This review is based on an ARC. Thank you to the publishers for sending me a review copy.

Wow, what a roller coaster of a book. I was hooked from page one and was not disappointed. I could not put this down through all the twists and turns. I was pleasantly surprised and will be haunted for days to come. If you enjoy a good suspenseful horror, this is up your alley. Also bonus if you want to fight the system and read really good queer literature this one is worth it.

Kink, horror, stagecraft. These are the main elements of A Game in Yellow by Hailey Piper. I was granted access to the e-ARC of this by Saga Press and Net Galley. There are some slight warnings regarding the text, BDSM, rope play, breath play, familial trauma, and self-harm.
We follow Blanca and Carmen as they attempt to reignite their sexual spark. Blanca is Dom to Carmen’s Sub but Carmen has been having issues focusing on the situation at hand to really enjoy any of the sexual play that Blanca attempts. Blanca, trying to help Carmen, introduces Carmen to Smoke, a woman who has an unorthodox technique to help.
Smoke shows Carmen, The King in Yellow, a play that is rumored to make the reader go insane. This technique works amazingly well for Carmen, she’s able to focus on the present situation and the spark is fully lit, with Smoke becoming a third in the relationship. The only issue is that the spark dies down after a bit and Carmen needs another hit of Hastur to keep it going.
This need is drawn into Carmen’s real-world where the play begins to manifest characters and circumstances that are well beyond Carmen’s attempts to corral them. These spiral fully out of everyone’s control and it’s written in both a play script format, and novel format. I come from a theater background so seeing a script entwined so well with the story made me giddy.
Ms. Piper handles every aspect of this format expertly. She writes cosmic horror so well. Elongating the subtle shifts of perception, making the reader guess what’s real and what’s only in the character’s head. This is a marvelous work of cosmic horror. This is also a marvelous work of kink and BDSM culture.
Safety and aftercare is key for the Dom/Sub relationship that Blanca and Carmen have. Ms. Piper has written a well-researched kinky book and that needs to be shouted loudly from the rooftops of Carcosa. This isn’t a “let’s try something new tonight” style of kink. There are strict rules and explicit trust in partners when dealing with kink, Ms. Piper knows this, and puts in front and center in every scene. Without that trust there is no play, which is how Ms. Piper is able to bring the play, and Hastur, into the fold so well.
Trust is front and center with everything in Carmen and Blanca’s, later with Smoke, relationship. Using BDSM as a vehicle for cosmic horror is astounding and Ms. Piper drives that vehicle like a rally car driver. There are multiple twists and turns that show how important that trust is and I was happily along for the ride. I can’t rave enough about how amazing this book was to me.
I recommend this book to everyone who likes cosmic horror and wants to see that genre used with a queer BDSM infused novel.

I think that this is going to be a difficult book to review. I haven't read The King in Yellow by Robert W. Chambers, so it's difficult for me to tell where his influence ends and Hailey Piper's creativity begins.

A Game in Yellow is about a couple, Carmen and Blanca, who just can't seem to get in sync sexually. Carmen has been asking for more and more intense, dangerous scenarios, but nothing is scratching that itch. Blanca finally suggests they go see a woman named Smoke who has a mysterious play that when read makes you feel such a surge of adrenaline it might be able to kick Carmen's drive into gear.

The King in Yellow is a pretty famous staple of the cosmic horror genre, and it's a shame I haven't read it. I've experienced other media that referenced the novel, but I'm not as familiar with the lore and story as I would've liked to be for this reading experience because there is some really interesting lore here. I just don't know if I can give Piper the credit for it. In a way, A Game in Yellow parallels The King in Yellow because neither of the stories are really about the play. Instead, they're about how the play affects the minds of those who read it.

