Mark Tullius and Evan Baughfman’s Try Not to Die: In a Dark Fairy Tale is an immersive and spine-chilling foray into the realm of interactive storytelling. This book marries the whimsy of fairy tales with the grim horrors of survival, creating a dark, twisted narrative where every choice has consequences—many of them deadly.

The story plunges readers into a shadowy world filled with malevolent creatures, cursed woods, and morally ambiguous characters. The interactive format shines here, pulling readers into the protagonist’s perilous journey where each decision feels urgent and personal. One wrong move can lead to an untimely demise, adding a palpable sense of dread to the reading experience.

The prose is vivid and atmospheric, capturing the eerie beauty and menace of the fairy-tale world. Tullius and Baughfman have crafted a narrative that balances suspense and pacing, ensuring that every twist and turn keeps readers on edge. The characters, though archetypal in some ways, are layered enough to evoke empathy—or suspicion—depending on the scenario.

One standout aspect is how well this format translates to eReader devices. For anyone who grew up reading choose-your-own-adventure books in physical form, this digital iteration is a revelation. The interactivity is seamless, with each choice flowing naturally and smoothly—so much so that I found myself completely absorbed in the experience. I read this on my eReader, and it was so well-executed that I’ll be grabbing the rest of the series this holiday season, just because I missed this type of fun.

Overall, Try Not to Die: In a Dark Fairy Tale is an innovative adventure that pushes the boundaries of interactive fiction. It’s a must-read for those who enjoy the blend of fairy tales and horror, for anyone who relishes a challenge—and for anyone who loves how beautifully interactive fiction can thrive in a digital format.

Rating: 4.5/5

Are you ready for a fun choose your own book, cause this is that.

This took me back to my childhood reading goosebumps choose your owns. In this story we are Prince Barnaby who has to go into the wild woods to bring back 5 trophies to win his fathers crown. His competition is his ruthless twin brother Keaton. I had soo much fun choosing what I think the character should do, now I did die a lot but thankfully there is a try again section so you can go back and rechoose. The story was interesting I loved the twist on classic fairy-tale characters. This was just such a good read and I couldn't put it down.

The novel *Once Upon a Death* presents a captivating reimagining of the traditional fairy tale, elevating it to an interactive experience where each decision holds the potential for either triumph or peril. Immerse yourself in a realm where happily-ever-afters are a rarity and one's ability to endure is contingent upon intellect, bravery, and a touch of providence.

Enjoy!

I am absolutely loving these choose your own adventure books! The one thing I really love about these, if you die in the book before the end, you do not have to start the book over again. The author will tell you what page to go to so you can continue. You can also just read it the right way so you don’t die. I recently found out that this author has written a bunch of these and I can’t wait to read the next one!

As with previous installments in the "How Not to Die" series, this is a ton of fun. I appreciated the insidious royal and fairy tale creatures.

The premise is two princes are sent into the dark woods on a task and the one to return first (and victorious) gets to become the next king.

Are there deaths? Yes! Are they fun? Also, yes. Though, notably, I've either gotten much better at choosing my fate or this one was a little easier to navigate. I died far more in Slashtag.

That being said, this is an entertaining and fast trip into the dark woods where you'll face creatures, fairy tale characters, and death.

Try Not To Die: In a Dark Fairy Tale by Mark Tullius and Evan Baughfman

Try Not To Die: In a Dark Fairy Tale is a fast paced choose your own adventure horror fantasy. With the king’s death eminent, he sends his twin sons Barnaby and Keaton on a quest to find and bring back five conquests from the Enchanted Woods. The woods are teaming with mythical monsters and creatures that can kill any who enter. This story reminds me of the books I used to devour as a teenager, loving the grisly challenges and deaths that awaited the wrong choice. I wasn’t sure how a choose your own adventure book would work in kindle form, but I loved it. The flipping between choices was great. I definitely enjoyed the story and the way the characters developed as the story went on. This was probably one of my favorite reads this year as it was just so different, yet enjoyable.

