I loved choose your own adventures books as a kid, and I thought this book was fun. The story was compelling enough that I wanted to see it through to the end. The only thing missing was the flipping backs and forth to the various pages like you did in the physical books way back when, but clicking links to find out what happens was fun too

Try Not to Die: In a Dark Fairy Tale by Mark Tullius is a fun and interesting read. Its like I stepped into a twisted fairy tale with the old school choose your own adventure play. But of course add the creepy vibes. The plot keeps you guessing with each choice and it's hard to put down once you start.

The cover art is also well-done, it captures the eerie, creepy vibe of the story, with dark illustrations that give away the vibe of the book and the journey your about to enter. If you enjoy a mix of dark humor and horror with a nostalgic fairy tale feel, you'll likely find this book interesting. It's a good choice when you want something different and a bit thrilling.

I would recommend this book with the interactive and participation required to read. I think many will choose to reread it just to see the alternative choices that could have been made

Died on my first choice, ugh. I love these books so much though, I can't wait to see what the next one is about. Definitely a must read!

This book had a great plot with intriguing characters. I’ll definitely be looking out for more from this author.

Thank you Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review

4.3

"Try Not to Die in a Dark Fairytale" by Mark Tullis is an engaging and interesting fairytale. I am appreciative of the formatting, especially when jumping between choices. It genuinely took me a while to figure out which route should be taken. The stories, although derived from classical tales that we are familiar with, have interesting retellings, and it makes you want to constantly root for Keaton! The plot includes great detail, and although some aspects are easy to predict, the book is still interesting.

A great interactive choose your adventures for younger ages!

Well that was so much fun! It totally brought me right back to my childhood and the choose your own adventure books. I always felt that I was missing out in the choose your own adventure because it just seemed to let you go on and on. With this novel, there is definitely a right answer I love the fact that if you get it wrong, the moment is played out and it tells you to try again. The answers aren’t always obvious either.
There were a lot of very cool combinations of classic fairytale elements mixed with folklore and common insects and animals. Super creative, I really enjoyed the beastiary.
I’m keen to try out more from this Try Not to Die series.

Ever since I read TNTD: Slashtag, I’ve fallen in love again with these interactive adventures. They’re just so fun and addicting, and I love the variety within the genre.
Try Not To Die In A Dark Fairy Tale takes us on an adventure in a magical realm where our underdog hero has to survive a quest for the throne, mythical foes, a deranged brother — all this in the company of a talking sword. How could this not be amazing?
These interactive adventures will always be incredibly nostalgic for me, and will forever hold a special place on my (virtual) shelf.

So much fun! Took a couple times to get a The End! I learned i shouldnt trust my instincts😂
A "you" pov (if that makes sense) in an interactive choose your way fantasy horror
After your father the king dies you go on a journey (kinda like the Neil Gaiman Stardust Princes) to claim your right to the throne and side adventures that can either get you killed or help you

I really loved the idea of an interactive story because I loved those RL Stine ones (was it him or someone else?) from back in the day. The nostalgia of it, choosing my own course, kept me intrigued, but the book itself failed to. The first choice I made ended up leading to a Try Again, so I tried. That also led to a try again.
Ultimately, I didn't make it to the end. It wasn't the book per say, but it was the constant wrong choices I made, etc.

I am NOT the demographic for this book, but love the Choose Your Own Adventures concept! I bet there are going to be older teens or adults who will enjoy this story! I've never encountered books of this sort for an older reader. NIce! If one likes fairy tales with a bit of a twist- this book will be for them. Fun story, lots of gore, well-written. Good luck trying not to die at every turn! But a fun adventure!

I died so many times in this book…I don’t think I’d be surviving a dark fairy tale without having the try again option…

I liked the interactive element of the book. The actual plot wasn’t anything groundbreaking but it was still enjoyable and I liked the elements of fairy tales that was used throughout.

The only main problem I had was the interactive element. I found this made the story or plot sometimes confusing as I was jumping around a lot (maybe says more about my choices in this book) and I got lost several times. I don’t think any of the characters had any real personality to them - we were told the characters traits but they rarely seemed to show them and sometimes their personalities seemed a bit two dimensional.

For those reasons, I have only given it a 3 ⭐️ rating but I think this was mainly because I don’t think interactive books are for me. I find them to jarring in terms of plot and characters. But it was enjoyable and I would still recommend it to people who want to try something new or just explore a different kind of book.

On a personal note: I had a great time with this! Your childhood brought to you as an adult, with a more mature set of twists. I've read a few of these now and it's just consistently fun. The writing and formatting are always well done, this is hands down the easiest series to interact with in terms of "make your own choice". I loved the way this one highlighted the differences between "winning" and being a leader, and used each choice as another step in that process. All in all, 4.5 stars from me!





On a professional note: This entire series is such a fun addition to any library, both public and personal. It revives the popularity of choose-your-own-adventure, but brings it to the adults who grew up on the originals in a fresh new way. I am really looking forward to more of these, and will be seeking to add this line to my system.

3.5 stars. I received this from Netgalley. I have never read an interactive book before so I was excited to start this. I was fairly confident I would survive with my decisions, but on my first try, I got everyone killed including myself. Then I died like 9 more times. This was a fun read. I liked the dark fairytale themes.

This was a pretty cool read. I love anything fairy tales and while this wasn't them in the traditional way you still get a sense of the while reading. It was such a ride and would recommend if it's your vibe

This was my very first TNTD book. I went in thinking how hard could it be, the main character is noble and wants to prove he will be a better king, so make all the choices an honourable prince would make. Hah. I think I went through every choice possible and died several times- luckily, you can go back and rechoose. The very end of the book is a “survivors version” which has the novel in its entirety based on making all the correct assumptions. Which I did read, and while it’s not a literary masterpiece on its own, it was a fun and wild ride, and surprisingly unpredictable.

It is of course a fairly short story if you manage to get all the correct answers- but I’d be very surprised if anyone actually did that. It was a cute story, unpredictable, and while there’s not a lot of character depth- I don’t think I expected that in a pick your own story type book.

Overall I think I’d read another one.