R.L. Stine Book of the Week: Silent Night 3

Rich, snobby Reva Dalby wants a little fame for Christmas. And since her daddy owns Dalby's Department Store, she can have whatever she wants. Someone else will always pay. Except this year Reva goes too far. Now someone is watching her. When she's sleeping and when she's awake...until she's dead.

My Thoughts:

Silent Night 3 may not be as good as the first book, but at least it's not as awful as the second one. The book is fairly predictable - I knew the identity of the killer a few chapters in - but I guess a 26-year-old who has read a lot of horror should be able to easily figure out the ending of a book written for children and teens. There was a second twist at the end that surprised me, though. 

The plot isn't the most exciting. Reva is in college now and has brought her roommate, Grace, home for the holidays. Unfortunately, Grace's abusive ex-boyfriend won't stop calling and she's paranoid that he will show up and kill her. Meanwhile, Reva's poor cousin, Pam, has designed scarves with her friend, Willow, and wants to sell them at Dalby's Department Store. Naturally, Reva takes all the credit for them and arranges a fashion show at Dalby's to create buzz about the scarves.

Nothing bad happens to Reva in this book. In the first one, she's the victim of horrible pranks and in the second one, her arm is broken, but in this one, nothing! It's disappointing since I enjoy when a bitchy character like Reva gets her comeuppance, but it was still fun when Reva said or did mean things. Overall, Reva is an entertaining character, even though she's snotty and unlikeable.

I recommend reading the first Silent Night book and skipping the two sequels.

Rating: 3/5

PG-13 Gore: As she tried to catch her balance, she felt something sticky under her shoes. She glanced down.

A pool of blood had formed around Traci's feet.

Dark red blood, spreading out in a circle. 

Reva clamped her hands tighter against her mouth and closed her eyes. I'm stepping in it, I'm stepping in her blood!

Then she opened her eyes. Blood? But where did it come from? Traci had been strangled, right?

Where did the blood come from?

Shaking all over, Reva examined Traci's body. And saw the support pole. The pole that held up a mannequin. Jammed through Traci's back. 

Someone had murdered Traci! Strangled her, Then hung her from the pole like a plastic mannequin!

R.L. Stine Book of the Week: Silent Night 2

Sure, she promised to be nicer after last year's horrors. But a rich, spoiled girl like Reva Dalby always thinks she can have anything—or anyone—she wants, and never, never pay.

But now it's payback time. Someone is out to kidnap Reva.

This year, Santa is bringing Reva a little holiday fear. And just around the corner is the biggest, most gruesome Christmas present of all—murder. And it's all hers!
 
My thoughts:

I enjoyed Silent Night when I read it a couple years ago, but unfortunately Silent Night 2 is the typical lousy sequel. 

The plot is very dull. A broke 18-year-old and his girlfriend attempt to kidnap Reva and use the ransom money to buy Christmas presents. Most of the book is comprised of failed attempts to kidnap Reva and nothing remotely scary or exciting happens. There are also plenty of chapters where Reva is bitchy to customers while she works at her father's department store, Dalby's, which is a bit entertaining, but not enough to redeem the book. Reva's cousin, Pam, is working at Dalby's again as well, despite the fact that she tried to rob it in the last book. I guess her uncle felt sorry for Pam because her family is poor and he's a millionaire? 

Silent Night 2 is too predictable: kidnappers tie Reva and her cousin Pam up, Pam loosens the ropes and they hide from the kidnappers, FBI shows up to save them. 

Also, where's the Santa from the cover of the book?! That actually might've been an entertaining book. I would choose a killer Santa story over a kidnapping story any day.

Rating: 1/5

PG-13 Gore:  With a loud groan he jumped up quickly and lumbered into the open elevator.

Reva shut her eyes tight. She heard Danny scream all the way down.

The scream ended four floors below in a sickening splat.
 

R.L. STINE BOOK OF THE WEEK: Silent Night

From the back cover:

Santa's bringing Reva three presents...each one full of holiday fear!

In Silent Night Reva Dalby was the richest, snobbiest, nastiest person in Shadyside. Three Christmases ago, Reva went too far, and found herself being followed everywhere. By someone who wanted revenge.

