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Try Not to Die: At Dethfest: An Interactive Adventure
The biggest metal festival of the year has begun. The encore may be your death. The speakers are shaking the ground. Thousands of fans have poured in. Dethfest is finally here, and then the dream day curdles into a fight for your life as violence tears across the grounds.
You control every where to go, who to trust, when to swing, and when to run. Roughly thirty ways to die reward the curious. One path carries you all the way through.
Perfect for fans of interactive horror, gamebooks, and pick-your-path adventures, where every choice could be your last.
Written with Glenn Hedden. Keep your head down and the night might end in music instead of a body count. Book 7 in the Try Not to Die series.
HOW THIS INTERACTIVE AUDIOBOOK
This is a Try Not to Die adventure, so you don't just listen, you decide. At each turning point the narrator lays out your choices, and each one sends you to a different chapter. Use your audio player's chapter list to jump to the chapter you pick, then keep listening from there. Every path unfolds differently, and most end in a quick, grisly death. Choose well, then listen again to experience every possible outcome.
A NOTE ON Because you'll be navigating between chapters as you listen, please don't play this one while driving or operating machinery. Save it for when your hands and full attention are free.
PREFER THE STORY STRAIGHT THROUGH? Look for the Survivor Edition, a start-to-finish recording that follows one complete path with no chapter-jumping required.
You control every where to go, who to trust, when to swing, and when to run. Roughly thirty ways to die reward the curious. One path carries you all the way through.
Perfect for fans of interactive horror, gamebooks, and pick-your-path adventures, where every choice could be your last.
Written with Glenn Hedden. Keep your head down and the night might end in music instead of a body count. Book 7 in the Try Not to Die series.
HOW THIS INTERACTIVE AUDIOBOOK
This is a Try Not to Die adventure, so you don't just listen, you decide. At each turning point the narrator lays out your choices, and each one sends you to a different chapter. Use your audio player's chapter list to jump to the chapter you pick, then keep listening from there. Every path unfolds differently, and most end in a quick, grisly death. Choose well, then listen again to experience every possible outcome.
A NOTE ON Because you'll be navigating between chapters as you listen, please don't play this one while driving or operating machinery. Save it for when your hands and full attention are free.
PREFER THE STORY STRAIGHT THROUGH? Look for the Survivor Edition, a start-to-finish recording that follows one complete path with no chapter-jumping required.
Audible Audio
First published April 20, 2024
About the author
Mark Tullius
59 books1,357 followersMy writing covers a wide range, with fiction being my favorite to create, with two dozen or so titles under my belt. There are 21 titles in my YA interactive Try Not to Die series and 30 more in the works. I also have two nonfiction titles, both inspired by a reckless lifestyle, playing Ivy League football, and battering the hell out of my brain as an unsuccessful MMA fighter and boxer. Unlocking the Cage is the largest sociological study of MMA fighters to date and TBI or CTE aims to spread awareness and hope to others that suffer with traumatic brain injury symptoms.
I live in sunny California with my wife, two kids, five cats, and one demon. Derek. He makes special appearance on my social media
You can also get your 3 free books by signing up to my newsletter. This letter is only for the brave, or at least those brave enough to deal with bad dad jokes, a crude sense of humor, and loads and loads of death.
Derek and I would love to have you join us!
Here are all my links -
Newsletter - https://subscribepage.io/TulliusNews
https://youcanfollow.me/MarkTullius
I live in sunny California with my wife, two kids, five cats, and one demon. Derek. He makes special appearance on my social media
You can also get your 3 free books by signing up to my newsletter. This letter is only for the brave, or at least those brave enough to deal with bad dad jokes, a crude sense of humor, and loads and loads of death.
Derek and I would love to have you join us!
Here are all my links -
Newsletter - https://subscribepage.io/TulliusNews
https://youcanfollow.me/MarkTullius
Ratings & Reviews
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews
September 5, 2024
⭐️ 3 stars ⭐️
⚡︎ 𝕯𝖊𝖆𝖙𝖍 𝖈𝖔𝖚𝖓𝖙: 16 ⚡︎
I usually have such a blast reading these interactive adventure thrillers, but I gotta say Dethfest was a bit of a bore.
A fun read if you like the choose your own death genre, but compared to others I’ve read from this author, this one wasn’t as immersive.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley, and am leaving this honest review voluntarily.
⚡︎ 𝕯𝖊𝖆𝖙𝖍 𝖈𝖔𝖚𝖓𝖙: 16 ⚡︎
I usually have such a blast reading these interactive adventure thrillers, but I gotta say Dethfest was a bit of a bore.
A fun read if you like the choose your own death genre, but compared to others I’ve read from this author, this one wasn’t as immersive.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley, and am leaving this honest review voluntarily.
July 23, 2026
I got the audiobook for review on Netgally.
I have read very few choose your own adventure book at least as an adult, so im not quite used to the format but I had fun with it. Choosing right was pretty easy and wasn't that suprised on what was the right or wrong. 3.5 stars.
I have read very few choose your own adventure book at least as an adult, so im not quite used to the format but I had fun with it. Choosing right was pretty easy and wasn't that suprised on what was the right or wrong. 3.5 stars.
January 9, 2025
TNTD at Dethfest was one of the weakest choose your adventure stories I read.
