While not deeply familiar with the works of Bram Stoker Award–winning author Hailey Piper, but in A Game in Yellow, she incredibly combines psychological horror and erotica into a truly mesmerizing and spine-chilling novel.

A kink-fixated couple, Carmen and Blanca, have been in a rut. That is until Blanca discovers the enigmatic Smoke in an under-street drug den, who holds pages to a strange play, The King in Yellow. Read too much, and you’ll fall into madness. But read just a little and pull back, and it gives you the adrenaline rush of survivor’s euphoria, leading Carmen to fall into a game of lust at a nightmare’s edge.

As the line blurs between the world Carmen knows and the one that she visits after reading from the play, she begins to desire more time in this other world no matter what horrors she brings back with her.

While Hailey Piper's name is known throughout the horror community, and after reading A Game in Yellow, it's easy to understand why. Though as I said before I was not personally familiar with her work before, this book allowed me to experience Piper's fearless storytelling firsthand. Her writing pulls absolutely no punches, diving straight into the narrative, weaving dark and bizarre stories that truly had me gripped once I was able to settle in for the ride.

A Game in Yellow offered a unique reading experience for me. In the story you read the excerpts of the play along with the characters in the book almost having the feeling as you are a participant in the story. While this approach was sometimes challenging for me to follow, it immersed me into the story making it more engaging. Admittedly, it did take me a few chapters for things to really fall into place, but once the pieces aligned, the story took off.

The characters are well-crafted and utterly unpredictable, keeping me guessing right until things are revealed. Just when I thought I had a handle on things, the story twisted into something delightfully unexpected. It was uniquely bizarre, bordering on unsettling, yet it managed to remain captivating without taking away from the story.

I definitely couldn't solely read stories by Piper andsimilar authors like Eric LaRocca that often write tales that are profoundly intense and sometimes overwhelming. Piper's ability to make me feel uncomfortable is part of what makes this story so memorable and effective, but only works for me on an occasional read.

A Game in Yellow is a truly eerie and bizarre read, offering an intense and unforgettable experience. Hailey Piper crafts an erotic psychological horror that stands out in the horror genre.  After a palate cleanser of a bit lighter material, I'll be excited to explore more stories from Piper and immerse myself in the twisted worlds she creates.

I thought the premise of the story was creative and interesting. I just didn’t connect enough with Carmen specifically. By the 70% mark, The King in Yellow aspects felt a bit repetitive. I will definitely read more from Hailey Piper in the future because I enjoy her writing and have enjoyed other work by her!

Sexy, edgy, and hauntingly hot. A Game in Yellow sinks its claws in early with magnetic chemistry and a darkly seductive tone that doesn’t let up. Carmen is a fascinating descent, and the narrative walks a razor’s edge between sensuality and unraveling madness that kept me riveted.

The play interstitials were a bold choice—at first, I wasn’t sure how I felt about them, but as they grew longer and more intense, I appreciated how they drew us deeper into Carmen’s world, blurring lines between reality, performance, and obsession. It was immersive and unsettling in all the right ways.

If I have one critique, it’s the pacing: the second half slowed down more than I expected and then snapped to a rapid finish. A more balanced buildup could have given the ending even more impact.

Still, this is an unforgettable, erotically charged psychological spiral with sharp teeth. I’ll be thinking about that final act for a while.

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!