Reva escaped and promised that she'd change.

But she didn't stay on Santa's nice list for long. The next Christmas, she went back to being her old, spoiled self. Until she was kidnapped - by men who wanted her rich father's money.

Now, in Silent Night 3, Reva is home from college for the holidays. She's determined to have a good time this year. But she doesn't know that once again, Santa's leaving terror in her stocking. And it's going to be another scary Christmas!

From the front:

HAPPY HORROR-DAYS!

It's that time of year again. Time for snow, presents, family - and mean, nasty Reva Dalby!

Yes, Reva is up to her old tricks. She's still the snobbiest, cruelest girl in Shadyside. And she's still making plenty of people angry. People who are close to her - close enough to take their revenge!

Poor Reva. She has no idea what horrifying "presents" Santa's leaving for her on Fear Street!

So curl up by the fire with some chestnuts, some eggnog, and these terrifying R.L. Stine tales.

They're sure to make this a very Scary Christmas - and a Happy New Fear!

My thoughts:

To get myself (and anyone who reads this blog) into the Christmas spirit, I'm going to feature the Silent Night trilogy for R.L. Stine Book of the Week over the next few weeks. My copy of the book is the "Collector's Edition" which has all three Silent Night books in it, if you're wondering why the description is for three different books.

Silent Night tells the story of Reva Dalby - a snobby, spoiled brat whose father owns the Dalby's department store chain. When someone starts pulling cruel pranks on her - putting a needle in her lipstick, sending her a perfume bottle filled with blood - she doesn't know who to blame because everyone hates her.

I actually liked Reva. It was fun to read about her because she's such a bitch. She breaks up with Hank when she's driving him home - she just pulls over in the middle of nowhere and tells him to get out of her car. Then she moves onto Mitch, kissing him in front of his girlfriend, Lissa, and when they break up and Mitch asks her out, Reva tells him she's not interested. She also refuses to help her poor cousin, Pam, get a job at the store. Reva Dalby is the ultimate snotty rich kid (move over Summer Roberts) and I loved to hate her.

Since I work at Sears, I could relate to working at a department store during Christmas (it's nuts). The descriptions of the store were very accurate - how busy it is, the creepiness of being in an empty store after it is closed.

The other storyline about Reva's poor cousin, Pam, robbing Dalby's was also interesting and suspenseful. There was a car chase and Clay - one of the boys she robbed the store with - was kind of creepy.

For the most part, I enjoyed Silent Night. The only aspect of the book I didn't like was how predictable the ending was.

Rating: 4/5

PG-13 Gore: Reva took out her lipstick from the drawer, pulled off the top, and twisted the tube. She turned the round countertop mirror so that she could see herself better, leaned toward it, puckered her full lips into a pout, and began spreading the magenta lipstick on them.

It took a second for the pain to register.

Then she let out a horrified shriek and dropped the lipstick.

Gasping in pain and surprise, she stared into the small mirror and saw blood pouring down her chin.

Her lips throbbed with pain.

She stood frozen in horror. So much blood! Frantically she grabbed up tissues, mopping gently at her lips.

I'm cut. I'm cut.

I can't stop the bleeding.

What has happened here?

Pressing a wad of tissues against her mouth, she saw large drips of blood on the glass countertop.

Breathing hard, she bent down and searched the floor for the lipstick tube. It had rolled under the counter. She snatched at it and brought it up to the light to examine it.

Trying to hold the tube steady in her trembling hand, Reva saw at once what had cut her.

A needle. It poked out from the center of the tube.

Body Count: 2

Next Week: Silent Night 2

R.L. STINE BOOK OF THE WEEK: Cheerleaders: The Third Evil

Fight, fight, fight or die, die, die!

From the back cover:

IT'S BACK!

Did the evil spirit really leave Kimmy's body? The cheerleaders of Shadyside High can still feel its dark presence, and Corky knows that it is out there, somewhere close. And getting closer.

Corky is tormented night after night by dreams of her dead sister, Bobbi. What terrifying message is Bobbi trying to tell her? When the evil begins again - more horrible, more gruesome than ever - Corky knows it is up to her to learn the century-old secrets and destroy the evil spirit's power for good. But so many have died already - will Corky be next?

