Like Agatha Christie with a heckuva bite, Arnold kicks off How to Survive a Horror Story by bringing together a group of horror writers to witness the reading of the will of horror legend Mortimer Queen. Mortimer doesn't sound like he was a pleasant person in life, but in death he really ups the ante. He's got bones to pick with everyone in that room: the kleptomaniac, the gossip monger, the side chick, the rage addict, the good old boy, and the strangely quiet girl that no one knows. They'll all have to work together to solve Mortimer's riddles to survive a series of rooms and possibly get out alive. I loved Arnold's tense storytelling that wags a finger at the lengths people will go to in order to climb the spiky ladder of success. A splash of gore, delicious plot twists, and compulsively readable character backstories make this a must-read.

What a fantastic read! This book was a little outside my usual genre, but I absolutely LOVED every minute of it.

When legendary horror author Mortimer Queen passes away, a group of writers are invited to the reading of his will, expecting to inherit part of his fortune. Instead, they find themselves trapped in a twisted game. Solving riddles and moving from room to room in his eerie house in a desperate attempt to escape.

Such a fun concept! How to Survive a Horror Story is easily one of the most entertaining reads I’ve picked up in a while. I laughed, I gasped, and yes there were moments that made me cringe in the best possible way.

I’m not usually great at predicting plot twists, so all the turns totally got me. If you're a regular reader of this genre, you might spot some of them coming, but for me, the suspense and mystery were spot on.

The writing style was super easy and made for a refreshing change of pace. I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for more from this author.

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.

This was a fun read for a horror novel. I really enjoyed the monster house aspect of it and how you did not know what was going to come next. Along the way you learn how each of the 7 authors are connected to Mortimer and how that is used to move the story forward. To me there is not one non morally grey character in the book and I feel that all ended how it needed to.

How to Survive a Horror Story is a clever twist on the classic “whodunit.” It reads more like a deadly game of Clue than a traditional horror novel, with characters trapped, secrets unraveling, and the tension slowly building as you try to figure out who’s really pulling the strings.

I loved the concept and the way Mallory Arnold played with familiar horror setups while keeping the mystery front and center. The atmosphere is fun and eerie at the same time, and I enjoyed the mix of suspense and playful nods to the genre.

That said, after a while some of the deaths started to feel a little outlandish, which pulled me out of the story here and there. Still, it’s an entertaining, creative read that kept me guessing and gave me a few chills along the way.

If you’re into mysteries with a horror edge—think Clue with a spooky twist—this one is worth checking out.

at first i was gonna be like wow this was so predictable, blabla. i take all of that back. this book surprised the hell out of me. the characters are very interesting to read about and i was waiting to see what was going to happen. the book absolutely keeps you on your toes, and i could not even have imagined the ending. way to make a debut!

thank you to netgalley and the author for sending me the book in exchange for an honest review

The only reason I’m giving this 4 stars instead of 5 is because it’s a premise we all know and love, and because it’s slightly formulaic. But, as far as books I’ve read this year, it’s one of my favorites. The twist is great and unique, without giving anything away, it’s not JUST an old rich man inviting people to his house to murder them… it’s slightly more than that! The reason that every person is there at the house (that they of course have to escape - or really, survive) is different but similar in the ways that they are horrible. With one exception. You can see some things coming but hey, you know what? It’s fun! It was a fun book that was graphic, thrilling, and had you on the edge of your seat throughout the whole time. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Contemporary, locked-room, haunted house horror told in present tense, with multiple POV. This book has it all; a sentient house, strings being pulled from beyond the grave, jump scares, an underlying sense of dread, a mystery that unravels as the story proceeds, carnivorous flying books, and comeuppance.

It was slightly meta; the main characters are all writers, and there are a series of short stories outlining their transgressions against the dead author who owned the house - or supposed transgressions; they’re told from his point of view. One of the characters points out that he is re-writing their stories as they progress through the house, so each character becomes an unreliable narrator, and I really enjoyed this ambiguity. This book was really entertaining and I read it in a day, I highly recommend it!

