How to survive your murder is a tribute to slasher horror movies that lovingly incorporates classic movie tropes like Scream Y happy death day while firmly establishing its own identity in the horror genre with highly creative and unique plot twists. It begins innocuously enough with a killer in a cornfield wielding a chainsaw against an unlucky teenage girl (normal horror stuff!) before moving into the first-person perspective of our protagonist, Alice, and recounting the events leading up to the murder. attack. which ultimately ended with the death of her sister Claire at the hands of Owen Trevor Maddox.
A year later, Alice is bitter and traumatized with her life in tatters and with no other goal than to see Owen sentenced to prison. The blurb mentions her encounter with a Sidney Prescott doppelganger on the day of Owen’s trial and it’s safe to say that you won’t predict her true identity or understand the role she is to play until the author pulls back the curtain on that reveal. . A great deal of suspension of disbelief is required as Sidney’s looks are outrageously direct; I almost feel like it would have been better not to have included her because her presence is so distracting, but the character is vital to Alice’s arc, as he miraculously finds himself in the past on the day her sister died. She now has the opportunity to save her sister from Owen from her; it’s almost too good to be true, but Sidney warned her that he was innocent…despite seeing him kill Claire with her own eyes, could there be more to the truth than Alice realizes? she?
Beyond the time-travel quirks and slasher antics, the real key to the success of happy death day and a similarly themed horror comedy film the final girls it was the emotional journey of its heroines as they struggle to deal with their grief and loss after the loss of a loved one. How to survive your murder it uses its own fantastical flourishes to elevate the plot beyond a by-the-numbers slasher, but at its core it’s a very believable and emotionally resonant arc about a girl who suffers because she blames herself for letting her sister be killed. Although there was no possible way for her to know that Claire would die that night, Alice regrets not being by her side, and this rings true for most people who have experienced loss. What would we change if we had the benefit of foresight? Don’t we all regret not making the effort to spend more time with our loved ones before they passed away? Aren’t there last words that we would exchange if we had known at that moment that it would be the last time we would speak with them?
As genre-savvy fans will know, changing an event in the past inevitably opens up a new can of worms; Alice saves her sister, but now there’s a killer on the loose and she knows other people will die unless she intervenes. Her desperate efforts to thwart the killer she is absolutely certain must be Owen are bogged down in confusion and suspense as she begins to uncover details she’s never known before and the spiraling changes in the line of time throws it off balance. For readers, this will be a blast to read: the author expertly guides us down the garden path along with Alice, showering us with red herrings as the bodies begin to fall. He very confidently predicted the killer about five times before giving up when he was proven wrong yet again, but that’s part of the fun!
The ending will be controversial as the rug is pulled out from under the reader’s feet right in the last two pages. If you enjoyed the ride, it’ll just be a little frustrating, but I can see some people throwing their book or e-reader at the wall once they’re done with the story. Your mileage will vary depending on how you react to the unresolved endings – this one is perfectly set up for a sequel, however the book is listed as a standalone. Unless the pleading cries of the audience move Danielle Valentine to put us out of our misery, it seems the reader’s imagination will have to suffice as to what happens next. I have to applaud her audacity as she ensures this book will live free in my head for years to come!
Slasher fans will enjoy sinking their teeth into How to survive your murder, a gripping and moving story with plenty of references to fan-favorite moments in horror and hilarious deconstructions of popular clichés through a genre-savvy heroine. Its thought-provoking central plot of going back in time to prevent a murder and dealing with the frantic gory fallout is captivating, suspenseful and effortlessly memorable. With a strong focus on the bond between sisters that brings sincerity and shock raising the stakes beyond a typical slashfest, it’s well worth adding to your TBR.
How to survive your murder is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, starting August 30, 2022.
will you be picking up How to survive your murder? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | good reads
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Alice Lawrence is the only witness in her sister’s murder trial.
And in the year since Claire’s death, Alice’s life has completely come crashing down. Her parents have divorced, she has moved into an apartment that smells of bologna, and she is forced to face her sister’s killer and a courtroom full of people who doubt what she saw in the corn maze. past year.
Claire was an all-American girl, beautiful and bubbly, and a stage star. Alice was a nerd who dreamed of becoming a forensic pathologist and would rather stay home and watch her favorite horror movies than party. Despite their differences, they were united by sisterhood and were best friends with each other.
Until Claire was taken from him.
On the first day of the murder trial, as Alice prepares to give her testimony, a Sidney Prescott look-alike knocks her unconscious in the courthouse bathroom. When she wakes up, it’s Halloween morning the year before, the same day Claire was murdered. Alice has until midnight to save her sister and find the real killer before she claims another victim.
