I’ve enjoyed all these stories surrounding the Jolvix technology giant. All the books are fun and uniquely different and do not need to be read in any order, they are all stand alone. In this one, Leela is close to being considered a suspect involving a string of suspicious suicides; all people she considered enemies. To make matters worse, all of these deaths appear to be related to a top secret project she worked on while employed at Jolvix. Can she discover who the real killer is before he, or she, gets to her too? If you enjoy futuristic technology and a twisty mystery to solve then pick up this or any of Gardner’s novels in this series. Thank you Netgalley, Mirror House Press, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on September 6, 2023

I had initially passed over this book when I first came across it. However, after reading a couple of reviews of fellow GR members that I follow, I decided to check it out. The reviews were so much better than the book summary. I feel like something should be said about that. Not sure what it is, but there’s definitely something important in that statement.

Anyway, I had my concerns that this seemed to be the sixth installment in a series; I’m really particular about reading series installments in order, but the author states (on her website) that they are standalones. Gardner is a good writer and storyteller and I have added to my to-read list the epilogue that Gardner sent me when I signed up for her newsletter. This review will include this installment as well as the epilogue that was not included in The Slaying Game installment. I’m sure Gardner and Mirror Press have a good reason why the two were not included in the same book, but what do I know? I’m neither a writer nor a publisher; I’m just an avid reader.

The book summary pretty much lays out the primary premise of the story: Leela’s enemies are dying from violent suicides. Before each death, the victims sent emails to Leela apologizing for the way they treated her or some wrong they inflicted on her. However, the one line in the apologies that confirms to Leela that the deaths are connected to her and the cover up she did for Jolvix is, “it’s been a real pleasure”. This was the slogan for the VR game that she did the cover up for.

Most of the story revolves around Leela trying to figure out what happened to the game (after the cover up, it was discontinued) and the headset that possessed the game. Initially, she finds out that the former CEO took it with him, and what a creepy weirdo he turned out to be. As far as I’m concerned, he’s suspect #1. However, Teddy, the twin brother of Jack, Leela’s deceased fiancé, is someone that Leela seeks out to help her find out who is killing her enemies, one of which was Teddy’s former fiancé. There’s a lot going on here, but Gardner organizes and presents it all pretty well. However, it’s not long after he’s introduced that, for me, Teddy became suspect #2.

The story flips back and forth between Leela and the Game, who is the killer. The dead bodies of the people that Leela knows are piling up and the last one sent Leela spiraling and hitting the bottom, again. Well into the second half, the Game/killer is revealed, but it takes Leela and Teddy a little longer to figure it out. The end comes fast after that, in a disturbing yet very satisfying and kind of funny ending.

I don’t know why the Teddy epilogue wasn’t included in the book. That would have made for a perfect ending to this installment. However, I’m not sure if it’s a really creepy lead-in for the second installment, Violet is Nowhere, or another epilogue for that installment. I guess I should add that one to my to-read list too. For the record (and a response to Gardner's poll for her next book), I vote for another installment of the Jolvix series!

It took me a long time to read this book. Every time I picked up the book (at night before going to bed), I found myself nodding off after just 30-40min, instead of the two hours that I would typically read at night. At one point, I actually set the book aside for a couple of days to read something else before coming back to it and committed to finishing it. That probably says more about me and my life, at the moment, than anything else. I did like the story though, hence the 4star rating, and I have already added another Jolvix installment to my to-read list, a really creepy Christmas story for my holiday reading binge (coming soon).

I want to thank NetGalley and Mirror House Press for sending me this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

#NetGalley #MirrorHousePress #TheSlayingGame

Thank you @netgalley and #mirrorhousepress for the #gifted copy of this book!

Is it a coincidence or is Leela just that unlucky? All of her enemies over the course of her life are dying. Are they related? She’s not so sure until she finds a clue related her old job at Jolvix. It involves a high tech weapon to which she is unable and banned to talk about. In order to get to the bottom of it she must look outside the box and involve an old friend, Teddy, to stop any more people from dying. Just who could this possibly be wreaking havoc in her life?

Thoughts: This is the sixth book in this series, however, I read it as a stand-alone. I am sure there is context I may have appreciated if I had read the other five however, I think it didn’t take away from this exciting read. I am a sucker for technology in books so I did appreciate the Jolvix side of this story. The characters and plot were very well developed and I’m not going to lie I about died when I read about Teddy’s dog named Pickles. 🤗 (fellow pickle obsessed person here 🙋🏼‍♀️) Love that! I really enjoyed Leela and Teddy’s relationship. Teddy was kind of dorky on an endearing way and I loved how they interacted. I did enjoy this book enough to want to read this series from the start! Looking forward to what comes later and hope that Pickles makes another appearance! 🤣

I had no idea The Slaying Game by Faith Gardner was part of a series.
But what I did read I really enjoyed and now have added this series to my tbr.
This is a wonderfully written, good paced story with unexpected twists and turns.
The pace never slows down and the writing style is easy to read yet held my attention through the entire book.
A well-written and engaging read.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and Mirror House Press for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Loved this book and I was so excited to read one by an indie author. It was so well written. I loved the main character. If you're a fan of kitties you'll really like this one.

