Kristin's Bookshelf

Slaughter Park
By Lauren Biel
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Rating the fifth book in a series the highest feels a little backwards, but here we are because Slaughter Park absolutely delivered for me.

This book had everything I wanted: romance, action, humor, emotional damage, chaos, and somehow still left me wanting more by the end. In true Lauren Biel fashion, we also got some very unhinged “romantic” fantasy fulfillment and food play because apparently this series refuses to let readers know peace.

I loved Quinn and Aven together. They’re both deeply damaged, both surprisingly relatable at times (minus the serial killer tendencies, obviously), and both desperately craving connection in ways that made their relationship really work for me. There was vulnerability underneath all the insanity, and I ate that up.

I really hope this isn’t the end of the Slaycation series because we still need answers about the Carter dad situation, but I appreciated that this installment actually gave readers closure on several major threads. So many series drag things out endlessly just to keep people hooked for the next book, but Lauren Biel manages to wrap things up in a satisfying way while still making me excited to come back.

The King storyline felt a little forced for me. Also, I struggled to separate his voice from Ezra’s at points during the narration. That said, I did enjoy the dynamic between King, Quinn, and Desmond and thought the payoff there worked really well.

Also… absolutely no idea how Quinn didn’t immediately recognize Aven as the Green Man, but honestly? I accepted it because that persona allowed him to open up emotionally in ways he otherwise couldn’t, and those moments became some of my favorites.

Biggest standout for me, though? Kenny and Jim. I did not expect Jim’s desire to punish animal abusers to become one of the most unexpectedly wholesome elements of this series, but here we are. I’m interested to see which Slaycation regulars begin to target that subgroup – I sort of figured it would be Cat. Learning that Jim actually cares deeply about animals, not only punishing abusers but planning a sanctuary, added such an interesting layer to his character. On another note… I hope they find the lemurs and the other bird.

And I really loved how the women welcomed Quinn into the group so quickly. That sense of found family underneath all the bloodshed and insanity is, weirdly, one of my favorite parts of this entire series.

At this point, Lauren Biel could announce another Slaycation book tomorrow, and I’d preorder it without reading the blurb.