Book Review: Mary, Will I Die?
Inspired by the “Bloody Mary” urban myth, four teenagers begin to realize that it’s not just a myth when they look into a mirror and say her name 13 times. Read on for a book review of “Mary Will I Die?” by author Shawn Sarles.
Publisher provided a ARC for review, however all thoughts and opinions our own. This post contains affiliate links. We earn a small commission for items purchased.
Mary, Will I Die Review
Mary, Will I Die? starts on a stormy afternoon when a group of four friends hang out after school. Amongst the topics they discuss is the Bloody Mary myth. The Bloody Mary legend indicates that Bloody Mary will 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.
Bored, they look into an antique mirror and say “Bloody Mary” thirteen times to see if the legend is legit. Elena sees her crush Henry, Calvin sees a skull, Grace sees Calvin and Steph sees a girl she doesn’t know. Shaken, the group denies seeing anyone or anything to each other but Bloody Mary isn’t done with them just yet.
About five years later none of the teens are friends. Elena has started a relationship with her crush Henry and has turned into the ultimate mean girl. She and Steph compete for the role of captain of the volleyball team and Elena stops at nothing to get her way.
Strange things begin to happen as Calvin begins getting visions and Elena keeps seeing “Bloody Mary” all around. The former friends try to put their differences aside and delve deep into some folklore to put Bloody Mary back into her place.
I liked that each Mary, Will I Die? chapter was from a different viewpoint of the group of friends. They each deal with the uncertainty of their future and the terror of being stalked by the Bloody Mary entity. There’s a ton of drama and I realized that some of the characters are really hard to like especially Elena.
Because this is a young adult novel I do think it could have been scarier even with the creepy happenings when the characters have their backs turned. Mary, Will I Die? is a quick read and a fresh take on the Bloody Mary myth.
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