun.
Thee author knows that we're in on the joke too, and delights in playing with expectations. Is the first villain a vampire, a cultist, Dr Jekyll/Mr Hyde... nope, he's something very different. Zombies lurching on-screen? Not quite in the way you thought. It's marvellous and so refreshing as a relative newcomer to this sub-genre.
I gather that the author is quite a way into this series, so I'm very excited to see what comes next for our survivors. In the meantime, I'm definitely recommending that you visit Carousel yourself soon!
I was kindly sent an early copy of this book by the publisher, but the above opinions are entirely my own.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
4.5. Stars!
Wow, this book really blew me away.
We are thrown into the gripping and exciting plot immediately. We follow Riley who is a lover of horror movies. He is invited to a lake house vacation but we realise something is very wrong almost straight away. Turns out we have entered a dark and twisted game where the classic horror movies we know and love, are actually real.
This is a lit horror RPG, the game is explained incredible well and it’s easy to follow along when the characters gain skills, known as ‘tropes’. Riley is a ‘Film Buff’ meaning he knows what is going to happen… but he is the weakest character. Riley and his group of friends are thrown into life at Carousel and we follow them as they enter lower level storylines. I am really looking forward to seeing how these characters build over the course of the series.
The only negative thing I can say about this book, is that I wish we had more character development, and more of a slow build to the action. Of course, that is just my personal preference, and didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the book at all!
This book is so addictive, I really felt that I couldn’t put it down. I am very excited to continue this series, which looks to be a long one.
If you are a fan of horror movies, RPG’s and addictive and thrilling plots, I would certainly recommend you check this one out!
Thank you to 3am Books for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Wow, this book really blew me away.
We are thrown into the gripping and exciting plot immediately. We follow Riley who is a lover of horror movies. He is invited to a lake house vacation but we realise something is very wrong almost straight away. Turns out we have entered a dark and twisted game where the classic horror movies we know and love, are actually real.
This is a lit horror RPG, the game is explained incredible well and it’s easy to follow along when the characters gain skills, known as ‘tropes’. Riley is a ‘Film Buff’ meaning he knows what is going to happen… but he is the weakest character. Riley and his group of friends are thrown into life at Carousel and we follow them as they enter lower level storylines. I am really looking forward to seeing how these characters build over the course of the series.
The only negative thing I can say about this book, is that I wish we had more character development, and more of a slow build to the action. Of course, that is just my personal preference, and didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the book at all!
This book is so addictive, I really felt that I couldn’t put it down. I am very excited to continue this series, which looks to be a long one.
If you are a fan of horror movies, RPG’s and addictive and thrilling plots, I would certainly recommend you check this one out!
Thank you to 3am Books for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you so much to NetGalley, 3AM books and the author for letting me read this eARC before publication!
I really enjoyed this book! It was so fast-paced and, as a horror fan, I had such a good time with all the different horror tropes woven throughout it.
It hooked me almost immediately, and I really liked that the world-building wasn’t overly intense. You’re basically thrown straight into the horror, which was such a refreshing change of pace. There’s no long build-up before things start happening. You’re just in it.
One of my favourite things was how it felt like lots of different horror stories within one bigger horror story. There were so many little intricacies and moving parts that kept me interested, and I loved seeing the characters’ stats change and watching them gain new abilities as the story progressed.
Carousel itself is such an intriguing concept. There’s clearly SO much more going on beneath the surface, and I’m already on the edge of my seat wanting to know what happens next and uncover all the other secrets of this world.
I also really enjoyed the writing style. It’s quick and functional, and the story always feels like it knows where it’s going and how it wants to get there. It doesn’t waste time, which worked really well for this kind of story.
I’m definitely invested in these characters now and I cannot wait to see what comes next for them!
I really enjoyed this book! It was so fast-paced and, as a horror fan, I had such a good time with all the different horror tropes woven throughout it.
It hooked me almost immediately, and I really liked that the world-building wasn’t overly intense. You’re basically thrown straight into the horror, which was such a refreshing change of pace. There’s no long build-up before things start happening. You’re just in it.
One of my favourite things was how it felt like lots of different horror stories within one bigger horror story. There were so many little intricacies and moving parts that kept me interested, and I loved seeing the characters’ stats change and watching them gain new abilities as the story progressed.
Carousel itself is such an intriguing concept. There’s clearly SO much more going on beneath the surface, and I’m already on the edge of my seat wanting to know what happens next and uncover all the other secrets of this world.
I also really enjoyed the writing style. It’s quick and functional, and the story always feels like it knows where it’s going and how it wants to get there. It doesn’t waste time, which worked really well for this kind of story.
