I have never read anything by Jonathan Janz before, but the premise for this book really appealed. Ten very different writers are chosen to take part in a writing retreat/contest ran by the celebrated author, Roderick Wells. Upon arriving, it soon becomes apparent that all is not as it seems in this isolated mansion, with it's mysterious owner. 
The story moves along quite briskly, with it's large cast of characters introduced in the first few chapters. Almost as soon as they arrive at the retreat they are confronted by nightmares of their past misdemeanors, and before too long things take a murderously supernatural twist, and the writers have to try and survive the contest for more than just money or publishing deals.
As I said, this was my first book by this author, and I'd definitely be interested to read more of his work. It was a quick, snappy read, with a well realized, creepy setting. I felt that perhaps there were a few too many characters so for a while I struggled to keep them all straight in my head, and although I found all the characters interesting I found that I wasn't really bothered who survived. 

This is a fun read, and gets a solid 3/5 from me.

Thanks to Flame Tree Press and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review.

Written in third person from several different perspectives The Dark Game is a catchall of horror. Every author creating a different story whilst hiding from their own secrets.

I took a beat to get familiar with all the different characters. I struggle a little when writers introduce characters by having them all introduce themselves to each other. Happily they are written with enough individuality that it didn't take long to familiarise myself.

I felt that by pre-empting the story line Janz was taking away the potential for shock. Sentences such as 'one of them would be murdered that night' and telling us when and/or who was going to die always yank me out of focus. Let me follow the story and find out for myself!

Where are they? What secrets do they hide? 

Previously in HoS I enjoyed the book within a book trope, with this many fictional writers though it was hard to follow. As well as the current scenes for each character there are flashbacks, diary entries and their own story creations. The Dark Game is divided into several subtitled parts and each begins again at chapter one. All of these aspects made it difficult to settle in to the story, but perhaps that is Janz' intent? There is no lull in the action, just unrelenting threat from all angles bestowed by a multitude of monsters, killers and ghosts.

With so many characters to switch between I found little development aside from Lucy, Will and Rick. The focus is heavily on each of the writers shady pasts.

This is my third Janz novel. I enjoy them the way I would a B-movie horror flick- ridiculous, fast-paced fun. I roll my eyes frequently but with acceptance and have come to expect stomach turning, down right disgusting scenes with frequent references to genitalia. I've begun referencing this as 'cheap horror' -heavy on the purposely uncomfortable oxymorons and shock repulsion.  

I think of Janz work as Goosebumps for adults! Pure entertainment with constant and unbelievable threats from fantastical creations. At the same time it's a raw dirty kind of horror that makes you feel like you need to scrub it off after reading. 
Janz has a unique voice, easily recognizable once read  an author I will definitely revisit.

**I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.**

I was immediately intrigued by the premise of this book as soon as I read the synopsis. Ten writers, summoned to a writer’s retreat under a shroud of secrecy, arrive at a location they’re not allowed to know. The retreat is hosted by Roderick Wells, a writer who has achieved a level of fame and critical acclaim for his novels on a level of say, Stephen King.

I thought this book would be a mystery. I was expecting something along the lines of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None. You discover very quickly that the contestants are beginning to be picked off one by one. However, there were definite elements of horror and the paranormal in this novel that elevated it beyond anything I’d expected or anticipated. 

As soon as I got through the first few chapters, I was completely sucked in by this book. I totally and unashamedly binge read it. I’ve never read anything by Jonathan Janz before, and I have to say, I found this book to be quite exceptional. While I could see where the plot was leading at some point, I stillI never knew what to expect next, or how the story would ultimately end. That very quality of unpredictability made it so effective. I also LOVED the ending - that final chapter was again, completely unexpected.

I would highly recommend this book, especially to those like me who love books that straddle that like between horror and mystery/thriller (they’re too unfortunately rare, in my opinion). I would only give you one piece of advice before you pick up this book - go in blind!! Don’t read any more reviews that give away plot details, because the slow reveal was a huge part of the thrill. You don’t want to spoil that for yourself.

