Josephine's Game

by Clayton Tune

It's your turn.

What happened to Shelby Gray was ruled an accident. But no one knows the real story, and Iylah Maddox is happy to leave it that way.

Now, a year later, family friends beg Iylah to watch their teenage son Cole for the night. Though she fears Shelby’s fate may become Cole’s, she reasons that perhaps things have changed. Maybe it’s really over.

Then the board game appears. Four sides, a sleek black tower, and a single die. It’s a game she’s seen just a handful of times before, and one that fills her with dread. Iylah and Cole have no choice but to roll and face what comes next. Even if it risks another life.

Set both over one night, and ten years, Josephine’s Game is a horror novel about teenage mistakes, sibling rivalries, and learning to say you’re sorry.

Are you ready to play?

Genres: Horror

320 pages, Paperback

Published October 5, 2022

About the author

Clayton Tune lives outside Washington DC with his wife, two boys, and an overly excited dog named Sausage Ball. He is a massage therapist and also enjoys most every sport, and collecting anything from the 80s and 90s.
He also makes a half-way decent Old Fashioned.

Reviews

[Laura (laurapedenjones) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Josephine's Game is a young adult horror story like no ghost story that I've ever read, and that's not a bad thing. Imagine if Jumanji was being played and one of the players was a dead girl with one thing on her mind - revenge for her twin sister. The story unfolds in dual timelines which reveal a little bit of the backstory at a time, just enough to keep readers completely invested and also in suspense for what happens next. As Ilyah and the kids under her care play the mysterious game with very deadly stakes, the terror intensifies. At times, you could cut the tension in the pages with a knife. The story is well-written, very unique, and leaves readers with an eerie sense of doubt about who is really lying in the hospital bed at the end of the story. Well done, Clayton. If you are a fan of fast-paced thrillers and/or paranormal stories to keep you guessing, you will love this twisty novel!

[Ashley Daviau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes things happen in life that just make you want to pinch yourself to see if you’re dreaming. When I got approached by Clayton to beta read this novel I thought I must be hallucinating because who on earth could possibly care that much about my opinion?! Beta reading this was the best experience and to finally get my hands on a finished copy is wicked cool. I had to read it again now that it’s all wrapped up and polished and I think I enjoyed it even more this time. From the first draft to this the difference is incredible, even though it was stellar when I first read it, you can really tell that Tune polished the hell out of this story. I really love the alternating timelines and that none of our characters are really reliable, it makes for one hell of an action and twist packed story where you can’t turn the pages fast enough. The ending still gives me shivers, there’s two moments that really spook me and really drive the ending home for me. I can’t say much else without spoiling it, just read this book and enjoy the hell out of it like I did!

[Dee | shhh.thisisalibrary · Rating 5 out of 5]

This. Book. Right. Here!
It had me on the edge of my seat, I was scared to walk around my house in the dark, I was creeped out, I was heart broken, I was angry (at characters), I was scared for the characters, I cheered for them, and that ENDING 🤯
Literal goosebumps, it’s because of that ending alone it gets all the stars!

What a great and unique story for this genre! I can say I have never read anything like this and it was pretty freakin awesome!

You will enjoy if you like:
Horror/Suspense
Haunted Board Games
Haunted Houses
Babysitter setting
Twists and turns
Mind blowing endings

If I didn’t start about a bagillion books at once I probably could have read this in one sitting! It was just so good!

Thank you so much @claytontune for my copy of this book!
If you haven’t heard of this author or this book, you have now! Do yourself a favor and add this to your tbr, your wishlist etc you’ll want this book on your next to read list!

[Stormy Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, this book was one of the first book that I knew that was under horror and not Dean Koontz. And I recently got a copy and finished reading said copy. And I absolutely loved it!

A good 👻👻👻👻👻 5 spooky ghosts for me. Not because it was hauntingly scary or I can’t sleep with the lights turned off kind of thing. No, not because of thar. It had a good amount of scare and paranormal thrill, what made me give this 5 spooky ghosts was because it draws you. For me it made me addicted to the story, it didn’t have mind boggling twists and turns but instead it gives you bits of pieces of information that helps shape the narrative of the story. Honestly gives you a thing or two to think about.

