A Game in Yellow tells the story of Blanca and Carmen, a couple struggling with intimacy that seeks increasingly exploratory and dangerous methods to remedy their relationship. While neither character was particularly likable, their intimacy struggles felt relatable. Their insecurities, jealousies, and need for control all felt relatable. However, the story becomes dense as Piper describes this alternative universe, aka the play. Piper goes so far into detail with the play that it starts to feel like a separate story. The content of the play is confusing, and attempting to relate it to the plot adds to that confusion. I think Piper could have accomplished the premise of this story without creating a maze with the play. A Game in Yellow felt comparable to The Book of the Most Precious Substance by Sara Gran, although it pales in comparison. I’ve been a fan of Hailey Piper for a long time, and while A Game in Yellow felt unsuccessful, I’ll continue coming back for her work. Thank you Hailey Piper, Saga Press, and Netgalley for advance access to this story.

Elements of psychological thriller, fantasy, and queer erotica braid together in this unique dark fairytale.

Carmen has lost her sex drive, no matter what kinky concoctions Blanca comes up with to ignite it once more. When Blanca introduces Carmen to the dark underbelly of the city, they discover an ancient cursed text, The King in Yellow.

The powerful pages of this play sink its teeth into anyone who dares to explore it. If Carmen can pull herself from the brink of madness after reading only a page or two, the survivors euphoria will send her into a lust-fueled mania the likes of which she has never known.

But madness like this can be addictive, and dangerous. After she’s had a taste for it’s seduction, will Carmen be able to escape the alluring clutches of The King in Yellow?

Thank you to Saga Press for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I saw somewhere that this was pitched at How to Lose the Time War meets Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke and I was intrigued. As someone who loved THGWSWLS but hated HTLTTW I was curious to see how this would play out. This started out great, I was immediately hooked. I devoured the first 30ish percent but then it lost me. I do think it’ll be widely loved among the horror community, it just didn’t 100% work for me.

Hailey Piper’s A Game in Yellow is a haunting and hypnotic blend of horror, erotica, and psychological thriller. Following a kink-fixated couple, Carmen and Blanca, the novel explores Carmen’s descent into madness after discovering The King in Yellow, a play that promises both thrill and terror. As Carmen becomes obsessed with the play, the boundaries between reality and nightmare blur, leading her down a dangerous path of desire and obsession.

Piper’s prose is smooth and engaging, drawing readers into Carmen’s spiraling psyche. The story deftly explores the complexities of codependent relationships, fear of abandonment, and the terror of losing yourself. It’s a chilling and intimate exploration of desire, control, and identity, with a perfect balance of erotic tension and psychological horror.

A truly captivating and unsettling read, A Game in Yellow will linger with you long after the last page.

Thank you to NetGalley and Saga Press for this early eARC.

I wanted this book to work for me but I think due to the writing style, I just could not get into it. There are definitely portions in the beginning and at the end that had me completely sucked in and thinking "what?!" but the majority of this book I was trying to understand what was happening. I think this book is meant to give trippy vibes, but for me it made it really hard to understand the book itself. I will totally still recommend this book to horror lovers, as my taste in horror is a little bit niche and specific. The cover for this book is absolutely gorgeous!!

The newest intimate cosmic masterpiece from Hailey Piper, A Game in Yellow is so many things. An exploration of a codependent relationship. But also that feeling when you finally find someone that truly and fiercely loves you. It’s also explores so many other aspects of relationship, mental health, fear, not just from the horror aspects but fear of who you are, being alone, not being loved, like there’s something fundamentally wrong with you that you can’t fix. It’s just brilliant. And yes, the horror and the strangeness are all there and they are absolutely wonderful and scary, too. Well done.