I’m definitely going to check out other books by Jonathan Janz, and I’m so glad I was introduced to a new author. I hope his other books can top this one. I’ll be keeping an eye out for future releases, too.

I have been wanting to read a book by Jonathan Janz for quite a while because I have been hearing/reading so many raving reviews on Instagram about his books. I managed to snag a copy of, "The Dark Game" and now I am mentally smacking myself for taking so long. I was literally hooked by the first sentence in the first chapter. I am not sure if I am allowed to quote a sentence or not so I won't but pick up a copy of this book and you will see exactly what I mean.
Imagine the tv show, "Survivor" but the contestants are writers and not survivalists. Ten writers are chosen by the most famous and successful author in the world to go on a retreat where they will learn and benefit from his expertise. The catch is there can only be one winner. The truth is that they are now in the grasp of a sadistic and possibly insane host. Throw in a hint of the supernatural and you have the perfect storm.
The book drew my interest from the beginning and didn't let up until the very last page. Mr. Janz knows how to slowly raise the suspense and keep it going until the very end. I actually ended up staying up late to finish which is unusual for me. I also gave 5 stars which I do not do very often either. Do I recommend this book? The answer is a resounding, hell yes!
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Sort of a take on Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None" but much darker. The author adds an element of the occult that horror fans will appreciate. Those looking for a whodunit will be disappointed.

A big thank you to Flame Tree Press, NetGalley and Jonathan Janz for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review! 

Let me just start by saying that after two books, Jonathan Janz is easily one of my top favorite authors in horror. And while you may look at my three star rating and wonder how that can be so, it has nothing to do with his writing in this book, it's purely just personal preference. Some people hate books about camping, or books that take place in haunted houses, apparently books about games/competitions isn't MY favorite plot line. 

But if it's YOURS then let me say that Jonathan Janz does it very well. In The Dark Game we are introduced to several characters competing in a little game, all writers troubled by demons and hoping to win a break on their next best seller. But you quickly realize there's something really strange afoot and the host, Mr. Roderick Wells, has a rather unpleasant and unorthodox way of testing his contestants. 

Janz proves to me once again in this book that he is masterful in creating characters that engage you and pull you in. So while it may have not been MY favorite, it quite possibly will be yours so read it.

The Dark Game has a great ending and is well written. This book has a bit too many characters and they get lost in the book. I love sex in a book, but in this book it seems that all the sex takes away from the thriller element. It reminded me of a eighties horror movie. Overall still a good book.

Jonathan Janz is a good storyteller. The premise of the book grabbed me immediately, 10 writers selected for a summer long retreat and the possibility of winning 3 million dollars. I feel the book stumbled with the amount of characters. I did not feel any emotional connections to any of them.  The violence was quite scary. I will definitely read another book by Jonathan Janz in the future.

This was my very first read of Mr. Janz's work....I sat on this review for a few days to let the innards really sink in. With that being said, I was lost at first and couldn't connect to the characters, I was confusing one for the other- too fast paced POVs. BUT, once I started feeling that adrenaline pumping and getting halfway through the book, the plot and premise sucked me right in. I didn't see where he was going until about 3/4 of the way through, but something pulled me to the needing point of knowing what would happen. Maybe this isn't the right book to start with, but his writing STYLE has me hooked! I'm planning on reading plenty of his work coming up for reviews and I am so excited to jump head first to see how they are to this one! So ending this review, I need to say, pick up this book whether you've read his work or not because he write with a mental horror that stays with you long after you read the book!