When you lose interest in making choices and don’t care what happens to your character, you know something went wrong. I lost interest halfway in and was struggling to get through it.
Most Try Not To Die books have high stakes but this one is just a group of stereotypical annoying kids at a festival. The wrong choices that lead to deaths are stupid. Seriously, there wasn’t really any main antagonist or theme. Just the gimmick at a rock concert.
When you lose interest in making choices and don’t care what happens to your character, you know something went wrong. I lost interest halfway in and was struggling to get through it.
Most Try Not To Die books have high stakes but this one is just a group of stereotypical annoying kids at a festival. The wrong choices that lead to deaths are stupid. Seriously, there wasn’t really any main antagonist or theme. Just the gimmick at a rock concert.
February 10, 2024
I so loved choose your adventure books as a kid, and until fairly recently, didn’t know adult horror based ones existed. I just finished TNTD at Dethfest and omg that wqs a ridiculous amount of fun.
I let my teen pick several of my choices, but between the two of us we died at least 15 times😂 I now need the rest so I can continue to make poor life choices, reincarnate, and do it again and again.
This book is for definitely for you if:
-you love heavy metal
-you wanna see Jose Mangin finally get what’s coming to him
-you loved choose your own adventures
-you enjoy the occasional conspiracy theory
Solid five star fun!
I let my teen pick several of my choices, but between the two of us we died at least 15 times😂 I now need the rest so I can continue to make poor life choices, reincarnate, and do it again and again.
This book is for definitely for you if:
-you love heavy metal
-you wanna see Jose Mangin finally get what’s coming to him
-you loved choose your own adventures
-you enjoy the occasional conspiracy theory
Solid five star fun!
December 5, 2023
I used to ADORE the Goosebumps choose your own adventure books as a kid, so to find this as an adult was the dream! This is like a hardcore version of those Goosebumps books.
I did die a few times, but I died less than 30 times (the maximum possible deaths), so I consider that a success!
Really enjoyable quick & fun read, especially taking you back to childhood.
I did die a few times, but I died less than 30 times (the maximum possible deaths), so I consider that a success!
Really enjoyable quick & fun read, especially taking you back to childhood.
January 30, 2024
Awesome!
I'd read tons of Choose Your Own Adventure Books as a kid. I'd tried one or two "interactive" ebooks like them, and they were OK.
This book right here, though, combines the fell of the older books, wondering if you made the right choice or are going to die hideously, with the ease of being able to simply click to try again, without having to mark multiple pages so you can get back to the right path when you screw up. I definitely plan to check out the other "Try Not To Die" books.
I'd read tons of Choose Your Own Adventure Books as a kid. I'd tried one or two "interactive" ebooks like them, and they were OK.
This book right here, though, combines the fell of the older books, wondering if you made the right choice or are going to die hideously, with the ease of being able to simply click to try again, without having to mark multiple pages so you can get back to the right path when you screw up. I definitely plan to check out the other "Try Not To Die" books.
August 9, 2025
Try Not To Die At Death Fest by Mark Tullius, Kyle, his sister Tess, best friend Jerry and newcomer Luna all set out to go to death fest a heavy metal music festival they’re excited to have tickets too. Little do they know they may not live long enough to brag about it. I love these books and I am going to blame it on my blindness but I did not know in every book there is a survivor portion that is just the story and so I am rereading all of them because I just cannot get enough. I did really well on this book which isn’t usually the case just know if you love horror there’s a book to fit your niche and picking which way the story goes is so much fun I love it and as I said I cannot get enough and there’s a lot of them like 17 I think. I keep thinking he’s going to come out with one done at a convention and I hope he does maybe he’ll run out of ideas which doesn’t look likely and do one for me about a business convention. Talk about bringing excitement to a very boring event most of the books are about places you would love to go with the exception of the pandemic of course in this one I think as I said is my favorite. #NetGalley, #TheBlindReviewer, #MyHonestReview, #MarkTullius, #TryNotToDieADeathFest,
August 18, 2026
To sum it up, this book was a lot of fun, and I loved the unique element of being able to choose the direction of the story myself. The book had me giggling, grossed out, and, most importantly, engaged throughout.
I had only read one interactive book before, and that was as a child. As strange as it sounds, this book brought back some happy childhood memories... just with considerably more murder and death this time around. It was a really fun and nostalgic reading experience.
That said, I did struggle with some aspects of the book. The storyline often felt unrealistic to me, and I found the writing itself fairly unremarkable. While I think the interactive format was the book's biggest strength, the story and prose did not always live up to the potential of that concept. The characters' decisions and reactions could also feel inconsistent, which made it difficult to predict what would happen next.
I received the audiobook from NetGalley, and I have to admit that I think reading this book physically or digitally would have been a better experience for me. Changing to the correct chapter was easy enough, but there were several moments when I simply wasn't fast enough to switch in time, even with the chapter numbers being repeated. This definitely had an impact on my overall enjoyment.
There were many moments when I thought I knew exactly what was going on and was confident that I had figured out the right decision. I was wrong... a lot. The characters don't always follow one particular logic, so I don't think there is necessarily one correct strategy for surviving Dethfest. I died plenty of times, but I had a lot of fun doing it.
