From the Try Not to Die series comes a chilling new entry from Angel Van Atta and Mark Tullius—a tense, immersive thriller where every decision could be your last.
You and your brother are trapped inside a remote compound, surrounded by cultists devoted to dark and ancient gods. The only way out is through a gauntlet of deadly choices, twisted truths, and horrifying discoveries. Can you outwit the cult and escape with your life—or will you fall victim to their sinister faith?
With over a dozen brutal deaths and only one true path to freedom, this interactive audio adventure will keep your heart racing and your mind guessing. Who can you trust? What will you risk? And how far are you willing to go to survive?
Choose wisely. Trust no one. And above all… Try Not to Die.
Two ways to experience the nightmare:
Interactive Version – Make the choices that determine your fate. Choose wisely, or meet a horrific end.
Survivor Version – Sit back and listen to the full story without making decisions—if you dare.
Try Not to Die: Escaping the Cult is a thrilling, fast-paced horror adventure that intertwines dark magic, manipulation, and moral dilemma! The novel offers two reading modes: an interactive experience (choose-your-own-path) and a linear “survivor” option. This is book #15 in the popular Try Not to Die franchise series and will resonate with readers who love the “choose your own path” stories and emotional situational horror!
The story follows Ruby, a teenager who is taken from her parents’ home to a secluded cult compound to become the next “Chosen Daughter”—a title given to young women who are to bear children for the elders of the cult. Ruby’s brother Sammy was taken to the compound as a prisoner to be “cleansed” for his wrongdoings, and Ruby is determined to find him and make an escape together. The cult members are described as worshiping dark, ancient gods, and their rituals and beliefs are shrouded in mystery.
In the “Interactive” mode, readers will navigate 29 chapters with branching choices at the end of each chapter. One wrong choice triggers a gruesome death—and there are over a dozen deadly outcomes, each uniquely horrifying! Only one path leads to freedom: a successful escape route that readers must uncover by making the right sequence of decisions. This path is detailed in the “survival” mode—it is recommended to read this after successfully completing the story via the interactive mode. The survival mode offers unique decision-making and experiences for Ruby, all leading to her successful escape at the end! No matter which route you take, the narrative is fast-paced and adrenaline-driven from start to finish. In the interactive mode, it’s important to pay close attention to how the choices are worded—in some chapters hints of bad outcomes are provided in the text, and in others the text is designed to fool you!
Ruby is a feisty, determined protagonist. Her inner monologues are filled with fear and indecisiveness—adding nerve-wracking tension to the reading experience. Each time a choice is offered at the end of a chapter, Ruby mulls over potentially deadly outcomes for both choices, making the reader’s choice challenging! The narrative focuses mostly on Ruby’s journey, the malevolent/benevolent individuals she encounters, and her plan to find Sammy and escape. There’s no rich character development or introspection, especially for the side characters who all make brief appearances.
The context of the cult is mostly described at the beginning, when Ruby is taken from her home by “Uncle Rayson” (the “Hand of Gabriel”) to become a bearer of children for the lineage of elders in the cult—essentially she would be tied to a bed and forced to have their children! The narrative repeatedly mentions another young woman, Katie, who escaped the compound only after having her tongue pulled out for bad behavior! Aside from these horrific details, there’s not much provided about the cult ideology, leadership, or motivations.
If playing in the interactive mode, with over a dozen ways to die, you’ll likely have multiple deaths before making it to the end. The final chapters are quite gruesome and filled with pulse-pounding adventure and horrifying creatures you won’t soon forget! The ending feels rushed, with some storyline threads unresolved. There’s definitely an opportunity to have a sequel here—with this novel’s ending becoming a terrible twist of fate for the characters—and a whole new interactive adventure beginning!
Overall, Try Not to Die: Escaping the Cult is a gripping, interactive horror built on tension, gore, and high-stakes decision-making. It really shines in its adrenaline-filled energy and replayability, but don’t expect rich character development or satisfying closure. Fans of choose-your-own-path fiction and pulse-pounding adventure stories will really love this book and series. If all of this sounds intriguing, don’t hesitate to add this book and series to your immediate reading list!
My INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCE:
As an avid reader of “choose-your-own-adventure” books in my youth, I was super excited to dive into the Interactive mode of my first “Try Not To Die” book. By carefully listening to all the choices and making a combination of conservative and lucky decisions, I was able to get Ruby through to the end without a single death (but she was not unscathed)! Having accomplished this on my first go, I was still interested in seeing what kinds of horrifying fates awaited Ruby had I made other choices—so going back and choosing different paths (and dying each time) was incredibly enjoyable, if not horrifying!
Narrator Performance
The audiobook of Try Not to Die: Escaping the Cult is a thrilling, highly immersive listen narrated by award-winning narrator Andrea Emmes! The audiobook is a high-quality production and well-executed, offering both an interactive version composed of 29 chapters and linear “survivor” tracks, where listeners can follow the survival route without stressful decision-making.