Now, the story is told in dual timelines where you are given pieces of information to form your opinion about the sisters. And honestly as I read through it, it gives you a glimpse of how nasty siblings can be towards each other. How small jokes can lead to life altering results and how “it’s just a joke” can be devastating for someone else.

It also shows how when someone truly believes they’re not in the wrong would never apologize. Iylah didn’t apologize to her sister, she never did. The only reason she felt sorry was because her sister died. She felt sorry because she caused her death. She wasn’t apologetic for what she did, she even lied about it. She just felt bad because she can be blamed for her mistakes.

[Gwendolyn Wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Iylah Maddox may seem like any other babysitter but where she goes the game will follow…

I went into this story as blindly as I could and it paid off. Now how do I review it so you’ll want to read it and also go in without knowing too much??

The story centers around Iylah a young woman who has experienced some tragic mishaps in the last few years and is trying to cope. At the prodding from her mother she takes on a babysitting job in an effort to get life back to normal.

But there is nothing normal about what will happen to her , Cole and his friends tonight when they all find themselves part of a game that has been following Iylah since her sister’s death.

What a pleasant surprise this book was for me, it’s got legitimately creepy moments, interesting characters and a format that kept me flying through the pages to find out what was going to happen. It was like if jumunji was a YA horror.
I had a great time with this story , one of the best I’ve read this year. Don’t let the minimalistic cover fool ya, it’s a banger.

5 Stars ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Cindy (leavemetomybooks) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't want to talk about this in too much detail because I don't want to accidentally spoil something, so I'm going to be a little vague!

What I loved:
- The back and forth timeline - Tune did a great job gradually rolling out the story of what happened between Iylah and Josephine and really ratcheting up the tension without the pace feeling draggy - not an easy feat!
- The spooky AF game -- I mean... just having to stick your hand in a hole is bad enough, and that's only the start of the freaky business!
- The ending was really fun - A+ twist!

What I didn't love:
- Some of the dialogue felt forced/strange, and - this is entirely a ME problem with a perfectly valid stylistic choice - I get cranky readin' truncated endings, and there were a lot of them, so I found them really distracting.
- There were a few points where the characters were just TOO dumb - like constantly wanting to split up and randomly needing to use the bathroom - they needed to hit their marks, but I wish there had been some different choices about how to get them where they needed to be to keep the story moving.

Overall this was an enjoyable YA horror/thriller, and I hope to read more books by Tune in the future! I'm going to pass it along to my 14 year old daughter to read, who conveniently has a close friend named Josephine who also happens to be a twin...

* Thanks so much to Clayton Tune for sending me a copy of his book to read and review!

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book have it when Blair Witch mash Jumanji. How can a game be so evil & at the end it is really a happy ending? 😬

[Sam · Rating 2 out of 5]

FIrst, I want thank Clayton Tune for this gifted copy. I had promised I would read this in November 2022 and got around to in Feb 2023. I am not usually a YA reader but I definitely thought the description sounded good and I’m getting more and more into the horror genre.

Iylah recenty lost her twin sisters in a boating accident and has been carrying the grief every since. The book switches between multiple time periods, giving the reader background of the relationship between the two sisters. As Iylah is greiving, she experiences two tramatic events, one leaving a child dead under her care. This has strained Iylah’s ability to connect with friends or even leave the house. One night, her mom asks her to babysit for a friends child and shes hesitant to do so since the last time she did, the child died. Reluctantly she agrees and upon arrival, she notices the dreaded game her sister made, forcing her and the teen she is watching to play. As the story switches between time tables, you get glimpses of the actions of the game and why they are haunting the group who is playing.