I’m definitely invested in these characters now and I cannot wait to see what comes next for them!
October 15, 2026
What an awesome book. LitRPG mixed with horror movies sounded like an odd combination, but it works so well. The whole setup reads like an incredible concept for a video game, giving off massive Dead by Daylight vibes the entire way through.
I get why people push the Dungeon Crawler Carl comparison just because of the LitRPG tag, but this is a completely different beast, and that was a huge plus for me. People end up trapped in the town of Carousel, where they are surrounded by horror movie plots highlighted by omens showing how they start. The characters are able to choose which ones to take part in and they have to play their assigned roles, like the main protagonist Riley getting stuck as the Film Buff.
I really enjoyed how death is not the end. So long as just one member of the party survives to the finish, everyone comes back. That sounds forgiving on paper, but it lets the book throw brutal scenarios at them while building up this deeper, sinister mystery in the background that the veteran survivors are slowly trying to work out.
Also, the stats never bog down the pacing, and I blew through this in 2 sittings. If you want something fresh in the genre, definitely grab a copy. Easy five stars.
Huge thanks to 3am Books for sending over the physical ARC along with the character role sheet!
I get why people push the Dungeon Crawler Carl comparison just because of the LitRPG tag, but this is a completely different beast, and that was a huge plus for me. People end up trapped in the town of Carousel, where they are surrounded by horror movie plots highlighted by omens showing how they start. The characters are able to choose which ones to take part in and they have to play their assigned roles, like the main protagonist Riley getting stuck as the Film Buff.
I really enjoyed how death is not the end. So long as just one member of the party survives to the finish, everyone comes back. That sounds forgiving on paper, but it lets the book throw brutal scenarios at them while building up this deeper, sinister mystery in the background that the veteran survivors are slowly trying to work out.
Also, the stats never bog down the pacing, and I blew through this in 2 sittings. If you want something fresh in the genre, definitely grab a copy. Easy five stars.
Huge thanks to 3am Books for sending over the physical ARC along with the character role sheet!
September 19, 2026
I could not put this book down! Featuring the different tropes of horror movies e.g. the final girl, the scholar, the athlete etc - it features a group of people trapped in a world where they have to finish horror story plots following their assigned trope. It was very cleverly done, and is written in such a way that you can easily put it down at the end of a "scene" and pick it straight back up again (I did struggle with the putting down part though as I wanted to know what happened next!).
The story had a witty undertone to it, which lightened the horror but made for a fun read. It made me think of the Scream movie franchise where they poke fun at the cliches in horror.
'Now it was all down to execution. Maybe that's a poor choice of words'.
'Have you ever tried to tie your shoes while a knife-wielding murderer walked behind you'.
I loved that there was an underlying mystery to the world, which the characters only just start to touch on towards the end (the book is a series pre-released on royal road), and it wasn't just a drop into world, we escape kind of read - there's more than meets the eye! But I can't say too much because I hear footsteps coming up behind me.... (if you know, you know xD )
Note: I'm not a litrpg reader, but I am a dnd player/fantasy lover - the stat building atypical of litrpg wasn't overwhelming in this read (and could even be skimmed through to some extent as the story itself explains the different skills in an immersive way). I would recommend fantasy lovers giving this a go, even if you are new to "stat-building" in books! I'm really grateful for the early earc of this book! It was a great start to my spooky Autumnal reads!
The story had a witty undertone to it, which lightened the horror but made for a fun read. It made me think of the Scream movie franchise where they poke fun at the cliches in horror.
'Now it was all down to execution. Maybe that's a poor choice of words'.
'Have you ever tried to tie your shoes while a knife-wielding murderer walked behind you'.
I loved that there was an underlying mystery to the world, which the characters only just start to touch on towards the end (the book is a series pre-released on royal road), and it wasn't just a drop into world, we escape kind of read - there's more than meets the eye! But I can't say too much because I hear footsteps coming up behind me.... (if you know, you know xD )
Note: I'm not a litrpg reader, but I am a dnd player/fantasy lover - the stat building atypical of litrpg wasn't overwhelming in this read (and could even be skimmed through to some extent as the story itself explains the different skills in an immersive way). I would recommend fantasy lovers giving this a go, even if you are new to "stat-building" in books! I'm really grateful for the early earc of this book! It was a great start to my spooky Autumnal reads!