Familiar premise of a locked "room" haunted house story, but with a fun twist of using fellow authors who (maybe?) wronged the recently deceased. I would have enjoyed a chapter from the house's point of view, as it was so involved throughout the story.

I usually love a locked room mystery, but this was not for me. I gave it a go a few times and it was a bit of slog for me. Concept was there but the execution just did not work for me. I appear to be in the minority, so give it a chance. This just was not for me
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for my honest review
2.5

If you’ve ever wondered what happens when morally grey writers ✍🏼 find themselves trapped in a house of horrors, 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘚𝘶𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘏𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘳 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 is here to satisfy your curiosity!

“𝘈 𝘨𝘢𝘮𝘦. 𝘈 𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘨𝘳𝘺 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦. 𝘖𝘩, 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥.”

This locked-room thriller combines haunted escape room 🔒 vibes with a sprinkle of horror, making for a truly enjoyable read. From the get-go, the suspense is palpable, with action-packed twists that keep you on your toes.

Picture this: a group of writers, each with their own secrets & agendas, must collaborate to escape a nightmarish scenario that seems hell-bent on their demise. It’s like Cluedo meets an escape room, and the stakes couldn’t be higher.

“𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘪𝘥. 𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢 𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯, 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶.”

The alternating POVs add a fascinating layer of complexity. Each narrator is unreliable, leaving you guessing who to trust. 🫨 Just when you think you have it all figured out, Arnold throws in a twisty ending that ties everything together seamlessly.

If you’re a fan of 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘰𝘳 𝘕𝘰𝘵, 𝘒𝘯𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘖𝘶𝘵 🔪, or even the classic 𝘊𝘭𝘶𝘦𝘥𝘰 board game, you’ll find plenty to love here.

This book is a clever blend of mystery and thrill, perfect for those who enjoy a good puzzle wrapped in a chilling atmosphere. Dive in, & prepare for a delightful ride through the unexpected!

Thank you Poisoned Pen Press and Netgalley for this Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for my honest review. 🙏🏽 This book is OUT NOW!

The story was fast paced, intense and captivating from start to finish- the elements of horror combined with mystery/thriller were interwoven together perfectly making me as the reader totally entranced by the book as a whole. In terms of the concept of the friends of prolific horror author Mortimer (all of whom had a secret in relation to Mortimer par one)- this was well developed as were the various characters in the story.
The setting made for a tense and nail biting ride and I thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to reading more books from this author down the track.
Thankyou to Net galley, Poisoned Pen Press and Mallory Arnold for an e-arc of this amazing book.

This book was a perfect one for someone like me who wants to get into horror but just ease into it. It was heavy on the thriller & mystery which I loved.

A group of people are brought together for a reading of a will by a famous author (gave very much Tim Burton vibes?) but they have no idea why they would be there when this particular author hated them or didn’t even know them. Soon they discover that the house is alive and the author sent them all here to confess their sins.

I LOVED the multiple POVs and hearing each of their stories. We obviously know that each of these characters are their for a good reason and not just randomly picked. Slowly finding out their sins was pretty interesting and I actually felt pretty connected to all of them, even though these are not angelic people.

The ending was… f*cked up. I’ll just say it. But I think that made it a good horror story. Wow wow wow. Highly recommend this book.

Obsessed.

This is a thrilling suspense, bloody horror and a love letter to the genre, capturing our favourite elements of horror and blending them together in the ultimate horror homage. But outside of that, there was honestly fabulous writing, exciting pacing, a brilliantly devised cast of characters to love, hate and suspect, and of course - absolute chaos.

This book wasn’t quite the edge-of-your-seat ride I was expecting, but it still had its strengths. The premise is intriguing and the writing style is clear and easy to follow, which made it a comfortable read. While the pacing felt slower than most thrillers and some of the twists were a little predictable, the characters were well-drawn and I appreciated the careful attention to detail in the setting.

