When legendary horror author Mortimer Queen dies, a group of authors, each with their own grim connection to Mortimer, are invited to the reading of his last will and testament. But while they expect a share of his vast fortune, they instead find a horrific game waiting for them instead. Trapped in Mortimer's grand manor, they must solve the riddles and progress through the manor. But if they fail, the house will take one of them for itself.

Horror is not usually a genre I go for, but reading the premise of this, I couldn't ignore it! I LOVE books about writers and the locked-room mystery elements had my attention. I didn't know what to expect going in but I found loads that I enjoyed!

Overall, the book is campy, creepy, and captivating. Each of the authors is tied to Mortimer Queen in some way, and the mysteries of how they're connected to him are slowly peeled back to reveal the true horror of their connections. It's not a traditional "scary" horror imo, but I really vibed with the more subtle, creepy atmosphere. There are some gory, gruesome deaths that sometimes felt a bit jarring, but on the whole add to the horrifying atmosphere.

I really enjoyed the depiction of the characters, especially as we discovered how each of them were tied to Mortimer and how they "wronged" him in the past. The characters were enhanced through the multi-pov structure of the book, and it was so interesting to see how the different characters perceived their actions and how Mortimer had perceived them, which left me wondering who was telling the truth or if the truth was maybe somewhere more in the middle of their accounts. I had a specific soft spot for Melanie and Buck, though I was very engaged with all of the characters' stories!

While I enjoyed the characters, atmosphere, and overall plot - I especially liked the puzzles and riddles element and would have loved even more of this! - I did struggle a bit with the pacing. At times it moved too slowly and focused on irrelevant details, then it would speed through the next part, which left me stopping and starting the book a lot more than I normally would, taking it in small bursts rather than getting absorbed in it for a long time. My only other minor complaint is how some characters spoke - the author wrote some dialogue in the "accent" of the character, which I understand may have been to differentiate due to having a relatively large cast, but it's something I personally really do not enjoy as it takes me out of the story and is a distraction. But it's a totally personal thing!

On the whole, I had a great time with this book and it was an impressive debut! I'd definitely be interested in reading more from this author in the future!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free e-Arc in exchange for a honest review.

Under normal circumstances, a last will and testament is read in the same room as family. In this case, there were strangers gathered that had connections with Mortimer Queen, a famous horror author.

This gave off “The Haunting” vibes (c. 1999). It was written well and I appreciate the entertaining aspect to it.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #PoisonedPenPress for the #ARC to review. The opinions and views expressed are my own. Publication date is July 8, 2025.

#HowToSurviveAHorrorStory

I loved the blurb.

This book was truly fun. I had a ball!!

I loved the whole solving riddles and puzzles part of this.

Some characters were about much but meh, I still enjoyed this one.

Loved the mystery / horror/ haunted house vibes throughout.

What a fun ride.

The for the opportunity!!

The number of books I've read that follow a dead author inviting other authors over for a dinner party (or some sort of event) but then has them all in a deadly game whilst trapped in their spooky manor...I don't know why but I find that so funny. I swear I've read like three in the past as many month.

Overall, this book was good! I did find it quite formulaic, but maybe that's my bad for reading three books with an identical premise. I just wanted to see which was the best. And I did think this was the best one, so yay that.

The characters were interesting and I didn't find myself getting confused over who is who, so that's a plus. I find that thrillers tend to introduce too many characters but don't make them interesting enough for them to be easily differentiated, and this book did not have that problem. A win is a win!

I can see some people finding this tropey, but it depends on the type of reader you are. Some love that and others don't.

I can see this working so well as a movie too!

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.

I liked the various POVS and how the author wrote this book. Thank you netgalley and poisoned press for allowing me to review it early.
The locked room thrills I wouldn't quite say were surprising but nevertheless I enjoyed reading the riddles and was very well entertained. This is one of those books that you need to just let go of logic ( of what is happening or will happen in real life) and just have fun with it. Although I didn't enjoy all the so called Characters ( allot of them lack depth) I did enjoy what the author was trying to convey. And I think overall this book was a great success. It has many fun moments and many creepy ones. It has you guessing who is the main villain quite well. I would encourage the author to keep writing. Keep imagining. And keep perfecting their talent. I was entertained and enjoyed reading

After a legendary horror author passes away, he invites 7 authors that are somehow connected to him to his manor for the reading of his will, they think they are getting something valuable but instead find themselves having to play a game and reveal their true colors. This in a way reminded me of The Saw movies, I love me some psychological horror/thriller/mystery whatever falls in that category. This book was an enjoyable read if you are into dark reads. One thing I did not enjoy about this book was the long chapters in the beginning. Overall a good read that felt just like a horror movie.

This was a fun and thrilling read. A who dun it type of mystery. Arnold has a way of just sucking you in and make you want to keep turning pages until the very end. I was pleasantly surprised by this thriller!

Goodreads really needs half stars - this wasn't quite a four, but it's definitely better than a three. Thanks to author/publisher/Netgalley for the eARC.

I think this book works best when you just don't think about it too much. Like a 90s horror movie, it's a whole lot of fun that completely falls apart if you try to analyze past surface level.

But that said, it's <i>so much</i> fun. A group of authors are invited to a mysterious mansion of the late Mortimer Queen, horror author, for the reading of his will. And then the house is haunted and there are riddles and it turns out that every single one of these authors has a different reason they were invited.

Not sure I saw the entire ending coming, but I sure had an inkling. <spoiler>Buck didn't deserve it!!</spoiler>

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.