My thoughts:

I know it's Thursday and usually I do my R.L. Stine Book of the Week on Sunday, but I didn't have time to post it until now.

Cheerleaders: The Third Evil is probably the goriest of the series - just read the excerpt below for a sample. It's probably the most gruesome thing I've read from R.L. Stine so far. Except the body count is surprisingly low for a book with tons of gore. In fact, it's nonexistent. Not a single person dies in the book (excluding the flashback from the excerpt below, which I don't count). There a lot of bloody accidents, but nothing too serious, which was a disappointment.

The happily ever after ending was also a letdown. I guess you can't expect a book for teens to have lots of death and a not so typical, happy ending, but I thought this one was different since it had so much gore. Oh well, it's still an enjoyable Stine book.

Rating: 4/5

PG-13 gore: She saw herself murdering the man at the mill, the man who had caused her husband's accident. She saw the expression of utter disbelief on the man's face as she grabbed him and shoved him from behind. And she heard the crack and splat as she pushed his head under the mill wheel. And his head was ground up as fine as the corn.

The woman who lived in the big house on the hill was even easier to murder. And what pleasure Sarah had taken in the crime. What delight. After all, the woman insulted the Fears, insulted Simon Fear, insulted Sarah's dead husband, insulted the entire family.

She couldn't utter any insults with that length of clothesline wrapped around her neck. Sarah had pulled the clothesline tighter and tighter, until the woman's face was bright purple, as purple as the violets in her garden. So tight that the rope actually disappeared under the woman's skin. And the blood had flowed out in a perfect ring.

How lucky that Sarah was boiling up an enormous pot of potatoes when the young police officer arrived. She had only to shove his head deep into the boiling water, and wait.

What a struggle he'd put up. Thrashing his arms.

But Sarah had held his head under until the thrashing stopped. Until his breathing stopped, until he was dead, and he slumped lifeless over the black cast-iron stove.

All of his hair had floated off, floated to the top of the pot. And when she finally pulled him up, his head was as white as a boiled potato and nearly as soft.

Body count: 0


Next week: Cheerleaders: The New Evil

R.L. STINE BOOK OF THE WEEK: Cheerleaders: The Second Evil

Cheers - from the grave!

From the back cover:

OUT OF THE GRAVE

Corky Corcoran is sure it's just her imagination when she sees her dead sister rise from the grave. Or is it?

Corky is trying to put the nightmare of Bobbi's death behind her - she's back on the Shadyside cheerleading squad and has become friends with Kimmy and Debra. But everything is not back to normal for Corky - she hears horrible screams in the gym, her friend has become obsessed by the occult, and a strange young man is following her. And then the murders begin again....

Has the evil spirit from the Fear Street cemetery returned to destroy them one by one?

My thoughts: 

The second book in the Cheerleaders series is less cheerleading, more evil spirits, so I was a little disappointed because I found the cheerleading scenes to be the most entertaining parts. But there were still a few awful cheers to keep me interested:

We've got razzmatazz!
Pep, punch - and pizzazz!
Hey, you - you've been had.
Shadyside Tigers got razzmatazz!
RAZZMATAZZ!

I wasn't sure what razzmatazz was so I looked it up in the dictionary, and to my surprise, I learned it isn't a made-up word. It's another word for razzle-dazzle, which is also a real word apparently. Anyway, the Shadyside Tigers has razzmatazz in spades.

But one thing I hate is how Stine recycled scenes from the first book in this one. Kimmy fell during her pyramid flip in the first book, and the same thing happened to Corky in this book. In the first book, Corky happened to drive past the Fear Street Cemetery and see Jennifer dancing on Sarah Fear's grave. In this book, the same thing happened to Corky, except she saw Sarah Beth Plummer dancing on the grave. It's pretty disappointing when several climactic scenes in a sequel are just repeats of scenes from the original.

But the ending was exciting and original, and I was surprised by who the evil possessed. So, overall Cheerleaders: The Second Evil is entertaining, although not as much as the first book.

Rating: 4/5

PG-13 gore: She could tell that he was dead.

Sprawled there in his own blood.

She had to look away. She couldn't keep on staring at him.