A group of authors are attending a competitive writing retreat hosted by the very successful, and very reclusive, Roderick Wells. Through manipulation and cruelty, Wells will push the writers to write a truly amazing story, but only one writer can win, and the losers lose more than just the competition.
The Dark Game opens with introductions to a rather large cast of characters, and it feels like a few too many to properly keep track of. The good news is that Janz starts picking them off in no time, so you don't actually have to keep track of all of them for long! Even the cannon fodder characters have traits to distinguish them, not to mention secrets and dark pasts aplenty. What I found really interesting was how well Janz balanced predictability with the unexpected. Characters you expect to hook up or form alliances do, but the order of the contestants "leaving" the retreat was full of surprises. My personal favorite was Will (which seems strange considering I don't feel like we actually get to know him very well) but in my opinion the most compelling character is Sherilyn, and I would love to read a story just about her.
I've said it before, but I have to say it again-Janz writes a finale like nobodies business. I can't stop being impressed by how he is able to draw it out so much, without losing the tension and boring the reader. Instead I found myself on the edge of my seat completely unsure of what would happen next, and even when I thought the danger was over and the happy ending was achieved, a clever surprise awaited me.
If you're looking for those old school horror vibes in a contemporary release, Janz is your guy!

Enjoyable read overall. While I wasn’t completely invested in any of the cast they were all entertaining enough, with my main drive being to see their ends. Ha. It was interesting seeing the characters (all writers) behaving and “speaking” like make of the writers out there in social media land. Gave them a bit of a grounded feeling. My favorite portion was the flashback scenes. Very moving.

Ten writers go to a writing retreat and stay at a creepy mansion with a strange reclusive author in the middle of nowhere.  What could possibly go wrong?

One of my favorite genres is horror.  I love to be scared and The Dark Game definitely had it's scary moments.  There's also plenty of gore and gruesomeness that is sure to please any horror fan. This is the first book that I've read by Janz.  I've heard great things about his horror novels, so I was very eager to read his latest.  I enjoyed his writing style and this book was a pretty fast-paced read.  I loved the creepy old house setting and the overall eerie feel of the story.  

The main problem I had with the story was the numerous main characters.  I had a difficult time trying to keep all the writers straight, and it got a little confusing, especially in the beginning.  The chapters were short (which I tend to like), but each chapter switched to a different perspective, and there were so many narrators that it became overwhelming.  I also had a hard time connecting to any of the characters, and by the end I really didn't care who survived.  I know that sounds harsh, but it's the truth.  I found the characters to be rather annoying.  

I do look forward to reading Janz's other horror novels, even though I wasn't blown away by this one.  If you love horror stories featuring plenty of characters and plenty of gruesome moments, I definitely recommend checking this book out. 

3.5/5 Stars

Many thanks to the publisher for providing me this arc via NetGalley for review.

TL; DR Read this book, read all his books, follow Jonathan Janz on his social media accounts, read this book again, read all his other books again, buy them all, gift them to friends, buy them all again, if he was in Game of Thrones he'd still be alive.

10 authors are invited to the home of esteemed writer Roderick Wells for a writers retreat of sorts, it transpires, when they've all arrived, that it's really a competition, the winner receiving an amazing book deal and oh so much money it brings little dollar signs to their eyes!

It's not your typical type of competition though, this one is more seductive, more treacherous, more twisted than any they've participated in before or even imagined they would be expected to take part in.

They are tasked to write a book, being writers I'd say that's fortuitous and they should be glad they weren't asked about their glass blowing skills and whether or not they'd could throw some shapes in an awesome dance off, as each portion of their book is written they then have to read it out loud to Roderick and the rest of the authors and prepare to receive feedback (for 'feedback' read 'to have their stories, characters and themselves degraded, ridiculed and mocked by everyone' the harshest critic being Wells himself). Not everyone is happy with the 'feedback' they receive which cues lots of infighting from the group which pleases Wells no end!

Rick is our main character, although we do follow the others as they explore the house and grounds and try to write the best story they can, he believes there is something evil about Wells 'He's a demon, a beast' but the others brush it off as eccentricity and 'his right as an extremely successful and well known published author'. Shit is about to get very real up in here!

I'm not telling anymore about the plot, I want you to go in knowing some of the details but want you to be swept away in the story like I was.

The end of every chapter has a wonderful hook that keeps you reading, continuing into the madness and mayhem going on all around, the characters are well written, their depth develops as the narrative flows, you connect with them (some more than others) and there's this underlying sense of dread slowly building, told in multiple perspectives and with letters, journal entries and excerpts of the books the characters are writing, the story takes shape, the edges are done and pieces fall into place, starting to see the bigger picture rather than separate pieces of the whole.