Smoke controls how much Carmen can read the play, but it's almost like an addictive drug. Carmen constantly craves more even though she's been told and shown that it's incredibly dangerous to get too sucked in. A Game is Yellow is also a cosmic horror novel, so it's not interested in explaining anything to the reader. Usually, I wouldn't find this too frustrating, but I think because there's so much "world-building" within the world of the play it becomes more irritating as a reader. I'm trying to keep track of and understand so many "unusual" names and places that I can't focus entirely on Carmen's descent. There's multiple cities- Carcossa, Yttil, Hastur - and the reader is never really given context for any of them. The writing style within the "play" sections is also quite dense and metaphorical. It's a well-done stylistic choice, separating the simple world that Carmen knows from the complex, obfuscated world of the masquerade. It doesn't help the reader gain any understanding, however.

The way that the play is different from that of The King in Yellow is also notable. The story of the play is about a masquerade where a stranger in a golden mask is discussed amongst the crowds. In the end, he's revealed to be the King in Yellow. This isn't where A Game in Yellow chooses to take its stranger, and I did find that compelling. The climax of this book is insanely confusing, but it does lead to an interesting reveal and the best horror of the whole book. The last few pages are fascinating and horrifying. It's just really quite a shame that there wasn't more before that point. The horror is more psychological, but the progression from tense, insanity based horror to real, visceral horror could have been smoother.

The sexual aspect of this book is...something. I don't think the sex is poorly written, and I think it serves its function well throughout the story. This is a book largely about sex and sexuality, but I think if there was a point being made I missed it. Carmen and Blanca are in a BDSM relationship where Carmen is the Sub and Blanca is the Dom. There's a lot said about how Carmen is actually the one in control of their relationship, and I'm just not quite sure what the point of this was. I think the author might have been trying to make a point about how Carmen is manipulative? Or maybe how she had issues with control? Perhaps that was the root of her sexual disfunction. She also has an "incident" in her past that she's blocked out of her mind with a girl named Aja, but I didn't understand the importance of this event. It's really built up, and what I gleaned from the even was that Carmen was a coward. Is that what I was supposed to take from her character?

Blanca is also a confusing character. The issue with Blanca is that she is "too in control," and her backstory makes the reader understand why. I'm just not sure what that means for their relationship. I think the primary issue is that these character based moments feel unresolved. They're coming to a head at the same time that the more horror-based elements are coming to a head, so as a reader I was much more focused on the horror than the character. Is Blanca's relationship with Smoke a result of Blanca's character flaws or Carmen's? All of the characters, motivations, and relationships are so incredibly confused that it made reading about them unengaging. I didn't really care about Blanca and Carmen's relationship, and that's really unfortunate because I know that part was Piper's doing.

There's also generally no resolution to Carmen's coworkers. Carmen, under the influence of the play, involves a large group of people in reading the play. It was explained to us that the play can cause a wide variety of reactions in people. It can cause them to harm others or themselves, or it can cause larger societal swings. It can form cults or dictators, and with so many different people exposed to the effects of the play I was hoping to see some stirrings of something greater. I was a bit disappointed.

There's something good here. SOMETHING. The twin suns, black eyes portal is super compelling. The Yellow Sign is so interesting. The carnage the play can cause, not just physical carnage but societal carnage, is fascinating. The two acts of the play having different powers, and the fact that the play can self-replicate and tune into its reader is amazing. The Golden city, the stranger, the masquerade! But... is this Piper? Or is this Chambers? I don't know if I can give her credit for all the things I enjoyed.

I would recommend A Game in Yellow, but only because I think it's an interesting talking point, not necessarily because I think it's a good book. The writing is fine, though it's clear that Piper is a talented writer. The stark stylistic differences between the novel style and play style are a testament to that. The atmosphere is compelling at times, and minimal at others. If it sounds interesting, give it a shot, but keep your expectations in line.

Trying to process this book and I’m still unsure what I just read. This book is BIZARRE but in an ‘unputdownable’ kind of way. I completely devoured it. Or did the book devour me?

Myths. Kinks. Dreams. Dimetrodon.

A Game in Yellow is a work of art. It may not be for everyone, but the topics it explores are beautifully expressed and well-written. I’m so happy I stumbled upon this story and I know it’ll continue to haunt my dreams.

Thank you to Saga Press and NetGalley for an E-ARC copy of this book.

