How to Survive a Horror Story was a fun ride from the very beginning. This is a classic Locked Room story with a really neat twist. It’s like the movie Saw but with 7 horror authors in a creepy monster house! They have to play along and solve riddles to get to the next room but there’s acid, jumping candles, and stuff 😂 it’s weird but I thought it was fun.
I really enjoyed how this story slowly revealed everyone’s past and connection to Mortimer Queen. I don’t want to say too much more for fear of spoilers. There were some parts that dragged a tiny bit but overall I thought it was a fun read. The ending wasn’t overly surprising but I thought it was still well done. It was almost poetic in a sense to the entire story. The last line was 👌!
Recommended if you enjoy Locked Room mysteries with some gore.

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press for an e-arc of this book.

I love a good spooky/haunted house and a mystery. This book felt very much like Clue in a way, but like an escape room. I really wanted to love this book, but for the most part (and I feel like it was intentional) the characters were unbearable, but not in a good way.

Even if you don't like a character you should be interested in what happens to them. In this book I didn't. I was just ready to get to the end, and find out the answers.

Honestly, the past and present and the reveals just didn't work for me in the end.

I'm a sucker for a good locked-room mystery, and How to Survive a Horror Story delivered on that front with a unique, twisted flair. While the beginning took a bit to find its footing, once the game began, I was completely hooked. The premise, a group of authors trapped in a creepy manor and forced to play a deadly game, was both clever and suspenseful, and I couldn’t wait to see what happened next.

I absolutely love when writers are the main characters, and the multiple POVs added a layer of delicious paranoia to the story. No one felt trustworthy, and I really enjoyed how we gradually unraveled each character’s connection to Mortimer Queen. Seeing how each person perceived their past actions versus how Mortimer remembered them added a psychological edge that kept me questioning everything. Was anyone telling the truth, or was the truth just hiding somewhere between their versions?

The atmosphere of the Queen estate was another standout. It wasn’t overtly terrifying, but it had a sinister, unsettling vibe that made me pause more than once to reread certain eerie lines. The house itself felt like a living, breathing character - watching, waiting, and very much hungry.

My only real gripe was the ending. It leaned a bit predictable, especially after such a creative setup. But even then, the journey was so fun and unsettling that I didn’t mind too much.

This is definitely a book for fans of dark mysteries and subtle horror. It’s not nightmare-inducing, but it’s the kind of story that lingers in your mind long after you’ve closed the book. If you enjoy stories with creeping dread, untrustworthy narrators, and a haunted house with a taste for revenge - this one's for you.

My copy of this book was provided by NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I always love a good locked room mystery, and this one took it up a notch with elements of horror, gore, and suspense which elevated the tension.

When legendary horror author Mortimer Queen dies, seven authors are invited to the reading of his will. Each of them shares a connection and secrets to Mortimer. Some are hesitant to attend but do regardless, and with good reason. Instead of an inheritance, they’re given an invitation to play a game. But this isn’t your average Escape Room. This one comes with deadly stakes and not everyone is guaranteed to make it out alive.

This book had me biting my lip and on the edge of my seat from start to finish. With multiple points of view, it took a little time to get into, but once the characters were established, the story kicked into high gear. The gore was intense and easy to visualize—my brain works like a movie screen, and I could see the eerie old mansion with its antiques, shadowy halls, and blood soaked twists playing out.

However, with so many POVs, I didn’t feel deeply connected to any single character—so when someone was taken out, it didn’t really hit me emotionally.

The ending tied up all the loose threads and answered questions I had, which I appreciated. A solid pick for spooky season—perfect if you’re craving thrills, chills, and a sinister twist on a classic murder mystery.

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the concept. It reminded me of the movie The Haunting from 1999. The house is alive and it is hungry. It craves blood and violence. I enjoyed the background stories of the authors who were forced to play this horrific game. It felt like I was right there with the characters in panic trying to find riddles and solve them. I also enjoyed the plot twist and really did not see it coming.

