Review Detail

Geared towards ages 14 and up, HOW TO SURVIVE A SLASHER is a Young Adult book about CJ. CJ is a genderqueer bisexual person whose life has always been tied to the Wolf Man. The Wolf Man attacked their father years ago and then another Wolf Man turned up to finish the job, this time after CJ was born. Their town of Satterville has been dubbed Slasherville by a book series based on the Wolf Man killings. They have been trained by their mother on how to escape if it ever happens again. Then one day a new Slasherville book appears addressed to them, but this one has the names of their classmates. When the events in the book start actually happening, CJ can no longer remain an extra in the story.

What I Loved:
The tension in this book was thrilling. It can be hard at times to give the same tension in a book that you would in a movie, primarily because you can’t lean on things like sound and visual cues. Winans’ managed to convey the tension very well though. The sense of urgency and desperation came through the page, adding to the overall slasher-like feeling that the book had.

CJ is a great Final Girl, especially because she’s not a perfect one. Even with the book, she doesn’t know everything nor does she want to get intimately involved in the killings. Something pushes her over the edge though and she has to determine whether remaining an “extra” is worth the cost. CJ goes through a good amount of development in this book, even with the killings happening in the background. There are truths that they have to face and it’s woven in pretty well.

The pacing of this book was well-done. There was a good amount of tense moments; things like chase scenes and attacks. But the author also wrote in times of normalcy, where the characters are just hanging out and falling in love. It lended well to keeping the tension up but not tipping into overwhelming or repetitive.

The romance in this book is cute and helps add to the light side of the book. It also fits well within the slasher tropes because there is often some form of romance going on. There’s enough time given to the romance to allow it to feel real without taking away from the overall plot of the book.

What Left Me Wanting More:
I figured out at least some of the mystery early on in the book. I won’t say it’s badly written because it’s not, but many readers may have an idea of who is donning the Wolf Man mask. There was also one specific scene that personally gave it away to me.

Final Verdict:
Engaging and exciting, HOW TO SURVIVE A SLASHER is something to consider for your horror obsessed older teenagers. CJ is a charming Final Girl, even when they don’t want to be a Final Girl, and watching their development through the book was really nice. The horror scenes are well written with tension and dashes of some self-awareness. The book overall has the feel of your favorite slasher movies come to life, all told from the perspective of an involuntary Final Girl.

A take on slasher tropes, HOW TO SURVIVE A SLASHER is a thrilling ride with solid character development and an interesting look into the life of a forced Final Girl.