Thank you for allowing me to review this book. I am giving my rating based on my own personal opinion and not that of any other party.

This was like Knives Out, The Writing Retreat, You Are Fatally Invited and Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone. I loved the story-in-a-story aspects of the book and I loved the gamified competition for the possible inheritance. The horror/supernatural aspects of this are what really sets it apart from all of its other comps and made it feel like a unique spin on the genre.

What a fun and fresh take on the haunted house genre! I really enjoyed so many elements of this: a creepy atmosphere, creatively gory scenes, rotating POVs and having authors as a main character. While I've read many books that follow this overall formula, Mallory Arnold really stands out from them for me in her creative additions and twists that were seen throughout.

Thank you Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for my early review copy!

I could tell from the first page it would be good book and was immediately hooked. It was creepy as hell. Very atmospheric. Great locked room mystery and riddles!

trigger warning
<spoiler> cancer, grief, suicide, alcoholism, gore </spoiler>

A group of horror authors has been invited to a will reading. Also, there is a young woman who'd like to <i>be</i> a horror author. Everyone is promised something has been left for them. It turns out that instead of a nice expensive memento, they have been given a place in an escape room game.

We have a fixed set of characters in a secluded setting. Mostly they know of each other, a few of them have met before. They are here for selfish reasons, and they are going to pay for that.

The ominous vibes relatively quickly give way to gore. I, personally, would have liked a bit more on the history of this set-up, but this story is very straightforward, most of it in the span of a few hours. What I'd really love would be a novella or short story on the origins of this, but since what we have is already working, I can hardly fault them for not sacrificing the pace that worked out really well for more info for people like me.

While I don't think this novel will stick in my mind for a long time, it was fun while I was in the moment.
The arc was provided by the publisher.

I reaaaally liked the premise of this and even though it was predictable at times, I had a good time reading this book. If you like creepy and clever books that feel a little different and macabre - read this one!

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for a complimentary copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.

Mortimer Queen, a renowned horror author, dies and invites a group of writers to his estate, Queen Manor, for the reading of his will and testament. The group believes they are going to be receiving a chunk of Mortimer's fortune. Each author has a connection to Mortimer, but none of them are good connections. When they arrive at the manor, they are invited to play a simple game - solve the riddle in each room to proceed to the next. If they don't solve it, the manor will take one of the authors as a meal. The Queen estate was built on top of the family bones. The guests soon discover that Mortimer's most popular horror novel, Monster House, isn't so fictional after all.

I really enjoyed the premise and the concept of this story. We start out with Melanie Brown and her invitation to Queen Manor via a cryptic letter. Having an unsupportive family and her own desires of being a published author, she takes up the invitation. When we get to the estate, we meet Scott Clay, Buck Grimm, Winnie Roach (who decides to invite a +1), Petey Marsh, Chester Plummage, and Crystal Flowers. Each chapter is in the POV of one of the guests where we learn their backstory and their connection to Mortimer.

I thought the riddles could have been a little bit more complex; they seemed too easy in my opinion. I was also quite confused and taken aback by a "living" house. I figured out the ending pretty easily, but it was still enjoyable and made me really question one of the characters.

If you liked <i>The Escape Room</i>, <i>Keeper of Enchanted Rooms</i>, <i>With A Vengeance</i> and similar books, you will enjoy this one.

This was such a fun read, especially for spooky season! I'd describe the vibes as a clever baby made from Clue, Monster House, and Saw (if it was made of escape rooms). It's a literal locked-room mystery with a creative twist in that the host is already dead, and the guests are there for the will reading. I really liked how descriptive the writing was, and how there are POVs from each character to tell the story. I also liked the "short stories" in between chapters to give more details. The ending didn't hit as hard as the rest of the book, but I still enjoyed the conclusion. Definitely read this one if you get the chance! So. Good.

Rating: 4.25 ⭐️

A clever locked room mystery where a group of writers must figure out how to survive the rules of a slasher style story. While it is suspenseful and funny something about it did fall a little short for me but it was definitely a fun read!

When famous horror author Mortimer Queen dies, 7 people are invited to his manor for the will reading. Or at least that’s what they thought. Instead they will be trapped in a game of Mortimer’s making and they might not all make it out alive.

This was SO good! The book sucks you in from the very beginning and keeps you hooked throughout. Wanting to know who did what and how their secrets are going to be revealed keeps you turning the pages and not wanting to stop! The characters are absolutely despicable and it makes the story so much better. You don’t know who to root for because you trust the characters less and less as the story goes on.

Highly recommend this one if you’re a fan of twisty horror stories filled with riddles and games and a bit of violence!

A real page-turner, this book offers a potent blend of traditional mystery, horror, and the supernatural. The compelling individual character narratives are filled with twists and turns. I highly recommend this book.

