Mary, Will I Die?

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Author(s)

Shawn Sarles

Genre(s)

Age Range

13+

Release Date

September 07, 2021

ISBN

978-1338679274

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Bestselling author Shawn Sarles' most terrifying YA horror yet . . . It starts innocently enough. Four kids - three girls, one boy - are at one of their houses, playing games. One of them has read about "Bloody Mary" and the idea that if you look into a mirror and say her name thirteen times, she will show you the future. Some legends say she'll show you your one true love or a skull to mark your death within five years. Others say that conjuring Bloody Mary will bring her into your world. Both sets of legends are true. The kids go through with the act, saying her name thirteen times. One girl looks in the mirror and sees her longtime crush. One girl looks in the mirror and sees the boy in the group. But she pretends to see something else. One girl looks in the mirror and sees a girl she's never seen before but can't get out of her mind. And the boy . . . he sees a skull. But he pretends to see something else. They try to laugh it off. And mostly they forget about it. Or at least they don't talk about it. Yes, over the next few years, whenever they look into a mirror, it's like there's always another figure standing in the background, getting closer. Just short of five years later, the four of them are no longer friends, having gone on separate paths. The girl whose house it was has always tried to avoid the mirror they used - because she always sensed someone in the background. One morning as she's passing by, she sees much more than her own reflection - it's a scary figure taunting her. She startles and breaks the mirror. When the pieces are put back together (barely), the figure is gone. That day in school, a new girl arrives. Her name is Mary . . . .

Editor reviews

4 reviews

Overall rating

3.5

Plot

3.5(2)

Characters

3.5(2)

Writing Style

3.5(2)

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

N/A(0)

Mary, Will I Die? Review

November 11, 2021

Overall rating

4.0

Plot

4.0

Characters

4.0

Writing Style

4.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

N/A

When I started reading the book my initial thought was that it was nothing like the summary. But oh well, I typically don’t pay too much attention to summaries anyways. One of my favorite things about the Bloody Mary legend is the different stories that derive from it. I really enjoyed this one and the way Bloody Mary was told. It was interesting bringing in old German fairy tales and quite literally bringing the character alive. I also really liked the way each character was differently affected by this demon. Each one had a unique experience which really brought the story a good twist. The beginning was a bit slow and took a while to get into, but once the story picked up I flew through the book.

I think the four point of views was very successfully done. Books can sometimes get complicating or convoluted when more than two views are introduced but I liked it in this book. Each character had a very distinctive tone and if I couldn’t remember whose chapter I was reading, it was very easy to pick up on the way it was written. I don’t think this story would have been successful in not doing all the views. Each experience was unique and the story would have felt incomplete otherwise.

FINAL THOUGHTS
Overall, Mary, Will I Die? by Shawn Sarles was a good horror read. It’s perfect for the upcoming fall season so if you’re looking for a good book, I’d consider this one. While I appreciated the tone of the book and the take on the Bloody Mary tale, it took a bit to get into. Once I was into the story though, it was hard to put down. The four point of views was successfully done and very important to tell the whole story. If you’re looking for a good horror story that won’t give you too many nightmares, I would recommend this one.