Book Review: How to Survive a Horror Story by Mallory Arnold

It’s an old trope: a group of people secluded in a spooky house. In this case, it’s a group of horror writers coming together for the reading of Mortimer Queen’s—renowned horror author—will. Actually, I bought it because I love these types of sub-genres, and I was ready for a fresh take on a tried-and-try classic.

Unfortunately, I had a different experience.

Before going on, let’s remember that all of us have different tastes in stories. A book I didn’t necessary connect with may end up being someone else’s favorite. This is just my singular opinion . . .

The book centers around seven people with ominous secrets, and it’s up to the reader to decide if the stories about their pasts are true or if this is an unreliable narrator situation. For me, it never really hit the latter. While the backstories were interesting and suspenseful, the story relied on the idea that there would be confusion as to the whether the writers are fibbing. In reality, the backstories and truths seemed very straightforward.

The pacing seemed a tad rushed towards the end which was in contrast to the beginning where the set up was a warm slow boil.

But like mentioned, the stories the readers propose have a lot of suspense and tension. The reason each of them decided to go to the will reader is juicy and unique and while the overall experience wasn’t for me, the induvial character moments kept me glued to the page.

Overall, it’s a great book for those who like a straight-forward plot and some really cool horror moments. But for me, it’s a pass.