In A Game in Yellow, we follow Carmen Mancini, a midthirties New Yorker who is in a relationship with Blanca, by all accounts her dream woman minus one problem: Carmen and Blanca have hit a snag sexually, with Carmen struggling to connect to their sex life. Enter Smoke, an enigmatic friend of Blanca's who introduces the couple to The King in Yellow, both a written play and a drug. Read just a little bit and experience intense euphoria. Read too much and be driven to madness.

Of course, we wouldn't be here if everything went just fine. Carmen finds herself pulled to the play, constantly bringing herself to the edge of insanity at the cost of her relationship, her job, her life's firm footing. As Carmen teeters closer to the edge, and Blanca and Smoke teeter closer to each other, can Carmen free herself from The King in Yellow before it is too late?

This was intense in the best way, a psychological thriller meets erotic noir. I felt like I was right alongside Carmen as she drifted further from reality and nearer to the complete psychological overtaking by The King in Yellow. At the same time, I felt like I was standing with Blanca, watching the person I love most lose themselves entirely.

I do wish there had been a touch more emphasis on the madness. We see how the play affects Carmen and a few others, but I wish we had seen just a little more.

Overall this was a tantalizing read that I highly recommend if a psychosexual fever dream sounds right up your alley. A real treat.

At first, this book is retelling of the King in Yellow and the haunting nature of that horror classic. Then this story of this intense relationship between three women cannot be ignored, and makes it something more. Carmen cannot feel a sexual spark with her girlfriend Blanca anymore, until Blanca introduces her to Smoke, who introduces her to the King in Yellow. By readings bits of it at a time Carmen can feel an exhilaration and survivor's high that even the most dangerous kink play won't give her anymore.

This book made me very uncomfortable, and I believe it was supposed to. Being in Carmen's head while she loses her mind is unsettling, and witnessing Blanca and Smoke's relationship from Carmen's perspective made me squirm. It's a reminder that even when you know what your partner likes, you can never know what they're thinking. Add in a classic cosmic horror chill and the consequences of it, and you have a striking and brilliant novel. I wouldn't recommend it to everyone, but to horror fans, especially of the classic cosmic horror ouvre, and readers comfortable with discomfort, it's a must read.

was a mindf*ck? this was dark and twisty and CAPTIVATING. without giving anything away, i feel like this is one of the most unique books i have read recently, and i would def recommend if you enjoy a twisty book with sapphic vibes!!

Him: What are you reading?

Me: Remember Carcosa and the Yellow King from Season 1 of True Detective? This book is based on the same source text, only when the characters read it they get super horny and have kinky sex.

Him: Nice.

Unfortunately I never grew to care about any of the characters and kept waiting for horror that didn’t arrive until the last chapter.

cosmic, erotic, and a little psychotic, this book feels like an archaic fever dream come to life via kink. i believe hailey piper is at her best when she leans into these hidden worlds beneath the surface of “humanity,” and this one handles that premise well. it’s a bit discombobulating, and the alternating between prose and play script can be a bit jarring but i personally didn’t mind it. i also appreciated that this book didn’t shy away from having more questions than it answered. a great psychosexual terror.

This book haunts me. I love how much this book haunts me, and will continue to haunt me. This is probably the best use of The King in Yellow I have encountered thus far, and I genuinely can't wait to get my hands on a physical copy.

"A Game in Yellow" explores the intimacy of a kinky lesbian couple, Blanca and Carmen. Carmen no longer feels sexually fulfilled in their relationship, which leads Blanca to find Smoke, a mysterious woman in possession of a mystical play, the King in Yellow. Carmen becomes obsessed with the play, leading to disastrous consequences to the women around her.

'Yellow' is a wonderful blend of psychological horror and erotica. It's creepy and disturbing. Full of relationship drama and intimacy issues. It's a fantastic addition to the horror genre and would make an excellent read for sapphic and gay book clubs thanks to the presence of the play itself, as well as the relationship drama that unfolds between Blanca, Carmen and Smoke.

