Sunday, March 7, 2010

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

2 comments:

Fearreader said...

I thought Bad Moonlight was really good! - I love books with werewolves in it. - Definitely one of my favorites! :)

Nice review!

Anonymous said...

Judging by the lyrics, it seems like it's like a catchy, repetitive song. Which is what you normally hear on the radio nowadays.