The story was well written, tying in different Grimm characters in fun new ways. This is definitely not a boring read.

Follow two princes on a deadly quest through an enchanted and wicked forest: who will return alive to claim the crown?

This dark and gruesome fairy tale "choose-your-own-adventure" story was full of nostalgia and the format took me way back to my 1980s elementary school library. The clever organization and decision-making/immersive element was a strength, and while the writing was fine, it would not have held my attention without the promise of an upcoming deadly choice, but the overall reading experience was fun.

Thank you to Netgalley and Vincere Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc!

The storyline is very interesting, I love choose your own adventure type books.

Will definitely look for more from this author!

*Once Upon a Death* offers a thrilling twist on the classic fairy tale, transforming the genre into an interactive adventure where every choice can lead to glory or doom. This engaging story throws you into a world where happy endings are hard to come by, and survival depends on your wits, courage, and a bit of luck.

As the heir to the throne of Vallorum, you and your twin brother are tasked with a perilous quest to determine who will inherit the crown. With your father, King Dorian, on his deathbed, you must venture into the treacherous Wild Woods and defeat five formidable villains. The challenge is not just physical but mental, as you face monsters, magic, and mayhem at every turn.

Your twin, Prince Keaton, is a seasoned warrior, having spent his life honing his combat skills and athletic abilities. In contrast, you have spent your time immersed in books and arcane knowledge. To level the playing field, you are equipped with a bloodthirsty talking blade and a tome of magical secrets. However, these gifts alone won't guarantee your success; you'll need to navigate the dangers and obstacles of the Wild Woods with shrewdness and strategy.

The stakes are high, as Keaton is relentless in his pursuit of the crown and will stop at nothing to secure his victory. Your decisions are crucial; every choice can lead to one of more than two dozen possible ways to meet your end. The path to the throne is fraught with peril, and only one correct route will lead you to victory.

Fans of interactive storytelling will find much to love in *Once Upon a Death*. Echoing the spirit of *Goosebumps®* and *Choose Your Own Adventure®* books, it offers a richly detailed world and a dark, compelling narrative that keeps you on the edge of your seat. The numerous branching paths and potential outcomes ensure a replayable experience, with each playthrough revealing new challenges and twists.

If you relish the idea of a fairy tale where survival requires more than just good fortune, and you enjoy the thrill of making pivotal decisions that can lead to success or demise, *Once Upon a Death* is a must-read. Embrace the adventure, face the dangers, and prove that you have what it takes to claim the royal throne.

I could not get on with the writing style in this one at all. It felt very masculine and the humour was not my style. Leech the sword was too cringey, I didn't care what happened to Barnaby (and enjoyed going down the wrong paths to read about his hideous deaths). Normally I'm a fan of punny names too, but this time, no.

This was a well written book. My 13 year old boy loved it. He was happy to only "die" three times. He seemed to enjoy the story and talked about it nonstop for a few days.

I found out it wasn't my cup of tea as I kept reading, but I still finished. I was a little overwhelmed by the amount of fairy tales thrown in and kept getting frustrated by some of the choices we had.

This story is much better suited for teens as long as they can take darker stories.

I was given this book in exchange for me honest review.

I enjoyed the concept of this book, it’s been a long time since I’ve read a choose your own adventure book. This one was full of gore and deaths, which made it even more entertaining. It was an easy read and made you keep going back for more to get different scenarios.

Great book.
As a child I loved the "Choose your own adventure" type of books and why is it so dificult to find similar books as an adult? Well, this one has satiated at last my craving.
The story is compelling, well written and the path the story will take with each decision is not easy to foresee, and I really loved that.

I enjoyed this quite a bit actually and it peaked my interest in the other works in this series sort of thing, I think that the characters were well executed and the descriptions of the creatures really put an image in my mind very entertaining.

