4 Stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the arc!

I enjoyed this so much more than i was expecting! Yes it does have a lot of the 'expected' moments with twists and turns thrown in. This wasn't horror as in it was scary and terrifying but it was creepy and suspenseful at moments. No, it didn't do anything unexpected or 'new' but i loved how this was written.

Quick Thoughts:

The multiple POVS were a fun addition, as were the little short stories that give you background context as to why they were invited to the house. It helped keep a good pace.

i Loved how much i loved certain characters and how much i hated others. The author did a good job at developing these characters and their personalities.

This book had some funny moments whilst also more serious, larger discussions about topics that were darker. It worked well at keeping my attention because it wasn't just focused on the characters trying to work out what was happening with the house.

There were small errors within the plot, but i don't think it takes away from the story at all. It was just noticeable at times.

i do feel like it was obvious from the first chapter what the outcome of this was going to be. As much as it didn't ruin the overall book and i enjoyed reading. I can't help but wish the ending had been more of a twist or something else happened that made it different to what i had predicted. Considering the genre, a somewhat 'happy' ending didn't fit well for me for this book and i also don't feel like it was what Mortimer would have done - considering everything he does throughout this book.

Overall, i really enjoyed this and look forward to hopefully reading more from this author in the future!

Gobbled this book right up! Love how the author mixed gruesome horror with mystery. Story is fascinating with what the game entails. Each unwilling participant has their own POV which gives the story more mystery and backstory. Everyone has a dark side. What would you do to get what you want most in the world? Story full of actual horror and various types of monsters. Who is the monster? Mortimer Queen? The house? The 7 authors? You? Solve the riddles and find out. Thank you to Poisoned Press, Mallory Arnold and NetGalley for sending me an eARC for review consideration. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Mortimer Queen, famous horror author, has passed away and summoned six famous authors & one aspiring author to his home with the promise that he has left them something in his will. However, when everyone arrives at Queen Manor, they begin to see that nothing is as it seems and surviving the weekend may be impossible.

I was skeptical about this book when I started it due to the fact that each chapter was from a different character’s point of view & in my opinion it normally doesn’t work to have so many different POVs but in this case it actually worked quite well. The story flowed nicely, although a wee bit out there, and kept you engaged and invested in each character. Through each chapter you got a glimpse into what the background story was for why each person was invited to the Manor, what wrong they had done to Mortimer, and how they viewed what they did. The Manor, itself, was its own character and helped the story keep moving forward. I am def excited to see what else Mallory Arnold has in store after this debut novel.

**Thank you NetGalley & Poisoned Pen Press for providing me with an ARC for my honest opinion**

When Mortimer Queen, one of the most famous horror authors in the world, dies, six writers and one aspiring author are invited to his foreboding mansion with the promise of being left something in his will. But the group quickly finds themselves forced to play a dangerous game with the consequence being death at the hands of the house if they lose.
Aspects of the story - the trope-ish characters, the somewhat cheesy horror elements - feel like B-movie grade features. Yet, the overall narration really sucks you in and picks up steam the longer the story goes on. For a debut novel, this book had the teeth of a more seasoned writer.

I throughly enjoyed the story. I loved the multidimensional characters and trying to resolve the conflict between what was true and their perceptions of the truth. Even the characters I initially disliked became more human and flawed in the end. I did figure out the ending rather early but it didn’t negate the anticipation for the rest of the book. It

Unfortunately, I had to DNF this book because of the characters. I understand they aren’t meant to be heroes—quite the opposite, clearly—but that shouldn’t equal a cast of cartoonish villains. However, the premise was good and some characters were more developed than others, so I hope the author keeps improving their craft.

Legendary horror author Mortimer Queen has died. After his passing, seven authors, each connected with Queen in different ways, receive and invite to the reading of his will. All seven of these authors assumed they were left a piece of Queen’s fortune; however, none of them assumed they were liked by the author. Mallory Arnold’s How To Survive A Horror Story is Agatha Christie meets Stephen King. The mystery, intrigue and horror is all quite strong. I’ll say no more in regard to the plot to avoid spoiling it for anyone. Just know if you’re a fan of mystery and horror that you’ll be into it.

Seriously friends, what are we doing here? I thought, initially, I may be having a suspension of disbelief problem, then I thought it could be a twisted kind of satire, then I semi-abandoned reason and considered there was maybe a meta-something happening? In the end, however...What the fuck did i just read?

I was excited to read How to Survive a Horror Story but the story didn’t quite live up to my expectations. I’m not sure if sticking to one or two narrators would have helped, but I found it hard to connect to most of the characters. I had fun reading the book, but I wouldn’t want to read it again.

How to Survive a Horror Story by Mallory Arnold is a fun and creepy twist on the classic horror story. It follows seven writers who are invited to the mysterious Queen Manor, owned by famous & recently deceased horror author Mortimer Queen. They are each invited for the reading of his will. But instead of a piece of the inheritance, they find themselves trapped in a deadly game, where the house itself is alive and out to get them one by one!