Thanks to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this ARC that publishes on July 08.

This book tells the story of seven authors who are called to the reading of Mortimer Queen's will a highly acclaimed horror writer who has just passed away.

These seven writers all had some kind of history with Mortimer, though we'll find out later whether those relationships were good or bad.

When the day arrives and everyone's gathered at Mortimer Queen's enormous mansion, they quickly realize nothing is what it seems, and they're going to wish they never set foot in that sinister place.

In this book, you'll find a mix of mystery and some horror, with a haunted house that won't give anyone a break and will do whatever it takes to settle old scores.

I have to say I was quite surprised that a book with multiple POVs didn't bore me (it usually does all the time). On the contrary, the characters in this book were really compelling, and I kept wanting to discover more about what each one was hiding.

I won't deny that some characters almost had me fooled, or at least part of me wanted to believe some of them were different than they appeared.

Around the middle of the book, some things became predictable about how it might end (I actually guessed who, but not how). Still, I was pleasantly surprised by how the final plot came together, because my theory was quite different.

How to survive a horror story was a quick and entertaining story to read.

When a famous horror author passes away a group of his contemporaries gather at his home to witness the reading of the will. They quickly realize they are a trapped in the authors last horror story, Stuck in a sentient house set on exacting the authors revenge

I love a sentient house, and this book delivered! What really worked for me was the balance between the paranormal elements and the darker, very human behavior—each event could be interpreted in different ways, which made it even more intriguing. The characters were all unique and well-developed, and I especially liked that each had their own short story or background woven in. It took me a little while to adjust to the multiple POVs, but once I did, everything clicked together and made for a really engaging read.

Thanks to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this e-ARC that I chose to read and review

A fun horror and mystery story, although I did not think the horror was elevated.

A group of writers are called together to hear the reading of the will of a fellow author. The group is given tasks to accomplish and if they are not successful, the house will response. Enter - Locked Room trope!

There were no twists that were not seen however it was an entertaining story.

This book was so engaging. 7 authors enter the manor of a newly deceased horror author under the guise of being named in his will. They are.. but things are not as they expected. Each author has done horrible things and negatively impacted Mortimer Queen’s life. I love the twists and paranormal elements to this story. The perfect segue to spooky szn.

absolutely loved this horror/thriller/mystery book! Very fun concept - but borderline on too many characters to keep track of. It's going very much escape room x monster house x ready or not

Many thanks to NetGalley for a copy of How to Survive a Horror Story in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t get into this one. While the premise was intriguing the delivery left me bored.

There were a lot of characters and they’re all pretty terrible so once they start dropping it was like meh who was that again? Felt repetitive and lack luster enough for me to skim the second half.

Basically a bunch of bad people in a haunted house of a horror author with his own beef. The authors have to figure out various “riddles” if they want to survive.

Lots of random things happening that are “scary”, although this felt almost like a cheesy horror movie compared to something that made me feel anything other than figuring out how to survive what felt like the longest horror story ever 😅

HOW TO SURVIVE A HORROR STORY is like if the ESCAPE ROOM movie featured horror authors instead! It’s a locked-room mystery where everyone has a connection with the deceased host, but not all the connections are good. We get the POVs of all the authors, and while they are familiar archetypes, the book does try to subvert expectations. The challenges are creative and get pretty gory.

Though I liked the book’s interpretation of the horror publishing industry and the difficulties facing authors, I thought it could have pushed a little deeper. There’s an interesting point about the power of stories and how it can have an impact, but it wasn’t explored. I’m not a fan of important information being kept from the reader, so I wasn’t really satisfied with the resolution. But I still had fun with this quick, action-packed story, and I can see this being turned into a movie!

Seven writers, one haunted manor, and a deadly game where only the clever survive.

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<b>Summary</b>
A gothic horror-thriller that follows seven horror writers invited to the secluded manor of the late author Mortimer Queen. Upon arrival, they find themselves trapped in a deadly game: solve a riddle every hour or face gruesome consequences. Each writer has a dark secret tied to Mortimer, and the house itself seems to have a mind of its own.

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<b>Tropes & Themes</b>
Revenge and Redemption
Isolation and Paranoia
Locked Room Mystery
Unreliable Narrators
Haunted House

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<b>My Thoughts</b>
This was such a fun, suspenseful read! I loved the locked loom mystery vibe and the eerie, gothic atmosphere of Mortimer Queen’s manor. The puzzles and twists kept me guessing, and the characters each had secrets that made the story more intense. Overall it’s a clever, spooky thriller that fans of horror and mystery will really enjoy.

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🤍 I want to give a <I>huuugeee</I> thank you Netgalley and Mallory Arnold for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. 🤍

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.