I loved the concept of How to Survive a Horror Story but it just wasn’t for me.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I had a difficult time enjoying this book because none of the characters were likeable and the story seemed a bit over the top. When a famous horror author dies, a group of people are invited to his historic mansion for the reading of his will. Most of these people barely knew the author and are curious why they were invited. They are informed they will take part in a game, moving throughout the house as they solve clues. If they can't solve a clue, one of them will die. I felt the title was misleading because as gory as this book is, it's more a mystery story than a horror story.

Absolutely loved this book. A famous horror writer summons other writers to his estate for a will reading after his death, with the purpose of wreaking revenge for their misdemeanours. It rattled along well, with good pace and sufficient twists and turns so as not to be predictable, but also had some very gruesome parts. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review of the book.

Mallory Arnold’s How to Survive a Horror Story is a delightfully meta and humor-infused take on the classic horror genre, blending sharp wit with spine-chilling thrills. Geared toward fans of horror who appreciate a dose of levity, this YA novel is a fresh addition to the genre, packed with genre-savvy characters and clever nods to well-loved horror tropes.

The story follows Justin, an average teen who finds himself trapped in a town that operates like the setting of a never-ending horror movie. From creepy forests to haunted houses, every horror cliché comes to life, and survival isn’t guaranteed. Justin, however, refuses to play the victim. Armed with his wit and a list of horror movie “rules,” he bands together with an eclectic group of allies to outwit the horrors stalking them and uncover the truth behind their predicament.

Arnold’s writing strikes a balance between humor and tension. Justin’s sarcastic narration provides comic relief, while the suspenseful pacing and genuine scares keep readers on edge. The story’s self-awareness, much like in Scream or Cabin in the Woods, is one of its greatest strengths, as it pokes fun at genre clichés while also embracing them in an affectionate way.

The characters are likable and diverse, though some of the supporting cast could benefit from deeper development. Additionally, the novel’s reliance on meta-humor might not resonate with readers unfamiliar with common horror tropes. However, these minor issues are easily overlooked in light of the book’s charm and creativity.

How to Survive a Horror Story is a fast-paced, entertaining read that will appeal to fans of comedic horror and anyone who has ever screamed at a character for running upstairs instead of out the door. With its mix of thrills, laughs, and heart, Mallory Arnold delivers a story that’s as fun as it is frightening.

The story started off great with almost all characters getting introduced very early on. So a group of Horror story writers are invited to the will reading of legendary Horror writer. But little did they know it is not as easy as it sounds. The writers are given puzzles to solve to escape each room of a man eating mansion, if the puzzle is answered correctly, you get to the next room else you die.

The blurb of the book sounded similar to inheritance game only its not.
1.The whole book is in second person POV.
2. The story progresses simultaneously as we get to know the characters.
3. There are short stories within the story which at a point became a distraction from the story.

Overall it is a good read.

Thank you Net Galley for providing an ARC . Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press for this complimentary copy.

#Netgally #Horror

Described as a locked room mystery meets “Fall of the House of Usher,” @malwriteswords #HowToSurviveAHorrorStory intrigued me from the jump. As I dove into the book, however, I found there was a bit more of a supernatural horror vibe than a “Knives Out” vibe.

Famed author Mortimer Queen has recently passed away, and seven people are invited to his family manor for a reading of his will. Melanie, a struggling never-published writer, finds herself among some of the literary world’s biggest names. When they’re asked to play a game for the will reading, none of them know just what’s in store for them and the monstrous pasts they hide.

It’s been a while since I read a book I was so divided about myself. On one hand, I enjoyed the characters’ development through the flashback scenes of the novel and how they all fit into the puzzle of the story. On the other hand, I didn’t find any of the characters likable or even enjoyable. Even Melanie, who I would consider the main protagonist, doesn’t have an ending that feels fully right, fully absolving her as a breaking of a cycle. In a way, the book feels a bit Frankenstein, trying to be two things seemingly pulling against one another forced to be a cohesive story. This is a story of vengeance, and while it is served, it feels diluted by the supernatural horror angle, which also has some great moments and possibilities for a different story.