Everyone has secrets and as they're revealed our perceptions of the characters, for better or worse, change.

The setting is perfectly described, the huge foreboding house, the dense and creepy forest that surrounds it, the way the darkest fears of the characters manifest as the trees envelop them in their dark, wet and musty arms (I know they're called branches but I think arms sounds better), their embrace claustrophobic.

The ending is exactly how I wanted it to be, it was as if Jonathan Janz read my mind (which is disturbing considering some stuff in this book). This was the first book I've read by him and read 2 more straight after it, I'm low key stalking him on Instagram and Goodreads but shhhh don't tell him!

*Huge thanks to Jonathan Janz, Flame Tree Press and NetGalley for this copy which I chose to read and all opinions are my own*

Ten authors are taken to the secluded mansion of a famous author by the name of Roderick Wells. Their host advertised a writers’ retreat where one author will walk away with a publishing deal and two million dollars. But what happens to the other nine authors? Ten authors thinking that their own writing ability is the only thing at play to win the money, but it’s not. To win they must overcome the monsters of their pasts, their own writing obstacles, and the mysterious host, Mr. Wells. While this may be a contest to the ten authors, it is a game to Roderick Wells; a dark game.

I can’t applaud the author enough on the amount of thought and effort that was put into this book. Each character has a unique personality, past, and story to tell. The character’s moral flaws are what makes them so easy to envision. Often when reading, the author portrays the characters thoughts. Yet not so often are the thoughts so blunt and dark. Along with their innermost thoughts, the author has added pieces of their stories they write as well as a look into the darkest parts of their pasts. It was refreshing to read a book where each character is so far from “perfection”.

 The one thing I didn’t enjoy is the vast amount of nudity and erotica. In some instances it seemed to draw away from the horror elements. Yet, in others the erotica seemed to grow the element of suspense. I want to be clear that my problem was not the the erotica in general, but the vastness of it. This book seriously borders erotic horror. 

As long as you can overlook the vast amount of crude elements, this is a wonderful writing of horror. This story definitely lives up to its title. It’s dark.

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for this honest review.

You can find this review and all of my others over at www.readbookrepeat.wordpress.com 

Actual rating of 2.5

Ten writers have been selected to attend a summer program run by the great Roderick Wells. This is unlike any other retreat, as by the end, a winner will be selected to win 3 million dollars, as well as the promise of a lucrative and successful career as a world renowned author. Who wouldn't want that, right? However, the attendees soon discover that things are not what they seem the longer they spend at Mr. Wells secret property that no one knows about. As the authors begin to be whittled down, one by one, those that remain start to wonder if the promised prize is really worth the price that they're going to have to pay.

When I first read the blurb for this story, I was so excited. I'm a sucker for a story that is set in one specific location, or the story is told in one night, or something like that. I'm not sure why, I've always been drawn to them, movies and stories such as American Graffiti, Saw II, House on Haunted Hill have just always held such an appeal to me. This story was no different. Once I found out that it all happens at Roderick Well's secret estate, that the writer's were chosen out of an insurmountable amount of people, and they were basically part of a competition, I just HAD to read it. So you can imagine how excited I was when I first realised my request had been accepted. However, that excitement was short lived. 

At first, the story had me glued to the page, I couldn't wait to find out what sinister things were about to happen to these unsuspecting characters. Characters of which were written well enough, but didn't excite me really. They were more than 2 dimensional characters, that's for sure, however, some took more of a backseat to others, which was totally fine, but I kinda wanted all these characters to have a bit of the spotlight, even though I completely understand how hard that would have been. The character of Bryan Clayton was written superbly! He's an absolute arsehole, and you know this from the second you meet him. The way that Janz was able to write such an unlikable character was brilliant. He really was a character that I loved to hate. Because there is such a large cast of characters, it could be a little difficult to keep track of which past matched up to which character and so on and so forth, but after a little while it became easier to keep track of everything. Well's character was written absolutely wonderfully. He did so much as DO anything for majority of the story, but he was terrifying. To be able to write a character in this way and be able to elicit strong emotions from readers towards said character, is just a testament to Janz's ability when it comes to his craft. I've no doubt in my mind that this author is a superb horror writer, I just feel like I didn't get to see his full potential in this particular story. 