She glanced up - and saw the power saw. And realized the steady whirring sound came from the power saw. The blade was spinning loudly.

Louder.

Even louder.

And then Corky's ear-piercing screams drowned out the roar of the whirring saw blade as she caught sight of his severed hand. His hand, cut off at the wrist, rested like a glove beside the blade.


Body count: 2

Next week: Cheerleaders: The Third Evil

R.L. STINE BOOK OF THE WEEK: Cheerleaders: The First Evil

When the cheers turn to screams...

From the back cover:

"GIVE ME A D-I-E!"

Newcomers Corky and Bobbi Corcoran want more than anything to make the cheerleading squad at Shadyside High. But as soon as the Corcoran sisters are named to the team, terrible things happen to the cheerleaders.

The horror starts with a mysterious accident near the Fear Street cemetery. Soon after, piercing screams echo through the empty school halls. And then the ghastly murders begin...

Can Corky and Bobbi stop the killer before the entire cheerleading squad is destroyed?

My thoughts: R.L. Stine's Cheerleaders series sparked my obsession with Fear Street books. Being one of the first Fear Street books I read, I was impressed with how suspenseful and creepy it was. Now, re-reading it several years later, it's surprisingly just as entertaining as the first time I read it.

Cheerleaders: The First Evil is like The Exorcist meets Bring It On. It's about a possessed cheerleader who causes several horrible accidents at Shadyside High. There's a lot of cheerleader talk and petty high school girl fights, but I found that quite entertaining. Especially the scene where Kimmy confronts Bobbi about "stealing" her boyfriend, Chip, and starts a fight by pulling her hair.

This book also introduces my favourite R.L. Stine character of all time: Corky Corcoran. I don't know if I like her character or just enjoy saying her name. It definitely conjures up an image of a perky cheerleader. But bitchy, little Kimmy with her permanently crimped hair is a pretty fun character too.

And there are five books in the Cheerleaders series, including a Fear Street Saga explaining the origin of the evil entity. So we'll have plenty more of Corky and the gang, starting next week with Cheerleaders: The Second Evil.

Rating: 5/5

PG-13 gore: Her long hair fell off, strands blowing away in the breeze. Her eyes sank back into her skull, then rotted into dark pits. Her cheerleader costume appeared to grow larger as her flesh decayed underneath it, and her bones appeared.

Body count: 2

Next week: Cheerleaders: The Second Evil

R.L STINE BOOK OF THE WEEK: Fear Street: The Overnight

They shared her terrible secret - but could they get away with murder?

From the back cover:

Nightmare Island

"Nothing bad will happen," Della O'Connor assures her friends in the Outdoors Club. So what if their advisor can't go on the overnight to Fear Island - won't it be more fun with no adults around?

But it's no fun at all when Della gets lost in the woods, and the dangerous stranger appears, whispering threats, driving her to a violent act.

Suddenly all of her friends are involved, prisoners in a conspiracy of silence, trying to conceal the terrible truth. But someone saw what Della did. And he's threatening them all, forcing them back to Fear Island to find the evidence they forgot to bury...

My thoughts:

This is one of the first Fear Street books - #3 to be exact. It was published in 1989, just two years after I was born.

If you've seen the movie, I Know What You Did Last Summer, you know the basic plot of this book. Teens share a horrible secret: one of them accidentally killed a man and they covered it up to not get in trouble. So if you've seen that film, the "surprise" at the end of The Overnight is predictable.

But the setting of the woods on Fear Island is eerie. Stories about camping trips and feature people getting lost in the woods always give me the creeps.

Although the setting was interesting and there were a few creepy scenes, the story was too predictable for me. And there were no deaths other than the initial one. Not even one of Stine's trademark animal deaths. I guess those start later on in the series....

Rating: 2/5

PG-13 gore: She was right on top of him.

I'm going to be sick, she thought. A wave of nausea rolled up from her stomach. She took a deep breath and held it, waiting for the feeling to pass.

Dizzy. I'm so dizzy.

She tried to push herself up with her arms, but her hands slipped on the wet leaves.

I'm right on top of him, on top of his dead, decaying body.

She forced herself to her feet, still holding her breath, still feeling dizzy.

I was lying on top of a dead man.

