I went into this one really intrigued by the concept—writers trapped in a high-stakes, isolated setting with deadly consequences? Yes, please. I was hoping for something similar to "And Then There Were None." But somewhere along the way, the tension started to lose its grip. What initially felt like it could be a dark, psychological descent into paranoia and survival ended up leaning more into exaggerated theatrics. The danger never quite felt real to me. That said, I can absolutely see how others might find the pace and drama entertaining. There’s definitely an audience for this kind of genre mashup, and if you’re in the mood for something that doesn’t take itself too seriously, it could be a fun ride. Personally, I prefer my horror with a little more edge and atmosphere, but if you enjoy books about creatives caught in twisted games, or you're a fan of locked-room mysteries with a horror-lite tone, this might hit the spot for you.

This book was an absolute lifesaver for my reading slump ngl. We follow a group of published and aspiring horror writers, all invited to the will reading of a legendary, recently departed author, Mortimer Queen. Expecting a fortune, they instead find themselves trapped in his grand, ancient manor, forced to play a deadly game. Solve a riddle and advance; fail, and the house claims one of them.

The Queen estate isn't just haunted; it's a character in itself, built on the bones of Mortimer's family and harboring a sinister hunger. A major highlight was the cast of characters, a brilliant ensemble that felt like a twisted 'who's who' of the horror writing world. Each author was a perfectly etched archetype, from the one-hit wonder desperately clinging to past glory to the enigmatic figure with a devoted cult following. I think this book did really well in delivering the classic horror story tropes that felt familiar and nostalgic without being overdone whilst also delivering this bright, biting thrill-ride, intense scares and a clever dive into the very essence of what makes a great horror story.

This book is an ultimate page turner Read it in 2 hours A fantastic horror with classic horror vibes Loved the characters, the plot., everthing...Thank you to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for ARC.

Oh my gosh so good! I was hooked! Literally couldn’t put it down! The characters were interesting and the plot was addicting! I wanted more

"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.

With the clever, locked-room thrills of Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone with the ghostly horror of The Fall of the House of Usher, How to Survive a Horror Story is a bright, biting, thrill-ride that begs us to contemplate how the best horror stories come to be."

I mean, this, right here, is my idea of a good time. From the safety of my armchair of course.

I was scared going in since this type of storyline can be a hit or a miss for me, but I really enjoyed this! Escape room vibes. Sometimes in these the character end up being so unlikable it’s hard to want to continue, but I found myself truly invested in everyone’s story because they weren’t so over the top with it. These feel like people you can run into anytime anywhere. The multiple povs made it even better because it made you think about what was really going on. I kept thinking about what would happen next.

Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the arc!

"How to Survive a Horror Story" by Mallory Arnold was a solidly enjoyable mystery/horror for a debut novel. Seven horror authors are invited to Queen Manor, the family residence of preeminent and recently departed author Mortimer Queen, for the reading of the late Mortimer's will. What happens next is no surprise to anyone familiar with such a setup in most horror or even mystery novels, the deceased has a few scores to settle and the manor is the mode for accomplishing this. Arnold really has done a very solid job in introducing the characters and carrying a very complex set of multiple point of view as the events unfold between the (obviously) doomed authors.

While the overall story was enjoyable and engaging, the "game" was rather lackluster and relied a little too heavily on drawing from obvious references from other well known works (House on Haunted Hill, The House of Usher, Scream, etc.). The riddles and "challenges" were rather unnecessary given the solution to most was glaringly obvious to the reader which felt like somewhat of a cheat on the mystery aspect. The ending was also rather predictable, even if slightly satisfying. The occasional twist and turn, however, was just enough to keep things interesting in hopes you were chasing a red herring and not simply validating your initial gut feeling.

A good distraction and a fine debut novel that will have me keeping an eye out for future titles by Arnold, whether mystery or horror.

A final thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to read this eARC.

This book is a true page-turner—a brilliant mix of classic mystery, eerie horror, and supernatural twists. The characters are richly developed, each with compelling backstories that pull you deeper into the plot. Just when you think you have it figured out, another twist turns everything on its head. Dark, suspenseful, and utterly addictive. Highly recommended.

This was really enjoyable! I really love the questioning you have in the middle - the "what is the truth, exactly?" moments. I am so intrigued when a book makes you see both the dark and light sides of a character, really making you question yourself on how you feel about what is happening to them, but knowing you are just along for the ride to see where the next steps take them. I could honestly see this as a really entertaining movie since it was so easily pictured as such in my mind! I do wish some of the characters, or specifically THE character of the manor (and also... Gia) was a bit more fleshed out as I feel so much more could have come from exploring that!

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisioned Pen Press for the E-ARC.