Overall, while the storyline and writing weren't particular highlights for me, the interactive element made this a genuinely entertaining and memorable read. If you enjoy making your own choices, getting things spectacularly wrong, and occasionally meeting a grisly end, this book is definitely a fun experience.
I had only read one interactive book before, and that was as a child. As strange as it sounds, this book brought back some happy childhood memories... just with considerably more murder and death this time around. It was a really fun and nostalgic reading experience.
That said, I did struggle with some aspects of the book. The storyline often felt unrealistic to me, and I found the writing itself fairly unremarkable. While I think the interactive format was the book's biggest strength, the story and prose did not always live up to the potential of that concept. The characters' decisions and reactions could also feel inconsistent, which made it difficult to predict what would happen next.
I received the audiobook from NetGalley, and I have to admit that I think reading this book physically or digitally would have been a better experience for me. Changing to the correct chapter was easy enough, but there were several moments when I simply wasn't fast enough to switch in time, even with the chapter numbers being repeated. This definitely had an impact on my overall enjoyment.
There were many moments when I thought I knew exactly what was going on and was confident that I had figured out the right decision. I was wrong... a lot. The characters don't always follow one particular logic, so I don't think there is necessarily one correct strategy for surviving Dethfest. I died plenty of times, but I had a lot of fun doing it.
Overall, while the storyline and writing weren't particular highlights for me, the interactive element made this a genuinely entertaining and memorable read. If you enjoy making your own choices, getting things spectacularly wrong, and occasionally meeting a grisly end, this book is definitely a fun experience.
August 16, 2023
I had such a blast dying over and over and over at Dethfest!
I love these try not to die books- my main goal is not survival, it’s complete carnage. I made sure to get each and every bloody end that I could!
I really had a ton of fun with this one, and I enjoyed the slow build up to the mass chaos that happens at Dethfest, things go from “hm that’s a crappy thing” to “holy shit it’s Armageddon” by the end. Creative death scenes and likeable characters made this even more fun. And it’s METALLLLL 🤘🏻 666 stars for this one, highly recommend!
Thank you to Mark for the ARC of this book! I loved it and I’m excited to the chance to review it!
I love these try not to die books- my main goal is not survival, it’s complete carnage. I made sure to get each and every bloody end that I could!
I really had a ton of fun with this one, and I enjoyed the slow build up to the mass chaos that happens at Dethfest, things go from “hm that’s a crappy thing” to “holy shit it’s Armageddon” by the end. Creative death scenes and likeable characters made this even more fun. And it’s METALLLLL 🤘🏻 666 stars for this one, highly recommend!
Thank you to Mark for the ARC of this book! I loved it and I’m excited to the chance to review it!
November 23, 2023
Pretty fun, and absolutely nostalgic. To me, It did seem at parts that our main character acted contrary to how I expected based on his previous thoughts and behavior, separate from the motivations of the story. It's difficult to articulate without spoiling. I would have also enjoyed a clearer picture of who/what were pulling the strings and WHY. I really want to know more, which is generally the sign of a compelling story so kudos. Dethfest is a quick and enjoyable ride.
October 8, 2024
This is a very fun, unique kind of choose your own adventure story, similar in style to the ones I remember reading as a kid. Except this one has greater stakes and some completely unhinged content.
As an overall story, I thought this was fun, it made sense in the way that it didn't have to make sense. Jerry and friends head to Dethfest and somewhat ignore signs that something's not right. But as the story progresses, you become more and more confident that you know what's going on. Even though there's really no closure/answers, I still feel like the story was pretty good from start to finish. The writing isn't the best, it feels very juvenile in a lot of ways, which does fit the characters pretty well. But just don't go in expecting quality literature.
As far as "scary" goes, this is listed as horror, but I'd say only for the blood and gore involved in the death scenes. In general, there was nothing scary about the story. I would call this horror comedy because of the absolutely heinous ways you could die (my personal favorite was my first death by sword?? or maybe the back to back deaths by vampire bites?)
Some of the language could be taken as offensive at times with references to real tragedies and police, but was very brief and I don't know if this is typical for heavy metal since I do not actually listen to it.
Final Death Count: 11
Some of the deaths were just plain FUNNY I was laughing my head off at the randomness of them. Some deaths had NO connection to the choice you made, and no way of actually knowing what kind of madness you were walking into (I guess that's kind of realistic in life, right?)
But it was also hard to use any sort of street smarts, logic, or really any critical thinking to make it out alive, some of it was pure luck and guess work. And sometimes even the obvious answer was wrong. Soooo good luck surviving using any strategy, because there is none here.
Sometimes Jerry responded to things in a way that made absolutely no sense and had me assuming the author was just trying to find unique ways to lead to death that weren't always accidents. But those felt a little forced when Jerry goes from polite to asshole in 0.5 seconds.
Much thanks to the publisher and author for a free e-book copy. My review is completely my own and completely voluntary.
As an overall story, I thought this was fun, it made sense in the way that it didn't have to make sense. Jerry and friends head to Dethfest and somewhat ignore signs that something's not right. But as the story progresses, you become more and more confident that you know what's going on. Even though there's really no closure/answers, I still feel like the story was pretty good from start to finish. The writing isn't the best, it feels very juvenile in a lot of ways, which does fit the characters pretty well. But just don't go in expecting quality literature.
