Such an interesting idea! But it was not for me. Every time I picked this up felt like a chore. :( unfortunately, I did not finish this one. My first of Hailey Piper and might be my last, which sucks because I’ve heard great things!

Parts of it I liked, parts I loved how it stretched reality. Other parts I was bored, I struggled to get through it. Interesting for sure and weird which I loved, but the story could have been pushed to more extremes. I felt the book played it safe.

This is very much in line with Hailey Piper writing that I've read so far. A fever dream of queer cosmic horror! I found the explorations of kink to be interesting and approached without shock value. I loved the variety of representation. I have not read The King in Yellow in many years so I didn't recognize those elements as much.

"A Game in Yellow" by Hailey Piper offers a surreal blend of erotic horror and psychological suspense. The story follows Carmen and Blanca, a couple hoping to reignite their spark, but their journey quickly spirals into disturbing descent after encountering a mysterious figure named Smoke.

While the concept is intriguing and the atmosphere richly eerie, the plot occasionally leans more into abstract horror than emotional depth, making it hard to connect with the characters. Still, Piper's vivid prose and unique vision keep the reader engaged through the madness.

An unsettling, creative ride (for what it's worth) - though not for everyone, including me.

2 stars--it was OK.

This is a case of wrong reader, I think--I couldn't connect with the characters and didn't really understand their relationship or their ennui. And the play sections didn't work for me--too slow, not enough forward momentum.

I did enjoy the sections about Carmen's work and what she does there. Perhaps this would have worked better for me as a short story.

I received this review copy from the publisher on NetGalley. Thanks for the opportunity to read and review; I appreciate it!

What a horribly frustrating read that didn't even deserve to be finished, stopped at 90% so I definitely got enough to let me know I did not like it. Extremely annoying, outrageously egregious characters that will grate on your every last nerve with their borderline-bullying actions, even the writing felt like I was being looked down upon, as if I was waiting to be chastised for something I did not do or could not help. All around horrible characters, horrible writing, horrible book.

Thank you to the publisher and Hailey Piper for the opportunity to read this!!

So I went into this KIND of blind. I remember reading the synopsis a bit ago and thinking wow that sounds interesting. But when it hit my email I didn't go back... so I was sitting there with my mouth open for half of this lol.

I struggled through some parts of it, which I think are just my fault... not the book/author, and I didn't really connect with Carmen. But this was a very harrowing ride. So many things happened that just left me sitting there blinking my eyes very rapidly lol.

Overall I don't think I am the exact audience for this book but Piper constructed an amazing story and I am thankful to have read it!!

Thanks so much to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for providing my with this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Game in Yellow is a freaking fever dream that gave me the creeps much like 2 of my favorite horror movies: In the Mouth of Madness and Hellbound: Hellraiser II. Just causing me unease when watching those movies and feeling like I needed a shower.

As I was reading this, the dread was steadily increasing. I hope this novel wins some awards because the author deserves them. Highly recommended.

👑⭐️📖 Dimetrodon📖⭐️👑

"Out with the old, and long live the king"

First off, let me say this, I've not read the King in Yellow, but thanks to this awesome trippy book I immediately went in and got an e-book copy to read because hell yes to cosmic horror.

And secondly, oof, this was kinda heavy, not on the sense of sexuality (which is part of the book, so if you're not keen on books about/with sex, be warned, there is talks of it and kink in here) but on the aspect of self-esteem, codependency, and how far are you willing to go for love (or a nut).

I love a flawed character and a book that navigates the mind of said characters so this author did an outstanding job on that, on exploring the world of Carmen, the relationships between herself and her partner Blanca, and later on Smoke, and how their "game" acquired a new element, the book, that later on starts blurring the lines between what's real and what's not. We become unwilling participants of the game, and what feels like we're breaking the fourth wall, or maybe we were always part of the play, and we just are now noticing?

This was a whole trip, which I'm not sure we can find our way back home from.

I would love to thank NetGalley and Saga Press for the e-book ARC copy in exchange for an honest review. This was everything I wanted from this book, and then some.

Delectably dark and such a lovely romp into worlds both familiar and foreign. I love Piper’s prose, and the characters and screwed-up dynamics she’s created here. This book is probably a little bit evil, but I’m glad it is, because I loved it.

This is erotic and beautiful.
We meet Carmen and Blanca a couple into kink but, Carmen isn’t feeling the kink part anymore. Desperate to bring back her libido, they try lots of different things but, sadly, nothing is working for her.
But then Camren is introduced to Smoke, who tells her to get better she must see the play, “The King in Yellow”. Camren starts getting better but, Smoke tells her that too much of it will ruin her, however Camren doesn’t care lol
Once reality and nightmares start to blur together, this turns into a dangerous game of desire and obsession. This was a great and unsettling read that will have you going wtf at the end of it.

I was hooked enough to want to see how it ended, but ultimately this book just did not do it for me.

I went into A Game in Yellow completely blind and let me just say, I do NOT recommend doing the same. That’s not a knock on the book at all; in fact, I really enjoyed it. But this is one of those stories where a little context goes a long way in deepening the experience.