This was an interesting concept that I really wanted to like, but didn’t grab my interest. For all of the talk of kink and S&M, there wasn’t any in during first half of the book. I wanted it to be as sexy as the subjects it discussed. In the end, it wasn’t for me but someone else will enjoy it.

Content Warnings: Unhealthy BDSM (Plot relevant), Body Horror, Cosmic Horror, Existentialism

Piper’s work is, as usual, visceral and captivating in equal measure. The body horror used here is interesting enough, but the cosmic horror is also well done. Anyone unfamiliar with Chambers’s original story may find the play excerpts confusing and the overall power of the King in Yellow hard to understand. However, as someone familiar with both, I enjoyed the way Piper wove it into her own work. I felt it really captured the questioning and blending of realities, of masking and seeking one’s identity, and the mixture of, thrill, horror, obsession, and darkness that can come from such existentialist thought.

I love an unreliable narrator and following their worldview, and Carmen offers that in spades. Bianca, whose care is shown in her concern with safety in their intimate relationship, and Smoke, who gives Carmen the call out she so justly deserves towards the end of the narrative, were also strong, unique voices. The pacing of the work ramped up in time with Carmen’s obsession and the power of the play, ending at a sharp, satisfying point.

I would recommend this book for its characters, pacing, and satisfying blend of horror, but acknowledge that it may not be to everyone’s taste.

Rating: ⭐⭐
📅 Pub Date: August 12, 2025

Sadly, this one didn’t work for me. I found myself dreading picking it up again because it just felt like a drag. The writing was overly complex, and I kept having to stop to look up words, which really broke the flow for me.

I also felt like the intimate/BDSM scenes between Carmen and Blanca were a bit repetitive. Their relationship struggles were central to the story, but I couldn’t connect with them. We get a little bit of background on their pasts, but not enough to really care about their dynamic. Carmen’s decreasing sex drive is a key conflict, but outside of that, I felt like their personalities were underdeveloped.

The horror parts, though, those were great. The book really picks up towards the end when the tension rises and things start to spiral. The final moments were the strongest, and I loved how chaotic everything got. However, I found the sections where the reading took on a play format to be confusing. Maybe if I were more familiar with the King in Yellow lore, it would have made more sense to me, but as it was, it just added another layer of disorientation.

All in all, A Game in Yellow wasn’t what I hoped for. The pacing, dense writing, and lack of character depth made it hard to enjoy, even though the horror moments were definitely a highlight.

Thank you to NetGalley and Saga Press for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

This is a really unique story, but I’m not sure I was the target audience. A Game in Yellow has some psychological horror aspects with a wild twist at the end.

When Carmen turns to alternative methods of spicing up her relationship she ends up stumbling upon a play that changes her life. I spent a large part of the story struggling to determine what was and wasn’t real. While this was appealing and exciting at times, I also felt I wanted more of an explanation for the strange events that were going on throughout the story.

This comes out in August if you’re interested!

#netgalley #agameinyellow #arcreader #arcreview #bookrecommendations

'The King in Yellow' has long been whispered about. It's said that anyone who reads those stories may eventually lose their sanity. With every page turned, readers seem to lose more and more of themselves. 'A Game in Yellow' takes that concept and creates something unique. Are you ready to transform your life?

I went into this book without knowing much about it. I had heard it was compared to the work of Eric LaRocca, so that was enough to draw me in before I even turned the first page.

This book was a bit confusing at first. There was a particular 'Queen' song that kept playing in my mind on repeat, and then I finally understood what it was all about. It’s wild, but it works so well in this context.

Once things started to fall into place, that’s when the book truly hit me. I was hooked from that moment on. The characters were unpredictable, and you never knew what they were up to until it was all revealed. Sometimes you can guess what’s coming, but not here. There’s no way to anticipate it, and I was amazed. I find myself shaking my head at how uniquely bizarre it was, yet it never detracted from the reading experience.

'A Game in Yellow' was a truly bizarre read and one that I really enjoyed.

Don’t forget your safeword….