I gave Clayton my word that I would provide an honest review. Overall, this story was a knock off version of Jumanji. Now, I love all the Jumanji movies but this one.. not so much. I know this book was catered to a young audience and I could see how someone in their teens would love it but for me, I was getting bored about half way through. The book did immediately catch my attention and I was eager to read more but the switching between time tables got to be unnecessary and felt the book could have focused more on the game itself rather than the back history. Many of the chpaters were drawn out and could have been cut in half. Also, there was A LOT of bodily function mentions - urination, periods, etc., this was unneeded - at least each chapter someone was going to the restroom. The “horror” was mild and definitely felt it could have either been amped up or camped up. Honestly, I kept wishing the hunter from Jumanji would have shown up to make it more interesting! Overall, if you are a YA reader, this might be for you but I think I have written this genre off completely. 2.5 ⭐️s — since I don’t round up, GR = 2 ⭐️s.

[Misty McClaskey · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like scary stories…

This is an author I found via TikTok, and I have purchased all 3 of his books he has written so far! I will also add that this is a young adult novel. But, reader/teacher - blah blah blah - I don’t ever mind reading young adult fiction.

This is a modern, scary version of Jumanji. There is a board game. Every time you roll, bad things happen. If you land on certain spaces, your partner has to put their hand in a black tower/tube and grab the item the board game provided to them. And what comes out is helpful… or sometimes not. There were a TON of references to bad things that happened in the past. The book bounces between the current game and all the crazy things that happen while playing, and all of the crazy things that have happened in the past that lead up to the whole board game being created/ being played. Once you start the game, you must finish it! Super suspenseful. If school was not in session, I would have read this in one swoop because I absolutely HAD to know what was next. I volleyed between liking the main character and hating her. Other characters that were introduced were the same way. One minute they had my heart. The next minute I was so mad at them being horrible people. Constant volley… I had no clue which end was up sometimes! And believe it or not, there were some very good suspenseful, jump scare types of moments! And if nothing I have said so far sounds good, then know you have to read this simply to see what happens at the end. Because NUH UH!!!!!!!!!

If recommending to a young adult, this book has no inappropriate scenes. And by scary, it is freak out jump scare type stuff, not dark horror.

Also adding that I downloaded this on my kindle. But it doesn’t matter. I will probably buy a hard copy of it too!

[Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Josephine's Game is a YA horror spin on Jumanji, where the ghost of main character Ilyah's twin sister is trapped in the game, playing for revenge on what happened the fateful night she drowned on their 19th birthday party. In the 3 years that have passed since that night, Ilyah has been terrorized by the board game that Josephine designed as a child, which mysteriously appears when hanging out with her friends or on babysitting jobs. Once it appears, you have to play, otherwise Bad. Things. Happen. On one such instance, not playing resulted in the death of her charge. There are several timelines and multiple parts to each flashback, so sometimes the chronology was a little hard to follow. When the book started, you perceive Ilyah as the victim in the story, but as more layers are revealed, you realize that she is not quite the good, innocent person she seemed to be, treating her slightly less popular and awkward twin terribly throughout their teen years. One thing I thought the author did really well was the portrayal of teen/college girl cattiness and mentality, which I actually found surprising coming from a male author, as I tend to find female characters written by men to be somewhat unrealistic. I did see the ending coming on this one, but overall thought this would be a good entry level horror story for someone who wants to try something different or for a teen looking to dip their toes into the genre.

💕 Thank you to the author for providing me with a copy of Josephine's Game to review.

[Mandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

*I was provided a copy of this book by the author for an honest review. I thank the author for this opportunity*

I sped read this when I should have DNF’d. This is a horror retelling of Jumanji centering around a troubled relationship between two twin sisters - one alive and one not so alive. The premise of this book has potential and it is somewhat fun, but there is far too much going on. I feel this would have been better if more concise and as a short story or novella.

This has very short chapters bouncing across several timelines. There are also an incredible amount of characters with a lot of bits and pieces of backstory that I felt were unnecessary and made the story even harder to follow. This book may be for some, especially if you like things that are very busy and keep your head turning. I totally respect that, but this is not for me.