Brief synopsis: This is a surreal, cosmic horror novella that pays homage to The King in Yellow mythos while still feeling entirely fresh and modern. Piper crafts a reality warping narrative that explores grief, madness, and the fragility of perception. It’s eerie, dreamlike, and unsettling in all the right ways.

Her writing is sharp and atmospheric, with just enough ambiguity to keep you questioning what’s real without ever feeling completely lost. The characters are flawed and compelling, and the horror builds steadily, which I love psychological and existential horror as much as gory.

If you’re a fan of weird fiction, cosmic horror, or stories that leave your mind buzzing with questions, this one’s for you. Just do yourself a favor and read a little about the themes or Piper’s influences beforehand. It won’t spoil the story, it’ll enrich it.

Many Thanks to NetGalley, Saga Press, and Hailey Piper for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Hailey Piper is so hit or miss for me and unfortunately this was a miss. Reading through this I was just happy that I never have to worry about things like this.

This is one of those books where I didn’t connect to anyone. I didn’t like the ways that Blanca and Smoke were treating Carmen. You could say it was the kink in the beginning maybe but after a while and Blanca was upset with Carmen it just seemed mean. And Carmen is just annoying. Also Smoke knew what the book would do and just let random people read it and die? The “consent” barely felt like consent so her little speech felt wrong to me. The whole threesome was just toxic. And not fun toxic infuriating toxic.

The play aspect was so dry. I just didn’t see anything as frightening and it didn’t feel like there was any stakes. I didn’t feel the urgency. The sexual aspects also didn’t feel like there was anything in it either. While this wasn’t my favorite book by Hailey Piper, they are an auto read author for me at this point and I’ll read more for sure.

WOW! I really cannot even begin to describe this book, It was such an intense and emotional read. It was mesmerizing and honestly difficult to put down.

Carmen and Blanca are in a rut in the bedroom. Being a kink forward couple, they’ve tried all sorts of things. but nothing feels right for Carmen. She feels “broken:”. There enter’s Smoke, a mysterious woman who is in possession of “TheKing In Yellow” a story known for luring readers in and driving them crazy. Smoke allows Carmen to read a few lines and in an instant, Carmen feels fixed. A few more lines, and now the three all are dating. In a time where Carmen should be relishing in the joys of a happier relationship, she is obsessing over “The. King in Yellow”. Obsession leads to stealing a few pages, which leads to stabbing holes in your walls, which leads to other small blackouts, and it builds and builds and builds.

I felt dedicated to seeing this book through. and boy does it really drive it home with such an astonishing ending!

This was strange, and confusing. But, also sexy and intriguing. I have more questions than I do answers. Idk what the heck was going on in this book, but it was cool? The concept was incredibly original and honestly fascinating, but it was all so ambiguous that I just don’t even have a clue. 😅 I don’t feel like I know anything about any of the characters, or the play, or anything at all. Maybe I’m just an idiot, who knows. It was fun though! 😆

I actually found elements of this novel very scary! I found the concept of a reading or a book that was so enticing, so dangerous, and so irresistible that it could drive you to insanity to really get under my skin and give me the willies. I wished for a little more in characterization of our couple, and I did struggle with the format a bit towards the end but ultimately I think it worked in terms of meshing concept with content. I would recommend this to any reader who likes a "what the hell is going on" scare!

The story of a Carmen and Blanca, a couple who set out to spice up their relationship. They get involved with a mysterious figure in hopes to improve their sex life. Things get trippy and surreal. The less you know going in, the better. Just let the eerie prose carry you along in the story. Some of the story is even told in play format and I thought that was kind of cool. I was unfamiliar with the story of The King in Yellow, which a lot of the story is based on, but I felt like the book gave me enough information.

I’m not a horror connoisseur but I did enjoy this one. I felt the erotica elements were well written as well. I also enjoyed the chapter titles. It’s a little thing, but it did enhance the reading experience. I’d recommended this to anyone who likes horror and/or erotica.

As a big fan of cosmic horror and queer lit, I was super excited to get the e-arc for this novel! Unfortunately it wasn't really my cup of tea.

I did like the exploration of the fine line between pleasure and pain and the queer/kink/poly representation. But I was lukewarm on the characters and the play sections were so hard to follow I might as well have skipped them. Even as things started to come together towards the end it just didn't feel worth the slog for me.

I really enjoyed the atmosphere of this book. Something I've found I really like in horror is when there is a heady, dream-like quality to the reading experience, which I found here. Because of that, it could be frustrating at times to feel like the book was holding me at a distance, but I think it mostly worked and was intentional. I also found the depictions of kink really fascinating; it came across as being written by someone who either is very experienced or spent a lot of time researching to get it right. It was great to have well rounded queer, trans, and plus size representation. It's exciting to see more and more horror/speculative fiction with diverse characters and stories written by diverse authors. I will say I would've enjoyed if the book was a bit longer just to get more time with the characters, especially to see more of Carmen and Blanca's dynamic. Overall I would recommend this book to fans of horror and those looking for great queer representation. 3.5 stars (rounded up to 4).