Leela’s world is imploding. After leaving her stressful job at Jolvix Enterprises, she needed a completely different pace. Cue working in Feline Better, a café come cat sanctuary. But something weird is taking place. People who she considered “enemies” from before in her life are sending her texts saying they are sorry before they land up dead. Supposedly a suicide. But Leela knows in her gut it’s connected to the VixSpex – a novelty lethal virtual reality headset designed to kill the user when they lose the game they are playing. But this isn’t supposed to be in the general population. So who has one?

Still mourning her fiancé's death, Leela reluctantly teams up with his twin brother Teddy to get to the bottom of this. When Leela realises how deeply involved in this she is, she needs to end it. But how far is she willing to go to do that?

This is the third of Faith Gardener’s novels that I have read and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed them all. She gives a real depth to her characters and makes you feel very uneasy about Jolvix Enterprises and the work they do. Leela’s character embodies so many emotions. You get to see glimpses of her past and the author has utilised issues like addiction and a mother living vicariously through her child with subtlety and delicacy. In that the issues are not glossed over but treated with respect. The changing dynamic between her and Teddy makes for an interesting thread that holds the story together. Knowing that Jack is gone you are rooting for them and annoyed that Leela can be so obstinate when it’s clear that Teddy is a good guy!

Another character I loved to hate was Leela’s boss at the cat café, Daisy. Her passive aggressive smiley attitude and constant reminders to Leela about her work contract made me infuriated. I have met a few like her and boy did she get under my skin! And let’s not even get into Barnett Briggs – absolute shudder there.

The fact that you get to “understand” things from the killer’s mind helps to make the story more cohesive and when the author proves that no character is safe, I was shocked. To go through so much and then...

The author has a wonderful writing style and the book is well edited (apart from some missing vocative commas again!) which makes it comfortable to read without being jolted between POVs or finding inconsistencies. I will definitely be looking out for the ones I’ve missed in the series.

Thanks to NetGalley and Xpressobooktours

"Time and time again, I’ve learned I’m not really the lead in my own life. I’m a player in someone else’s game."

I truly enjoy reading Faith Gardner's books but this was my least favorite of the Jolvix series and it simply didn't work for me. In a story of revenge based on a game of Russian Roulette involving killer VixSpex VR goggles, Leela's enemies were dying one by one, supposedly by suicide, following Leela receiving apology messages from the victims. Something didn't add up and Leela wanted answers. Who was actually pulling the strings?

I liked Leela as the protagonist. Her story was highly compelling and it showcased her sarcastic wit. I never stopped rooting for her as she tried to stop these murders staged as suicides from happening while she was still processing the grief from losing her fiancée, Jack. Mental health issues, not just suicide, but also alcoholism and unhealthy obsession, were brought to the forefront and I appreciated the focus on their importance.

"The fiercest love might be revenge."

On the other hand, I did not care for Teddy, Jack's twin brother, who played a significant role in this story. I often found his actions and thoughts to be somewhat off-putting and I felt unsettled by his relationship with Leela even with everything the two of them had gone through. The characters were an odd mix of individuals, most notably Leela's mother, Shasta. I did, however, like Leela's friend, Ricky, and I thought he was a fun addition to the story.

I loved getting to see the cameo from Eve, the journalist from Eve in Overdrive who almost died behind the wheel of her fancy Sunray that was controlled by an unhinged psychopath. Unfortunately, I was disappointed with the way her story arc progressed and I would have liked to see it further developed.

The Slaying Game showed plenty of potential but ultimately it just didn't resonate with me. It spoke to the overreaching power of technology and its potential for destruction when found in the wrong hands, much like the other installments of the Jolvix series do. Twists were frequently predictable and parts of the story felt somewhat repetitive. The denouement seemed too easily reached, highly unlikely to occur in the way that it did, thereby requiring quite a bit of suspension of disbelief.

"Look like the innocent flower/ But be the serpent under’t."

How do you define justice? How would you right your wrongs? What would you be willing to do for someone you love? How far would you go? When you unlock the secrets you keep hidden inside, what will you discover about yourself? While this turned out to be different than I expected, it continued to be thought provoking and unique. It made me wonder if we're always being watched and if anything is ever really private. Regardless of my rating, I will continue to read the author's books as I'm always fascinated by the imaginative depth of her writing.