Next week: Goosebumps: The Horror at Camp Jellyjam

R.L. STINE BOOK OF THE WEEK: Fear Street: Goodnight Kiss

Their first kiss could be her last....

From the back cover:

A KISS TO DIE FOR....

Matt, his girlfriend April, and his best friend Todd look forward to a summer of sun and fun at the beach. But as dark shadows flutter over the sand, they soon find themselves plunged into a horrifying world of endless night.

"What's happening to April and Todd?" Matt wonders. "Why are they so pale, so weak, so...changed?"

The twin puncture wounds on their throats give Matt a clue. The menacing bats hovering over the beach offer another.

April has been lured away by the kisses of another boy - strange, intoxicating kisses that leave her weak, hungering for more. The kisses of a vampire.

Can Matt rescue April in time? Only he realizes that her next goodnight kiss may be her last.

My thoughts:

I started reading this when I was 13 and never finished it, which wasn't very promising for my second try at age 22. This time it took me two weeks to read this 216 page book and I barely finished it again. I have never liked vampires, so maybe that's the reason I hate this book so much - or maybe it's just a really crappy book....

This is another summer Fear Street book so once again it takes place outside Shadyside. This time at the beach town Sandy Hollow where apparently everyone from Shadyside has a beach house there.

The premise of this book is ridiculous. What the back cover doesn't tell you is that there are two vampires: Gabri and Jessica. The plot is about a bet between the two to see who can turn a human into "an eternal one" first. Yes, vampires have nothing else better to do than make immature bets and waste all their time trying to foil each others' plans. Well I guess they do have all of eternity to kill....

There was no suspense or action other than Gabri and Jessica trying to win their lame bet by sloooowly trying to win over Todd and April, making the book drag on forever.

And why was April always ragging on Matt for his love of horror movies? A Living Dead festival or Friday the 13th triple feature sounds good to me.

Rating: 1/5

PG-13 gore: Todd's face appeared in the light, green and swollen. His eyes were open but had sunk back in his head. Encircled by pus, the pupils were solid white.

A tear in the flesh of one cheek allowed the skin to sag like a pocket. When Todd finally opened his mouth to speak, his jaws grating as they opened like a squeaking, rusty door, Matt saw that several teeth were missing.

Body count: 3

Next week: The Overnight

R.L. STINE BOOK OF THE WEEK: Fear Street: One Evil Summer

Chrissy is perfect - perfectly evil.

From the back cover:

Help! Wanted

Summer at the beach and Amanda Conklin's stuck in summer school. Well, at least she doesn't have to take care of her little brother and sister. That's Chrissy's job.

Chrissy seems like the perfect babysitter - so kind and trustworthy. But Amanda soon discovers Chrissy's terrible secret. Babysitting is Chrissy's job - but killing is what she does best!

My thoughts:

I got my internet back just in time for my favourite post of the week! Since tomorrow is officially the first day of summer and it's very hot up here in Canada (my igloo is melting!), I'm going to kick off my Summer of Stine. For the rest of the summer my R.L. Stine Book of the Week will have a summer theme and will feature such classics as Beach Party, Beach House and Party Summer. First up: One Evil Summer.

You can tell just from the cover who the first victim will be. Chrissy is depicted holding poor Mr. Jinx in the air while he hisses at her. But he's just the first animal to die. The Conklin's also have two birds and Amanda adopts a stray kitten. And there are three human deaths - at least I think so, Stine just mentions one of them was taken to the hospital, so I'm just assuming that they died.

This book reminded me of the movie Summer of Fear (based on Lois Duncan's book of the same name) because Chrissy uses her powers to make Amanda's life horrible, but no one will believe Amanda, like the characters in that film. But the explanation for Chrissy's powers is unique - she uses more of her brain than the average person, which gives her the ability to do extraordinary things, just like Criss Angel. In fact, she can even levitate like him.

Amanda was a fairly intelligent character for an R.L. Stine novel, she knew there was something evil about Chrissy from their first meeting, and never gave up on her attempts to expose her.

One Evil Summer was one of my favourite Fear Street books when I was younger. Reading it for the second time I wasn't as impressed with it, but it's not a bad Fear Street book.