What's better than a dark fairy tale? Right, an interactive fairy tale!! I just love it!! Already with my very first choice I had to start over ^^
To be completely honest, the story itself - or at least the version I got so far - wasn't that amazing, but honestly who cares when I had that much fun?! Definitely recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. This book took me back to the days of my youth with the Choose Your Own Adventure books, which were a favorite of mine. I really enjoyed the story, especially the dark spins on the fairy tales we all know; Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Little Miss Muffet, Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, etc. I liked going through each option just to find out how the character would die; some of the ways was quite creative. Overall a great interactive read, perfect for fans of either fantasy and/or horror!

I DNFed because there is a problem with connecting links. It started off fun but then was not progressing as it should

Thank you to NetGalley and Vincere Press for providing me with a review copy of this text in exchange for an honest review!

'Try Not to Die in a Dark Fairy Tale: An Interactive Adventure' is a interactive story that focuses on two heirs to the crown, Barnaby (MC) and his twin brother Keaton, as their father is dying and needs to decide on which of them will become the new king.

The two of them are sent into the Enchanted Woods with the task of defeating 5 villains and bringing back proof of their victory, the first to do so taking the crown. But is it as straight forward as all seems?

Firstly this book is aimed at the YA genre and is incredibly easy to read and follow, and like many interactive stories it engages you all the time. You become Barnaby and share his toils on his quest. I've always enjoyed these style of books from my childhood and this one does a great job of gripping you and making you fear for Barnaby's safety. However my one complaint would be that there is no multiple routes here, there is one correct path and it's a pretty good ending. I like it when there are multiple endings and you have to work out how to get there.

I would definitely recommend this story to younger readers and I think it's enjoyable to most ages if they're fans of fantasy and interactive adventure storie.

Thanks again to NetGalley and Vincere Press for providing me with a review copy in exchange for this book.

Rating: 4/5

This may be a fairytale and you can be a prince but don’t expect to find yourself a happily ever after! A choose your own adventure horror book for adults….so of course, my inner child screamed at me that I
Just HAD TO READ this. It was a really fun experience reading an ebook choose your own adventure, especially when you select your answer and it jumps to the corresponding part of the book for you (no searching the page number necessary), the only downfall with this is you can’t read the other options without starting at the beginning of the book. I was no Prince Charming, and actually made a lot of deadly decisions (which was kind of fun) and it was a lot harder to survive in this fairytale than expected. I enjoyed the multiple readings I had trying to beat my brother to the crown and become king, especially well trying to be a good person and not a cowardly lion. I would definitely read more of this series, and it was a great pick for the drive up to the cottage as we all had an entertaining time together taking turns picking our destiny.
It’s a great book for teens, y/an and adults , looking for something fun to read. This is an easy read and definitely not super gory or sexual or too scary. I would recommend this ebook version of the series for anyone who wants that nostalgic feeling of a choose your own adventure without a physical book because it is exactly the same feeling but you don’t need to flip through the book, the software does it perfectly and the price is affordable, especially if you are not going to read the book again. If you like this kind of book and will read it multiple times go out and buy a physical edition for yourself! I’m just not likely to invest in this kind of thing unless it’s an ebook because I am less likely to reread it multiple times.

Try Not to Die: In a Dark Fairy Tale is a "Choose Your Own Adventure" type book. It definitely reminded me of the Goosebumps ones from years ago.
The goal for this book is to make it to the end-alive. In this book you are a prince who must go on a quest to defeat five villains. Your brother is also doing the quest, and the winner will be crowned king. Your brother is not a great person, so you want to make sure you can win the challenge so he does not become king.

It was a little long-winded, but it was a lot of fun. The choices are endless and creative. I think it was a great YA read if you grew up with the Goosebumps version. I will say, it was difficult and I did not survive a lot with my original choices, but that was all part of the experience. I would definitely read more of these.