How to Survive a Horror Story has a very interesting concept, and I really enjoyed that it was written from different perspectives. Something was missing for me though. I didn't really feel invested in the story and wasn't really rooting for any of the characters.

I'm a huge fan of "And Then There Were None' type stories - a bunch of individuals are invited to a party and one by one murdered by their mysterious host, often for their past treacheries. How To Survive a Horror Story adds a unique wrinkle to the story by bringing in supernatural elements, which add a layer of excitement and the grotesque. I enjoyed the story and I was interested from the start to see where it went. Recommended!

A famous horror author has died and seven other author's are invited to his manor for a will reading. Unfortunately for them, instead of inhering something of value they're forced to play a deadly game to try to survive the night.

I found myself really enjoying this and even though the story premise is reminiscent of other works of fiction, the author did enough to make the story feel her own. I found the progression of the story really satisfying of how we got to know each of the characters and their secrets. I do say that this isn't particularly scary and at times can be quite ridiculous, but is so purely entertaining that I'm willing to look past that.

Congrats to the author for her debut novel and hoping to read many more from her in the future!

This locked-room mystery boasts a fresh, modern voice and a dark, twisted narrative that is fun to read.

Thanks to Netgalley.

⋆ ✧ . 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 . ✧ ⋆

🔒🔒🔒/5

📖: How to Survive a Horror Story
✍️: Mallory Arnold

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐏𝐨𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐏𝐞𝐧 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐆𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐀𝐑𝐂.

💭 𝐌𝐲 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬
How to Survive a Horror story is like a cozy mystery x The Fall of The House of Usher. The characters are unlikable and over-the-top and it’s hard to pinpoint who’s the worst at any given moment. But wait! No, I empathize with them. That’s part of the fun of this locked room, monster house novel. You just never know what to think as the pages chew you up on one page and spit you out into a different mindset on another. Mortimer Queen toying with people from beyond the grave is simply diabolical and exactly the kind of thing his character was born to do. This one kept me guessing until the bitter end. I quite enjoyed the ride but ultimately it leaned more towards having to suspend my disbelief than I originally envisioned. It was a bit campy for me and I can’t put my finger on what it left to be desired but ultimately I’ll be looking out for this author’s work!

I really enjoyed this book the plot was so cool to read about

I loved all the characters and how they were presented

I do recommend this for people to read and give a chance

I have always been a fan of old horror movies. This book reminded me of The House on Haunted Hill. A group of writers are invited to the mansion of a deceased colleague for the reading of the will- a man that each of them have unpleasant memories with. However, instead of a will, they find a sordid game that is comprised of escape rooms in which they must solve riddles to survive. If the riddle is not solved within an hour, the mansion will kill a victim at random. I didn’t really enjoy the aspect of the man eating house, but I did enjoy the flashbacks and insights into each of the character’s pasts. I found it interesting how each character presented themselves to the group, only to then get the true story later. I feel that this describes our society as a whole- how well do we truly know those around us?

This was a really fun horror read. I wouldn’t say it scared me but some parts really did creep me out. It was really good overall. Thank you to NetGalley for an arc of this

This haunted house/ escape room/ horror thriller was such a fun read! The author blended the perfect trifecta of thrills, mystery, and the paranormal. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time anxiously wanting more. This book was like a cross between The Fall of the House of Usher and Saw II. So, lots of creepy fun! Seven authors, all of which are shady characters, are locked inside this sadistic house and forced to play twisted games in order to survive. They are all there for a reason, but none of them know why. The POVs vary between all of the characters in the present, and we're also given their backstories with the deceased. The author blurred these lines so well that I did not know what stories were true until the end. I loved the unpredictability and constant guessing. I cannot believe that this is a debut! This book was so well written and captivating. I couldn't put it down and I couldn't read fast enough. I loved every minute of it and think that others will, too. I can definitely see this being one of the top horror novels of 2025. So much fun!! I will definitely be looking for more to read from this author in the future. Thank you for the wild ride! I highly recommend!

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press for granting me a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review!

A locked-room mystery? A haunted house? A bunch of morally questionable writers with secrets? Oh, you just *knew* this was going to be a good time.

This one had me hooked from the get-go. Seven authors, all somehow connected to the legendary (and apparently very petty) horror writer Mortimer Queen, show up expecting a will reading. Instead? They’re thrown into a deadly game where riddles mean life or death, and the house itself has a serious appetite for drama *and* people. It’s giving "And Then There Were None" meets "House of Leaves," with a splash of reality TV chaos.

The characters? A delightfully messy bunch. Some of them are easy to root for, some… not so much. But that’s half the fun! Watching them navigate Queen’s twisted little scavenger hunt while also dealing with their own baggage was *chef’s kiss*. The pacing starts off a bit slow, but once things start unraveling, it’s impossible to put down. Is it the most terrifying horror novel ever? Nah. But it’s creepy, smart, and just unhinged enough to keep you flipping pages way past bedtime.

Would I have liked a little more depth to some of the twists? Maybe. Did I absolutely devour this book anyway? You bet. If you love horror with a side of snark and a plot that keeps you guessing, this one’s worth picking up.

Huge thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This was everything i needed in a book. I love book world within a book adding to the fact that there is a race for survival within the story and each character has a different aspect on how they knew the deceased author just was so interesting and fun to read.