Rating: 3/5

Body count: 3

PG-13 gore: Without warning something strange happened to the knife. A bead of red slowly formed on its tip.

Amanda studied it curiously.

What's happening? she wondered.

She brought the knife up close, trying to see what was causing the stain.

Then, as she gaped in startled horror, a bright red spray shot out of the knife blade.

Blood! Amanda realized.

It's spraying blood! All over me!

Next week: Fear Street: Goodnight Kiss

R.L. STINE BOOK OF THE WEEK:Fear Street: Bad Moonlight

Nighttime is the right time for terror!

From the back cover: She wasn't just crying wolf...

Danielle Verona can't believe the band picked her to be their new lead singer. Sher's on the road, performing at all the hot clubs. The adoring fans, the bright lights - it's a dream come true!

But when nighttime falls, Danielle can feel the terror in the darkness. There's eerie howling outside her window. And then a band member is killed - ripped to shreds by a wild animal. Danielle knows something is out there, lurking in the moonlight. Something savage...and hungry.

My thoughts:

I have always been a fan of werewolves and was constantly on the lookout for this book at garage sales when I was younger but never came across it. So when I found it at a thrift store on my first mission to find R.L. Stine books I was thrilled. And it's actually the Fear Street book I have enjoyed the most so far!

The main character, Danielle, a high school graduate taking a year off before college to tour with her band, is a welcome change from the usual Stine high school heroine. School isn't used as a setting at all and a lot of the book takes place outside Shadyside.

There's more gore and deaths featured in Bad Moonlight than other Fear Street books I've read. I guess being about werewolves, Stine couldn't avoid a few descriptions of people being torn to shreds.

The ending was surprising, but convoluted and crazy - it's almost like Stine tacked on one of his Goosebumps endings - I still enjoyed it, though.

My biggest complaint with this book were the lame lyrics Danielle wrote. Here's a sample:

"Bad moonlight, falling over me,
Bad moonlight, shining down on me,
Bad moonlight
Makes me feel so strange and new.

Bad moonlight, falling over me,
Bad moonlight, shining down on me,
Bad moonlight -
Bad moonlight, I want to die for you!"

Seriously, Stine, that's the best you could do?! And THAT song was a hit?! If I was at a bar and a band played this song I would boo them off the stage.

But lame lyrics aside, I really enjoyed this Fear Street book.

Rating: 4/5

PG-13 Gore: "What was that heaped on the ground?

A body? A human body?

Torn to pieces?

Its clothing - its skin - had been ripped and shredded.

Clawed to death."

Body Count: 5

Next week: Goosebumps: Night of the Living Dummy

R.L. STINE BOOK OF THE WEEK: Fear Street: Broken Hearts

Valentine's Day can be a killer.

From the back cover:

Roses are red, corpses are blue
On Valentine's Day, you'll die too!

There's someone out there, someone who kills on Valentine's Day. Josie and Melissa are scared - especially when they receive threatening valentines. Then the murders begin. Who is sending these horrible valentines to the girls of Shadyside High? And who will be the next to die?

My thoughts:

Happy Valentine's Day a.k.a stupid Hallmark holiday made up to make people spend money everyone! For Valentine's Day I read R.L. Stine's valentine-themed Fear Street book, Broken Hearts. This was one of my favourites when I was younger, but while re-reading it I was disappointed.

I was expecting Broken Hearts to be like the films Valentine or My Bloody Valentine minus the gore, but it's not because this is another Fear Street book where nothing happens. No maggot-filled chocolates, or a human heart (or even animal heart) make an appearance. All we get are lame rhyming valentines, for example:

Roses are black
Violets are gray
On Valentine’s Day
You’ll start to decay

While the Valentine's rhymes fail to scare, what happens to Rachel in the first chapter is frightening. Rachel refuses to wear a helmet while horseback riding, and ends up being bucked off her horse, falling on her head. She becomes brain damaged, having to forever act like a child. When I read this book ages ago, it made me paranoid of not wearing a helmet when I should, for fear I would hit my head and become brain damaged - which is worse than being dead.

So most of the book revolves around boring arguments between Rachel's sisters Josie and Erica about who is going to watch her, since she has to be supervised all the time.