Now I know that I've been raving about the characters and how well they were written as well as praising Janz on his ability as a horror writer, so you're probably wondering why such the low rating? Well. There were things I enjoyed about the story, such as those positives mentioned above, as well as the last 15 - 20% of the story itself, that is kinda where the positives ended though. 

I found the story to become an absolute jumbled mess of chaos for most of the book. I understand what was happening, and I get the point of it all, but it just seemed so chaotic and messy. Sometimes this can really work for a story, but in this case, I felt that it played against it. Another thing that really dropped my rating on this story was that every single thing seemed to lead back to sex somehow. EVERY. SINGLE. THING. Now, before you get huffy at me, I'm not a prude, not at all. I happen to like a bit of sexy time in my stories, I feel that it can really add something to a book. In this case, because basically every single thing lead back to sex, or somehow turned into something sexual just annoyed the absolute crap out of me! It almost felt like a lot of the stuff was added in to lend a shock factor to the story, but for me it really didn't add anything at all, it just leeched so much of my enjoyment out of the read for me. And some of the sentences were just laughable such as one that springs to mind "he diddled himself expertly"...yup, that's a sentence. I just found it hard at times to take the author seriously throughout this book. 

I enjoyed the excerpt from some of the in book author stories, I found that to be a fantastic feature. And the way that Janz was able to give each story a different voice was just masterful in my opinion. 

The horror aspect of this book was very...not. I just didn't find the book that scary, yeah there was definitely some creep factors, and as I said Well's was written super terrifying, but other than a few scant incidents where I was like "wow, I wouldn't want to be in that situation" it just wasn't very horror for me. 

I've read in a lot of other reviews that people have enjoyed many of Janz's other works, but not necessarily this one. So while this book was okay, I didn't love it, however, this will not stop me from picking up another one of Janz's stories, I feel like he has a real skill, it just fell short for me in this one.

I loved everything about this book. It gave me the feeling of Clue meets Stephen King. At first I wasn't sure how I would go into it when reading the start of the novel. It seemed to move a bit slow with cliche dialogue and "oh move on already" scenes but as I read further, I found myself pleasantly surprised.
Again, I won't bother going into the synopsis simply because the blurb does so well at outlining the plot of the story. Immediately, I felt like I was drawn into a written game of Clue.
As an avid fan of the board game, I had many verbal "ah-ha" and "I knew it" moments, which I have come to love in mysteries and thrillers.
What truly won me over was the sheer beauty of the author's voice. This novel had a gorgeous use of voice. Something I rarely see and crave in today's horror. It is a treat to see such wonderful imagery and deep characters. If you've followed my reviews, you know I crave deep, flawed characters. This book delivered so well, I will definitely return to the author's other titles.
I identified with Rick and Lucy on such a deep level which does not happen for me often anymore. However, the lack of world-building hindered the novel greatly.
While I adored the character depth and suspense, the world itself lacked as much care as the characters. 
Another thing that bothered me was some of the dialogue. It seemed forced and unnatural. It became difficult at times to tell who the speaker was.
BUT!
All in all, this book, guys...I can't recommend it enough. I enjoyed it thoroughly despite the few technical errors (which let's face it, authors are human. Reviewers need to remember this).
Mr. Janz, you have another lifelong fan. You are a true storyteller. Something rare in these modern times.

Wow, this novel was so much fun!

This set-up is one we have all read or seen before in one way or another; a grand isolated house, an eccentric rich male, a group of mismatched individuals with various needs but ultimately one goal. Yet Janz is able to throw all this into the pot and cook up something new all the while saluting similar horrors that have come before. 