Book Title: How to Survive a Horror Story
Author(s): Mallory Arnold
Publisher(s): Poisoned Pen Press/Penguin Random House Audio
Available on KU? 🙅🏼‍♀️
Audiobook? ✅

🍿 𝘍𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘐𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴: I am so glad I decided to buy the awesome sprayed edged paperback of How to Survive a Horror Story by Mallory Arnold because I loved this deliciously creepy book!! I hadn’t read the synopsis so I hadn’t seen the comparison to other novels, and I wouldn’t go in expecting this to be anything but its own entity.

🤩 𝚃͏𝚑͏𝚎͏ 𝙱͏𝚎͏𝚜͏𝚝͏ 𝙱͏𝚒͏𝚝͏𝚜͏: I was immediately pulled into the story of a group of people who get invited to a spooky mansion on the pretense of a will reading. We have viewpoints from each of the writers as well as short stories throughout and the mixture made for a spine-tingling good time. There is gore, there is a little humor, and morally grey characters that made me love to hate them. The short stories created little lulls in the action, but for the most part pacing moved very quickly.

🎧 𝒜𝓊𝒹𝒾𝑜𝒷𝑜𝑜𝓀 𝒩𝒶𝓇𝓇𝒶𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃: I loved every moment of Gabra Zackman’s narration though I did remove a half star for lack of a full cast. I think a full cast would have brought these characters to life in a more special and immersive way, but Zackman did do a wonderful job on her own. She was able to pull me into the storyline and perfectly executed every emotion across the board.

💭 𝘊𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘛𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴: How to Survive a Horror Story felt like a more disturbing version of a game of Clue, and I was here for it. I am very surprised to see this is the author’s debut, and she definitely has an instant fan in me.

T͏h͏i͏s͏ B͏o͏o͏k͏ i͏n͏ 5͏ E͏m͏o͏j͏i͏’s͏ o͏r͏ L͏e͏s͏s͏: 🩸💉✍🏼💊🗝️

𝙱𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
𝙰𝚞𝚍𝚒𝚘𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This was a quick and fairly enjoyable read. I would definitely recommend it to anyone for a penchant for soft horror and a closed room plot with tons of twists and turns!

I found the writing style enjoyable and descriptive, but the ending (ultimate twist) unfortunately did leave me wanting more.

Thank you, NetGalley, for this Arc!

So well written, and such a gripping story!!
This captivated me from the first page to the last. The twists are so well thought out and lead you on a path you're not sure you want to go down, but at the same time can't help yourself.
The character development was flawlessly done, these felt like real tangible people that exist in our world.
For anyone that likes haunted mansions, the no-end house legend, and gripping edge of your seat novels, this one's for you!

2.5 stars - I wanted to love this! The premise sounded great! But I felt like the characters lacked depth and while it was a quick read, it isn't one that will stick with me.

thanks to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for providing me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

actual rating: 2.5

It was a fun, dumb novel. I enjoy parts of it, but as a whole it's a little bit messy and the tropes are just badly done. I'd honestly enjoy this if this is written through one POV, first or third, I honestly don't care. Since even if some of the characters were given their own POV chapters, it didn't made care about them. I wanted them to focus on the game instead...

Speaking of the game, it's also a bit all over the place. Some are fine and simple, some are complex, some are easy and dumb. We'll get a peek behind the curtain, behind these games, but the explanation behind it while understandable, for it's it's a little bit unnecessary - especially once again on how the games are structured and how [REDACTED]

Back to the characters, I'm expecting more intelligence since they're horror writers who were put in this horror situation. Like from the start they are not alarmed by the hints the person in charge of the manor, the secret passageways, but none. I also hated that there's not enough suspicions going around, especially on that one person.

If I could compare it to a movie, I'd say it's close to "Escape Room: Tournament of Champions" - there's fun stuffs, messy as a whole, characters that are simply fodder and are "genius" but are dumb.