"Is this shroud the garment of the King in Yellow? Has it always been, every time the stage darkened, every time CARMEN’S vision dimmed? Perhaps this shroud has loomed over CARMEN her entire life, every moment part of one erratic performance, now coming to its curtain call."

Carmen struggles with intimacy in her relationship with Bianca. Kink has always been a part of their relationship, but they push things even further in desperation to bring Carmen back. Then, they meet Smoke, who introduces them to a play called The King in Yellow and tells Carmen she'll get better just by reading a small portion. And, for a while, it works. As Smoke becomes their third, Carmen's obsession with the play grows as her boundaries between reality and nightmare blur.

The writing and imagery are well done, and the cosmic horror elements shine in the book's latter half.

However, I struggled with this one — primarily because I never fully connected with the characters. I didn't understand what was driving Carmen and hadn't seen enough of her relationship before this to merit such intensity. It lacks that positive encounter with Bianca that would justify Carmen's continued craving. I would think we would have one “transcendent” scene to account for the constant need. Instead, Blanca remains hard and distant.

The entire storyline is based on their intimacy — both physical and non — and it hinges on the BDSM/kink aspect. The book itself is even billed that however. But, for all that, it's actually pretty vanilla and sanitized? It’s odd because this book is inherently about sex without ever becoming too graphic. Everything is somewhat vague but intentional.

Also, the repeated mentions of Blanca’s “fatness” are interesting. I like the inclusion, but it's conveyed in a way where Carmen almost defends or tries to justify Bianca's body. She'll talk about some element of Bianca's body to only then curb it with a disclaimer that "others won't understand." It's as though she's explaining some kind of weird, guilty pleasure instead of her partner.

"A Game in Yellow" has a strong concept but lacks some necessary elements to make it work.

✨2.5 — Rounded to three for review purposes.

Thanks to the author, NetGalley and Saga Press for the advance copy in exchange for my review.

This book is a unique twist on desire, codependency, and the need to feel wanted. There were times that I was flipping through the pages quickly for more and there were times that I was completely confused, but the ending tied it together nicely. The main character Carmen was a little insufferable at times, but the representation of LGBTQ+ and kink was wonderful, body horror on point, and overall I think it’s a great example of how extreme desire and codependency can make you crazy. Thank you for the opportunity to read this eARC.

I don't know where to start. A complicated look at women, love and sense of self. This is like the adult version of self harm, cutting and desperation to feel connection.
Trauma from family carried into adulthood, seeping into the joy and support of what could be a healthy relationship. Yet both Blanca and Carmen struggle with their self worth and queer identities- Blanca always in control, Carmen known as pet.
Add in a creepy play consuming lives and you have an amazing plot.

“Somewhere in the dark of her mind, she wondered if love was a flavor of oblivion.”

“A Game in Yellow” is a captivating read that follows a couple, Carmen and Blanca, who are in a rut — and their normal BDSM games aren’t helping them get out of it. Enter Smoke, a woman in possession of a mysterious play known as The King in Yellow. To read too much of the play is to fall into madness, but to read just enough is to experience a euphoric high that can’t be found anywhere else. Carmen reads some of The King and Yellow in the hope that the experience will bring back her spark with Blanca. But Carmen quickly becomes obsessed with the play, leading her down a rabbit hole of desire that blurs the lines between fiction and reality.

For the most part, I enjoyed my reading experience of this book. It was a fascinating blend of erotica, drama, and horror, which I’ve never seen combined in a novel before. I loved the premise and I loved watching Carmen’s descent into madness.

However, I wish the story had been longer and explored more of the dynamics between Carmen, Blanca, and Smoke. We got a hint of conflict between the three but the friction wasn’t played up as much as it could’ve been in my opinion. I also think it would’ve been more satisfying as a reader to learn more about each woman’s past throughout the story, because it would’ve made the ending more impactful for me.

Thank you to Netgalley & the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Review posted to goodreads on 2/5/24.

Brief review will be to my Instagram at the end of February for my monthly reading wrap up. Full review will be posted closer to release date.