* Special thanks to Mirror House Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. Quotes subject to change at time of publication. Available September 6, 2023. *

The Slaying Game is the latest entry in Faith Gardner's excellent "Jolvix" series. These are set in the very near future with Jolvix being a huge corporation constantly inventing new tech. Everything from driverless taxis to "companion bots" Yes, companion bot is everything you think it is.

This one stars Leela, a twenty something who use to work PR for Jolvix, but seperated for undisclosed reasons. She now works at a cat rescue shelter. Then out of nowhere people she once knew start dying and she is convinced there is something very sinister going on.... In the form of a serial killer. That's pretty much everything I needed: A jolvix book with a serial killer!

Long story short: This book is incredible. There are no flashbacks or dual POVs.... Just one linear progression with Leela from start to finish. Hardly nothing is given to you. You learn about everything through Leela's conversations and actions and I can't count how many "Aha" moments there are as you learn something new. You are placed right in the middle of this world as Leela is placed in one messed up situation to the next. Mainly from dealing with a serial killer who's thought process and rationale on what they think is right is just terrifying.

And the tension! After this book I had to do a quick check with myself. I'm pretty easy and there are plenty of thrillers that entertain me. But how many actually "thrill" me? As in I'm literally scared to read the words on my e-reader like the ending of this one. Because this one did.

Any negatives? Actually one of this books biggest strengths may be it's biggest weakness. As in you are piecing together the plot of this book from a linear progression with Leela and her interactions so you have no back story for the first part of the book. But this is only for a few chapters and you will get roped in fast.

But overall this book rocked my world and I have no trouble giving it five stars. To the next Jolvix book!

I really appreciate Mirror House Press for giving me a free copy to read for a honest review and it has a publication date of September 6, 2023.

Thank you, NetGalley and Mirror House Press for the copy of The Slaying Game by Faith Gardner. I have read the other books in the Jolvix books and enjoyed them, but for some reason this one was hard to get into. Leela was annoying with her foul language and I never connected to her. Luckily, she calmed down a little so I was able to concentrate on the story instead of her lack of language skills. The other Jolvix books were fun reads, but this one was disappointing because it was really dark. I still appreciated the sci-fi inventions (except for the main one). If you loved the other Jolvix books you might love this one
but the book was not really for me because I missed the lighter, entertaining parts.

4.5/5 ⭐

This is the first book of Gardner I've read and I absolutely loved it. It reminded me of a Blade Runner but with modern technology and a murdering psychopath. The build up was amazing and I had so many ideas or where it could go and I was wrong about most. The constant twists and turns were amazing.

I will definitely be checking out her other books after this.

This is probably the third or fourth book I have read by Faith Gardner. Although I usually find the concepts fascinating because they could actually happen in the not-so-distant future, this one just didn't do it for me. It was a little slow for me and I found myself trying to rush to get to the end. The big reveal was anti-climatic and I found myself feeling as if I wasted hours upon hours of trying to get through.

Droppin' like flies.......

You start to take notice when people you've known in the past begin to send you apology texts. Out of nowhere and for no known reason. Until there is. Now they are no longer part of your present, your past, and certainly not in your future.......or there's.

Leela Crowe is an unsettled young woman trying to move away from her prior days with not much of a plan. She's a volunteer coordinator at a cat rescue facility. It's not quite a challenge for her after leaving her job in PR at Jolvix in the Virtual Reality sector. She'd been there two years. But she's been in a downward spiral after the death of her fiance, Jack. And strangely, she had to sign a NDA with Jolvix upon leaving. Leela knew too much about a new project.

And so we catch up with Leela after the front window is shattered at the cat facility. No suspects or evidence. And then came the eerie texts from those people that Leela knew. They all ended up dead. Leela reaches out to her best friend Ricky from high school and Teddy, Jack's twin brother, who still works at Jolvix. Someone is pullin' the weeds in Leela's garden. But why?

Faith Gardner injects another voice here and it's lined with enough creep to register on the Creep-O-Meter. Each of these chapters are entitled The Game. This individual has the VixSpex virtual reality headset attached with a mental note: Game Over. We'll be running the gamut trying to figure out just who this person is along with the why. Not "til the end, kiddies.

The Slaying Game has all the earmarks of another slam dunk for the talented Faith Gardner. It can be read as a standalone without any problems. But do yourself a favor and grab Amen Maxine (my favorite) from the beginning. You'll be hooked, too, and you'll then know what all the buzz is about when you hear the name Faith Gardner.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Mirror House Press and to the talented Faith Gardner for the opportunity.