As far as "scary" goes, this is listed as horror, but I'd say only for the blood and gore involved in the death scenes. In general, there was nothing scary about the story. I would call this horror comedy because of the absolutely heinous ways you could die (my personal favorite was my first death by sword?? or maybe the back to back deaths by vampire bites?)
Some of the language could be taken as offensive at times with references to real tragedies and police, but was very brief and I don't know if this is typical for heavy metal since I do not actually listen to it.
Final Death Count: 11
Some of the deaths were just plain FUNNY I was laughing my head off at the randomness of them. Some deaths had NO connection to the choice you made, and no way of actually knowing what kind of madness you were walking into (I guess that's kind of realistic in life, right?)
But it was also hard to use any sort of street smarts, logic, or really any critical thinking to make it out alive, some of it was pure luck and guess work. And sometimes even the obvious answer was wrong. Soooo good luck surviving using any strategy, because there is none here.
Sometimes Jerry responded to things in a way that made absolutely no sense and had me assuming the author was just trying to find unique ways to lead to death that weren't always accidents. But those felt a little forced when Jerry goes from polite to asshole in 0.5 seconds.
Much thanks to the publisher and author for a free e-book copy. My review is completely my own and completely voluntary.
August 27, 2026
The perils of not reading blurbs and going into a book blind meant that when I went into this book, I literally was completely lost within the first few chapters.
Now, don't ask me quite how I got "a few" chapters into this without realising!?
Maybe also the problem with doing housework whilst listening ....but hey ...
So, this book is a "you choose your own destiny" book and honestly, at the end of each chapter, it's pretty clear that you have options - yet it still took me about 4 chapters to twig and switch this off.
My preferred audio listening tends to be pop on a book and get on with jobs - and that is definitely not an option with this read - but you know, I made some time in my schedule to sit and just chill with this book and oh my gosh did I have fun - and get frustrated - and have even more fun!
We follow Jimmy and his friends as they head off to metal festival Dethfest for the first time.
Chapter one introduces the characters, the concept, the plan to get to the festival and then the fun starts as we're offered a couple of different options to choose from so that we can steer the story and send the friends off on an adventure through the day.
Well, this was definitely a little trickier to navigate on audio - yep, I did choose the same option at one point by accident - but once I got the hang of things and sorted my head out, this went very smoothly.
Wait, no it really didn't, I died ....I actually feel like I died more times than I got the choices right, if I'm honest!!
I was terrible at making the decisions!
But I had the best time along the way.
This is a crazy ride, it heavy, it's gory and things definitely get messy and I loved every second of it!
Brilliantly written and although I have read "you choose" books before (more recently than my youth too), I haven't seen any in this genre - and it was great!
I really liked that at the end of the audio version, we are treated to a few tracks that lead us through the whole story - the survival journey - no wrong turns and you can just sit through and enjoy the full story - without the deaths - but still with lots of chaos.
Absolutely brilliant experience and well done to the narrators who managed to keep me engaged and invested in the story - even after I'd killed poor Jimmy about 100 times.
Now, don't ask me quite how I got "a few" chapters into this without realising!?
Maybe also the problem with doing housework whilst listening ....but hey ...
So, this book is a "you choose your own destiny" book and honestly, at the end of each chapter, it's pretty clear that you have options - yet it still took me about 4 chapters to twig and switch this off.
My preferred audio listening tends to be pop on a book and get on with jobs - and that is definitely not an option with this read - but you know, I made some time in my schedule to sit and just chill with this book and oh my gosh did I have fun - and get frustrated - and have even more fun!
We follow Jimmy and his friends as they head off to metal festival Dethfest for the first time.
Chapter one introduces the characters, the concept, the plan to get to the festival and then the fun starts as we're offered a couple of different options to choose from so that we can steer the story and send the friends off on an adventure through the day.
Well, this was definitely a little trickier to navigate on audio - yep, I did choose the same option at one point by accident - but once I got the hang of things and sorted my head out, this went very smoothly.
Wait, no it really didn't, I died ....I actually feel like I died more times than I got the choices right, if I'm honest!!
I was terrible at making the decisions!
But I had the best time along the way.
This is a crazy ride, it heavy, it's gory and things definitely get messy and I loved every second of it!
Brilliantly written and although I have read "you choose" books before (more recently than my youth too), I haven't seen any in this genre - and it was great!
I really liked that at the end of the audio version, we are treated to a few tracks that lead us through the whole story - the survival journey - no wrong turns and you can just sit through and enjoy the full story - without the deaths - but still with lots of chaos.
Absolutely brilliant experience and well done to the narrators who managed to keep me engaged and invested in the story - even after I'd killed poor Jimmy about 100 times.
August 15, 2023
A wild and deadly ride!
Try Not to Die at Deathfest starts out at a nice, easy pace as we follow Jerry and load up his friends, Kyle and Tess, for a journey to an outdoor heavy metal festival with three massive stages and a killer line up of bands. They bring their friend, Luna, an attractive metal head. Jerry takes to her right away. He's a likable character as his insecurities are exposed, but he still tries to be cool.
It's hot as hell at the festival, and the action is amped up several notches as things quickly get crazy.
Depending on the choices you make, it might take you a while to make it out! I quite enjoyed exploring the different paths. The story is packed with many ways to die, which get more and more horrifying as the reader continues to try to get out of Dethfest.