September 24, 2026
scream meets dungeon crawler Carl in this incredible lit RPG.
when a group of friends travel to the town of carousel for a local horror festival they learn that there is a lot more to the creepy little town than cheap scares and a horror trivia contest, they are transported into a horror movie RPG, each getting assigned a troupe, and they are forced to play threw horror movies to survive
we follow Riley, a horror film fan. who get's the troupe Film Buff.
i absolutely loved this book, as a horror movie fan who see's the ending of a movie from the first 15 minutes and can spot a jump scare coming from a mile away i really connected with our main Character. and loved the way meta was using in the book, you can tell the author has a love of all types of horror movies and this shines threw the whole book, the way the stats's and the ability's where created are really good. (i actually wouldn't mind seeing this as an RPG)
this book is prefect for fans or horror (especially meta horror) and lit RPG, anyone with a love for dungeon crawler Carl, scream, cabin at the woods
i cannot wait to read the next book as there such a bigger story going on here!
when a group of friends travel to the town of carousel for a local horror festival they learn that there is a lot more to the creepy little town than cheap scares and a horror trivia contest, they are transported into a horror movie RPG, each getting assigned a troupe, and they are forced to play threw horror movies to survive
we follow Riley, a horror film fan. who get's the troupe Film Buff.
i absolutely loved this book, as a horror movie fan who see's the ending of a movie from the first 15 minutes and can spot a jump scare coming from a mile away i really connected with our main Character. and loved the way meta was using in the book, you can tell the author has a love of all types of horror movies and this shines threw the whole book, the way the stats's and the ability's where created are really good. (i actually wouldn't mind seeing this as an RPG)
this book is prefect for fans or horror (especially meta horror) and lit RPG, anyone with a love for dungeon crawler Carl, scream, cabin at the woods
i cannot wait to read the next book as there such a bigger story going on here!
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Your friend invites you to a house on a lake for a weekend to catch up with his long lost brother that he’s recently reconnected with? You’d go right… who would turn down a free weekend at a lake house??
Well after this read you may reconsider how willingly you accept an invite.
I honestly loved this read, it was a perfect blend of thrills and chills. Sucked into a world of horror and old skool plot lines reminiscent of the horror movies 🍿 on tv. It was a series of stories within a story. With the “plot lines” faced by the friends growing in risk and intensity. I loved that each character was given an archetype based on their personalities with the bespoke tropes adding to the chaos of their storylines. It was a perfect blend of a litrpg with classic horror story. The more I read the more I changed which player type I would want to be. Silas himself is a thing of nightmares, did we not learn our lesson from BIG and Zoltar???
Whilst the characters cannot wait to leave Carousel I cannot wait to return!
Well after this read you may reconsider how willingly you accept an invite.
I honestly loved this read, it was a perfect blend of thrills and chills. Sucked into a world of horror and old skool plot lines reminiscent of the horror movies 🍿 on tv. It was a series of stories within a story. With the “plot lines” faced by the friends growing in risk and intensity. I loved that each character was given an archetype based on their personalities with the bespoke tropes adding to the chaos of their storylines. It was a perfect blend of a litrpg with classic horror story. The more I read the more I changed which player type I would want to be. Silas himself is a thing of nightmares, did we not learn our lesson from BIG and Zoltar???
Whilst the characters cannot wait to leave Carousel I cannot wait to return!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
ARC provided by NetGalley.
The story follows a group of friends as they are lured into a horror game. Some of the writing felt repetitive, with some comments being repeated on the same page. The story was compelling and quick to read / consume, giving Jumanji vibes.
It would be a good read for fans of other LitRPG books and horror films.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing an advance copy of the ebook in exchange for my honest review.
All opinions are my own.
The story follows a group of friends as they are lured into a horror game. Some of the writing felt repetitive, with some comments being repeated on the same page. The story was compelling and quick to read / consume, giving Jumanji vibes.
It would be a good read for fans of other LitRPG books and horror films.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing an advance copy of the ebook in exchange for my honest review.
All opinions are my own.
September 30, 2026
ARC review - with thanks to 3am Books.
The Game at Carousel was my first LitRPG and it started strong. The first few chapters had me hooked and felt immersive, but I found my interest dipping from around the 30% mark. I'd still recommend it for anyone who enjoys gaming and classic horror movie tropes.
The Game at Carousel was my first LitRPG and it started strong. The first few chapters had me hooked and felt immersive, but I found my interest dipping from around the 30% mark. I'd still recommend it for anyone who enjoys gaming and classic horror movie tropes.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thankyou 3AMBOOKS for sending me an ARC copy of this book.
Reread this 🖤⭐️
I originally thought The Game at Carousel was just okay but I actually enjoyed it a lot more on my reread.
Definitely one of those books that was better the second time around for me. 🖤🎠
Reread this 🖤⭐️
I originally thought The Game at Carousel was just okay but I actually enjoyed it a lot more on my reread.
Definitely one of those books that was better the second time around for me. 🖤🎠
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