I’m a very critical reader and I found the references to teenage girl urination and other bathroom habits to be to be a major turn-off aside from downright unnecessary. I noticed a few things that were either misprints or things that should have been caught by an editor as well.

I wish I had more fun and I did see the book through to the end. Unfortunately, this wasn’t my bag but I do believe everyone should give this a try. My opinion may very well differ from yours!

[Scott Roche · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Goods - The characters were written fairly well. Iylah, the main character, develops a conscience due to a tragedy, but is it enough? The other kids and adults in the story behave about how I'd expect, even given some of the supernatural elements. The plot is well executed, spread as it is over four time periods. He interweaves the four threads in a very non-linear fashion unveiling the mystery behind the game. This does affect the pacing some but he knows when to cut away from the time frame he's in.

The Bads - Iylah comes across ultimately as a pretty unsympathetic character in the earlier years. Kids, especially siblings, can be hard on each other for sure so it's not that her behavior is unrealistic. But there's the disconnect between younger Iylah and adult Iylah that broadens as the story progresses. We get told why she changes more than shown. And finally, the ending. No spoilers here, but I think I see what he was going for and either I misunderstood or he didn't quite stick the landing. A bit more detail could have cleared the whole thing up.

Overall - This was a satisfying and quick read. More thriller than horror, this would be a good read for anyone 14-15 on up. I'll definitely be reading more of his stories. The goods certainly outweigh the bads.

[Stefanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The lake waves splashed against her toes; a chilling sensation as the water hit her skin. She looked down into the murky illusion as the water stirred and saw something glimmer. She bent down and reached into the lake, grasping for the object. She wrapped her fingers around it and pulled it loose… a black marble.

Josephine’s Game is a YA horror novel telling the story of Iylah who is dealing with repercussions of her past and trying very hard to keep those secrets and regrets hidden. But when a game appears while she’s babysitting… beckoning them to play or else… the past threatens to kill.

This was a very entertaining horror and I thoroughly enjoyed the game aspect of this story. The flashbacks into the past helped piece the story together as the game unfolded and made for a high stakes read. I would have loved for even more horror moments!

If you’re a fan of game related horror and multiple timeline narratives, then you may enjoy giving this book a read!

TW: Death of a Loved One, Death of a Pet, Bullying, Physical Violence.

[Horror Haus Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can honestly say that this was hands down my favorite indie read of the year. Actually forget the indie part - this is probably my actual favorite read of the year altogether. I’ve definitely read a lot of great indies this year, but man, does this one take the damn cake. I get asked to review books that don’t always fall into my preferred genre of reading, which is totally fine, I like stepping out of my comfort zone. BUT. The synopsis of the book alone was 100% something I would pick up and buy in a bookstore. I was not disappointed and I could NOT PUT IT DOWN. I am in love, obsessed, and infatuated with this book.

Think of this book as like a horror Jumanji game. You’ve got a creepy board game, a ghost girl basically forcing you to play and young lives at stake. It’s a wild ride. Taking place both over one night and tens years prior, this book gets all of the stars. Every. Last. One.

[lee_readsbooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
Imagine a paranormal Jumanji. The person stuck in the game is dead, and you, innocent victim, are now playing for your life.

You're playing Josephine's game and she makes the rules or you pay the consequence.
Taking place on a timeline of ten years ago, two years ago, one year ago, and the present this book had me hooked. I was fooled for about 100 pages before the light bulb went off as to what was actually happening and I loved every bit!
Tune had really breathed life into the characters, they were flawed and authentic.
Josephine's Game is a Young Adult Horror novel about a girl who's past has come back to haunt her and the consequences of keeping secrets too big to bear.

My only criticism is that the editing wasn't without fault. I got confused with names on a couple of occasions, errors that should have been corrected by an editor.

I highly recommend this one if you're a fan of YA Horror or multiple timeline narratives.

[Alex Neuse · Rating 5 out of 5]

🎲🎲🎲🎲🎲 / 5

Thank you to the author for a free physical copy in exchange for my honest review!