There was a great range of characters and I liked that they weren't all horror authors, but varied and included everything from the successful to the unpublished. Thus giving Janz the opportunity to play with stereotypes, mixing horror-tropes with caricatures from the writing/publishing world. 

Each chapter provided a different point of view which worked well as the cast of characters was so large. This allowed readers to get to know them quickly and also ensured that no horror was untold and that nothing happened "off-screen". 

This format also helped pace the book, creating a fast paced story that doesn't come close to feeling stale. And with this many characters there was plenty of fodder to be played with. Yet I didn't feel like they were all fodder and actually there were times characters were maimed or killed much earlier than I was expecting (and sometimes when I wasn't expecting it at all). I found myself shouting - "No! Not yet! I wanted to see more of *enter name here*" and although this could be frustrating it meant I stayed on my toes throughout.

There was actually a lot I enjoyed about the discussions of writing and stories within this novel, but I think if I continue gushing I may risk spoiler territory and I feel like I may have already tip-toed around that. 

I will say, while reading this, and Janz's other work, I feel I can sense his love for the genre, like a fan writing for another fan, and this is something that will always resonate with me and keep me coming back.

The pacing of this novel does add to the fun and you find yourself sprinting through this book as fast as the characters are sprinting away from the various horrors on offer. But if I had to be picky, there were times where I, personally, would have preferred some breathing space. Just for the opportunity and chance for the tension to build-up. Just a little bit more. A smidge. 

Tl;DR

Jonathan Janz's The Dark Game may seem like something we've seen before but it's been shaken up and is now bursting with new horrors and there are enough surprises for the most avid horror reader. What it may lack in tension it makes up for in splatter, fun, and a cast of characters you won't forget.

**3.5-stars**

This is the story...
...of 10 writers...
...picked to live in a mansion...
...and compete against each other...
...for one prize.

Find out what happens when people stop being polite...
...and start getting KILLED.

This was a fun little read!
I could definitely picture this as a movie and I actually think it may have worked better for me in that format.

As you may know from reading the synopsis for the book, 10 writers are selected to attend a summer-long writing retreat at a private estate property. Their host, Roderick Wells, is a renowned author himself who is eccentric and creepy AF.

We meet the 10 writers fairly rapidly at the beginning of the book and for me, I had a hard time distinguishing between some of the characters throughout; particularly the male characters.

We learn a bit about each of their pasts with particular focus on the personal demons haunting them. Some of these past reflections were definitely cringe-worthy. Something about the estate brings these pasts back to life to each character in vivid detail and with often horrific consequences. 

The gruesome scenes were definitely that and well done in my opinion.
But again, I just had a hard time keeping track of the who and the what; it was a lot to take in.

The general story line was interesting AF. I loved the premise. I wanted a bit more from the atmosphere. I think it was so large in scope, as far as the estate and its grounds went, that it lost a bit in translation.

This is my second Janz novel and I would say I enjoyed my first, The Nightmare Girl more. This being said, I will absolutely continue to read his works.

If the premise of this one sounds interesting to you at all, pick it up! I would be interested to hear what other readers think of this one.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Flame Tree Press, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I always appreciate the opportunity!

Thank you to the publisher, Flame Tree Press, for providing me with a review copy!

Last year, I read and reviewed The Siren and the Specter by Jonathan Janz, and it was a terrific experience; I loved the writing, found the characters incredibly well-crafted and the plot tightly paced. It was, without doubt, one of the best horror novels I’ve ever read. When I saw The Dark Game, Janz’s new book, pop up on my Netgalley feed I knew I had to request it, and I was extremely pleased when I got approved for it.

I dove into The Dark Game as soon as I had the time, and I managed to finish it fairly quickly. However, sadly, reading The Dark Game felt more like a chore I had to complete than an exciting adventure I could hardly wait to get back to. Now, don’t get me wrong, The Dark Game isn’t a terrible, or even a bad book, no. It simply didn’t feel special; it lacked the ‘it’ factor The Siren and the Specter had. 