Thank you to NetGalley and Mirror House Press for this opportunity to read rate and review this arc which is available 9/6/23!

Honestly I didn’t really enjoy the book. I was bored. The main character was rude and dull. The plot formulaic and tiresome. I wasn’t invested and I just wanted it all to be over.

Alright, wow. How to start?

This book is easily a 5 star in my book. Its got the right amount of sass, gasps, twists and turns, as well as.... a little love story?

I loved the main character and her internal struggles. I felt like I was actually in her head as this was all going down. I got angry when she did, hurt when she was and more. Its very rare a book pulls on my heartstrings like this.

The plot was also amazing. I loved how NORMAL the characters are. No super hero powers, or someone who knows everything, or even ones who had the answer to all the problems. Just normal people like you and I trying to figure out what to do with whats going on.

I need to read more of her work. This has sold me as a reader to read more of her work!

Careful about wishing your enemies dead…it may come true!

Leela finally made the decision to leave her job at Jolvix, thinking she put the stress and craziness of the futuristic company behind her.

But once gone, people who wronged her in the past mysteriously start sending her apologies. Followed by killing themselves! Leela knows full well that Jolvix and their latest technologies are somehow behind these deaths. How can she find the killer before the next person dies? After all, Leela had a rather lengthy list of enemies!

This latest release reads as a stand-alone, but there are numerous references to the previous novels in the series, (Including one huge cameo.) I suggest reading all the books in this series for the best experience!

I love the author’s writing style with her bits of humor interspersed throughout. The characters were well developed and a bit quirky in only that way that Faith Gardner can do!

Don’t forget to sign up for the author’s newsletter to get a bonus epilogue!

Thank you to NetGalley and Mirror House Press

Not sure why this isn't listed as being part of the Jolvix Episodes. And not sure why I missed reading some of the previous episodes. I have really enjoyed these books set in a slightly dystopian alternative present day-ish. This installment takes a murderous look at VR headsets and follows Leela, who is living somewhat aimless after losing her fiancé several years prior. I couldn't quite connect with her character. How did she go from being in charge of PR at a tech company to updating the volunteer manual at a cat shelter? It seemed a bit disconnected, despite the book's attempt to explain it. I also felt a bit lost in the narration at times with references to events (without spoilers) that I hadn't read about yet. I need to go back and read those other books because I have loved the premise and execution (no pun intended) of all the books in this series. This book was especially interesting as Leela determines that the killer is targeting people she had problems with in the past. Is it her imagination or reality? And if so, how responsible is she? Parts of the ending were a bit of a push for me, but nothing outside the realm of acceptable. I like when books get close to that line. All in all, an immersive read.

The Slaying Game is another exciting, fast-paced installment in Faith Gardner's Jolvix Episodes. Like the others, it is set in the future, though not so far ahead that it's implausible. In fact, that's the creepy part: The invasive, too-smart technology—and the ways it can be misused in the wrong hands—is scary easy to imagine.

The characters are all a little bit broken, but they're so real and relatable that you can't help but like them in spite of—or maybe because of—those flaws. As the reader, you can't help but root for them, faults and all, as they're forced to deal with a killer on their own, concocting a dangerous plan that could easily backfire. And it very well might: As Faith has proven, she's not above torturing or even killing off main characters... so you really don't know who will survive to the end!

Faith has become an auto-read author for me. She could give me a book with no cover, no title, and no blurb, and I would read it, no questions asked!

Oh my goodness! This book took me on an incredible journey, and to be completely honest, it gave me quite the spine-tingling experience. It was unbelievably fantastic!

I absolutely adored how the story began with something completely unexpected, and then it continued to surprise me at every turn. Leela's character was a breath of fresh air with her unapologetic honesty about the challenging life situations she's faced. And, as in every story, for every pessimistic character, there's a ray of sunshine (in this case, Teddy). Their characters shared a unique dynamic with just the right amount of tension.

In summary, this book boasts an exceptional plot, endearing characters, and plot twists that will keep you guessing until the very end. I have no doubt that I'll be purchasing the hard copy once it's published!

I extend my heartfelt thanks to Net Galley and Mirror House Press for generously providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first Faith Gardner book and man was it a rollercoaster! This is such a fast paced thriller and I was immediately hooked! I found myself truly connected to Leela and was on edge waiting to find out who was tormenting her life!

This was a great fast-paced, easy to read thriller. It kept me interested, and I’m now considering reading other books by this author. My only complaint, and the reason for taking a star off, was the amount of times the either used the word “akimbo”. Using the word so many times within the book just made it feel like trying to get your word count in on you eighth grade book report.