ARC provided by Vincere Press in exchange for an honest review.

In Try Not to Die: At Dethfest, the seventh installment in this innovative interactive adventure series, authors Mark Tullius and Glenn Hedden deliver a thrilling ride that blends horror and humor in a uniquely engaging format. This book invites readers to step into a world where their choices shape the narrative, leading to multiple paths and outcomes that heighten the excitement with each page turned.

Set against the electrifying backdrop of Dethfest—a fictional heavy metal music festival teeming with both adrenaline and danger—this installment plunges readers into a chaotic atmosphere filled with memorable characters and sinister threats. Tullius and Hedden have masterfully crafted a setting that resonates with metal enthusiasts, incorporating elements of the genre that amplify the tension and create a vivid, immersive experience.

The interactive nature of the book is its standout feature, allowing readers to make choices that directly influence the plot and outcome. This format adds a layer of suspense, as each decision carries weight, and the potential for unexpected consequences is ever-present. The authors cleverly balance this interactivity with a well-structured storyline, ensuring that even with branching paths, the narrative remains cohesive and engaging.

Character development shines through, as readers meet a cast of eclectic festival-goers, each with their quirks and motivations. Tullius and Hedden infuse humor and personality into their characters, making them relatable and entertaining. As readers navigate the story, they will find themselves invested in the characters’ fates, amplifying the stakes of their choices.

The writing style is fast-paced and dynamic, capturing the frenetic energy of the festival while maintaining a sense of foreboding that horror fans will appreciate. Tullius and Hedden expertly blend suspenseful moments with lighter, comedic elements, creating a well-rounded reading experience that never loses momentum.

Try Not to Die: At Dethfest is a refreshing addition to the interactive fiction genre, combining thrilling storytelling with the immersive experience of making choices that matter. It’s a perfect read for fans of horror, metal culture, and anyone looking for a unique literary adventure that keeps them on their toes.

Overall, this installment is an exhilarating ride that promises fun, fear, and countless surprises. Mark Tullius and Glenn Hedden have outdone themselves, making this a must-read for fans of the series and newcomers alike. Get ready to dive into a world where every choice could lead to life or death!

This is another fun installation in the "How Not to Die" series where what you think is the right path is usually the wrong path. 🤣 I've read a few of these now and this one certainly lives up to the series namesake. I'm a sucker for metal and concerts as a general rule. If you enjoy Choose Your Own Adventure and violent deaths, this might be exactly what you've been looking for.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read a copy of this book. I love the adult interactive adventure books, "Try Not to Die", I really like to see how many different ways there are to die in the story. Boy, are there a LOT! What I liked about this one is that when I would try to choose a path where I didn't die, I'd die. What seemed like the safer of the choices definitely was not! Overall, this is a nice read; it's as quick as a read as you want it to be. Keep these books coming!

This was SOOOO fun I loved it. Can there be more choose your own adventure stories please? The metal and demonic vibes were amazing

This is a very fun, unique kind of choose your own adventure story, similar in style to the ones I remember reading as a kid. Except this one has greater stakes and some completely unhinged content.

As an overall story, I thought this was fun, it made sense in the way that it didn't have to make sense. Jerry and friends head to Dethfest and somewhat ignore signs that something's not right. But as the story progresses, you become more and more confident that you know what's going on. Even though there's really no closure/answers, I still feel like the story was pretty good from start to finish. The writing isn't the best, it feels very juvenile in a lot of ways, which does fit the characters pretty well. But just don't go in expecting quality literature.

As far as "scary" goes, this is listed as horror, but I'd say only for the blood and gore involved in the death scenes. In general, there was nothing scary about the story. I would call this horror comedy because of the absolutely heinous ways you could die (my personal favorite was my first death by sword?? or maybe the back to back deaths by vampire bites?)

Some of the language could be taken as offensive at times with references to real tragedies and police, but was very brief and I don't know if this is typical for heavy metal since I do not actually listen to it.

Final Death Count: 11
Some of the deaths were just plain FUNNY I was laughing my head off at the randomness of them. Some deaths had NO connection to the choice you made, and no way of actually knowing what kind of madness you were walking into (I guess that's kind of realistic in life, right?)
But it was also hard to use any sort of street smarts, logic, or really any critical thinking to make it out alive, some of it was pure luck and guess work. And sometimes even the obvious answer was wrong. Soooo good luck surviving using any strategy, because there is none here.
Sometimes Jerry responded to things in a way that made absolutely no sense and had me assuming the author was just trying to find unique ways to lead to death that weren't always accidents. But those felt a little forced when Jerry goes from polite to asshole in 0.5 seconds.

I really liked the "gameplay" in this book. I went to get all the endings, so I died on purpose each time, since I wanted to read all the deaths. I expected it to be difficult to read since it was an e-book, but the choices were linked to the pages, which meant it was really easy to navigate through.

I had expected this book to be more of a thriller. Personally, I found it not scary at all. The deaths were very short, a lot of them were more suggestions than death itself, which disappointed me a little.

It was still a very enjoyable read though, it was fun, but it did feel a bit repetitive to me. At the ending, the suspension finally built and I liked this part the most.

I have been loving this series! Nothing better than an adult choose your own adventure. I enjoyed this one and I love that if you die, the author doesn’t make you have to restart the whole book. Highly recommend this one and all of the other books in the series!

Try Not to Die: At Dethfest is a wildly entertaining ride that combines dark humor and thrilling escapades in the most exhilarating way! Packed with outrageous scenarios and unexpected twists, it keeps you on the edge of your seat while bursting with energy. This interactive adventure invites readers to embrace the chaos and, above all, have a blast dodging disaster—who knew dying could be this much fun?

This is so nostalgic for me, like the Goosebumps choose your ending books! I enjoyed the stories I got, it’s obviously a re-read, as each time is different. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC copy!

Not saying this is my favorite so far but.
I loved the chaos in this story, with the different characters, plus the chaos of a concert, then a conspiracy talker, oh lord.

This was so much fun, I miss these kind of books when I used to read choose your own adventure.

I love the Dethfest book so I was really excited for this book and the added interactive element definitely added more excitement for me

Not as immersive as others I’ve read from this author.
Fun if you enjoy interactive adventure thrillers,