I loved its multiple points of view, which let us see the story from different perspectives. The house is a fantastic setting—dark, magical, and full of eerie surprises.
The writing is a mix of horror story and humour, making the book both a thrilling story & a fun read.
As the story develops you find out secrets about each of the invited authors that they have tried to keep hidden & the house wants to punish them for these secrets.

I would say one thing, I would have loved to find out more about the house & its backstory but overall, I enjoyed this book & can definitely see it as a film! It’s entertaining and definitely a fun read.

How to Survive a Horror Story is a heaping pile of fun. Mallory Arnold takes readers on a ride through a hungry haunted house full of writers who need to play a dangerous game if they want to survive.

The story is written in alternating points of view, hopping from one writer to the next, and instead of being confusing like many multiple POV stories tend to be, this one advances the narrative in a unique way, letting each person pick up and share the story from their POV as the chapters move from character to character. I loved the way the story wove together to form a complete narrative.

This one's dark, a little gory, and it has you questioning the nature of evil as you attempt to discern who is truthful and who is full of lies.

While I liked this book, I felt like it reminded me a bit too much of Knives Out just scarier which meant that a lot of the turns and twists I felt like I could predict easier.

This was a fun mesh of humour and horror, I enjoyed it and found it more on the light Hearted side of the genre, some great unexpected twists and sharp wit throughout

🩸 Book Review 🩸

This was so much fun! A group of people are invited to a will reading at a mansion belonging to a famous horror author. Each has a secret. However they all think he’s left them something. Until they realize that this mansion is hungry and the deceased author has brought them there to sate its appetite. Will they survive? What are their secrets that have led them into this trap? This is a great debut from @malwriteswords It’s creepy, claustrophobic, unsettling and will keep you guessing until the very end! Look for it everywhere books are sold July 8th, 2025! Thanks to @netgalley and @poisonedpenpress for the e-arc!

Summary:

Seven authors enter the manor

Can they survive the story within?

When legendary horror author Mortimer Queen passes, a group of writers find themselves invited to his last will and testament reading expecting a piece of his massive fortune. Each have their own unique connection to the literary icon, some known, some soon to be discovered, and they’ve been waiting for their chance to step into the author’s shoes for some time.

Instead, they arrive at his grand manor and are invited to play a game. The rules are simple, solve the riddle and progress to the next room. If they don’t, the manor will take one of them for itself.

You see, the Queen estate was built on the bones of Mortimer’s family, and like any true horror story, the house is still very, very hungry.

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Sveen authors are invited to the reading of Mortimer Queen's will and hoping to gain his fortune he made as a horror writer. What they don't know is that they have to pass through a series of rooms and one person will be taken from each room...and given over to the house itself?!? This book was interesting and fun (if you like horror). I love a play until the death trope and this was no exception. This house was built on Mortimer's family bones, and apparently it is still hungry. A great read for horror fans!

How to Survive a Horror Story by Mallory Arnold is an engaging and darkly humorous take on the horror genre. The story follows a group of friends who find themselves trapped in a terrifying and bizarre series of events that seem straight out of a horror movie. Arnold skillfully subverts genre tropes, giving each character depth and making their struggle for survival both suspenseful and relatable. The novel blends tension and wit, with moments of both fear and levity. With its clever narrative and unpredictable twists, How to Survive a Horror Story is a fun, chilling ride for fans of horror and dark comedy alike.

First of all I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Just from the description of this book I knew I would love it and I was right, it was everything I wanted and more. I wouldn’t say this an overly scary but definitely had some creepy moments where you have to reread to make sure you read it right. The ending was quite predictable but I still enjoyed the story as a whole.

Would recommend to anyone who loves a ‘mild’ horror with a lot of mystery.

Mortimer Queen has invited several people to a reading of his will, and all of them are at least a little surprised that he wants to leave them something. It doesn't take long for them to find out they're trapped in the house and have to figure out clues to try to make it through.
I don't usually like books with this many unlikeable characters, but it was fun learning about the terrible things they did to enrage Mortimer. And Mortimer was pretty terrible himself!
This isn't serious, but more of a fun thriller with a magical house. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

A group of horror writers are invited to the home of a recently-deceased, wildly successful author. They're been included in his will... but perhaps not for the reason they were expecting.

Arnold riffs on the classic dwindling guests trope set forth by Agatha Christie. Her use of horror writers in a haunted house also reminds me of Scott Thomas's Kill Creek. She knows that she's jumping off from a classic story, and she knows that people have been writing and rewriting that story for decades. I still think she does a great job, and it makes for a fun book that's hard to put down.

There are moments that could have been better - some of the rooms jumped off the page and created vivid mental images, and others didn't. As you get further into the tale, you begin to question the "short stories" which at first seemed like fact, and later seemed like they might be fictionalized accounts. Are you working with a reliable narrator? That's one of the core questions, one of the essential mysteries of the book.

Really fun, and a great first (published) novel from Arnold. I'm excited to see more from her!

4 stars

This is clue w a horror twist! I loved every minute as I’m a fan of both. It had just enough satire thrown in to make it light and fun while still bringing the horror elements. Loved it!