One of my favorite series growing up was “Goosebumps,” and what this book has going for it is that it feels like an adult version of that mixed with a Shonda-land tv drama. Not every book was a hit, nor is every episode must-watch tv, but in the end, they’re enjoyable. #HowToSurviveAHorrorStory does its job as a horror read, but leaves the reader wanting just a little bit more.

I was super intrigued by this ARC- the plot and story sounded super creepy and fun! And you know what: I loved it!

I will say, I wasn’t expecting the supernatural aspect in this story. I thought it was more like, Saw-style trap rooms. And, I mean, it technically was, just with more craziness 😂 Which kinda added to the whole “spooky, haunted house” vibe! It honestly would have been perfect to read around Halloween!

I loved how absolutely unreliable all of the characters were as well 😅 Like, I love a good unreliable narrator and getting the POV of all of the characters was super satisfying and added a lot of depth to the story.

Plus, it was GORY! Which I think really helps make a fun, entertaining horror story. I was racing to get to the end to see who was telling the truth and who wasn’t. I really wanted to see how everything came together, and it was super satisfying!

Packed full of spooky vibes, betrayal, haunted-house riddles, and a great mystery, I will definitely be recommending this one when it comes out! 😈

The book follows 7 horror authors who are invited into the manor of the late Mortimer Queen (best seller horror author) who has left something for them in his will. As the plot develops you find out the guests have more in common with the deceased than being writers and you will discover just exactly what landed them an invite to the gory Queen mansion.
If you like horror books this is a nice one, even though at times you’ll have a difficult time believing all the gruesome deaths. Maybe the book overall needs a bit of tightening but I enjoyed it nonetheless and would definitely recommend.
3.5 stars

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's the perfect combination of locked-room mystery and haunted house spooky for readers who are just getting into the genre. It was a bit of a slow start, but once the action starts happening, it is pedals to the metal. Everyone's background and story for being there were pretty interesting, although for some of them I don't think they should've had to die over it. I was confused over Melanie the most- she seemed like such a sweet character, her twist at the end was most shocking to me. All in all, good book! I'm excited to see what else Mallory Arnold comes up with.

Thanks to Mallory Arnold, Poisoned Pen Press, and NetGalley for the ARC!

A tense and suspenseful thriller with a great premise...however, it sort of fell flat for me. The execution wasn't all there, it was very slow in some areas (almost making me DNF) and the characters/dialogue were very superficial with little depth to help further the plot. Overall a fun read but not one of my favorites.

Thank you for the advanced copy of this book. This isn’t the type of book I usually read but I really enjoyed it. Admittedly it did take a few chapters for me to get into but once the characters were introduced and the story got flowing, I was hooked!

Love the premise of a mysterious invitation and being trapped in creepy house. The characters were fun, some more likable than others. The plot wasn't necessarily original, but it was fun to read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

1 star.

Famous horror author Mortimer Queen has died and a group of writers, each of whom is connected to Queen in some way, is invited to the reading of his Will.

When they arrive at his spooky manor house they are invited/compelled to play a game. There are riddles that allow the group to move from room to room. If they fail to solve the riddle one of them will die by being taken by the house. Eaten, I guess.

This wasn’t just silliness. That’s it. I thought of not finishing it but I pushed on. I shouldn’t have bothered.

I’ve reflected and still don’t know how I feel about it. Pacing was slow in the beginning and with some characters backstories. Although I did enjoy the ending.

When renowned horror author Mortimer Queen dies, several fellow writers are all invited to the reading of his will under the impression of getting a piece of his amassed fortune. However, they find themselves forced to play a game of Mortimers making in his massive yet run down creepy mansion. Why did Mortimer choose these particular authors and what is his ultimate goal from beyond the grave?