I was blown away by this one and will be thinking about it for a while! It’s like a horror version of Jumanji, which I absolutely loved! I appreciated how the author wrote about some of the challenges that occur between sisters during childhood. I think the author made parts of this super relatable—and you can tell he’s had a huge female presence in his life. Now on to the horror: I was genuinely scared at times, which doesn’t happen to me often because I’m well aware that it’s just a book, but this felt all too real. I could go on and on, but the takeaway is that this was incredible and so well written, and I hope that everyone checks it out!

[Nicole Kapels · Rating 5 out of 5]

I try to read as many books from Indie authors as I can. Some are disappointing but some, like this one, knock it out of the park. I loved this book so much! Normally I hate flipping from past to present, but in this book it was a good choice. Just when I thought I was understanding what was happening we would get another small glimpse into what happened in the past. The deeper you get into the book you see why the past was so important to what was happening in the present day. The jumanji type game was interesting as well! I have seen some reviews not liking the ending but me personally I thought it was very fitting. If you are looking for super gory horror you won’t find it here. It’s more psychological in my opinion, which I enjoyed. All in all it was a fantastic read!

[Lexie C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5 stars.
Fast paced YA thriller that reminds me of spooky horror movies and Jumanji? Yes please. When I saw this on the authors tiktok I knew I had to give it a read. This book scratched and itch I didn’t know I had.
You follow the main character, Iylah as she goes to babysit a teenager, and she’s nervous about it. The last time she babysat, things went wrong. As the night goes on and they are forced to play a game, or else. Throughout the book we learn about Iylah’s past and why this game keeps following her. I loved how the story came together at the end. I definitely recommend this one!

[cristie read · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow… just wow. I’m a little speechless right now. I love when a book can have that affect on me. I was a little skeptical at first because I was thinking it was going to be just like Jumanji. The fact that they are both games and things happen in game play and the only way to stop it is to finish the game is the only part in common. But the characters are so well written and the story between the sisters…
I actually spoke to the characters and tried to warn them or tried to get them to stop talking and play the game.
I’m trying not to say too much as you want the surprise. I love board games but I might wait a while before I play another one.

[Stefany Krantz · Rating 5 out of 5]

🎲 Book Review 🎲

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Wow! This book grabbed me by my face and sucked me right in! After the first couple chapters I didn’t want to stop.

This book. It’s sibling rivalry, it’s supernatural, and it’s supernatural revenge. I love how this was written. It takes you through present day and also gives you the back story on why things are happening the way they are. The secrets that people think will never be told. Some secrets never die.

Read this book! Run 🏃‍♀️ and go get a copy!

Thank you to @claytontune for the review copy!

[Kristin Keele · Rating 5 out of 5]

Engrossing, mysterious, and haunting. After losing Shelby, Iylah doesn't want to be responsible for Cole. What if he sufers the same fate? They may have ruled what happened to Shelby as an accident but Iylah knows the truth. In her hopes that life is back to normal, she decides to watch Cole but quickly find out nothing is back to normal. Clayton really had my glued to this book, it's all written and easy to follow. The plot is rich and the characters are well developed. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. As a matter of fact I liked it so much I want to read his other books.

[Amanda Manns · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! What a twist at the end?!

When I first started this book, I was thinking, "What the heck is going on?". I was absolutely confused, but the more I read, the better it was.

Iylah and Josephine's relationship is just like any siblings, but Iylah tends to be a little harsh. They are both jealous of the other, which is sad because they are twins.

I could not put this book down. I had to force myself to go to bed, lol. I just couldn't wait to see what happened at the end, and the ending didn't let me down!

[Shana Stephens · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book hooked me from page 1, and I finished it within two days because the story was so enthralling. All of the characters were done very well. Everyone had a different personality and seemed so real. The dialogue was excellent, and the suspense as you read wondering what would happen next kept me turning each page. Though I loved this book, I have mixed feelings about the end, but I won't spoil it!