2.5★ rounded up

I love movies about twisted games whether or not the players signed up for up. It's one of my favorite premises, never gets old to me. I was stoked to grab "How to Survive a Horror Story.* expectinh. It didn’t quiteeeee hit the mark, but it was still creepy and fun. Worth a read.

The locked‑room mystery feel works really well. We get riddles, ghostly machinations, a house that practically feels murderous itself. The multiple POVs let us peek into everyone's ugly secrets. Seeing the interpersonal chaos was oddly satisfying. Not sure what that says about me but whatever lol.

So there was enought to keep me reading even when the pacing sagged a bit in the middle. Some shocks feel cheap. I wanted to be punched in the gut and instead I got softly thwacked with a pillow. Nothing revolutionary, no fantastic character arcs. The manor itself is top‑tier haunted‑house satisfying, but the characters don't really go past "entertaining" for me. But sometimes that's good enough.

So yeah, this isn’t a masterpiece, but it was a decent itch-scratchy for creepy, game-y horror. Fun enough to justify the read if you like the premise!

I thought this was a very clever storyline. It was a quick page turner for me and I enjoyed the characters very much! This book had a lot of puzzles which I enjoyed as well! Overall, a good read!!

I don't know what I was expecting when I started How to Survive a Horror Story by Mallory Arnold, but I do know I was surprised. If you're in the mood for something fast-paced and not too serious this could be a fun pick. Arnold's debut leans all the way into the camp, and the result is a locked-room horror story that feels like a B-movie in the best (and occasionally worst) ways.

First Impressions

How to Survive a Horror Story leans so far into the tropes, it practically builds a house on them. Which, appropriately, is what this story’s all about: a deadly, mysterious house that traps its victims and then picks them off one by one.

This is not the kind of horror novel that lingers on dread or slow-building atmosphere. Instead, it goes for guts (literally), absurdity, and (hopefully!) self-aware mayhem. Think B-movie energy meets haunted house escape room. It knows what it is (I sincerely hope!), and it doesn’t pretend to be anything deeper than a fun, gory time.

What Worked

Lightning Pace: The story wastes no time. It throws you right into the chaos, and things only escalate from there. If you’re in a reading slump or just want a one-sitting book that doesn’t require emotional excavation, this is a great pick.

Inventive Kills: Horror fans who appreciate imaginative death scenes will find plenty to enjoy. The house itself feels like a character: unpredictable, malevolent, and increasingly bizarre in the ways it dispatches its victims.

Campy Fun: The dialogue, the setup, even the character choices all feel pulled from a late-night horror flick in the best way. I had fun. A lot of fun.

What Didn't Work (As Well)

Too Many Cooks: One of the biggest challenges for me was keeping track of all the perspectives, although this is a common struggle I face with multi-POV locked-room thrillers. With so many characters jumping in and out of the narrator seat, I sometimes had to backtrack to remember who was who—and care about what happened to them.

Simile overload: Arnold is clearly having a blast with her descriptions, but at times it crossed into the absurd. There were moments where I stopped mid-sentence just to say, “Wait… what?” (Example: a character was described as being so close to another that it was as if they could see the pus under their whiteheads. Which, I mean, ok.... But also, a bit of a head-scratcher.)

Predictable Ending: While I was fully on board for the ride most of the way, the resolution felt a bit like taking the easy way out, and unfortunately didn’t quite land for me.

Final Thoughts on "How to Survive a Horror Story"

Arnold's debut is loud, messy, and completely unhinged—in the most entertaining way possible. It’s not perfect (and it doesn’t try to be), but it’s a fun ride while it lasts. If you like your horror chaotic, fast, and soaked in blood with a wink at the audience, give this one a shot.

Would I recommend it to someone looking for thoughtful horror or a tightly plotted thriller? Probably not. But for a quick, gory, popcorn read? Sure. Just prepare for a few winces, and not just from the gore.