The action is fast-paced, and the tension runs high. The reader will find themselves clutching the pages in a death metal grip.
The band names were brilliant, and the lyrics were well tied to the story.
If you love metal, action, and a bit of gore, buckle up and take a ride to Dethfest!
Try Not to Die at Deathfest starts out at a nice, easy pace as we follow Jerry and load up his friends, Kyle and Tess, for a journey to an outdoor heavy metal festival with three massive stages and a killer line up of bands. They bring their friend, Luna, an attractive metal head. Jerry takes to her right away. He's a likable character as his insecurities are exposed, but he still tries to be cool.
It's hot as hell at the festival, and the action is amped up several notches as things quickly get crazy.
Depending on the choices you make, it might take you a while to make it out! I quite enjoyed exploring the different paths. The story is packed with many ways to die, which get more and more horrifying as the reader continues to try to get out of Dethfest.
The action is fast-paced, and the tension runs high. The reader will find themselves clutching the pages in a death metal grip.
The band names were brilliant, and the lyrics were well tied to the story.
If you love metal, action, and a bit of gore, buckle up and take a ride to Dethfest!
August 10, 2023
The Try Not to Die series is unique (and somewhat nostalgic) because the reader has to make choices to try to help the character survive. It’s sometimes hard to know what the best choice is because outside influences can make “good” decisions go awry. Regardless, it’s a fun read!
TNTD at Dethfest is the newest book in the series and focuses on a group of college friends as they attend a much anticipated heavy metal festival. I enjoyed making choices and seeing how they played out. I made my fair share of “wrong” choices that led to the demise of the main character, but it was interesting to see other parts of the story unfold. This book was a fun and engaging read that I would recommend to those looking for something a little out of the norm. This was my second TNTD book and I’m definitely planning on exploring more of the series!
Thank you to Mark Tullius for an advance copy of this book! Rock on!
TNTD at Dethfest is the newest book in the series and focuses on a group of college friends as they attend a much anticipated heavy metal festival. I enjoyed making choices and seeing how they played out. I made my fair share of “wrong” choices that led to the demise of the main character, but it was interesting to see other parts of the story unfold. This book was a fun and engaging read that I would recommend to those looking for something a little out of the norm. This was my second TNTD book and I’m definitely planning on exploring more of the series!
Thank you to Mark Tullius for an advance copy of this book! Rock on!
August 12, 2023
My first but not last Try Not To Die and it was a blast!!
I didn't think I could enjoy dying so much but I really did! I think the whole experience was so great because the setting was so well described and so vivid that I really felt I was at Dethfest, chanting and singing, running from one stage to the next!!
I also loved the plot and all the characters! It really was an experience!
I did die a bunch of times in unexpected ways, the least imaginable one involving a toilet 🤮 Good luck with that!
Metalheads or horror readers you're in for a fun Dethfest and I dare you not to die!!
Thanks to the authors for the opportunity to read it and this is my honest review.
I didn't think I could enjoy dying so much but I really did! I think the whole experience was so great because the setting was so well described and so vivid that I really felt I was at Dethfest, chanting and singing, running from one stage to the next!!
I also loved the plot and all the characters! It really was an experience!
I did die a bunch of times in unexpected ways, the least imaginable one involving a toilet 🤮 Good luck with that!
Metalheads or horror readers you're in for a fun Dethfest and I dare you not to die!!
Thanks to the authors for the opportunity to read it and this is my honest review.
October 5, 2023
What a fun, twisted book! It is a choose-your-own-adventure. You are given different options and you just hope not to die! I had a blast dying repeatedly.
Thanks to Mark Tullius for the opportunity to read this ARC. This is my honest and unsolicited review of this book.
Thanks to Mark Tullius for the opportunity to read this ARC. This is my honest and unsolicited review of this book.
July 31, 2023
A choose your own adventure story of a group of friends who attend a heavy metal festival where things are not as innocent as assumed.
This was great! I loved the story, it was interesting and the deaths were fantastic! I was surprised by the amount of different deaths there were and I reported back to my partner each time I died which he got a kick out of. Really solid choose your own adventure book, TNTD is the gift that keeps on giving.
Thanks to the author!
This was great! I loved the story, it was interesting and the deaths were fantastic! I was surprised by the amount of different deaths there were and I reported back to my partner each time I died which he got a kick out of. Really solid choose your own adventure book, TNTD is the gift that keeps on giving.
Thanks to the author!
September 6, 2023
“Hopelessness, destruction’s ensured. Broken, battered, I am fractured!”
Truer words have never been spoken (or well, sung, in this case). After my 7th death, I was felt all these things deep in my soul. Thankfully, I survived and made it out of Dethfest on my 8th attempt…
I love a good live music festival, so when our dear author inked this one onto some rocking’ dead trees, I knew I was in for the show of a lifetime … or maybe 7 epic deaths of a lifetime? The jury is still out on that one.
This was another of what I call an “Adult Choose Your Own Adventure Book” in the TNTD series and I have to say, I got down into the mosh pit, headbanging along with the best of them!
The connection I felt with the protagonist was almost immediate; so, I was torn between wanting him to survive to get that second date with Luna and wanting him to dive deep into the anarchy, with some truly metal deaths.