It’s more of a thoughtful, simmering story than a pulse-pounding one, so if you prefer thrillers that build tension gradually rather than throwing constant shocks at you, this could be a great fit. Not the most gripping thriller I’ve read, but definitely not a bad way to spend a few evenings.

Read this if you enjoy multiple timeline/POV in your mysteries. I normally do. And I won’t say I that I didn’t appreciate the past and present storylines. I was unsure about the Scarlett POV until farther into the book but it was important to have that in the end.
As someone who loves a good mystery, I will say that I had figured out the Ending partially but didn’t see one of the twists which always makes me happy!

First of all, thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley who provided me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. The setup of the book is the famous horror writer Mortimer Queen has passed away. Seven authors are invited to his mansion for the reading of his will. Instead, the story turns into a locked house story. They have to complete riddles to stay alive in the house. Well, you know how that is going to go lol. 7 people that have all done Mortimer Queen wrong in some sort of way, the craziness begins. I thought it was a pretty good horror story. The story is told in different Pov's, so you get to know the character's backstories. I don't think this is a spoiler, but the house comes alive and kills people. Unless I missed it, it was never explained how or why the house could come alive.  Overall, pretty good page turner. The ending was ok, didn't really shock me much.

I enjoyed this book, however it was a slower read for me. I would recommend to some of my friends though!

The opening scene of the book starts with a troubled, scared woman driving up to the Manor.  Her car is old,  she thinks of herself as a failure but is intent on doing this.  She's named in the will of a world-famous horror author who she barely remembers meeting.

My brain automatically jumped to the opening of Shirley Jackson's "Hell House"  Strangers brought together by a strange millionaire,  the main character a quiet little mouse who believes this is the moment that will change her life...and that's where the resemblance ends.

This is so much more than a haunted house story, calling it that is way to mild for what you hold in your hands.
The scares are visceral, the blood sticky on the pages.  I adore when an author comes up with new and inventive ways to wreck havoc and kills off characters in such devilish and disturbing ways. Arnold excels at it!

I've heard a lot of new authors being called the "new Stephen King," and I rarely even bother considering it.  But I believe Mallory Arnold deserves to have her name added to the list...at the very top.

Highly recommended Publishing date July 08, 1025

Thanks to @neptgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to read this eArc in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

This book had a ton of promise, and overall I found it to be a really fun, light read (despite all the murder). I love a locked door mystery, so this was up my alley, and I enjoyed seeing both sides to every character's story- the reader gets to find out what they want the world to think and then what actually happened.

I have a few gripes with it though. The premise promised riddles, but none of the riddles were difficult to figure out or all that original. AND the ending. WTF Mallory? Really?!!! It wasn't that I just didn't like the ending, but that it didn't really make a lot of sense for the character to act that way. I could not understand the thought process there, or what her motivations were, because presumably things would have turned out the same way for her no matter what choice she made.

I don't want to go too far into because of #spoilers, but the end took the book from a solid 3.5 stars rounded up to four to a straight 3. I'd definitely read another one of this author's books, though, and I think it was pretty solid for a debut.

What I thought: if a book could become my personality, it might be this one! I was blown away by this book and it got me back into the groove of reading. I am a complete sucker for locked room thrillers/mysteries and will read just about any book with that as a plot line. I loved this one because those fighting for their lives were horror writers. But these horror writers had some MAJOR secrets just waiting to be exposed! I read You Are Fatally Invited earlier this year and loved it, but this far surpassed that book for me. Now, keep in mind, this is a horror book dressed up as a thriller and most of the deaths were pretty grisly. You may skip it if that makes you squeamish. The characters were ones you loved to hate and hated to love and each of their stories was so well written. By the end, you weren’t sure who to root for! This book is definitely a contender for my book of the year!

Part of a series?: No
Read if you like: You are Fatally Invited and other locked room thrillers
Would I recommend?: Absolutely without a doubt!

Star rating: 5 stars