A typical one by one locked room murder mystery, the story slowly unravels each character's past relationship with Mortimer and why they are invited to the reading of the will. We bounce between each character being the main POV of each chapter. I felt this was really well thought out and while not an original horror story trope, the author puts a supernatural spin on it, making it feel more unique. I was impressed that this was the author's debut novel and I am looking forward to what they write next.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.
When I requested this book from NetGalley I had no idea what I was getting into. I was intrigued by the cover and decided why not? Was this book perfect? No. But it was enjoyable to an extent. At times I found myself putting this book down and having to take a break because it was..too much. At moments it felt like the book dragged on due to an unnecessary amount of over explaining the tiniest things (which really had no significance). There was also moments where I just couldn’t put the book down. There were some moments that were definitely questionable and confusing but overall everything tied in perfectly. The book did flow smoothly in terms of plot and everything was interlinked one way or another which I enjoyed. Now for the ending, it was sort of a let down. Maybe it was supposed to be intentional for the reader but from the very start I could already tell Melanie was going to inherit the Manor. It just wasn’t super thrilling or anything memorable. As much as I didn’t enjoy the ending, I did love the “short stories” included and how it was perfectly incorporated into the end when Melanie publishes her book about six short stories. Overall, it was a great read and reminded me heavily of the movie “Abigail”. 4/5

This was enjoyable and easy to read! A little predictable but nonetheless a great story! I quickly devoured this one and will read whatever else Mallory comes up with.

Let me preface by saying, I am not a regular horror reader but I would classify this as horror lite ™️. While it has paranormal and spooky elements, I did not find it to be something that would keep me up at night or to be too gruesome to make me put it down and not finish.

This book gave strong Knives Out/ The Menu/ Clue vibes. Set in a haunted house turned escape room, 7 shitty people converge to see what mysterious piece of a now deceased famous horror writer’s (also shitty) inheritance they will receive (and as the story unfolds it becomes very unclear why they would show up to begin with). The story is told from the perspective of the 7 characters in a third person present tense which at first was distracting (maybe I’m just not used to reading books written in the present tense) but about 20% in I stopped noticing. The characters all had distinct voices and I never found it difficult to remember whose perspective we were following. I enjoyed the multi perspective aspect because the story really benefited from being in the heads of the different characters. The pacing was perfect, and the story moved along with very few lulls. It was a quick read and I found myself thoroughly engaged in the world of the story.

At times I found the writing to be a little clunky with some typos and minor grammatical errors with passages that felt like they were lifted from Wikipedia rabbit holes (emu war, I’m looking at you). I found some of the characters and settings hard to visualize and wish there had been more descriptions about clothes/appearance/ and the room settings because sometimes the lack of detail made it hard to follow the plot. I found that some of the “reveals” fell a little flat based on either how predictable they were or the lack of suspense. The “game” of the house did feel somewhat juvenile and obvious in the beginning but I did enjoy the stakes being raised in some of the later challenges. Maybe a there was a deeper social commentary being implied but honestly, I found it to be more entertaining when being read as a novel about bad people doing bad things and the heaping doses of karmic justice being meted out.

Overall, it was effortlessly readable and fun, in a suspended reality sort of way. I did really love the ending and I think it did change the way I looked at the book as a whole. This was an incredibly fun debut novel, that isn’t too scary/macabre for casual horror readers.

Thank you so much to Poisoned Pen Press and Mallory Arnold for the ARC!

This book was so good! It is a fast paced gruesome horror, once the game begins, that I could not put down! I read it in 2 days and stayed up last night to finish it cause I was desperate to see what happened and how it ended!

I absolutely loved how within the chapters there were back stories about each character which gave a great insight into each one and left me confused on whether or not to love or hate them!

Look, this was just fun. I couldn't put it down.

I have really particular demands for my horror stories. And this book doesn't seem like one that would typically meet those demands. But I'm so glad I gave it a go. This is a monster house book (ala Shirley Jackson or Richard Matheson) so there's going to be some crazy house stuff (I am typically more of a traditional ghost story/haunted house aficionado). But what really worked for me was the premise--a small group of writers are invited to a recently deceased, incredibly successful horror writer's home for his will reading. And, more importantly, we get to discover the backgrounds of each guest along the way, which ultimately explains why they were invited in the first place.

I liked the concept of storytelling and truth: whose version of events is the real one? Can we ever be the villain of our own stories? How do we re-cast events to make ourselves feel validated? What lengths will each of us go to for our own success? As the secrets and lies are exposed in this story, you really cannot stop turning the pages.

One minor issue I hope the editors catch is that there are a number of continuity errors, especially in the early chapters. I thought at first they might even be intentional (as voices shift from chapter to chapter) but that doesn't seem to be the case. Otherwise, this was a fast, roller coaster of a read.