Note: I received a free unpublished proof of this book, for a limited time, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions here are my own.

This book is the choose-your-own-adventure book to which Dethfest Confessions is a companion. I reviewed that one here: Book Review: Dethfest Confessions, ed. by Mark Tullius and Lyndsey Smith

First of all, this book should not have been labelled as “Teens and YA”. The main characters are in college, there is a great deal of graphic horror and violence, and it’s not even being marketed at teenagers. (Yes, I know that you can have a lot of violence and sex and still be labelled as YA, but it still has to be done in a way that isn’t graphic. There are ways to write about real-world violence and sex in the lives of teenagers that aren’t designed to be pornographic or shocking.) Hence, I only recommend it to adult readers (18+), especially as they are, frankly, the target audience to begin with.

I took a lot of notes on this one along the way, but frankly, the whole point of a choose-your-own adventure book is to not know what will happen next. So overall, I liked the idea of a more adult-oriented CYOA book, and there were plenty of choices and directions, but overall, I had some issues with the story overall.

First of all, the original CYOA books were already pretty violent and grim for something aimed at kids. Your “player/reader character” would be, say, a 16-year-old American exchange student in Thailand or Mexico, though in some cases I assumed the character was supposed to be 18–21 because a lot of the plots involved solo travel, having an international job, using weapons, and other stuff a teenager couldn’t legally do without a lot of plot armor. Yet your character, despite being an archaeologist’s assistant, history student, or something in that vein, would undoubtedly get embroiled in something involving drug gangs in South America, human sacrifice, cults, evil agents of some organization, venomous animals, aliens, Atlantis, and ancient warriors brought into the modern age. The choices were often deceptive, too—you’d choose between “eat breakfast with the team” or “wander into the woods alone with no food and no map,” yet somehow “eating breakfast with the team” would lead to you randomly getting bitten by a snake and dying and “wandering into the woods alone with no food and no map” would actually progress the story somehow. On top of that, the sheer range of different endings in some of these books was really something. In one book, you might have “abducted by aliens,” “dying from a falling rock,” “being poisoned by a gang member,” “going back in time and not being able to come back,” and “finding the treasure and going home” as possible endings. I remember an underwater-themed one that involved multiple SCUBA deaths involving drowning and electric eels, the possibility of joining Atlantean society but not being able to return to the surface ever again, and going into some hole in a boat that went into an…infinite tunnel having to do with time, space, the origins of life, or something at the quantum level?

I know my view of the original CYOA books is blurred by nostalgia. I haven’t read one in ages and I remember there was a lot of stuff in there that was actually pretty racist, xenophobic, or at least just inaccurate/insensitive with regards to how other cultures and countries were portrayed. At least a few of the books assumed the player/reader character was male and shoehorned a few attractive girls and young women in there, and I recall at least one “stereotypical sexy Indigenous or Asian woman who helps the protagonist” character. So I am not going to pretend that everything about the original series and its execution was perfect or something that modern writers should seek to imitate.

However, in terms of gameplay, craft, and storytelling alone, this book fell a bit short for me.

While there were a good number of choices, many with counterintuitive consequences, pretty much every choice section had only one correct choice, the others all being various deaths. Given that it is a horror-themed book with a “try to survive” conceit, that kind of makes sense, but even some of the more grim CYOA books still had multiple general “pathways” that split offf at the beginning, sometimes with multiple leading to the same ending or multiple leading to some point in the middle.

Furthermore, unlike the original books, which typically had a few different thematic “directions”—some pointing at science, real historical events, magic, political strife, time travel, or aliens, all in one book—most of the endings in this book just involve evil people killing the player/reader character for no reason, or the character getting themselves hurt somehow by doing something dangerous. There is also little to no payoff for any of the storylines—even if you pick the route where the player character survives until the end, the reasoning behind all of these people trying to kill your character is never explained. In fact, the only reason the book felt satisfying to me is that I read the companion, Dethfest Confessions. I get that series/companions are allowed to work this way, and that’s preferable to repeating stuff over and over again, but if you only read this you might assume that the companion doesn’t have much to offer because this book’s plot is essentially “your character goes to a heavy metal festival where everybody is murderous and hates everybody else for no reason, and also fire, bears, and the military are involved.”

I’d love a series that’s similar to CYOA that’s more modern, more inclusive, and less like early 20th century pulp adventure with its narrow range of protagonists surrounded by stereotypes. That said, this…isn’t really it. I will say that the characters feel somewhat more realistic than those in the older books, and doesn’t have as many explicitly racist stereotypes. That said, the main player/reader character is still, if I read it correctly, written to be a straight male with a conveniently-shoehorned female love interest, and while I wouldn’t say the book is terribly sexist, I still think that using this framework as a default setup is a bit stale.

Overall, though, if you really like CYOA-style books and horror, you might have fun giving this one a try, but don’t expect greatness. I wasn’t a huge fan of the companion, Dethfest Confessions, but I thought the depth of those stories was way more interesting than the storyline in this book that those stories were based on.

Thank you Netgalley, Vincere Press and Mark Tullius for the. eArc of Try Not to Die : At Dethfest.

This is book 7 of the Try Not To Die adventure book series. There are 16 book art the moment and all can be read as standalone or read in release order. I used to love the choose your own adventure books as a teen so if you are a horror lover, this will scratch an itch !

Mark Tullius has collaborated with various authors for these horror adventure stories. each having their own little themes and situations. Being a digital e book, there are links when you have to choose what to do next which jumps to where you need to be. It works very well. Pacing of these books are fast, gory and really fun!

A must for any lover of horror

4.5 stars for Storygraph rounded to 4 stars for other review sites.

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,