But I liked the characters in Broken Hearts with the exception of that skanky bitch Josie. Which just made it more satisfying when she got her comeuppance. I couldn't dislike Melissa, since she has the same name as me. But she dated someone named Luke, which is my brother's name and I found that to be pretty creepy....

The supposed motive of killing someone for blabbing about cheating off her test is ridiculous. I'll teach her not to tattle when someone cheats off her test! If you're smarter than me and sit beside me, that gives me the right to look off your paper! I almost wish he had been the killer, because that would be hilarious. But the identity of the killer was surprising.

I'll give Broken Hearts a 3 because the characters were likable for a change and I was surprised by who the killer was.

Rating: 3/5

PG-13 Gore/Dead Animal of the Week: "The little terrier was on its back, its head twisted to the side, eyes wide in a blank, unseeing stare.
Josie felt sick. She started to turn away, but something caught her eye.
What was that shiny thing in Muggy's stomach?
Pressing both hands over her mouth, she squinted at it. It took her awhile to realize it was a letter opener. A silver letter opener. The letter opener from the desk in the den."

Body Count: 2

Next week: Goosebumps: Monster Blood

R.L. STINE BOOK OF THE WEEK:Fear Street: Secret Admirer

Someone loves her to death.

From the back cover:

Her number-one fan

Selena is on top of the world. Her acting career at Shadyside High is blossoming - everyone admires her. So when she starts receiving bouquets of black flowers from a person called "The Sun," she treats them like a joke.

But Selena soon realizes that this is no laughing matter. Her understudy is injured in a suspicious accident. Then a speeding car nearly kills her. Selena knows "The Sun" is responsible.

And that her number-one fan has become her number-one nightmare.

My thoughts:

I'm taking a break from Women in Horror Recognition Month to do my favourite post of the week, R.L. Stine Book of the Week.

I actually couldn't guess the killer this time. Well I did initially, but then I was thrown off the trail by every single character acting weird and suspicious. There was a point in the novel where I suspected Katy (Selena's best girl friend), Jake Jacoby (Selena's best guy friend, awesome name, right?), Danny (Selena's ex boyfriend), Eddy (Selena's new boyfriend) and even Selena herself ( I thought maybe she could be nuts and sending herself black flowers for attention or something). Since I suspected everyone, I wasn't really shocked when the killer was revealed.

Not much happens in Secret Admirer. Basically just what is stated on the back cover. Selena gets black flowers sent to her, creepy notes, a few accidents where people end up a bit bruised and one murder.

I couldn't stand Selena. She kept being described as a once-fat girl who is now skinny and popular, but the only two people she talks to are her childhood friends Katy and Jake. I don't understand where her popularity comes into play. Haven't they heard of the term "drama geek"? And everyone accused her of being self-centered, arrogant and bitchy. But she wasn't any of these things because she was completely devoid of personality.

And Selena's new boyfriend Eddy was insanely creepy. He knew tons of information about her before she told him anything and although she thought this was strange, she didn't care because he was so cute. Later, the explanation for him knowing all this stuff about her is he had a crush on her when she was a freshman. Yeah, because when you have a crush on someone, you find out as much about them as you can and then you dazzle them with all your stalkerish information on your first date.

I didn't mind this book, but it loses major points for dull and moronic main character Selena and her creepy, stalker boyfriend.

Rating: 2/5

PG-13 Gore/Dead Animal of the Week: "The rat lay in a puddle of brown wrapping paper near the door.
The dead rat.
Already half-decayed. Its wiry legs stiff. Its patchy fur matted. Its head...
Its head chewed to a pulp. Chewed by a cat or some other animal.
A headless dead rat."

Body Count: 1

Next week: Fear Street: Broken Hearts

R.L. STINE BOOK OF THE WEEK: Fear Street: What Holly Heard

It was too shocking to tell....

From the back cover:

Do you want to hear a secret?

Holly did. She learned a terrible secret, and now her friends know it too.

Someone wants to make sure they never talk about it. Someone who'll go any length to keep them quiet.

Lying...

Threats...

Even murder.

My thoughts:

I vaguely remember reading What Holly Heard when I was in high school. I couldn't recall the identity of the killer or anything important. I only remembered liking it - oh and Holly and her stylish blue scarf.