I'll start with the positives. I enjoyed the writing style. It was easy to consume and man did I consume it fast. It gripped me quickly and didn't let up towards the end. I enjoyed the multiple POV and short stories, where the reader gets the real story of what happened and not the biased view of the POV. Most of the chapters were relatively short and even when they were long, they were intriguing enough to not make me feel restless. I enjoy whodunnits, mysteries, and haunted house stories, all of which were here. Overall it was fun.

That being said, I did not like the ending. It felt completely ludicrous. Mortimer's character didn't feel fully developed in my mind. He was so methodical and calculated, but then just trusted Melanie within a few minutes? I don't know, that felt disjointed. The dialogue at times was so cheesy, that I was begging it to be satire.

The parts were good. I don't think I enjoyed it whole as much.

ARC provided by publisher. Thank you to the publisher!

Overall, I just ended this book feeling underwhelmed. I was thrilled to read this new story to try out the horror genre. I was excited that this novel was a horror mixed with a little bit of mystery, and it definitely was a good mixture of the two genres! However, I found myself often times being confused by what I had read. Some things were explained in such detail, while other scenes that were critical to the plot left me wanting more.
I did enjoy the plot line of wondering how Melanie ended up here, but was disappointed with the ending.

Overall, I think this one just wasn’t for me and that’s okay! I believe fans of horror and locked room mysteries will enjoy this novel.

I ended up really enjoy this book. I was intrigued from the beginning by the way the author set the scene. I also am a huge fan of locked thrillers/horror. We need to take a moment to appreciate that cover as well. I had a lot of expectations going into this one and I was not disappointed. A group of people are invited to what is believed to be a haunted house for the reading a will. None of them understand why they were there and as the story unfolds we find out that each of them has committed some horrible sins that the man who died was not happy about. He devises a game, think real life escape room, that they have no choice but to participate in, if they want to live. There are many twists along the way, gruesome murders and a surpise ending. I had to pick my jaw up off the floor many times, especially at the end. This is the kind of book you want to grab the popcorn and find out what secrets these people are hiding and some of the deaths are, dare I say, satisfying haha The author drew me into their world and I woild recommend to anyone that enjoys locked in horror books.

Very fun little story, It didn't stand out super excessivley, but was a fun read with hints of spookiness.

I wanted to love this and I am usually all about multiple POVS but this just didn’t connect for me. It felt silly and juvenile

How To Survive A Horror Story had me intrigued by the title alone and then the blurb really sold it for me.
That said, while I did have fun with the story and I was anxious to find out the 'whys' of it all it fell a little flat for me. I think a lot of people will love it, but I just found it a little silly.

For my more indepth spoiler free review you can check out my youtube review here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=696vA80rvnE

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC of this book. So I have to say, I am not at all surprised this is a debut novel. It was a mess. The characters felt rushed but also very much stererotypical. The mystery was not that mysterious. A well done locked room mystery can be a captivating read. This was not it.

I wanted to love this. It sounded like something I’d love. I was excited going into it, but it just wasn’t my cup of tea. I normally like multiple POVs, but this didn’t feel cohesive.

I began this story and was immediately hooked into the scenario that the characters had found themselves into. The characterisation was so spot on and I found that the less information we knew, the better. I had no clue what was going on right at the beginning of the book and I think that helped to create a really eerie and tense atmosphere.
As the storyline progressed and details unravelled, I was becoming more and more engrossed. I wanted to know EVERYTHING and the fact it took a while for some things to surface added a new level of impatience as the reader, in the best way.

I am normally not a lover of personification, in this case the house, but I think it was so cleverly written that it didn't bother me at all. I felt as though it added to the eerie atmosphere.

A read that is so easy to devour.

Thank you to NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press and the author for the opportunity to ARC read this novel.

The premise of this book sounded like it was right up my alley but unfortunately I was left disappointed.

The book is not bad it is however just okay. I felt like some events where confusing, and others just plain ridiculous. The multiple POV's made me feel like I was starting the novel 7 times even if the events were moving forward. The short stories were a cool idea and I normally love the book within a book situation but these stories felt disjointed and incomplete.

The ending of the book was unsatisfying and unbelievable, It didn't make any sense at all.

The story did keep me reading through to the end and wanting to know how it ends so therefore I will give it three stars.

If you're like me and have a penchant for horror novels, you absolutely need to check out How To Survive A Horror Story. This book hooked me from the get-go! It centers around a legendary author who meets his untimely end and invites six fellow horror writers to his eerie abode for what seems like an ordinary will reading. But wait, things take a sinister turn. The house itself is diabolical, filled with all kinds of surprises that’ll keep you on the edge of your seat. Revenge and horror intertwine in this gripping fast-paced read that's basically a race against time to see who makes it out unscathed. I couldn’t put it down, and just when I thought I had it all figured out, bam—another twist!