Andrea Emmes delivers her narration using a commanding and immersive voice. From the very first chapter, she pulls listeners into the story, fully embodying protagonist Ruby and bringing readers into her psyche to experience all her fear, indecisiveness, unease, and feisty determination. Emmes maintains a constant sense of tension and urgency in her tone and amplifies the emotional intensity of her performance whenever Ruby is presented with sudden horrifying threats or harrowing decisions. All of this offers readers a pulse-pounding, adrenaline-fueled listening experience, and listeners will be eager to replay the audiobook to experience all its modes and possibilities!
Each character Ruby interacts with is given a distinct voice, individualized pacing, and a unique emotional range. Emmes’s portrayal of Auntie Martha, the woman imprisoned in the cell next to her brother, is especially convincing, and listeners will be hanging on to every word to make decisions about her! Emmes also seamlessly shifts between narration and character dialogue, masterfully guiding listeners through the story and choices.
In the survivor version, Emmes adapts to a more straightforward narrative delivery. Even though the adrenaline surge of real-time choices is missing, her performance remains gripping and entirely immersive!
Overall, Andrea Emmes significantly enhances the reading experience of Try Not to Die: Escaping the Cult with her expressive, engaging performance. For these reasons, the audiobook is the recommended reading format and a must-listen for horror enthusiasts and fans of interactive audiobooks! If you haven’t listened to Andrea’s narration before, you’ll likely become an instant fan of her voice and impressive acting skills and be keen to check out her backlog of 400+ titles, including other books in the “Try Not To Die” series!
Narrator Performance
The audiobook of Try Not to Die: Escaping the Cult is a thrilling, highly immersive listen narrated by award-winning narrator Andrea Emmes! The audiobook is a high-quality production and well-executed, offering both an interactive version composed of 29 chapters and linear “survivor” tracks, where listeners can follow the survival route without stressful decision-making.
Andrea Emmes delivers her narration using a commanding and immersive voice. From the very first chapter, she pulls listeners into the story, fully embodying protagonist Ruby and bringing readers into her psyche to experience all her fear, indecisiveness, unease, and feisty determination. Emmes maintains a constant sense of tension and urgency in her tone and amplifies the emotional intensity of her performance whenever Ruby is presented with sudden horrifying threats or harrowing decisions. All of this offers readers a pulse-pounding, adrenaline-fueled listening experience, and listeners will be eager to replay the audiobook to experience all its modes and possibilities!
Each character Ruby interacts with is given a distinct voice, individualized pacing, and a unique emotional range. Emmes’s portrayal of Auntie Martha, the woman imprisoned in the cell next to her brother, is especially convincing, and listeners will be hanging on to every word to make decisions about her! Emmes also seamlessly shifts between narration and character dialogue, masterfully guiding listeners through the story and choices.
In the survivor version, Emmes adapts to a more straightforward narrative delivery. Even though the adrenaline surge of real-time choices is missing, her performance remains gripping and entirely immersive!
Overall, Andrea Emmes significantly enhances the reading experience of Try Not to Die: Escaping the Cult with her expressive, engaging performance. For these reasons, the audiobook is the recommended reading format and a must-listen for horror enthusiasts and fans of interactive audiobooks! If you haven’t listened to Andrea’s narration before, you’ll likely become an instant fan of her voice and impressive acting skills and be keen to check out her backlog of 400+ titles, including other books in the “Try Not To Die” series!
The audiobook of Try Not to Die: Escaping the Cult is a thrilling, highly immersive listen narrated by award-winning narrator Andrea Emmes! The audiobook is a high-quality production and well-executed, offering both an interactive version composed of 29 chapters and linear “survivor” tracks, where listeners can follow the survival route without stressful decision-making.
Andrea Emmes delivers her narration using a commanding and immersive voice. From the very first chapter, she pulls listeners into the story, fully embodying protagonist Ruby and bringing readers into her psyche to experience all her fear, indecisiveness, unease, and feisty determination. Emmes maintains a constant sense of tension and urgency in her tone and amplifies the emotional intensity of her performance whenever Ruby is presented with sudden horrifying threats or harrowing decisions. All of this offers readers a pulse-pounding, adrenaline-fueled listening experience, and listeners will be eager to replay the audiobook to experience all its modes and possibilities!
Each character Ruby interacts with is given a distinct voice, individualized pacing, and a unique emotional range. Emmes’s portrayal of Auntie Martha, the woman imprisoned in the cell next to her brother, is especially convincing, and listeners will be hanging on to every word to make decisions about her! Emmes also seamlessly shifts between narration and character dialogue, masterfully guiding listeners through the story and choices.
In the survivor version, Emmes adapts to a more straightforward narrative delivery. Even though the adrenaline surge of real-time choices is missing, her performance remains gripping and entirely immersive!
Overall, Andrea Emmes significantly enhances the reading experience of Try Not to Die: Escaping the Cult with her expressive, engaging performance. For these reasons, the audiobook is the recommended reading format and a must-listen for horror enthusiasts and fans of interactive audiobooks! If you haven’t listened to Andrea’s narration before, you’ll likely become an instant fan of her voice and impressive acting skills and be keen to check out her backlog of 400+ titles, including other books in the “Try Not To Die” series!
