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!

Really enjoyed this book. It had me hooked from the first chapter. Can’t wait to buy a physical copy when it comes out.

When Mortimer Queen passes, seven writers are invited to the Queen estate for the reading of his will and testament. The group believes they are getting a piece of Queen's fortune but instead are forced to play a game for their survival. As they cross through the manor, they will have to answer a riddle correctly, if they get it wrong the manor will take one of them. The group must figure why each of them are forced to play the game in order to escape.

As someone who does not read a lot of Horror books, I found this book to be captivating. There were several mysteries throughout this book including why each of the authors were invited to the Queen's estate and why Melanie, a woman who seems to have little connection to Mortimer Queen, is included. Although this book starts out a little slower, it quickly picks up and I could not set this down. I loved the short stories that were included at the end of each room and although the conclusion of this book was a little predictable, I was still happy with the ending. This is a great book for readers who are just getting into the genre.

How to Survive a Horror Story comes out on July 8th.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to review How to Survive a Horror Story. All thought and opinions are my own.

I really wish I liked this book more. The premise is super interesting and I love trapped horror movies, especially in a place as weird as the manor is. Unfortunately, I don’t think this book lives up to that premise.

The first major issue is that there are too many POVs. All seven characters have POVs, which causes the beginning to drag. It also caused an issue where a character would get a POV and we would have to learn a lot about them in a short amount of time because the book is only so long and we only get so much time with them. Then if the book bounced back to their POV, it would then have to explain the character’s thoughts on any major things that happened in the chapters since the last POV for that character. This also means that during times of mortal danger, characters are thinking about random things from their past or their relationships, because there just isn’t a place for it anywhere else. All of this causes a lot of pacing issues that don’t ever feel ironed out, even when POVs start dropping. There are also several chapters that have short stories appended onto them and, even if the information in them is important, they can bring the story to a standstill.

The characters themselves also don’t really work. Many of them are really one note. It also feels like one of the characters changes quickly and drastically in a way that didn’t feel like it made sense.

My final note was that one of the characters has kleptomania and it feels like the very sensationalized version you see in movies, that isn’t what real kleptomania looks like. The biggest factor is that the character with the disorder really seems to be stealing for monetary value, which is actually a huge mark against someone having kleptomania. It felt like the author didn’t do any research into an actual mental illness, which is disappointing.

Unfortunately, I just had too many issues to enjoy this book.

How to Survive a Horror Story by Seth Grahame-Smith is a witty, self-aware guide that humorously deconstructs horror tropes while offering practical survival tips. Its clever tone and sharp humor make it an enjoyable read for fans of the genre, though some of the jokes might land better with seasoned horror enthusiasts. The book balances its satire with genuine affection for classic horror, creating a fun blend of parody and homage. While not groundbreaking, it's a thoroughly entertaining and unique addition to any horror lover’s bookshelf.

This fast-paced locked-room thriller should not be missed! A group of seven writers arrive at the manor of legendary horror author Mortimer Queen for a reading of his will, only to find themselves trapped inside. The authors must solve riddles to make their way through the manor and escape but danger is lurking around every corner. Thrilling and unpredictable, horror fans will love this highly anticipated 2025 release!

How to Survive a Horror Story is a sharp and chilling mix of locked-room mystery and supernatural horror. When a group of writers gathers at Queen Manor expecting a fortune, they’re instead forced into a deadly game where solving riddles is the only way to survive the house’s hunger.

The story blends biting humor with eerie atmosphere, delivering twists, clever riddles, and a cast full of secrets. Each character adds layers to the mystery, while the house itself feels like a character. The pacing is tight, and the gothic vibes are perfect for fans of The Fall of the House of Usher.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Would you accept an invitation to the reading of a will of a famous, childless horror author at a remote manor house? What if you betrayed him? What if you stole from him? What if you barely met him? Reminiscent of Clue (the movie)---if the house was a character---this campy, horror-lite novel circulates the perspective and storytelling by each of the unreliable guests. Everyone has something to hide and no one is guaranteed to walk out alive.

Arnold weaves classic elements of haunted houses, monsters, and the locked room (or, in this case, manor) trope, as she forces her characters through both a literal maze and a psychological one. While there's gore in multiple spots throughout the story, this is less a horror novel and more of a psychological thriller. This might be a good comp for those who enjoyed Grady Hendrix's My Best Friend's Exorcism, and Arnolds plot construct suggests she's an author to watch . 3.75 stars rounded up.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC. The views expressed are exclusively my own.