The plot was left a bit murky, with suggestions to some greater (and super interesting) things happening behind the scenes at Dethfest that I was hoping to learn more about and/or get more clarity on…
That being said, that’s also the great thing about these TNTD books; that story I’m missing a bit of, could be down another plot path that I just haven’t chosen yet.
I really want to talk about my favorite death, but I don’t want to include spoilers.
But, I will say this… the first thing that went through my mind was an iconic quote, from an iconic movie, The Lost Boys, “Death by stereo!”
I had a lot of fun with this wild romp through the gruesome guts of music festivals at their finest.
Are you brave enough to make it out of Dethfest alive?
Can you get out more quickly than I did?
Truer words have never been spoken (or well, sung, in this case). After my 7th death, I was felt all these things deep in my soul. Thankfully, I survived and made it out of Dethfest on my 8th attempt…
I love a good live music festival, so when our dear author inked this one onto some rocking’ dead trees, I knew I was in for the show of a lifetime … or maybe 7 epic deaths of a lifetime? The jury is still out on that one.
This was another of what I call an “Adult Choose Your Own Adventure Book” in the TNTD series and I have to say, I got down into the mosh pit, headbanging along with the best of them!
The connection I felt with the protagonist was almost immediate; so, I was torn between wanting him to survive to get that second date with Luna and wanting him to dive deep into the anarchy, with some truly metal deaths.
The plot was left a bit murky, with suggestions to some greater (and super interesting) things happening behind the scenes at Dethfest that I was hoping to learn more about and/or get more clarity on…
That being said, that’s also the great thing about these TNTD books; that story I’m missing a bit of, could be down another plot path that I just haven’t chosen yet.
I really want to talk about my favorite death, but I don’t want to include spoilers.
But, I will say this… the first thing that went through my mind was an iconic quote, from an iconic movie, The Lost Boys, “Death by stereo!”
I had a lot of fun with this wild romp through the gruesome guts of music festivals at their finest.
Are you brave enough to make it out of Dethfest alive?
Can you get out more quickly than I did?
September 20, 2023
Lots of fun and hella violent!
It's so much fun to be able to choose the path of the story. Although not dying is completely up to luck. So might as well just go with the most me(n)tal option and Rock On!
It's so much fun to be able to choose the path of the story. Although not dying is completely up to luck. So might as well just go with the most me(n)tal option and Rock On!
September 20, 2023
Super fun read! I loved the choose your own adventure stories when I was a kid, and this was a great adult adaptation!
September 5, 2023
What a ride! Another solid entry into the TNTD universe. If you love(d) the Choose Your Own Adventure books, but have graduated to… heavier (pun intended) more “mature” material, I highly recommend checking out the whole series! As a lover of heavy music and a drummer, I’m a sucker for any media about heavy music and this did not disappoint. The main characters, while being described as your typical metal heads, are extremely likable and will have you dreading their many likely deaths. I didn’t want to miss a single death so I would choose the option that most obviously lead to death first intentionally to get the whole experience, and every choice/death is worth it (what a thing to say lmao) Many times the plot in these kind of interactive books can seem to take a back seat but the actual storyline was also well developed and engaging beyond the interactivity. The band and song names/lyrics ranged from funny to cringey (as some metal bands can be lol) to truly believable (I mean how is Dethros not a real band at this point!?) Even a Slipknot reference! Some of the descriptions of festivals/shows were spot on and hilarious and just as fun and disgusting as the death scenes lmao I’ll definitely be thinking about this book with every interaction/choice I make at the next show/fest I go to and can’t wait for upcoming TNTD releases!
Thank you Mark Tullius for the review copy!
Thank you Mark Tullius for the review copy!
September 6, 2023
I lost track of my deaths. I even died the same way more than once! I am officially hooked on the Try Not to Die books. They're like pokemon, gotta catch 'em all!
Thank you Mark for the opportunity to read and be angry at the same time!!!
Thank you Mark for the opportunity to read and be angry at the same time!!!
August 1, 2023
Rock and Roll
Jerry and his friends are headed to the biggest metal fest of the year, Dethfest. Things seem amazing at first, but people start acting strange. You must choose your way through Dethfest or die trying. There are many ways to die only one safe passage. Inventive scenes, amazing stories, and characters.
Jerry and his friends are headed to the biggest metal fest of the year, Dethfest. Things seem amazing at first, but people start acting strange. You must choose your way through Dethfest or die trying. There are many ways to die only one safe passage. Inventive scenes, amazing stories, and characters.
July 1, 2025
This was a fun "choose your own adventure."
It's about 2 couples (a brother/sister, and 2 singles friends (male & female))
They are going to a heavy metal festival where something just isn't right.
Everytime I thought I made the right decision, nope I died lol.
This wasn't just a choose your own adventure, this was an actual story that I was invested in.
This was fun. See if you can survive Dethfest 🤘🏻😎
It's about 2 couples (a brother/sister, and 2 singles friends (male & female))
They are going to a heavy metal festival where something just isn't right.
Everytime I thought I made the right decision, nope I died lol.
This wasn't just a choose your own adventure, this was an actual story that I was invested in.
This was fun. See if you can survive Dethfest 🤘🏻😎
September 12, 2023
Vikings, Flamethrowers, and bears...OH MY!