I’m very much a character person; that is, I care more about the quality of characters than the plot, and unfortunately, they weren’t the most impressive here. At the very beginning of The Dark Game we are introduced to a bunch of characters: the ten authors competing in Wells’ game, as well as Wells himself, his wife and even some of their staff. It’s a lot to keep track of, and the only reason why it works is because Janz created vivid backstories for each of the ten contestants. Sadly, though, I couldn’t help, but feel as though their past sins were all these characters had going it for them – besides their wrongdoings, they didn’t have a strong personality, much less consistent development.

From what I knew of the book, it was obvious there is something sinister going on at Wells’ mansion, something that will undoubtedly result in characters dying. I love the idea that no one is safe, that anyone could drop dead at any moment, so I was fascinated by this aspect of the story. However, my fascination didn’t last long; as the characters’ backstories were revealed, I felt more and more certain of who would survive. It’s very telling when you have some despicable characters, some morally gray ones and then two that didn’t really commit a crime and are portrayed as sympathetic. Furthermore, however much Janz tried to push different characters into the spotlight, it was painfully obvious who were at the center of the novel.

I was let down by how clumsily written the relationship of and the interactions between the characters were. With ten strangers being locked up I expected to see competitiveness, ally ships forming, tension, fear, distrust… but didn’t get any of that. There were small bursts of these things, but nothing that truly impacted the story. We get a scene where three contestants gather together to discuss that they should remain kind to each other during the competition, but as this scene never leads to anything significant, I’m not even sure why it was included. Similarly, a character is falsely kind to one of the protagonists but when her insincerity is revealed it doesn’t have an impact on the story or the characters.

Finally, but perhaps most importantly, the world building was inconsistent and most of it was left unexplained. I wouldn’t be mad about the latter, as the protagonists themselves couldn’t get the full picture, but it bothered me that they weren’t even questioning how all this could be happening.

Recommended?

Even though this review couldn’t really be considered positive, I do believe The Dark Game is a novel many people will enjoy, as it is fast paced, entertaining and packs a few strong punches. It wasn’t a book I loved, but I’ll definitely give a chance to Janz’s future works. He is undoubtedly a talented writer, but, in my opinion,The Dark Game fails to show the full extent of his talent.

Wells’ mansion looked like every ghost story he’d ever read. As they drew closer, Rick couldn’t shake the feeling he was about to become part of one.

I’ve read and reviewed many of Jonathan Janz’s releases and re-releases over the last several months, and have loved all of them, but none have won me over quite as much as my first read of his, The Siren and the Specter—that is, until finishing this newest novel of Jonathan’s, The Dark Game. 

I know what haunts you, Wells gloated. I can summon it here to claim you.

Right off the bat, this synopsis ticked so many boxes for me. I love books about writers, I love plots involving competitions, and I love “retreat” settings (camps, secluded mansions, etc.). Most of all, I love when a horror story features multiple characters plagued by their own personal demons—but it’s not an easy trick to pull off, because telling these layered stories-within-a-story requires a nuanced and talented creator. Luckily, Jonathan Janz is precisely that.

“This place… is a wonderland of hideous beauty. Of dreadful passion.”

As is typically the case with one of Jonathan’s stories, there’s a wide and varied cast of characters, but I didn’t find myself losing track of who’s who or disliking the number of perspectives; if anything, it was so intriguing to watch the story-telling style change as the players began to exit the game. And boy, do they ever exit quickly; The Dark Game’s action picks up early and never lets up. 

I learned something that night. I learned that stories have incredible power. They can teach. They can transport. But they can also bring misery. They can enslave. Some stories can kill.

Up until now, I’ve always recommended that readers who are unfamiliar with Jonathan Janz titles begin with Siren, but after finishing up this incredible whirlwind of nightmarish suspense, you can’t go wrong with The Dark Game as an introduction to his work, either. I know this is going to be a new all-time favorite that I’ll be raving about for a long time to come, and I can’t wait to see what Jonathan does next to top it.

All quotes come from an advance copy and may not match the final release. Thank you so much to Flame Tree Press for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!