I knew who the killer - and the motive - was on Page 4. So every time I read "So-and-so is the killer!" I wanted to scream, "No, it's ____!" I almost put the book down several times because Miriam was so blind. The killer was right in front of her the whole time, but she kept accusing everyone else.

The main character Miriam and her boyfriend, Jed, were possibly the most boring characters I've ever encountered (okay maybe I'm exaggerating, but they were pretty bad). Jed's only interest was basketball and Miriam's only interest was Jed. But I did like Holly, she reminded me of myself a bit. I mean, what girl doesn't love gossip and bad boys?

And what's the deal with R.L. Stine and killing animals? It happened in the last Fear Street book I reviewed (Ski Weekend), and now in this one. I felt so sorry for poor Lizzy and Tilly, Ruth's hamsters. They didn't deserve to die such a gory death. Miriam and Jed, on the other hand....

So far R.L. Stine's Fear Street books have been a disappointment, but I've only read two so I still have hope.

Rating: 2/5

PG-13 Gore: "Ruth's hamsters lay in a puddle of blood. Gaping in disbelief, Miriam took a step closer.
'Ohhhhh.' A moan escaped her throat as she saw their heads.
Their heads.
Their heads had been smashed. Smashed flat.
And their little, furry bodies.
Torn and battered.
Smashed."

Body Count: 4 (Including the two poor, defenseless hamsters.)

Next week: Goosebumps: The Girl Who Cried Monster

R.L. STINE BOOK OF THE WEEK: Ski Weekend

It was a perfect setting - for murder!

From the back cover:

WELCOME TO FEAR STREET

Don't listen to the stories they tell you about Fear Street. Wouldn't you rather explore it yourself...and see if its dark terrors and unexplained mysteries are true? You're not afraid, are you?

Snowbound!

"Red" Porter was a stranger they'd met on their ski weekend. But Ariel Munroe, Doug Mahr and his girlfriend Shannon Harper were grateful he was there when they set out for home on the icy roads. Thank heaven for Red! He spotted the hilltop lodge when they were stranded by the blizzard. He took charge when they stumbled into strange surroundings, scared, tired and looking for refuge. But can he save them when their refuge becomes a trap? Suddenly their hosts are acting very sinisterly. Doug's car is gone. The phones are dead. And the house is full of guns. If they steal one, maybe they can escape! Until a shot is fired and the real terror begins...

My thoughts:

I never read this book during my Fear Street kick because I grew out of them before I got to it. When I read " 'Red' Porter was a stranger" on the back cover I should've said "Done!" and put the book down without opening it because I knew who the villain was from the get-go. But I thought that a book titled "Ski Weekend" would be an appropriate read since we finally have snow on the ground and it's freezing here. And there were lots of lovely descriptions of snow, for example: "It was snowing so hard the air was white!"

Nothing exciting - or even slightly interesting - happens. Lou (the man who lives in the house where they take shelter) drinks a lot, owns tons of guns, hits on Shannon, thinks death is funny and allegedly hits his wife. I know people who are like that so I didn't really find him creepy like I was supposed to.... And Lou acting "weird" is pretty much all that happens.

The characters are the standard cardboard ones I remember from R.L. Stine books: Doug was the "macho" jock, Shannon was...his girlfriend (that is all she is described as), Ariel was the whiny main character and Red was the cute stranger. But there's a couple who live down the hall from me with the names Doug and Shannon, which I thought was funny.

Ski Weekend was too predictable and nothing really happened. My R.L. Stine Book of the Week feature is off to a lousy start. Hopefully next week's book will be better.

Rating: 1/5

PG-13 Gore: "A tiny brown mouse was struggling in the trap - the metal bar clamped over its neck. Its little black eyes bulged wide, and its tiny legs thrashed violently, scratching against the flat, wooden part of the trap. And then all at once they stopped."

Body Count: 2

Published in: 1993, also the year that...

• The Giver by Lois Lowry was published
• Mighty Morphin Power Rangers premiered
• Jurassic Park and Mrs. Doubtfire topped the box office
• Super Mario Bros. was the first video game film ever released
  

Next week: Goosebumps: The Abominable Snowman of Pasadena