[whatthe_didijustread · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5⭐ rounded up

This book has everything I love--suspense, short chapters, board games and a reason to finally put those Duolingo Klingon lessons to work--check, check, check and check 💪 just kidding, I gave up on Klingon after like, the 5th lesson because it was super hard. But this book? Loved it!

If you love board games, turbulent sibling relationships, or supernatural stories then this one's for you.

Thanks to the author for the free copy in exchange for a review!

[Emily Clemons · Rating 5 out of 5]

I took a chance on this when I came across this on tiktok and it did not disappoint. I love how easy the story is to read.
I enjoyed the flash backs as I feel like it explained how we got to the ending g of the book and why Ilyah's sister would want revenge from the grave.
I love the feeling of it being like jumunji but light horror, and as I was reading the ending I was shocked as I was putting it together.
I would love to read this again and am happy to have it in my collection.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars (rounded up)

Remember those late 90’s/early 00’s vengeful ghost movies? Stir of Echoes, What Lies Beneath etc (the first being based on a book!) well if you take those and jumble them up with the original Jumanji……voila! You have Josephine’s Game. This book gave me strong supernatural YA fiction vibes. The story is told via multiple timelines and I found myself heavily invested in the past ones as they were character driven with the mystery unfolding slowly and had me looking forward to the next revelation whereas the present timeline was much more action packed, fast paced and felt a little more 2 dimensional. And the main character - I’m just going to say it - what a dick!!! I did not care for her at all, no siree. Consequently, I was delighted with the ending!! If you like board games, teenage drama and revenge seeking ghosts you should check this book out!!

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a start to 2023! When Clayton Tune messaged and asked if I wanted to read his novel about a girl whose dead twin haunts her through a board game I couldn’t say yes fast enough.

“He popped a chip into his mouth and spoke, while chewing, ‘I get anything else if I win?’

‘Yeah,’ Iyalah mumbled, taking a seat. ‘Nightmares.’”

This book was creepy! Think Jumangi, but with ghosts. Iyalah is spending the weekend babysitting fifteen year old Cole when a mysterious board game appears in the house. Iyalah has seen this game before—it has appeared twice since her sister’s death and each time there have been terrible consequences.

It took me a minute to get into the groove with the past and present narrative but after just a couple of chapters I could not put it down! What a creepy, interesting, original narrative. I loved the evolution of the characters—especially Iyalah as we learned about her past actions. This also reminded me a little of The Ring, which is one of my all time favorite scary movies. While I would never play Josephine’s Game myself, this book is definitely worth picking up.

[Shelby Nero · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished this book in less than 2 days—I couldn’t put it down!!! This story grabbed my attention right away and was fast paced all the way to the last page. It’s super creepy and I think I’ll need to sleep with a night light for a few nights 😅 Definitely recommend this story if you like thrillers, paranormal activity, and games.

[Heather (Bookedwithheather) · Rating 4 out of 5]

𝘛𝘏𝘐𝘕𝘎𝘚 𝘐 𝘌𝘕𝘑𝘖𝘠𝘌𝘋

🎲The alternating timeline
🎲Was like a creepy haunted Jumangi
🎲Characters
🎲Fast paced
🎲Descriptive writing

𝘛𝘏𝘐𝘕𝘎𝘚 𝘐 𝘋𝘐𝘋𝘕'𝘛 𝘌𝘕𝘑𝘖𝘠 𝘈𝘚 𝘔𝘜𝘊𝘏

♟️I am a huge horror lover so I would have liked it to be scarier 😂

〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️

🎲♟️Overall if you are a fan of multiple timelines and horror games then you’ll definitely enjoy this one. I give it a thumbs up!👍🏻

[Damita Perez · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made imagination run wild, which is a dangerous past time for sure!

Iylah has to go babysit. She's isolated herself for a year after a kid in her care had an unfortunate accident. Now? She just wants to play a game with the new kid!

This gave me so many Jumanji and Zathura feels but think more ghost and spooky board game.

I adored this and I'll be reading it every Halloween!