5/5 Head Bangs
Shit goes down at this death metal festival. I stopped counting after my 9th terrible decision. Like, what the HELL is happening? At least you can get all the free bottled water you can drink.
Have you read an adult horror choose your own adventure book yet? Why the hell not? This was super entertaining, fast paced, and easy to read. I want to see if you can survive Dethfest. I'm left wanting to know what the Professor was so scared of. Why did he bash Jerry's face into a port-a-potty seat and demand the video of him be deleted? Was he connected to the whole thing? Conspiracy!
I'm excited to find more ways to meet my end in the other Try Not to Die books! Because, you know, creative deaths are the chef's kiss of life. Heh.
5/5 Head Bangs
Shit goes down at this death metal festival. I stopped counting after my 9th terrible decision. Like, what the HELL is happening? At least you can get all the free bottled water you can drink.
Have you read an adult horror choose your own adventure book yet? Why the hell not? This was super entertaining, fast paced, and easy to read. I want to see if you can survive Dethfest. I'm left wanting to know what the Professor was so scared of. Why did he bash Jerry's face into a port-a-potty seat and demand the video of him be deleted? Was he connected to the whole thing? Conspiracy!
I'm excited to find more ways to meet my end in the other Try Not to Die books! Because, you know, creative deaths are the chef's kiss of life. Heh.
January 25, 2025
My first try not to die book and won't be my last ! This was such a fun experience. Dethfest took me back to the days of warped tour in the early 2000s. Dethfest features original songs that imo are pretty good lyrically. The writing and storytelling made it easy to imagine I was alongside the MC's of this story.
February 23, 2025
choose your own adventure for adults
I used to love choose your own adventure books as a child so I did really enjoy that aspect of this book. I did not like that there was only one path to the right ending, though. I also did not like how the "why" was never explained.
I won this book through a goodreads.com giveaway.
I used to love choose your own adventure books as a child so I did really enjoy that aspect of this book. I did not like that there was only one path to the right ending, though. I also did not like how the "why" was never explained.
I won this book through a goodreads.com giveaway.
August 17, 2023
Mark has done it again with another amazing TNTD! I honestly felt like I was at the festival along with the characters! Each death inexperienced was unique and rad! I can't wait to read it again and see all the other ways to die!
August 2, 2026
I'm not quite sure what I was expecting but it ended up being one of the most entertaining audiobook experiences I've had in a while. I've never read an interactive book before and making choices that determined whether I lived or died was way more stressful (and hilarious) than I expected. Turns out I have terrible survival instincts because I managed to rack up 16 deaths before finally making it out alive.
Setting this at a heavy metal festival was such a fun choice. Between mosh pits, conspiracy theories, cannibals, corrupt cops and complete chaos, I genuinely never knew what insanity was waiting around the next corner. Every time I thought I was making the right decision, the book immediately humbled me. I was laughing almost as much as I was dying.
Kyle drove me absolutely insane. Every time he opened his mouth I knew he was about to make the situation worse, and somehow I still kept trusting him. The dialogue was full of ridiculous one-liners that had me laughing out loud, and there were plenty of metal references that made the whole experience even more enjoyable if you're part of that scene.
Joe Hempel was the perfect narrator for something like this. He kept the pacing moving, gave each character personality, and made it easy to follow the constant jumps between chapters without it becoming confusing. Since the audiobook tells you which chapter to jump to after every choice, I was surprised by how smoothly it all worked.
This definitely isn't the book to pick up if you're looking for deep character development or a super serious horror novel. It's campy, over-the-top, intentionally ridiculous, and completely embraces the absurdity of its premise. If you go in expecting to have fun instead of overanalyzing every plot point, it's a blast.
By the time I finally stumbled onto the one successful path, I felt like I'd actually earned my survival.
TL;DR: Heavy metal + choose-your-own-adventure + horror = me dying 16 times before accidentally making the right decisions. Completely chaotic, surprisingly addictive, and way more fun than I expected.
**Tropes / Elements**
🤘 Interactive / Choose Your Own Adventure
🎸 Heavy metal festival
🩸 Survival horror
🧟 Zombies / infection outbreak
🔪 Gore & creative deaths
👥 Friend group
😂 Dark humor
🚔 Corrupt / incompetent authorities
🌲 Escape the outbreak
💀 Multiple endings
**Content Warnings**
Graphic violence & gore
Cannibalism
Zombies / infected people
Police violence
Gun violence
Stabbings
Drug use & overdose
Strong language
Death (many, many times)
Riots and crowd violence
Thank you to NetGalley and Vincere Press for this audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion!
Setting this at a heavy metal festival was such a fun choice. Between mosh pits, conspiracy theories, cannibals, corrupt cops and complete chaos, I genuinely never knew what insanity was waiting around the next corner. Every time I thought I was making the right decision, the book immediately humbled me. I was laughing almost as much as I was dying.
Kyle drove me absolutely insane. Every time he opened his mouth I knew he was about to make the situation worse, and somehow I still kept trusting him. The dialogue was full of ridiculous one-liners that had me laughing out loud, and there were plenty of metal references that made the whole experience even more enjoyable if you're part of that scene.