How to Survive a Horror Story follows 6 well-known horror authors and one aspiring author as they travel to famed master of horror Mortimer Queen’s beloved mansion in Vermont. Traveling from far and wide, unknown author Melanie Brown, along with the other six, including Scott Clay, Buck Grimm, Winnie Roach, Petey Marsh, Chester Plumage and Crystal Flowers, arrive at the mansion for a reading of Mortimer’s will.
What follows is a terrifying maze with monsters at every turn…the monsters being the people within the walls.
Unfortunately, this story didn’t hit the mark for me. Melanie’s involvement in the story seemed a bit…out there? Like she didn’t belong within the story at all, even after finding out the truth about her involvement in the end. The others I can understand why they were chosen by Mr. Queen. Ultimately, the story ended up being far more confusing and left me with more questions than I had answers.
However, with all that being said, the story was well written and entertaining. I just wish that there was a better conclusion to it all. Thank you to NetGalley, the Poisoned Pen Press as well as Mallory Arnold for this ARC of How to Survive a Horror Story. The opinions aforementioned are my own.

I enjoyed the start of the book and I was really invested in the puzzles they would have to fix etc. But I found the stories within some of the chapters long and they didn't add enough to the story to make it worth reading. I ended up skipping most of the short stories and just reading the rest. I enjoyed the multiple POV's and thought the plot was really interesting.

This is a FANTASTIC book! Wow! I can say I have never read a book like this before and I'm not sure another book could come close. It was fantasy/supernatural/mystery/horror, but those words kind of don't describe it at all. It was just something you have to experience! Highly recommend you do! A bit about the book (which won't even do it justice!) Mortimer Queen, a very popular horror writer died and invited the people he named in his will to come to his manor for the reading. What happens after they get there will leave you horrified, stunned, and morbidly fascinated until the very last word.

For fans of any locked room mystery, this is going to do the trick for you and then some. A deliciously evil story where no narrator is safe, no one is to be trusted and ultimately, life is on the line. Reminds me of The Westing Game for adults and this made me so happy

Several authors receive an intriguing invitation to Mortimer Queen’s estate, supposedly for an inheritance. Yet, the renowned horror writer Mortimer Queen has a more sinister agenda in mind: a perilous game of riddles. Every room in the manor unveils a fresh challenge, where failure could lead to the dark forces that haunt the estate. This book offers an exhilarating blend of thrills and chills, and was an enjoyable read. A heartfelt thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy!

It delivered a fun, self-aware take on classic horror tropes, blending locked-room suspense with a touch of the macabre. While I saw many of the twists coming, the journey was still entertaining, offering just enough eerie atmosphere and gore to keep things interesting without going too, too dark. The story plays with genre conventions in a way that horror fans will appreciate, and even though I predicted the ending, I still enjoyed how it all wrapped up!

I was sent an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I very much enjoyed the premise of this story. Horror author extraordinaire, Mortimer Queen has died and he has invited seven other writers to his dilapidated mansion for a reading of his will. Each author has a reason they are there and it's not what they think. The house is hungry and it will eat them all, until only one is left standing. The authors are set challenges for each room. Write the wrong answer and someone gets eaten. Get it right? And you can go on to the next room.

This was basically an Escape Room novel, with the background and conflict of each author being pivotal to the riddle. The first 25% of the novel is taken up in the reader being introduced to each character, until the reading of the will is read and I almost gave up reading because I wasn't gripped by the story, but I was curious as to the reading of the will and so I kept with it.

At the beginning the names of the authors set my teeth on edge. These were horror authors, but their names seemed almost cartoon-like. Melanie Brown was plain and simple, like her character. Scott Clay was a muscular young man. Crystal Flowers sounded like a vase and was a horror erotica author who was beautiful. Buck Grimm. Winnie Roach. Petey Marsh. Chester Plumage? Ugh. Sorry.

I could imagine this story being turned into an old-style B-movie. It was decent enough, but not a story I would return to.

Wow! I loved this! I couldn’t put it down and read during every free second I could spare. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC!

Mallory Arnold’s *How to Survive a Horror Story* is a wickedly fun, blood-soaked thrill ride that blends classic horror tropes with dark humor and a razor-sharp mystery. As a debut novel, it’s an impressive feat—both an homage to and a playful deconstruction of the haunted house genre, with clear echoes of *And Then There Were None*.

The setup is instantly gripping: seven authors, each with their own dark secrets, are summoned to the eerie estate of horror legend Mortimer Queen. But what begins as a routine will reading quickly spirals into a macabre nightmare, where the house itself is a cunning, malevolent force, crafting elaborate death traps that feel straight out of a slasher flick. The result? A series of gloriously gruesome, over-the-top kills that are as disturbing as they are campy. Think *Final Destination* meets *Clue*, with a touch of self-aware humor that keeps the tension balanced with fun.

Arnold’s writing is cinematic, making every creaking floorboard and flickering light feel immersive. The deaths are creative and shocking—one in particular involving books left me equal parts horrified and entertained. Despite the carnage, there’s a satirical edge that keeps the novel from being just another bloodbath.

What truly makes *How to Survive a Horror Story* stand out is its clever commentary on horror tropes and the nature of storytelling itself. The characters, all writers, are forced to reckon with their own narratives, and Arnold skillfully unravels their backstories while keeping the mystery taut and the stakes high.

For a debut, this book is wildly confident, delivering a locked-room mystery with a fresh, modern voice. Dark, twisted, and deliciously fun—this is one horror story you’ll *want* to get trapped in.

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for this E-arc