This book had me engaged from the very start and made me think outside of the box multiple times. I was hooked by the title and the synopsis reminded me of many Japanese psychological horror manga. I finished the book within one day because I couldn't put it down until I knew the ending. The only time I had difficulty was understanding the main character in the beginning, it started at a more slow pace, but slowly catches up and its constant thrilling action.
I do wish for a detail prequel of the house or even a sequel. I have already recommended this book to people I know as it is a fresh idea in the horror book scene.

3.5
I always love a good locked room mystery and anything that references Agatha Christie! This one was fun, fast paced, and had some good horror vibes. I found the plot super interesting and enjoyed the fact that it was about a bunch of horror authors living out a horror book scenario. It was a unique spin on a very common theme. I definitely enjoyed it and recommend everyone give it a read!

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press publishing for providing me an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for my review.

When horror writer Mortimer Queen passes away, a group of writers are invited to the reading of his will at Queen Manor, all expecting a big slice of the pie that is his estate and excessive wealth. They’re all abit miffed when they find out that instead, they have to play a game, solve a series of riddles to be in the running. Turns out it’s not fun and games, it’s life or d3ath! I did enjoy this book, I loved how imaginative the concept is. I really enjoy books about writers so this was perfect. A great spooky, creepy read. Thankyou to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read and review with my honest opinion.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thanks to NetGalley & Poisoned Pen Press for the chance to read this book

Idk why everyone is rating this book so low, I LOVED every second of it! Sure it wasn't the scariest "horror" novel but If you like a little comedy mixed in with your scary serious books, This will be right up your alley! It was kind of obvious what was going to happen from the beginning BUT that didn't take away anything for me Because there were so many more questions needing to be answered, how does it happen, who in what room, what order, why !? It had a great mystery element to it all! It was all the things mixed in for me Fun, Funny, Exciting, etc ! I had no problem keeping everyone straight because of the way Melanie had it set up from the beginning, the mistress, the lumberjack lol

I esp loved all the different perspectives and getting to read about everything in everyone's POVs! Idk I thought it was fun and great, made for a REALLY fun fast paced read! I'm looking up the author after this and reading some more of her books! Kind of hoping the winner goes back to the house and we get a series out of this :)

Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. I LOVED THIS ONE. I love a good haunted house mystery, and the inheritance games/knives out twist on it made it even better! This is the perfect book for spooky season, and I hope to reread it this October in my book club! A more formal review will be available on my IG/TikTok and Goodreads for release.

Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for giving me access to an eARC of this terrifying delight! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

When Moritmer Queen, horror writer extraordinaire, dies several writers are given invitations to meet at his house for the reading of his will. The writers show up, they dine, and they are all locked inside Mortimer’s mansion of death. They are presented with a game: solve the riddle to move on to the next riddle, and if they solve all of the riddles, they get to walk out of the mansion alive. Why is Mortimer doing this? They writers will find out as each riddle involves a personal moment between them and Mortimer.

This is a fascinating revenge horror. The way each room is set up is different every time so the writers can hardly anticipate the next move. There is an option to split up to try your luck on your own, (which may be an appealing option with this crowd). One thing I enjoyed was the way each character gets a point of view and everyone is very different. No character seemed like a copy of another but just a different shade of green. They were all their own unique colors of the rainbow which made it incredibly interesting. They all have done something to Mortimer and they must all pay for it.

This is a fantastic horror debut and I’m excited to read what Mallory Arnold writes next!

5 out of 5 stars

Locked Room thrillers are one of my absolute favorite genres. I was really excited to crack open How to Survive a Horror Story. The premise of this book- having horror authors come together for the reading of a will of another famous horror author was super intriguing. I really enjoyed that all of the characters were not good people and they all had something to hide. Unfortunately, I had an incredibly difficult time following all of the different characters. It was not that there were too many characters, it was that there were too many characters doing actionable things within literally the same sentence. Stopping to imagine who each person was and what they were doing (vital to the plot or not) would take me SO long. It felt so chaotic and hard for me to follow. If you like locked room horrors I think it's a fun book, but I wish some of the overwriting was stripped back. Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this eARC.