Joe Hempel was the perfect narrator for something like this. He kept the pacing moving, gave each character personality, and made it easy to follow the constant jumps between chapters without it becoming confusing. Since the audiobook tells you which chapter to jump to after every choice, I was surprised by how smoothly it all worked.
This definitely isn't the book to pick up if you're looking for deep character development or a super serious horror novel. It's campy, over-the-top, intentionally ridiculous, and completely embraces the absurdity of its premise. If you go in expecting to have fun instead of overanalyzing every plot point, it's a blast.
By the time I finally stumbled onto the one successful path, I felt like I'd actually earned my survival.
TL;DR: Heavy metal + choose-your-own-adventure + horror = me dying 16 times before accidentally making the right decisions. Completely chaotic, surprisingly addictive, and way more fun than I expected.
**Tropes / Elements**
🤘 Interactive / Choose Your Own Adventure
🎸 Heavy metal festival
🩸 Survival horror
🧟 Zombies / infection outbreak
🔪 Gore & creative deaths
👥 Friend group
😂 Dark humor
🚔 Corrupt / incompetent authorities
🌲 Escape the outbreak
💀 Multiple endings
**Content Warnings**
Graphic violence & gore
Cannibalism
Zombies / infected people
Police violence
Gun violence
Stabbings
Drug use & overdose
Strong language
Death (many, many times)
Riots and crowd violence
Thank you to NetGalley and Vincere Press for this audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion!
August 3, 2026
Try Not to Die: At Dethfest is an interactive book in which we follow Jerry and his friends as they navigate a day at a heavy metal festival where one wrong choice (or thirty) could have deadly consequences.
This is my first interactive book. I have to say I was rather invested in trying to figure out the strategy for making the right choices in the beginning, but suffice it to say there didn't seem to be one. While the interactivity of the book was fun, if only for the novelty of it, the actual writing and characterization was not. There was no reasoning to choosing the correct paths because Jerry didn't have any moral consistency. Jerry is repugnant. In one chapter he's completely against the idea of sneaking into the venue with his friends (despite the fact that they have tickets???) because that would be wrong to do, but in another chapter he's totally fine running past security to jump up on stage to touch a chained up bear. Or in one chapter you should make Jerry stand up for himself against a guy trying to take his phone, but in another chapter you should NOT make Jerry stand up to the guy who assaulted his friend. He ogles a woman while he's supposedly on a kind of date with another, then thinks to himself, "she's pretty but she probably has STDs," and is weirdly defensive of cops and security guards despite the fact that pretty much every one he encounters literally tries to kill him. I guess the point of this book isn't necessarily to like Jerry and want him to survive, but Jerry's unlikability paired with the inconsistencies and juvenile nature of the writing made this kind of a slog to get through. About a third of the way through, I was mostly just annoyed when I made the wrong choices because it meant the story would take longer to finish.
I also do not agree with this being labeled a horror because it was not suspenseful or scary and did not have a central antagonist(s). I though there was going to be a killer or monster or something on the loose and you would need to help the characters evade it, but no. All of Jerry's deaths were either incidental, accidental, or coincidental.
As a side note, I am a metal fan and have been to many metal shows and festivals and I do not understand these characters when they just casually choose to leave the set of a band they supposedly love to go get a hot dog or walk around or whatever. Also the depictions of metal fans, bands, and shows was very stereotypical and felt like it was written by someone who was making fun of the genre instead of appreciating it.
Thank you to NetGalley and Vincere Press for the ALC.
This is my first interactive book. I have to say I was rather invested in trying to figure out the strategy for making the right choices in the beginning, but suffice it to say there didn't seem to be one. While the interactivity of the book was fun, if only for the novelty of it, the actual writing and characterization was not. There was no reasoning to choosing the correct paths because Jerry didn't have any moral consistency. Jerry is repugnant. In one chapter he's completely against the idea of sneaking into the venue with his friends (despite the fact that they have tickets???) because that would be wrong to do, but in another chapter he's totally fine running past security to jump up on stage to touch a chained up bear. Or in one chapter you should make Jerry stand up for himself against a guy trying to take his phone, but in another chapter you should NOT make Jerry stand up to the guy who assaulted his friend. He ogles a woman while he's supposedly on a kind of date with another, then thinks to himself, "she's pretty but she probably has STDs," and is weirdly defensive of cops and security guards despite the fact that pretty much every one he encounters literally tries to kill him. I guess the point of this book isn't necessarily to like Jerry and want him to survive, but Jerry's unlikability paired with the inconsistencies and juvenile nature of the writing made this kind of a slog to get through. About a third of the way through, I was mostly just annoyed when I made the wrong choices because it meant the story would take longer to finish.
I also do not agree with this being labeled a horror because it was not suspenseful or scary and did not have a central antagonist(s). I though there was going to be a killer or monster or something on the loose and you would need to help the characters evade it, but no. All of Jerry's deaths were either incidental, accidental, or coincidental.
As a side note, I am a metal fan and have been to many metal shows and festivals and I do not understand these characters when they just casually choose to leave the set of a band they supposedly love to go get a hot dog or walk around or whatever. Also the depictions of metal fans, bands, and shows was very stereotypical and felt like it was written by someone who was making fun of the genre instead of appreciating it.
Thank you to NetGalley and Vincere Press for the ALC.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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