A sinister and pleasingly mean horror story, Arnold's tale of a septet of writers lured to a mysterious mansion and trapped there at ghostly behest, is a fun, fast-paced ride. The characters aren't likeable, flawed to a fault, but the mystery is intriguing enough, even if the supernatural elements are a little underdeveloped. Regardless, this is an enjoyable, spooky time, with themes about the writing process and the drive to achieve at all costs.

But people are just monsters we love,right?"

You are hereby invited to the Mortimer Queen Manor to stay the weekend,accept your willed item, and celebrate Mr Queen's lasting legacy as one of the greatest horror authors this world will ever know

After the passing of Mortimer Queen, six authors are invited to his manor for his last will and testament reading, hoping to see what he bequethed to them. Instead,a game is presented, solve the riddle, and move onto the next room. If they don't,they will be taken by the house.
With each passing hour and new rooms open little by little, the story of each character unfolds.
I would love to say I read through this within one sitting, but that would be a lie,I just needed to take my time so I could take in every little detail,it was fast faced and thoroughly so enjoyable.
I don't think I've read a haunted house/manor book like this before,it had me at the word go. With every chapter, I grew as anxious as the characters. I highly recommend getting your hands on this when it releases.

While there is an intriguing premise that is reminiscent of both a Saw film and a horror version of Willy Wonka, this book never fully elevates beyond the premise to become an engaging or propulsive thriller. The characters are fairly simple and one-note, mostly based on their behavioral tics or a stereotype on the geographical region what they live. As such, just like on Wonka, the reader doesn’t really get invested in any of them to care whether they advance to the next room of the house or not.

Furthermore, there also seemed to be a real missed opportunity to develop the house as a living character itself, as the mythology behind its existence was never really developed beyond some superficial characterization. For this book to really shine, the set pieces have to be interesting, but the rooms that are described really seem to lack uniqueness and don’t have much consistency in whether the form they take on are to target individuals for their misdeeds, or are just random set pieces.

Finally, I also thought the unreliable narrator technique was a bit underdeveloped. As I reached the end, it still wasn’t clear whether the characters were really that terrible and were lying about their past, or if the house and Mortimer were manipulating the truth. It’s an interesting idea, but one that wasn’t fully developed in a way where there’s clarity at the end on what the truth is.

I really really wanted to love this book! Unfortunately the characters fell flat for me and the overall plot wasn’t engaging. It reminded me a lot of the Castle Knoll files book, but this wasn’t executed as well. I’m interested in seeing what the author will do next!

Mallory Arnold’s How to Survive a Horror Story is a spine-tingling, genre-blending delight that delivers chills, thrills, and clever commentary on the very essence of storytelling. Fans of locked-room mysteries and gothic horror will find themselves captivated by this darkly humorous, twisty tale set in the eerie Queen manor.

The premise is irresistible: seven writers with varying connections to the legendary Mortimer Queen gather for the reading of his will, hoping for a share of his fortune. What they get instead is an invitation to a sinister game where each room of the house holds a deadly challenge. The stakes are as high as the tension—solve the puzzles or risk becoming part of the house’s macabre history.

Arnold’s characters are sharply drawn, with distinct personalities and compelling backstories that emerge as the game unfolds. The interplay between them is laced with biting wit, rivalries, and secrets that add layers to the suspense. The Queen estate, practically a character in its own right, is richly atmospheric, combining the ghostly unease of The Fall of the House of Usher with modern, self-aware nods to horror tropes.

What sets this novel apart is its meta approach to the horror genre. Through its plot and characters, Arnold explores the nature of fear, storytelling, and the ways writers confront their own demons. The riddles are clever, the twists genuinely surprising, and the pacing masterfully controlled.

While the novel revels in its dark humor and inventive scares, it also offers moments of poignancy as the characters reckon with their personal connections to Mortimer Queen—and to each other. By the end, readers are left with both a satisfying resolution and a deeper appreciation for the art of crafting horror.

How to Survive a Horror Story is a must-read for fans of haunted houses, complex characters, and smart, playful storytelling. Mallory Arnold has written a love letter to the horror genre that is as haunting as it is entertaining. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself leaving a light on after finishing this one.